Slow Prison Life Chapter 41

n.o.blewoman Fears the Storm

“Prince Elliott is just too stupid.”

If you were to thoroughly investigate everything that has happened, this would be the natural conclusion. But at the same time, this simple sentence could easily summarize the matter entirely as well.
The Prince's attacks up until now weren't anything to really write home about.
Because of that Rachel may have become unconsciously overconfident.
Nothing could break the peace that had been established inside the dungeon.

But then around the time that the King's return was on everyone's lips.
………a storm came to the dungeon.

The news of Wolanski's arrest sent shockwaves through Elliott's office.

“What, Wolanski has……..!?”

All the color drained from Elliott's face. With this, along with the incidents involving George and Sykes, his three closest friends had left him. The Prince's shock was immeasurable.
The son of an earl continued his report, unable to hide the depression on his face.

“According to those who had witnessed the incident, he was on his way home after being released by the head court lady……….he was apparently drunk, shouting strange things, and was stopped by some guards at the castle gates when they heard him.”

“That's………!? No, certainly someone would want to have a drink after a sermon like that…….but even then, Wolanski didn't do anything to justify him being arrested! I'll immediately send the guards an objection, and……….”

“As I understand it, he was apparently dead drunk when he reached the castle gates, and besides wearing some women's underwear on top of his head, he kept yelling, ‘Loli's are the best!' over and over again.”

“………..No, I see……….I hope they let him go soon.”

Elliott sunk down into his chair without any energy.
Silence filled the room around him as unfortunately, the Prince didn't understand the difference between a peta and a loli either. Wolanski was already half convicted………and not even Elliott believed in his innocence.

Margaret worriedly rushed to Elliott's side. After all this time she had finally snapped out of the trance she had put herself in from reliving that supreme time over and over again.

“Elliott………please lift your spirits!”

“Margaret……..I'm already, what should I do……….?”

“That's it! If you have this, then I'm sure everything will turn out all right for you!”

From her pocket, Margaret pulled out some kind of flashy purple cloth.

“Huh? What's this?”

“I had to give it everything I had until the very end, but I managed to come out victorious over the other n.o.ble girls and walked out of that party with Adam's briefs.”

As to be expected it apparently wasn't forcefully stripped from him.

“That guy's!? No, I'm fine!? I don't need that!”

“Eh? How come?”

Margaret unconsciously took a step back, giving Elliott a completely mystified look.

In the middle of such a fun-filled atmosphere, one of the Prince's followers came storming into the office.

“I beg you pardon! But Miss Rachel in the dungeon……..”

“What is it now!? With our spirits already so low, is she doing something again!?”

“No, actually……….it seems like she has some visitors who are rebuking her, and she is being forced to scream back at them.”

“HUH!?”

Rachel shuttered herself in the dungeon………in the depths of the dungeon, Rachel had shuttered herself behind her shower curtain.
By the time Elliott had rushed in, that was the state Rachel was in.
The preceding visitors didn't notice Elliott's group when they came in, focusing all their attention trying to call out Rachel.

“Rachel! Every day off is two days' worth of effort wasted! Hurry up and come out!”

“That's right! ‘Whatever doesn't kill us just makes us stronger' or so they say. It's already going to take half a year to get back what you've lost you know!?”

“No – No – NO – NOOoooo! His Highness has already broken off his engagement with me, so I don't need a queen's education anymore!”

“Just come out of there without saying such stupid things!”

That Rachel was being pushed back.

Gazing at the two women angrily yelling while striking an imposing stance inside the prison, Elliott had a similar, “Oh no……..” feeling come over him.

“The d.u.c.h.ess Somerset and Countess Marlborough………..”

d.u.c.h.ess Somerset was a walking encyclopedia and in charge of culture lessons for anyone taking the queen's education. As Archduke Vivaldi's older sister, she was a member of royalty and held the t.i.tle of d.u.c.h.ess even as a bachelor.
The other Countess Marlborough was a retainer, but she had a unique life having been born and raised inside the royal palace and was in charge of etiquette. Because both her father and husband are ceremonial officers, she is nothing less than a demon when it comes to maintaining public morals.
These two women are beings to be feared when it comes to manners in a person's queen education and in the imperial court both.

