Raised in Dungeon



Similar to the previous day, the tavern experienced a sudden silence that persisted at noon. It appeared as though people only sought refuge in the tavern during the morning hours when the heat was still bearable. As time progressed, the atmosphere grew increasingly hot, particularly within the vicinity of the kitchen, where one would inevitably feel a scorching sensation on their face while standing near the roaring flames.

"Then, I'll leave now. Susan, Master, Bedell," Allen said while carrying a bag with two bowls of soup inside.

"Wait, where are you going?" asked Bedell.

"To visit Lady Barkaley."

At that moment, Bedell suddenly turned pale. He remembered that he was supposed to deliver Lady Ayde's letter to Lord Barkaley on the first day.

"Oh no! I have to go there too!"

"Are you coming too?"

"Yes! But can you wait a moment?! I need to change my clothes! Just a few minutes!"

"Okay."

Bedell wiped off all the sweat, changed his clothes quickly, and finally applied perfume.

While he was doing that, Bedell suddenly realized if Allen made his way to the Barkaley residence. Did that imply that the Barkaley nobility also held respect for him?

It wasn't just that. Allen was the murderer of Waldo Barkaley, the eldest son and successor of the Barkaley family. Does Barony know that Allen was the one who took their son's life? And if so, how could they possibly forgive him?

Then since Allen just put on a normal face, does it mean Barony forgave Allen even though he had killed his son?

"Sorry for the wait; let's go."

"You smell… umm.. amazing," Allen said as he tried to cover his nose.

"Of course, as an envoy of Lord Boldenville, I have to look good in front of others nobility."

The questions about Allen's relationship with the Barkaley family were messing with her head. He felt he would face something very complicated at the Barkaley house later.

Surprisingly (or maybe not surprisingly anymore)

The soldiers guarding the gate greeted Allen and let him in without being thoroughly checked. Even though Bedell, an outsider, was only asked his name and reason for coming, they did not suspect Bedell, who could be an enemy intruder or something.

They walked inside Boldenville's house; the maids and soldiers who passed by bowed their heads as the two of them passed by; some greeted Allen as if Allen had freedom in that house, just like his own home.

They finally arrived at Barony Barkaley's room. A maid was sitting behind the table, writing beside the room door; from her clothes, it seemed she was the head maid there.

"Allen, you've come again. But sorry, the Barony will not want to see you as usual. He already told me that this morning."

"I see..." Allen said while putting on a disappointed and sad face.

"Then I'll go straight to the lady's room again today, and then..." Allen took out a bowl of soup from his bag and gave it to the maid.

"Leena, please give this to Mr Barkaley," Allen said.

Wearing a somber expression, the maid replied, "Allen, you don't need to bring this soup anymore. Lord Barkaley won't want to eat it in the end; only I will eat it."

"Please, can you ask him one more time?"

"Uhmmm..." The maid accepted the bowl, "Alright, I'll keep trying."

"Thank you very much, Leena. I owe you one."

In a small voice, the maid whispered, "I always get free food; I'm the one who should owe you."

Allen heard it, but even so he would still say "eh? What?" to the maid. And the maid would reply, "Nothing, please go to the next room. Lady Barkaley is waiting for you."

"Then Bedell, we will part ways later; you can meet me in the next room if Lord Barkaley permits."

For Bedell, Allen's conversation with the maid made his chest tighten. After hearing all that, he immediately understood the situation between Allen and the Barkaley family.

Then when he imagined Allen's sad face, his heart was also inexplicably torn apart.

'That kid must always make that face in front of this door.'

"Hey, miss maid. What's really going on here? Why did that kid get into this house so easily?" asked Bedell, trying to figure out everything of the story.

"I don't really understand. Allen is a very respected person in the city, even though he used to be a murderer. Still, the city already owes him a lot during the pandemic. But for some reason, Lord Barkaley doesn't want to see Allen's face at all."

'Eh? What does she mean by not understand? Don't they know that Allen was the one who killed Waldo Barkaley?'

