Otto Luoxi was awakened by a loud noise.
He opened his heavy eyelids and looked around. The candles on the candlesticks were almost out, and the thin flames made the room very dark.
He could not see day or night in the dungeon, so the candles were the only thing he had to measure time. Every six hours, the candles would be replaced, along with the plates in front of him.
But that was in the beginning.
Now, whether it was the candles or the food, the delivery time was getting longer and longer. Sometimes he would even wake up hungry and find the dungeon was still dark.
How long had he been locked up here? Otto pressed his forehead and shook it, trying to wake himself up. The long period of imprisonment without light had made him mentally and physically exhausted. Especially when he woke up in the darkness where he couldn't even see his own fingers, it made him feel a sense of helplessness, as if he had been forgotten by everyone.
But he had to live.
Because the fate of his father... and even the entire Luoxi family was in the hands of Appen.
Otto propped up his weak body, rolled out of bed, and slowly walked to the railing. In addition to replenishing the plates and water jugs, he also hoped that the guards could give him a razor. The beard that had not been shaved for a long time had grown all over his cheeks. Every time he ate, there would be grease and residue left on it. After a long time, it would naturally emit an unpleasant smell, like moldy and rotten orange peel. If the guards were worried, he could let them shave him.
After all, he was a noble and should not be refused when it came to his appearance.
Then Otto heard a conversation coming from outside the iron gate.
"What the hell are those people doing? That's the eldest son of the Luoxi family! "
Judging from the volume, the speaker did not seem to be whispering, as if he did not care about being heard.
"Teasing and ridiculing. Isn't that what clowns do?"
"They're crazy. If these acrobatic troupes dared to offend the earl's son, I'm afraid they would become fish food at the bottom of the river the next day. They're just a group of homeless people! "
"You also know that it's a normal day? Usually, the eldest son would be locked up in the dungeon. Now His Majesty likes to watch those guys play tricks. Without the permission of the King of Dawn, I don't think they would dare to do such a thing. "
"Bah, you're just guessing."
"I'm just saying it casually. Believe it or not, it's up to you. By the way, what can you do if you don't believe me? Are you going to change dinner for that big shot in prison? "
"Sigh, forget it … It's just a few mouthfuls of saliva. Eating it won't kill you." Following this sentence, the sound of a bunch of keys colliding with each other rang out.
"That's right. If this is what His Majesty wants to see, aren't you asking for trouble? Hurry up, I'm still waiting to collect the plates. "
The iron door made a sour grinding sound, and the warden walked in with a plate of food.
"Oh, my lord, you're awake?" When he saw Ao Tuo leaning against the railing, he seemed a little surprised, but the awkwardness on his face was quickly concealed. "Just in time, finish your dinner today. I'll change the candles tomorrow. The housekeeper forgot to send new ones over. "
Otto did not reply. He felt so sad that he even forgot to ask for a shave. Even though there were only a few words, he was able to deduce the truth behind the noise from their conversation. The clown of the acrobatic troupe met the food delivery man and spat a few mouthfuls of saliva into his food in order to please Appen Moya?
The humiliation made his cheeks burn as if they were being roasted by fire.
The head jailer did not care about his reply. After he finished changing the plates, he quickly left the cell. Although the furnishings and decorations in the cell were as exquisite as those in a duke's mansion, the oppressive atmosphere made no one want to stay here any longer.
As the footsteps faded away, silence enveloped Otto.
For a moment, he even wanted to shout out loud, to scold the warden for his dereliction of duty, and to scold Appen for his neglect … But he did not do so in the end.
Because it was meaningless — the former would only make the next change come later, and the latter might be what his "old friend" wanted.
As for the dinner that was used to humiliate him, he did not even want to touch it.
Otto could not help but wonder if what he had done was right.
Just as he was about to go back to bed, his body suddenly trembled. From the corner of his eye, he saw that the oatmeal on the plate had turned into a bowl of black water!
The eldest son of Luoxi rubbed his eyes, slowly moved to the plate, and carefully picked up the oatmeal.
It was not his illusion, nor was it the shadow caused by the weak firelight. The oatmeal had really turned black, like sticky ink.
In an instant, a flash of light flashed through his mind.
The acrobatic troupe, the clown, the trick... Was it all arranged by that person?
[Yorko said you were an ordinary acrobat. Is it true? How did you know His Majesty? ]
[It was just a coincidence. As for why His Majesty liked me, it was probably because I was good at acrobatics. ]
[Oh? Can you show me? ]
[It doesn't matter. Let's do the simplest cuttlefish spitting ink. ]
Otto stared at the oatmeal for a moment and suddenly put his finger into the bowl! After feeling around for a while, he felt a slightly rough sensation on his fingertips.
[How... how did you do this? Why did the water suddenly change color? ]
[It's not over yet. Look at this gauze. There's nothing on it, right? Now I wet it in water and then dry it with fire. Guess what will happen? ]
[There's nothing... Uh, wait, that's... writing? ]
[Can you tell what it's written? ]
[Let me see. This is... your name? ]
[That's right, Hill Fox. That's my name. ]
Otto gently pinched the rough piece and slowly lifted the surface of the oatmeal. It looked almost transparent and was hard to tell even if it was directly immersed in the oatmeal. Only when he rubbed it with his hand could he feel the existence of the gauze.
He held his breath, walked quickly to the candlestick, and unfolded it little by little.
The faint black water began to fade, and the candle was about to go out.
"Hurry up... hurry up... hurry up." He shouted anxiously in his heart. The swaying shadows seemed to envelop him from all directions, and in his hand was the only light in the world.
The moment the words appeared, the candle went out.
Darkness swallowed the whole dungeon.
Otto couldn't help but chuckle.
He held his trembling shoulders and stuffed the gauze into his mouth. Then he crawled back to the railing and swallowed it with the oatmeal.
A warm current flowed through his throat and organs, filling his body with strength. But compared to the oatmeal, his heart was warmer.
He drank the oatmeal silently, and a tear rolled down from the corner of his eye.
His persistence finally paid off.
There were only a few words on the gauze. The handwriting was graceful and elegant, with a familiar feeling from his childhood.
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