“About this case, I have sent the location where Their Majesties have been staying multiple letters continuously pleading for your liberation and asking for a confirmation on their stance on this policy……….and at last we received a reply from Her Majesty. His Highness's insanity always made me clench my teeth in vexation whenever I even thought about it……..but now that we have a clear path moving forward, we will work harder than ever before to make up for lost time!”

Madam Marlborough shouted out with her hand wrapped up in a fist. Not exactly what someone would describe as good manners.

“Really………for more than two months we've been sending these letters only to get a reply now, Their Majesties are much too indecisive. When they return home, I'll have to have a word with them…….”

A crease formed in Madam Somerset's brow.
His Majesty the King didn't even want to touch any letters from such nit-picky people, calling it good enough to just have his chamberlain summarize the contents. And now him receiving a sermon had been set in stone.

“Im – poss – i – ble! I'm trapped in here and cannot leave! I can't go with you for any queen's education!”

“Then we can just have you study here! The only thing we wouldn't be able to do is have you practice your dancing!”

“I went to great pains to get into this prison¹, why should I have to study here!?”

“It's because you have a lot to study!”

No matter what the grannies told her, Rachel refused to give up hope. However. These women wouldn't be fit to be educators if they were forced to back down by the whims of some young whipper snapper.

Rachel continued arguing vehemently while hiding her face behind the curtain.

“What meaning is there to continuing with my queen's education when His Highness has already broken his engagement with me!?”

“So that you can gain the necessary skills to become the next queen!”

But they aren't engaged.

“That's why His Highness is……….!”

“When it comes to Elliott, I don't care!”

d.u.c.h.ess Somerset loudly rebuked Rachel's pitiful excuses.

“Rachel will be the queen! That is set in stone. This was the response we received from Her Majesty, and His Majesty appears to agree with her. All Elliott needs is two or three shots of true grit and it'll be easier for him to hear!”

The d.u.c.h.ess prescribes to an old-fashionable method of education.

“And if he still says he hates me………….!?”

“Then we'll hit him with twenty to thirty shots of true grit, and he'll be ready to go!”

This d.u.c.h.ess would get along marvelously with Martina.

“In the first place, I don't like him! I don't even want to look at that Idiot Prince!”

Even though they were words said by someone he had broken off an engagement with, the Prince let out a small groan as if those words had shot through him like a stray arrow. The women who had still yet to notice his presence were heating up.

“It's because Elliott is a narcissist with an empty head that he needs a solid queen to stand by his side!”

Madam Somerset was getting heated up as well. Still n.o.body was aware that Elliott's group was there.

“In the first place! We knew that someone whose head was as useless as a vase with a hole in the bottom was unfit to act as a king for the rest of their life. As the first born though he was destined to inherit, so that's why Rachel is needed, to fill in all the cracks!”

The Madams were unknowingly pelting the man in question with new facts about himself he didn't know.

“To become the queen and marry His Highness, after all I really don't want to!”

“We could care less about such a trivial thing!”

“Don't care!? Isn't that quite important!? Don't you have any respect for my will!?”

“You're the daughter of a n.o.bleman, marriage for political reasons is basic! And His Majesty has ordered it, so you have no choice in the matter, Rachel!”

“But still I haaaaaaaate that Idiot Prince!”

All of these stray arrows were digging themselves in Elliott's flesh. He was forced to crouch down, unable to stand up straight anymore.

“If you don't like him, then you can just marry Raymond instead. It's already decided that Rachel will be the queen, we can figure out who your husband is going to be later on.”

“Isn't that reversed!? Generally wouldn't you change the bride marrying into the royal family!?”

“This country won't survive if we hang on to such minor details!”

Elliott's hands and knees fell to the floor as all the damage from these women saying whatever they wanted left a deep wound on his heart.

“Elliott! Stand strong Elliott!”