"Lady Barkaley was very fond of Allen's cooking, so once she fell ill, she asked Allen to come every day to bring her food. Every time he came here, Allen also brought a bowl of soup for Lord Barkaley. But Lord Barkaley said 'Who would want to eat soup from that monster,' he said.

I can't stand it either, seeing Allen's face every time he comes here."

Lord Barkaley still closed his heart to Allen. Since he didn't give Allen a chance to talk to him, there was no way for Allen to get his forgiveness.

'Allen…'

"By the way, you are..."

"I'm Bedell, and I'm an envoy from Lady Boldenville to deliver a letter to Barony Barkaley."

The maid immediately stood up straight, placed her hands on her chest and saluted Bedell.

"Welcome to the Barkaley residence, thank you for coming all this way." The maid then knocked four times on the door.

"Come in," said a male voice from inside.

They entered the room.

"Who is this person?" asked Barony.

The maid and Bedell saluted Barony, and the maid introduced Bedell, "This gentleman is a messenger from the Boldenville family; his name is Bedell."

Bedell then came forward and gave the letter to Lord Barkaley.

"I have come today to bring you greetings from Lord and Lady Boldenville, and I would like to give this letter to Lord Barkaley. If you wish to reply to her letter, I will wait here for you."

Barony read the letter for about five minutes, then he put the letter on the table and said, "Wait five minutes."

Barony wrote a reply to Lady Boldenville's letter. As he was writing, Bedell couldn't help but be consumed by the memory of Allen's desolate expression upon discovering that the Barony had rejected his passionately prepared homemade soup. Seeing such profound sadness etched across Allen's face pained Bedell to his very core. An overwhelming desire to alleviate Allen's anguish engulfed him, prompting him to suddenly said,

"Lord Barkaley, I met Allen outside," as Bedell said it, Barony was so surprised that he stopped writing, as did the maid, also putting a shocked face behind him.

Even Bedell himself was surprised by what he said, 'Wait! What did I say?!'

As if he was torn apart, his mind refused to say everything.

"Allen, before going here, I saw him cooking with great pleasure. I saw him smiling for someone who never expresses anything to his face."

'Stop! Do not speak further! Barony could kill me for speaking carelessly!'

"When I got here, I finally realized the meaning of his smile.

He has come here many times and probably predicted that you would not accept his cooking as usual."

Barony began to put his quill back into the inkwell, then he looked at Bedell, who continued to speak with a sardonic look.

"But! Even so! Even though he knows that you won't eat it! He still made the soup with a smile! He must be hoped and imagine that you will eat his delicious cooking!

I'm sure the soup he cooks will be delicious!

I also respect Mr. Waldo because, to Lady Felicia, that man was everything. So I was both sad and angry about Mr Waldo's death.

BUT! It's all in the past, and I was made to realize when I tasted Allen's cooking that day that this boy was sorry and just wanted an apology from the people he had wronged!"

Bedell could never forget what happened that afternoon, the shock he felt when Allen told him he was Waldo Barkaley's killer.

It feels like his old wounds reopened; he saw Lady Felicia's smiling face over the falsehood of Waldo Barakaley's life.

Then when he ate Allen's soup that day, he could feel that Allen put all his feelings into the soup. He must have thought: even if people wouldn't forgive him, he had at least made them happy with his cooking.

'How innocent and honest. He deserves to be forgiven by everyone.'

Without Bedell realizing it, his eyes were already teary as he said it. He couldn't help himself, seeing the previously happy Allen suddenly showing a sad face at the door.

"Leena," Barony broke the silence. "Come out; I want to talk to this guy."

"Yes, milord. I will excuse myself."

"Before that, please bring that kid's soup here."

"!!!"

"What's wrong?"

"N-nothing, sir! I'll bring it right away."

After giving the bowl to Barony, the maid went out and closed the door.

'My life may be over,' Bedell thought at that moment. 'Criticizing a nobleman and also committing an act of disrespect, what a fool I was for being moved by emotion!'