There is No Key to His Cage - Chapter 24
He stretched his long arms as if his whole body was stiff.
Then he placed his hands behind his head, overlapping them.
Taking a pose as if he was about to fall asleep, he continued speaking.
“If you follow this path straight, you’ll find the small hole you wanted, miss. The wall here is quite thick, so it takes a while to get out. But if you can get out, you can do anything, right?”
Elena nodded silently, looking into his chestnut-colored eyes.
“But remember. I’m also Decarus’s friend.”
Was it an illusion that a chill was felt for a moment in his expression that had been smiling broadly?
That probably meant he wasn’t letting her go completely.
It’s like telling a dog to go for a walk and come back soon.
“You… what’s your name?”
She cautiously opened her mouth.
“Isaac. Isaac Abren.”
“Isaac…”
Her dainty lips softly murmured his name.
Isaac, who had been humming with a smile, suddenly stood up and approached her.
“Well then, miss, have a pleasant time.”
He bowed, waving his hand a couple of times in salute.
As he turned around and went on his way, there seemed to be an inexplicable smile on his face.
Elena waited until his figure completely disappeared before taking her first step.
“Shall we go then?”
Heaven helps those who help themselves, they say.
To think that escaping from the mansion, which had failed no matter what she tried, would be resolved so easily.
Her efforts had paid off.
Elena hummed a pretty melody as she walked along the path as if she were Snow White.
Even the forest animals seemed to cheer her on with their clear sounds.
How long had it been like that?
After passing through the lush forest, the wall he had mentioned gradually came into view.
“The wall!”
Among the verdant trees, a massive wall flaunted its grandeur.
The grayish wall exuded an atmosphere so cold it could make one shiver.
On top of the wall, which looked as solid as concrete, there was rough barbed wire to prevent anyone from getting out.
“If you get pricked by that, ugh…”
Just imagining it made her shudder, and she hugged herself, trembling.
As she walked faster, she saw the small hole he had mentioned earlier.
“What, can a person really pass through that?”
No matter how she looked at it, the hole that looked like a real ‘dog’ hole seemed too narrow for a person to pass through.
“Still, it’s better than nothing.”
Elena lifted her skirt and peered into the hole.
She could vividly hear the voices of couples, the sound of noble ladies’ shoes, and children playing.
Filled with anticipation, Elena crawled into the hole like a turtle.
Her knees stung as they scraped against the rocks, but she didn’t care.
Elena was ecstatic that she could finally get out into the world after several weeks.
“This is…”
It was Blanche Street, not far from the center of Ardeo Duchy.
They say this street was named Blanche because of its many snow-white mansions.
It was also famous for being the most expensive neighborhood, befitting the administrative center of the duchy.
“As expected…”
Looking around, she could clearly see many noble ladies and gentlemen of high status.
Her clothes, covered in dirt, stood in complete contrast to them.
But she wasn’t about to be intimidated.
“This is actually more comfortable.”
Her steps were light.
It felt as if the whole world, which had been covered in dark clouds, had cleared up.
She headed straight for the center.
Starting from the fountain that elegantly sprayed water, there were rows of shops and restaurants.
Elena suddenly seemed to have a good idea and headed towards the street.
Then she visited the restaurants and shops she had been to before.
The owners welcomed Elena warmly.
They also playfully chided her for not coming for a long time.
Conversations with them were joyful.
It was clearly different from the mansion where she was always tense and mindful of others.
Just then, the voice of a man shouting at the top of his lungs was heard from somewhere.
“At 9 PM! There will be fireworks at 9 PM! The location is here, in front of the fountain!”
“Fireworks?”
The fireworks that paint the sky in various colors were one of Elena’s favorite things in this city.
“I must see it later.”
But now, there’s something she needs to do.
That is, finding Aiden.
If she asks around, she should be able to find Aiden.
“Aiden…”
He was sociable, so there were always people around him.
Also, his personality was as bright as sunshine, so people tended to follow him well.
“So it should be easy to find him.”
Hoping that he would be looking for her too, Elena headed back to the street.
「Restaurant Clair」
Restaurant Clair, the restaurant she visited most frequently during her gypsy days.
It’s a restaurant specializing in lobster and octopus dishes, befitting the reputation of Ardeo, a maritime nation.