Margaret tried to comfort Elliott by rubbing his back, and cutting through the bickering of the women in front of her, she tried chiding the grannies for what they were saying about their prince…………..so reckless.

“Hey, what are you doing denouncing someone as important as Elliott!? Elliott only stood up because he thought he had to do something about Rachel's oppression!”

“Margaret………!”

Elliott's eyes became wet with tears.

“Elliott……….!”

The two shared a loving gaze.

And then the voice of an older woman shattered such a boorish atmosphere.

“Elliott!? You dare brazenly show your face here like this!?”

“Elliott……..you've always run away whenever I've come to lecture you before, so I was wondering whether or not you'd grow up to be a decent human being……..but congratulations for being able to make such a happy face in this place! Let me teach you the differences between right and wrong!”

“I, I can do the right thing……….!”

“I²!”

“Yes!”

Like an ogre straight out of the legends, Countess Marlborough's anger caused her face to warp into a terrifying mask as she approached step by step.

“Elliott………this att.i.tude of yours, a good spanking is in order before you apologize to Rachel don't you think………!?”

“Eh, what, are………..!?”

Suddenly, Elliott was turned around and held under Countess Marlborough's arm.

“Uwah!?”

While the Madam was lightly carrying the grown man that was Elliott underneath her arm………..

*Slip*

“Eh!?”

“KYAAaaaaaaa!”

Elliott's pants were pulled down around his knees.

“Madam Marlborough, what are you doing!?”

“I want to ask you that very same question! I'm here to punish you for your idiotic behavior, and Rachel needs to see you receive your spanking as an act of good faith!”

Countess Marlborough raised her hand up high, aiming for Elliott's bare and unexpectedly smooth a.s.s, when………

*WHACK!*

“S, Stop!?”

“Trying to quit after the first one, your endurance is astonishingly low.”

“Th, That's not the problem…………..!”

The Madam didn't care to listen, once again raising her hand high overhead………..

*WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACK!*

A refreshing, uplifting noise continued to echo inside the dungeon.

“H, Hold on Madam Marlborough!? There are others, and I (ore)……………!?”

“I (watashi)!”

The slaps got even worse.

“Stop, stop it……….!”

Elliott wanted the pain to end, but that wasn't all.

His beloved Margaret was watching.
The most-hated Rachel was peeking her head out from behind her curtain.
The surrounding followers were still as stone watching this indignity.

Although there were all sorts of different people lined up together, here he was having his a.s.s beat with his b.u.t.t in full view like some small child………the mental anguish was just as strong as the physical one.
However it didn't bother Countess Marlborough none.

*WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACK!*

It kept going on and on.
Lasting an eternity.

“I'm begging you, stop this! It hurts! Please!? This is embarra.s.sing!”

No matter how much Elliott begged and pleaded, it just wouldn't end.
His entourage too……….they can't try to stop it because they understand who the other party is. If they were high ranking knights they may have given priority to Elliott's instructions, but as simple members of the n.o.bility, the punishment they'd receive from this demon granny would be far worse than doing something as simple as ignoring a prince.

Already Elliott was left with nothing but a swollen a.s.s and the ability to groan. Seeing the Prince in such a state, d.u.c.h.ess Somerset spoke up to Countess Marlborough.

“Madame, any time now………..”

Although he was already unable to say anything, Elliott was still able to show his overwhelming relief in his expression………..”

“……….it should be my turn.”

Later on, Elliott would describe this as the most despair-inducing moment of his life.

A watchman for the royal family and three years older than Archduke Vivaldi, Elliott was held down with a type of force you wouldn't expect to come from someone of such an advanced age.

“Watch and learn Countess Marlborough. When you get to be my age, you can't strike someone with an open palm over and over again like what you just did.”

Under one arm, she was carrying a semi-adult man.
In the d.u.c.h.ess's other hand, she was holding a leather sandal that seemed to have come form nowhere.

“So instead, you must make up for the decline in your body's health with your experience and knowledge.”

