There is No Key to His Cage - Chapter 19
It seemed she needed a change of mood, so she slipped out of the mansion.
The weather was still bright and clear without a single cloud.
The warm sunlight greeted her brightly as if welcoming her.
“Yes, I should get some photosynthesis like this.”
Elena closed her eyes and basked in the pouring sunlight.
The breaking sun brightly illuminated her skin.
After watching the cool flowing fountain, she moved her steps to the garden where roses were in full bloom.
“The weather is damn good.”
It didn’t take long to get from the fountain to the garden.
It’s a perfect place for a walk.
Elena hummed as she headed towards the entrance.
“Huh…?”
As soon as she entered the garden, she saw a tombstone surrounded by roses.
It was the place where his mother rested, which Jane had told her about before.
Elena slowly walked over and placed her hand on the tombstone.
The coldness that touched her skin resonated sharply.
“Diana, Goddess of the Moon….”
Judging by the divine name, she must have been a cherished daughter.
She carefully wiped off the dust accumulated on the tombstone with her fingertips.
Then, with her delicate hands clasped, she prayed for Diana.
“May you rest in peace….”
The fragrance of flowers wafted gently with the breeze that brushed her skin.
Her figure enjoying the outing while humming was as beautiful as a fairy.
Elena, who had been walking lightly, stopped in her tracks as if her legs were sore.
“Oh my, my legs. Huh?”
As she turned her head to look for a bench, something caught her radar.
Elena narrowed her eyes and observed the target, cupping her hands like binoculars.
Elena narrowed her eyes and observed the target, cupping her hands like binoculars.
It was small in stature and had hair, clearly a person, but something seemed off.
“What a child?”
She thought only servants lived in this vast mansion, could that child be a servant too?
Elena approached the small child sitting on the bench with suspicion.
“Hello? Who are you?”
She made her voice as sweet as a nightingale to avoid startling the child.
She also smiled gently as if she were a kindergarten teacher.
But the child’s reaction was not as pleasant as she had expected.
“Who are you, auntie?”
“…What?”
For a moment, her head spun and she almost fell over.
No, to hear the word “auntie” that she hadn’t even heard in her previous life, now.
It was unfair, but she forced a smile again, raising the corners of her mouth wide.
“I’m not an auntie. You should call me big sister.”
The little one squinted for a moment and stared at her face intently.
It felt like being an observational bug, but that gaze wasn’t particularly unpleasant.
“Okay, I’ll call you big sister.”
The tone, as if he had done her a favor, almost made her forced smile drop.
Right, a big-hearted person doesn’t get angry over things like this.
He’s still young, so it’s understandable.
“Okay…. Thank you.”
“It’s nothing, for something like this.”
“By the way, you.”
Elena bent down to look at the child as if she had discovered something strange.
From the glossy black hair to the ruby-like red eyes.
Suddenly, that annoying face hit her mind.
No way, is this person his child?
“You, who’s your dad?”
“I don’t have one.”
The child said with round eyes, looking innocent.
His eyes, clear and pure like glass beads, were full of truth.
“I don’t have things like mom or dad. I’m an orphan.”
The boy calmly put the candy he was holding into his mouth.
Momentarily flustered, Elena didn’t know what to say and just moved her lips.
Then, he sighed deeply and introduced himself as if reciting a timeline.
“I came to Estel during the Bateil War. The Grand Duke found me and allowed me to stay at the ducal residence. Thanks to that, I’ve been living well without any problems for 6 years. I’m 11 years old, my name is Rey. As you can see, I’m a boy. Sometimes people mistake me for a girl, but well, that’s thanks to this Rey’s outstanding looks.”
Even this brazen and arrogant attitude seemed exactly like him.
The surprised Elena asked again as if she couldn’t believe it.
“Are you really not related to that Decarus guy? You look so similar.”
The little one shook his head vigorously, strongly denying it.
“But calling him ‘that guy’? Isn’t that too harsh?”
He frowned as if he was offended.
Then, as if he was going to teach her a lesson, he crossed his arms and climbed onto the bench to start a speech.
“The Grand Duke is the hero who saved me. He’s like a god to me. I’m going to become a wonderful person like the Grand Duke later. Charisma that commands the world, outstanding beauty like mine, and upright character on top of that. Isn’t he just perfect?”
“Ah…. Sure.”
At her lukewarm response, the little one pouted as if he was upset.
“But who are you to be here? Looking at you, you don’t seem to be a maid. Hmm….”
Rey rolled his eyes for a while, then clapped his hands together as he exclaimed.
“Ah, could you be that lady who came recently?”
“Well, I guess so.”
Since she was the only lady here, it was probably correct.
Rey looked her up and down with an indifferent expression.
“Not too bad.”
“What?”
“I mean, not bad for the Grand Duke’s girlfriend. I’ll approve.”
For a moment, Elena was confused.
First, she doubted if this was a normal conversation between a child and an adult.
Moreover, to receive approval from a child.
She wasn’t sure if she should be happy or sad.
“Ah, right. Well, thank you….”
“Anyway, know that you’re blessed. Where in the world can you find a man like our Grand Duke….”
