There is No Key to His Cage - Chapter 10.1
“A fish…”
She stayed up all night again today.
The scenes from last night with him kept swirling endlessly in her mind.
Lips whispering love, forceful kisses, and pitiful gazes.
Clearly, it wasn’t an action done with any expectations.
Rather, his face was full of thirst.
“Ha…”
She was confused.
His eyes were filled with longing.
“Just like someone who knows me…”
Elena, lying blankly on the bed looking out the window, quickly sneered as if something was funny.
“That can’t be.”
Knock knock-
“My lady, I’ll prepare your bath.”
“Okay.”
It had already been several days since she was called ‘my lady’.
At first, it was unfamiliar, but now it’s quite familiar.
“It feels like I’m playing princess.”
The maid repeatedly came and went, bringing hot water in a large tub.
Soon, the white bathtub filled with clear water, and pink bath salts spread in several streaks like paint being mixed.
“It smells nice.”
“The Grand Duke personally chose this bath salt. I hope you like it, my lady.”
“I really like it. Thank you.”
As the businesslike conversation ended, the maid quietly went out as usual.
Since she had adamantly refused assistance during bathing, they seemed to have adapted as well.
But Elena, far from undressing, held her breath until the maid’s footsteps disappeared.
“Is she gone?”
Elena, who had been eavesdropping with her ear to the door, slowly pulled the doorknob while clutching her pounding heart.
The friction sound between the door and floor tickled her eardrums, making her think “oops,” but fortunately there was no sign of anyone, so she boldly opened the door.
“No one’s here.”
Elena carefully moved one step at a time on her tiptoes.
She looked like a thief who had come to steal something secretly.
“Quickly, quickly.”
Elena gathered all the thin cloths she could see around and knotted them together.
Once the long rope was completed, she tied it securely to the curtain rod.
“Done.”
She took a deep breath and slightly opened the window.
“I won’t die, right?”
After wracking her brain yesterday to run simulations, she thought she wouldn’t die.
But now that she was actually about to jump, fear took over.
“I can do this.”
Now there was only one way to escape from him.
To escape this terrifying Grand Duke’s residence on her own.
If she just stayed here blankly, she felt like she might really be devoured by him.
That’s why she thought of this method.
It’s a bit crude, but what could be frightening to someone already driven to the edge of a cliff?
“I can do it, I can do it.”
Elena repeatedly mouthed as if chanting a spell, then grabbed the long cloth and climbed onto the windowsill.
At a height equivalent to about the 3rd floor of an apartment, she felt dizzy.
“Ha, I can’t do this…”
She couldn’t even do bungee jumping during high school retreat and cried her eyes out, so what on earth was she thinking trying to jump out of a window?
“Right, this isn’t it. Let’s think of another way.”
“My lady!”
After living for so many years, I realized once again today that I truly have the worst luck.
Just as she was about to take her foot off the windowsill, Jane’s urgent cry rang out and the heavy door burst open with a bang.
“My lady…?”
“Kyaaa!!!”
Startled by Jane’s sudden appearance, Elena lost her footing and slid down the rope.
“My lady!!!”
It was more terrifying than falling into a deep sea.
She didn’t know that not having her feet touch the ground could be this frightening.
“Help me!!! Jane!!!”
Jane hitched up her skirt and ran over in a hurry.
But pulling up a person weighing over 50kg was nearly impossible.
Jane looked around frantically, not knowing what to do, searching for something to pull her up with.
But then.
Creeak-
The window right below opened wide.
“What on earth is this…”
Carefully looking down at the deep, low voice, she saw a face she never wanted to see again beneath her feet floating in mid-air.
But now wasn’t the time to be picky.
One wrong move and she could bid farewell to her life right here.
“Um… Please, save me…”
At her pitiful voice, he closed his eyes tightly and let out a deep sigh.
“Come here.”
He stretched out his arms long and curled them into a basket shape.
“H-how…!”
“Trust me and jump.”
But since her trust in him was 0%, instead of trust, she was only filled with distrust.
“I can’t jump!”
“Just close your eyes and jump once. It’ll be okay.”
She knows it’s too late to be stubborn. And her arms were starting to lose strength, reaching a point where she couldn’t hold on anymore.
Elena reluctantly let go of her trembling hands lightly.
“Ah…!”
In an instant, the cushiony feeling on her back made the dizzying sensations melt away like snow.
As she barely opened one eye like a newborn baby bird, she saw him with an annoyed expression.
When she flailed her body in surprise, he quickly tilted his body and entered the room.
“Really, you…”
Decarus laughed hollowly as if dumbfounded.
Then he immediately turned around and set her down on the hard wooden floor.
Click-
He closed the window and firmly locked the brown latch.
The sharp metallic sound made her whole body feel frozen.
“Ha…”
He let out a deep sigh without even looking back.
Watching him rub his face, she could tell he was struggling with mixed feelings.
Strangely, she felt a sense of satisfaction in her heart.
“I should praise you for acting outside of predictions.”
He then turned around and stared at her.
His expression, revealing no thoughts, was still unfamiliar.
He slowly approached and grabbed her slender shoulders, pulling her.
Thanks to that, Elena, who fell into his arms, unlike usual, quietly entrusted her body to him.
Fearing what might happen if she resisted now, she kept her breath held and constantly watched his reactions.
“My leniency ends here.”
A deep, low voice like gathering storm clouds settled by her ear.
His lips touching her fine hair tickled her earlobe.
“Okay, I get it… Let go.”
Elena pushed away his solid body with her fists tightly clenched.
He then chuckled and brushed her curly hair.
The hair entangled in his fingers was as soft as silk.
“From today, you’ll sleep in my room.”
“…What?”