*THWAK! THWAK! THWAK! THWAK!*

The echo of a crisp whack that was both stronger and faster than the ones  before filled the room.

“I'm learning a lot here. Thank you for the lesson.”

“Mhm.”

“That's unnecessaryyyyyyyyyyyyyyy…………..!?”

Elliott was completely silent as he was lowered to the ground………..

“Hold on you two! Just what have you done to Elliott!?”

Margaret recklessly tried chewing out the two grannies. The surrounding people were throwing wild gestures all obviously translating to, “Stop!” but none of their movements entered Margaret's eye.

“Oh, you are?”

Margaret stuck out her chest with pride.

“I am Margaret Poisson! The Poisson baron house's Margaret!”

“Well then, what kind of mouth is that on a n.o.ble daughter!? ………this requires a spanking as well.”

“Fue?”

Countess Marlborough already had Margaret underneath her arm before the girl could figure out what was going on, and with one tug pulled down her skirt and underpants down around her knees.

“No, hold on!? I'm a girl!? What are you doing when everyone is looking!?”

“No man is going to get turned on seeing a blue b.u.t.t.”

“No, everyone look away!? And shouldn't it be red!?”

*WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACK!*

“GYAAAAAAAA!!”

“How is a n.o.ble daughter able to raise such an immodest shriek?”

“Elliott wasn't silent, so why am I (atashi) getting lectured on it!?”

“I (watashi)! Why is a n.o.ble girl speaking like some working-cla.s.s riff raff!”

*WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACK!*

“GYAAAAAAAA!!”

From behind the curtain Rachel could tell that the sound of the spanking had changed, so she peeked back around the corner once again………and raised a loud shriek.

“That's mine! That's my sandbag! I was looking forward to being the first one to hit it!”

“Who is your sandbag!?”

“What's this, such an indecent way of speaking!”

*WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACK!*

“Madam, you can let me hit her anytime now.”

“Isn't you wanting to help with the punishment a lie!? Don't you want to just enjoy yourself!?”

“Speak properly, I (watashi)! I!”

“You shut up too! You ridiculous, s.a.d.i.s.tic a.s.shole!”

“Why are you unable to improve the way you speak!?”

“Shut up, you stop first!”

*THWAK! THWAK! THWAK! THWAK!*

“Uuh, how it must feel to beat her!”

“So, had enough?”

“Ahhn, someone else is banging my sandbag………….!”

“You all can go to h.e.l.l!”

“What is this, such filthy language!”

“That's enough Rachel. If you think you can stay in there forever, then I'm sure you know you'll end up like this as well?”

After the twin demon instructors of the queen's education had finished handing out their lessons, they walked out of the dungeon looking satisfied.

“………..”

Left behind with Rachel………..the PrinceElliott and n.o.ble daughterMargaret were left lying on the ground with their b.u.t.ts still in plain view, and all of Elliott's followers standing to the side as an awkward silence filled the room.

n.o.body said a word.
Elliott slowly rose to his feet, trying to pull his pants back up………but his swollen b.u.t.t hurt too much, so he gave up halfway. Margaret was sniffling as she stood up, and she was somehow able to put her underwear back on. Her skirt draped back down without any problems………naturally.

Everyone in the room was still keeping quiet.
Rachel, the lord of this room, kept looking around trying to find something to say………..so she gave them a wink and a thumbs up.

“Cute!”

“Shut up!”

Feeling something knocking against his knees, Elliott looked down and found Haley looking at him pitifully while holding up an orange.

“Don't worry about it man. Here, eat this.”

“Shut up! I don't need a monkey's sympathy!”

“d.a.m.n, I'll remember this!”

Elliott was crying as he ran away. Margaret followed………but all of the hanger-ons didn't know if they should follow after him and just kept standing there looking at each others' faces.

A week pa.s.sed. Elliott had still not left his room.

1. The kanji she uses here means villa, but it can also be slang for prison.

2. Elliott uses the more boyish, less formal ore the first time, and the teacher corrects him and tells him to use watashi instead.

3. atashi is ‘I' for young girls who are trying to sound cute.