The Genius Tamer of the Academy

Chapter 217

From the start, Adela had no intention of barging into the royal underground prison.

No matter what she tried, it was obvious they wouldn’t let her in.

But if it was this person, it might just be possible.

Adela took a deep breath and looked up at Han Taesu.

She had ridden a carriage straight to the Castica estate.

The man she held responsible for her family’s death, an unforgivable enemy.

Adela was certain she could never forgive him, not even if the world were to end. Yet, to save Han Siha, she had no choice but to seek his help.

A man more noble than any noble.

It wasn’t just his demeanor or manners that exuded aristocracy, but also the power he held.

“Please, help me.”

If someone like Count Han Taesu couldn’t immediately get Han Siha out, he could at least arrange a visitation.

Adela clung to that sliver of hope and had come here for that reason.

“I need to see Siha.”

Han Taesu simply stared at Adela in response, his eyes impassive.

He was in the middle of sorting through documents when this young girl suddenly barged into his study and caused a commotion.

If it had been anyone else, they would have been thrown out without question.

Han Taesu maintained a calm expression and finally spoke.

“…And?”

Adela felt her emotions surge at Han Taesu’s indifferent response.

‘He’s your son, after all!’

How could a father remain so unmoved when his child was locked in the royal underground prison, his fate uncertain?

Adela, unable to control her emotions, spoke sharply without thinking.

“If you won’t protect him, then I will.”

“…Father-in-law?”

Ha.

Han Taesu let out a short, bitter laugh and clicked his tongue.

“I have no intention of taking in a commoner as my daughter-in-law.”

“I’m not here to joke.”

“Neither am I. What exactly do you want from me? If he’s been imprisoned by royal decree, there’s nothing I can do, and you know that.”

“At least let me visit him.”

“A visit?”

“Just for a moment. Five minutes, or even less, is fine. There’s something I need to say.”

Adela’s eyes were already red.

She seemed to be holding back tears, and even while pleading with Han Taesu, her voice trembled slightly.

‘Anyone would think he’s already dead.’

Han Taesu, knowing the truth of the situation, turned his head and cleared his throat.

Listening to her earnest words made it difficult to maintain his stoic expression.

He wondered if the words she so desperately wanted to say were a final farewell.

And, just as he suspected, Adela’s thought process was exactly as he had predicted.

“I don’t know what will happen, so I need to be there for him.

I know better than anyone that I can’t save him or break him out… but still, I want to be by his side.”

Adela continued, her voice breaking.

“So please, help me, just this once, Count.”

He knew how much Adela had to lower her pride to come to him and ask for this favor.

‘…Should I tell her the truth?’

Han Taesu hesitated, conflicted, before shaking his head internally.

It would be better for her to see for herself.

Though the Emperor might not approve, Han Taesu couldn’t bring himself to refuse such a heartfelt plea.

Feeling a heavy weight on his conscience, Han Taesu spoke calmly.

“I’ll give you the location. I’ll make arrangements for you to visit him.”

“R-Really?”

“But be warned, if the Emperor blocks it, there’s nothing I can do.”

“Yes… I understand!”

“And don’t cause any trouble.”

“I’ll… I’ll definitely keep that in mind.”

Adela, looking as though she might faint at any moment, repeatedly bowed her head, and Han Taesu, having nothing more to say, closed his book.

“Well then, you should be on your way. I’m starting to feel rather tired.”

But no answer came.

Han Taesu’s expression shifted to one of confusion.

“Hm?”

No sooner had Han Taesu finished speaking than Adela, having received the prison’s location, had already disappeared.

* * *

The journey from the Castica estate to her destination was quite long, and it was late at night by the time Adela arrived at the royal prison.

It seemed Han Taesu’s message had been conveyed properly, as the guards escorted her without much fuss.

Now that she was here, however, she found herself unable to move forward.

It wasn’t the fear of the underground prison that troubled her.

‘Han Siha must have been scared too.’

Even if he had pretended to be fine, he couldn’t have been unafraid of being dragged to the royal prison.

Adela was more terrified that she might not be of any comfort to a frightened Han Siha.

That she might be utterly useless to him.

‘What if I can’t do anything to help?’

Despite her fears, Adela knew she had to see Han Siha.

Afraid that she would start crying the moment she saw him, she repeatedly took deep breaths to calm herself.

She didn’t want to cry in front of him.

“If I cry, he’ll just worry even more.”

Don’t cry.

Adela made that vow to herself as she followed the guard.

The prison was located deep within the royal palace.

Following the guard’s instructions, Adela ascended the steps.

She had expected a dark, gloomy underground space, but instead, the corridor was brightly lit.

But something felt off.

‘They said it was an underground prison, didn’t they?’

“Is this the right way?”

Feeling increasingly uneasy, Adela looked around and asked the guard.

The guard, who had been leading her with a stern face, replied in a firm voice.

“Yes, this is the correct path.”

“But it’s too bright here….”

The higher they climbed, the more lavish the surroundings became.

Adela had never been to a prison before, but this certainly didn’t look like one. It was so far removed from what she had imagined that it made her nervous.

