Chapter 513: The Forbidden Corridor (I)
"You said... if I help you, then you will help me escape from here and even give me money?" Bianca asked. "How much?"
Primrose’s smile stiffened because she hadn’t expected that to be Bianca’s very first question. But after thinking about it for a moment, it made sense. Anyone in Bianca’s position would want to know the price before doing something dangerous.
After all, this kind of thing was also a business.
"Three hundred thousand gold coins," Primrose said calmly. "I can give you that much."
[Bianca’s eyes widened. Even the dowry Averon gave me wasn’t that much!] she thought in shock. [And I can’t even use that money freely.]
It seemed that Bianca needed her husband’s approval every time she wanted to spend money for her own pleasure. Because of that, when she learned that Primrose was willing to give her such a large amount of money, her mind immediately began to reconsider the decision she was about to make.
"And you will give me a place to live... and protection as well?" Bianca asked carefully.
Primrose nodded without hesitation. "Yes, you have my word."
She hadn’t spoken to Edmund about this yet, but she was sure he would support her decision. Besides, three hundred thousand gold coins probably wasn’t a big amount for him.
At least... she hoped so.
[Well... she looks convincing,] Bianca thought for a while. [Three hundred thousand gold coins... With that kind of money, I could live comfortably for the rest of my life without ever dealing with anyone in Azmeria again.]
[My family would definitely be furious if I left them, especially since I haven’t repaid everything they’ve done for me, but...]
Primrose held her breath when Bianca began to hesitate again because of her family.
[...but if they can’t find me, doesn’t that mean I don’t have to repay any debt?]
Bianca took deep breaths again and again, looking both uncertain and determined at the same time. After waiting for almost ten minutes, Bianca finally said, "I believe my husband is imprisoning people in those rooms."
Primrose straightened her back and leaned closer to her. "Why do you think so?"
"Because I saw some of the maids bringing food and fresh clothes to those rooms at four in the morning and at midnight," Bianca added. "I know this because I left my room in the middle of the night when my husband wasn’t in the palace."
Usually, Averon forbade Bianca from leaving her room from midnight until around six in the morning. If she broke that rule, he would become very angry and would not hesitate to punish her.
However, there were times when Averon was not in the palace because he had to attend political events. During those moments, Bianca often gathered the courage to leave her room during those forbidden hours.
"Didn’t anyone see you?" Primrose asked with a frown. "If he forbids you from leaving, wouldn’t that mean he places soldiers in front of your room?"
"He does," Bianca admitted. "But I slipped away through the secret passage in my bedroom that isn’t guarded by the soldiers."
Primrose blinked several times, secretly admiring Bianca’s willingness to investigate something suspicious until she managed to find the hidden passage.
In royal palaces, many bedrooms usually have secret passages that can be used during emergencies. However, since this palace had been built hundreds of years ago, many people no longer knew where those passages were.
It was possible that Averon also didn’t know there was a hidden passage in Bianca’s room, or he might have already sealed the entrance or asked soldiers to guard it.
"That secret passage is actually connected to the corridor in the west wing. That is a part of the palace that is completely forbidden to me," Bianca said.
If Averon ever found out that she had entered that corridor, he would most likely lock her in the dungeon for several days.
Primrose kept her eyes on Bianca. "Are the rooms in the west wing different from the ones we passed earlier?"
Bianca rubbed her arm slowly, as if trying to calm the uneasy feeling that returned when she remembered what she had seen there.
"That corridor... I don’t know how to explain it, but it looks very different from the other parts of the palace."
She looked away for a moment as she recalled the scene. "Even the entrance is blocked by an iron gate. Only Averon’s most trusted people are allowed to pass through it."
Primrose frowned because she didn’t expect Averon to hide something bad so close to him.
Hell, if the rooms really contained slaves he had captured, then he was basically hiding them right inside his own palace.
When she attended the King’s banquet a few days ago, Primrose didn’t know anything about the west wing because the soldiers had escorted her and her entourage straight to the ballroom without passing through the other parts of the palace.
"What did you see there, Bianca?" Primrose asked seriously.
Bianca looked at her again. "Something bad," she said in a very low voice, as if she was afraid someone might overhear them.
"The doors in that corridor are made of iron, and there are only a few torches on the walls. It’s very dark." She paused for a moment. "If I have to describe it honestly... the west wing looks more like a prison than a palace."
"But I’m not sure if you can enter that place or not. My husband asked the royal court mage to create locks that cannot be opened by anyone except him and the people he trusts," she added.
Primrose suddenly froze. "The royal court mage?" she asked slowly. "You mean... Lord Keirwyn? Aster’s father? Our Aster?"
Her heart pounded wildly because he was the father of Aster Keirwyn, her close friend whom she had always considered her own sister. The last thing Primrose wanted was for Aster to become involved in something this dark.
"Yes. Who else?" Bianca sighed. "Aster even helped her father make some of those locks."
[I have to admit that Aster is an amazing mage,] Bianca thought. [I truly believe she will surpass her father one day. The locks she helped create are even twice as strong as normal ones.]
She lowered her gaze slightly. [If only she knew those locks were being used by my husband for something terrible... she would probably cry blood.]