“What are you two doing?”
At the sudden familiar voice, her head turned automatically.
A man in a black uniform with a towering height approached, his face contorted.
“Grand Duke!!!”
As soon as Rey saw him, he ran quickly as if he had wings.
The two-shot of him and Rey looked truly affectionate, like father and son.
“Elena.”
He exuded an antique atmosphere as if he was about to appear in a pictorial.
His black hair flowing in the wind and ruby-red eyes that seemed moist were captivating.
Well, the scene of Rey clinging to his leg was a bit of a miss, but still.
“Why did you come.”
Elena responded grumpily like an upset cat.
She couldn’t understand why he kept appearing before her eyes when he had so much work to do.
“Because I saw you.”
Rey didn’t seem to be afraid of him at all and kept clinging.
He showed no signs of letting go, like a cicada stuck to an old tree.
“Okay, then take care.”
She thought she should avoid this noisy situation.
Elena patted Rey once and left her seat.
But as always, she turned back at his touch.
“What is it again.”
This man has a talent for annoying people.
Elena looked at him with sharp eyes.
“Sit down.”
Although she was boiling inside, she reluctantly sat down next to him as he said.
Rey sat in the middle, looking at the two of them alternately.
“Is he really not your son?”
“What?”
Decarus asked back with an expression of disbelief.
Judging by his furrowed brow of truth, it seems certain that he’s not his son.
“No, I just thought he might be a hidden son because you look alike.”
“Huh.”
“Well, never mind if not.”
He seemed quite offended by her dismissive answer.
Serves him right.
“Rey, go back to the mansion.”
“No, why are you ordering the child around as you please…!”
She couldn’t let Rey go because she hated being alone with him terribly.
But this cheeky little one got up from the bench with a sly expression.
“Then, big sister, enjoy your date. Goodbye.”
“Rey…!”
She called him desperately, but all that came back was Rey’s empty seat.
It was lamentable that she was inevitably left alone with him.
After sitting in silence for a while, he spoke first.
“Rey is not from Estel.”
“Yes, Rey told me earlier. You took him in, he said.”
“That’s right.”
It was an unexpected side of him.
To think that he, who seemed to have no blood or tears, would take in a parentless child.
“Why did you do that?”
Elena asked with a slightly dubious expression.
The him she saw in the mansion always seemed like a person without emotions, not caring about others’ affairs.
Also, bringing in a child requires tremendous responsibility.
Especially as a Grand Duke, taking in a child must have required some serious resolve.
“He reminded me of myself.”
He blurted out in a monotone voice.
His appearance, lost in thought, looked as cold as a frozen ice sheet.
Elena stared at him silently.
He too had lost both parents when he was young, right?
Perhaps he didn’t want Rey to bear the same sadness.
“Well, that’s quite unexpected of you.”
He turned his head as if he didn’t quite understand, with a questioning look.
Thinking she might have said something wrong, she rolled her eyes, but then her face immediately turned red when she realized she had given him an unintended compliment.
“Ah, no. It’s not that you’re cool or anything. Just, just!”
“……”
“I, I’m going.”
Elena stood up abruptly and turned around.
She couldn’t face him in this state at all.
The siren in her head was blaring to leave this place quickly.
Tap-
“Where are you going.”
This man, either not understanding the situation or deliberately ignoring it, grabbed her hand again.
“I’m leaving.”
Elena bit her lip and closed her eyes tightly.
In her heart, she was chanting a prayer for him to let go of her hand.
“No.”
“……”
“Turn around.”
Right, he was a person who couldn’t be reasoned with from the start.
If he could be reasoned with, things wouldn’t have come to this situation.
“Let go. I’m telling you nicely, let go….”
It was bravado.
Since it had come to this, she blurted out an absurd line trying to make a scene.
“I want to see your face.”
Her body, barely maintaining balance, suddenly staggered as he pulled her hand.
“Ah…!”
For a moment, she thought her head would be smashed as she fell.
The body that she thought would hit the ground landed on a hard cushion.
And what she saw in front of her eyes was,
“I didn’t know you were this aggressive.”
Decarus.
“……”
He looked at her intently with a faint smile.
When she came to her senses, she found herself sitting, almost lying, on his lap.
Thanks to that, her face, which had become quite heated, turned as red as a ripe apple.
“You’re not trying to seduce me, are you?”
“Mo, move.”
Elena pushed him away and stood up like a nimble squirrel.
But that was only for a moment, as his strong arm pulled her back in an instant.
“I can’t let you go until you speak.”
Elena, who found herself sitting on his lap again, blinked her wide eyes.
She couldn’t understand what he wanted her to say.
It seems this person has a talent for speaking without context.
“What are you talking about.”
“The reason your face turned red.”
The corners of his eyes crinkled slightly, fox-like and playful.
He always poses questions and induces answers.
Even though he already knows.
“That didn’t happen, let go.”
“You’re lying. It’s still red like this.”
Thanks to the embarrassing position, her face became even more like a burning sweet potato.
The more she avoided answering, the closer his face came.
Right, it’s now or never.
“Ju, just! Just, you seemed exactly like. Someone else….”