After climbing another floor, instead of continuing up the stairs, the guard turned into a corridor. Adela hesitantly followed him, half-expecting something to go wrong.

This was the royal palace, after all. There shouldn’t be any traps, right?

Adela wasn’t completely sure she trusted the guard, but she proceeded cautiously nonetheless.

They continued down the seemingly endless corridor until, at last, the guard stopped in front of a door.

It looked more like the entrance to a guest room than a prison cell.

Adela still didn’t fully trust the guard.

Adela couldn’t help but wonder if she had been brought to the wrong place when the guard inserted a key into the door.

“This is it?”

“Yes, he’s locked up inside. He can’t open it from within.”

Even if it looked this way on the outside, it could be a completely different scene inside.

Adela braced herself, picturing a cold cement floor with various torture devices scattered about, the typical horrific sight of a dungeon.

She bit her lower lip hard, afraid she’d start crying the moment she saw such a scene.

For a moment, there was silence.

Click.

The sound of the door unlocking broke the tension, and Adela turned her head with a sense of nervous anticipation.

What she saw inside was…

“Huh?”

Instead of a cement floor, there was a fluffy-looking bed.

Bright lights reminiscent of the academy dorms illuminated the room.

And sprawled on the floor, lying comfortably, was Han Siha.

“Han… Han Siha?”

“…!”

Adela stood frozen in shock.

She had worried whether he was dead or alive.

She had cried the whole way here.

She had rushed over in such a panic!

“You… you look…”

Why does he look so comfortable?

* * *

Inside the so-called royal underground prison.

Han Siha shrugged, looking at Adela, who had come to visit.

“I’m currently incarcerated, you know?”

“Ha…?”

Adela was at a loss for words in the face of Han Siha’s shamelessness.

He had defied the Emperor and yet was confined in such a luxurious place.

It felt like witnessing a chapter of aristocratic corruption firsthand.

Is this even allowed?

Han Siha vehemently denied it.

“That’s not true. I’m seriously locked up, you know…”

“Oh, right. Are you okay?”

He looked perfectly fine, but it was polite to ask anyway.

At Adela’s question, Han Siha let out a mock wail, groaning dramatically.

“No, no, you won’t believe it. When I was brought up here, that guy on the first floor, you know?”

“…The guard?”

“Yeah, him. He…”

“What? Did he hit you or something?”

“No, but he grabbed my wrist way too hard.”

“…Ah.”

“Wanna see the mark? Oh, you can’t see it. Maybe it wasn’t that bad? Damn, I grew up pretty gently, but he just… just… manhandled me, you know?”

This was beyond ridiculous.

‘He probably should have been thrown around to learn his lesson.’

Adela massaged her forehead and sighed deeply.

“You’re honestly a miracle. I heard you said all kinds of things to the Emperor that you shouldn’t have?”

“…Like this?”

Han Siha asked, clutching his pillow with a curious expression.

He seemed way too comfortable to be in any sort of trouble.

Adela clicked her tongue as she glanced around the so-called underground prison.

It looked even more luxurious now that she was inside, complete with a chandelier and thick, plush blankets that looked incredibly soft even without touching them.

There were so many things she didn’t understand, but one thing stood out above all.

It’s supposed to be a prison, so how is he this free?

Adela tilted her head in confusion.

“Why aren’t you even restrained?”

“What’s with that disappointed look?”

“What?”

“…Is that your thing? You’re into that?”

Ugh!

He always knows how to say the exact thing that’ll get him in trouble.

The thought of having gone all the way to the Castica estate and begging Han Taesu for this made her feel furious.

“What kind of hellish ordeal did I go through…?”

Adela let out deep, frustrated sighs.

But still…

It was better that he was lying on a fluffy bed than a cold cement floor.

If this had really been a dark underground prison, she would have burst into tears the moment she saw him.

There were no injuries, and his bright smile was just as she remembered it.

Even though she was angry, she was mostly relieved.

Right, as long as nothing bad happened, that’s all that matters.

Adela murmured in a voice so quiet it was barely audible.

“I’m glad you’re okay.”

“Hmm?”

Han Siha, picking up on her words, looked at her with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

“What was that? I couldn’t quite hear you.”

“….”

“I think I heard something like… glad? Glad, right?”

His expression was ridiculously transparent.

Seeing Adela fluster and squirm, Han Siha grinned and asked teasingly.

“Were you worried about me?”

At Han Siha’s question, Adela recoiled, shaking her head vehemently.

“Absolutely not!”

“You came in here pale as a ghost, though. I saw your face the whole time.”

“What are you talking about? No way!”

“Really?”

“Wow. I wasn’t worried about you at all, okay? Whether you were here or not, what’s it got to do with me?”

Her reaction made the teasing even more fun.

Han Siha rubbed his chin, studying Adela’s face.

“Hmmm… then why did you come here…?”

“I was just passing by!”

“Wow, you’ve really made it in life, huh? Passing by the royal palace and just dropping in?”

“Stop teasing me, you jerk!”

The supposedly royal prison was the backdrop.

And even here, the two of them were bickering away.