the dim candlelight, as if he had a fever.
Even if she hadn''t known his identity beforehand, Edith could tell from his arrogant and cruel air his sinful blood in a flash.
Through his eyes, she glimpsed an elegant yet savage history – of breathtaking palaces and ornate heraldry, of thunderous cavalry battle cry and horn blasts; but it was also a history of dungeons in ancient castles and Inquisition, of burning stakes and dry bones of millions of serfs.
She could imagine how this man would have rested his elbows on the velvety table, leisurely smoothing the gold-threaded cuffs of his sleeves, courteously discussing about suppression and slaughter... It made the girl feel dizzy and almost faint.
Seeing her discomfort, Andre signaled for her to step back and approached the caged beast himself, speaking to him in a cold, impassive tone:"Your resistance is futile. Confess now, it''s only for your own good."
Hearing his voice, the prisoner raised his head, but seemed not to respond to Andre''s words.
His gaze gradually focused, repeatedly scrutinizing Andre''s face with confusion, before ultimately revealing an incredulous expression:
"De La Garnache!" the aristocrat murmured in astonishment.
Edith looked at Andre in bewilderment, but his face remained unchanged.
The prisoner suddenly burst into a sharp, piercing laughter, as if he had just encountered the most hilarious thing in the world. He laughed uncontrollably, as if possessed by a demon, almost out of breath. His morbid laughter filled Edith with a sense of dread.
"If the old La Garnache saw you dressed like this, I wonder what expression he would have on his face! Hahaha!" He taunted Andre before erupting into fits of guffaw once again.
Andre simply folded his arms and looked down at him with a mix of disgust and contempt. The prisoner''s laughter gradually subsided as he realised that Andre was not going to be provoked.
He looked up at Andre defiantly and suddenly bit down on something in his mouth. With an abrupt spasm of his body and face, his head drooped down, moving no more.
The gaoler who had come to check on the situation cursed, confirming that the aristocrat was now dead, then proceeded to get r