The villainess's slow prison life

Noblewoman Renovates the Prison

By the time Sykes returned from the prison, he found Elliot still flirting with Miss Margaret.......but the situation was soon going to evolve(deteriorate).

".......!!"

When he saw the state of the dungeon, Elliot was at a loss for words. Sykes, who was supposed to have been prepared for the strangeness of this situation, was also at a loss for words. This prison, it was a completely different place from just 30 minutes ago.

The dungeon is a facility that is actually comprised of one large square room separated in two by a row of iron bars.
The front room across from the iron grating is used for waiting and monitoring the dungeon. The staircase leading up to the rest of the castle was obviously here as well. The only furniture in this portion of the dungeon was just a simple desk and a couple chairs.
The prisoners' meals would be brought from the kitchen in the upper floors, so there was no need for any kitchen facilities, and because any interrogations are taken care of in the guard quarters, there was no need for any furniture.
The room in the back is where the prisoner resides–the actual dungeon. Interior decoration consists of stone with a stone ceiling and a stone floor. A monochromatic design. In one corner there was a toilet, shower, and washbasin all shoved together. These two portions of the room are only separated by the iron bars, and if they were to be removed, you would have a single, larger room.
As it is called a dungeon, it is the basement floor mostly underground, but there is several elongated holes in the high walls to act as windows in order to provide ventilation and lighting. Because this was the only source of light for the room, even in the daytime it was dim without any lamps or candles.

Whether life in this stifling space would be dreadful or not depended on the position of the person interred here and the degree of hostility from the person who had put them in there.
If the prisoner was a big shot that needed due consideration or if the person was still on amicable terms with their jailer despite the circumstances, then they could expect special treatment. Rugs and other furnishings like beds, desks, and chairs could be provided along with toiletries for the toilet and even a bathtub.
If the purpose of the prisoners incarceration was to oppress them or their jailer felt hatred for them, then they may receive nothing instead. Shivering in the cold and forced to lie down on the cobblestone floor. They would have to eat off a tray placed on the ground and subjected to the humiliation of being watched as you bathe and excrete waste by the guard.
Just listening to this type of treatment is enough to make most men tremble. Especially if their imprisonment had already been decided.....

Nonetheless, the stories are mostly just urban legends.

In the first place there is almost no reason for this prison to be used in the first place.
Compared to the past, most inmates are handled immediately by the guards, so rather than being thrown into the dungeon, they are immediately dragged into the guard quarters where their interrogations are handled post haste without giving them even a chance to escape.
On the other hand, and criminals who wouldn't need this type of consideration wouldn't be important enough to be placed in the dungeon of the royal palace. It is far better and more practical to just ship them off to the larger suburban prison used by the common people.
This dungeon was something to be used to abuse powerful people who had lost everything from the days where civil wars and conspiracy was an everyday thing. The country had been at peace for a long time now so rather than a prison, it had become more of a holding cell for nobles and courtiers who meet extraordinary conditions.

Rachel Ferguson, who was this cells first resident in a long time, was indeed an extraordinary case. Somebody who was expecting the Duke's daughter to draw the Prince's ire and be thrown in there. There was no such person who existed. Or at the very least, such a capable person is hard to come by.