It’s a very historic place that has been operating for three generations and has received awards from the Cultural Tourism Bureau.
It’s also a very familiar place for her as she had frequented it in the past.
Ding-
“Su!”
Curly red hair and blue eyes.
Su, a long-time friend, delicate but incredibly strong.
Perhaps because she deals with giant creatures, she has a generous personality and is always cheerful.
Wearing an apron and with her hair tied tightly, her arms still showed many large and small scars.
“Oh my, isn’t it Elena?”
Su, upon seeing her, ran from afar and jumped into a hug.
Elena, caught off balance by the momentum, staggered slightly.
She greeted Elena by pressing their faces together, then hugged her tightly, expressing her joy.
“It’s been so long, Elena. Why haven’t you been coming by lately?”
She kissed Elena’s cheek with a smack and smiled with twinkling eyes, seemingly delighted.
“Ah, that’s because… I’ve been busy lately!”
She couldn’t exactly say she was being held hostage at the Grand Duke’s residence.
She didn’t want to lie to Su as well, but well, it couldn’t be helped for now.
“But.”
Su, with fire in her eyes, looked around curiously.
Her appearance, searching for something, was just like a cute cat.
“Where’s your lackey who always follows you around?”
“Lackey?”
For a moment, not understanding what she meant, Elena furrowed her brows.
“Yeah, Aiden. He used to follow you around every day.”
“What?”
Aiden did follow her around, but to call him a lackey…
The laughter that burst out at that moment continued without stopping.
Elena laughed out loud, wiping away the tears that formed in her eyes.
“Ah, really, that’s too much. Did Aiden seem like a lackey?”
“Anyone would see him as your lackey. Isn’t that right?”
It seemed Su was serious.
At her serious expression, Elena held her stomach and laughed.
“Alright, alright. Let’s stop laughing for now and sit down. Let’s talk for a while, it’s been so long.”
Su pulled out a round wooden stool without a backrest from under the table.
Then she elegantly extended her hand and guided Elena to her seat.
“Ah, thank you.”
“So, what about Aiden? Where did he go? Is he still sleeping or something?”
“Sigh…”
Where should I start this story?
Elena took a deep breath and put on a serious expression.
“What… Why are you so serious all of a sudden?”
Su tilted her head, seemingly perplexed by the sudden change in atmosphere.
“He disappeared.”
At that moment, a silence fell over the restaurant.
Su stretched her neck like a turtle, as if she couldn’t understand.
“What?”
“Aiden, he disappeared.”
Realizing the seriousness of the situation, she changed the restaurant sign from ‘Open’ to ‘Closed’.
Then she sat right in front of Elena, clasped both her hands, and asked.
“Disappeared? Aiden? Why?”
Elena explained everything that had happened in detail, without omission.
Of course, she didn’t mention that she was currently living in the Grand Duke’s residence.
She just vaguely said that she had been captured by illegal slave traders and escaped.
“What are you talking about?”
Su asked with a furrowed brow, seemingly puzzled.
“What do you mean?”
“No, I don’t understand. Didn’t Aiden come looking for you a few days ago? Didn’t you two meet?”
“What…?”
For a moment, she felt dazed as if someone had hit her head with a hammer.
Aiden had come looking for her first.
What a twisted fate this was.
“What are you saying? Aiden came looking for me?”
“Aiden also came looking for you, talking about an illegal sailing ship. What exactly happened between you two?”
“What…?”
Still, she felt relieved first.
At least he was alive.
For now, that alone was fortunate.
“Wait, wait. I’m too confused.”
Su sighed and then brought a cool glass of orange juice.
“Aiden seemed to have been looking for you for quite a while. The kid looked completely lost, you know?”
“Ha… When? When did he come?”
“Not long ago. About 3 days?”
If she had come out just 3 days earlier, she could have met him.
Elena covered her face with both hands and lowered her head.
“I’ll tell you again when Aiden comes.”
“But…”
Elena bit her lip and cut her words short.
Even if Aiden came back, she wasn’t sure when she would be able to come here again.
Su made a suspicious expression for a moment, then squinted her eyes and spoke.
“Why? Is there a problem?”
“Ah, no! Thank you! Su, you’re really the only one I can count on.”
She stumbled over her words a bit, but pretended not to be flustered and hugged Su tightly.
Su seemed to have noticed something odd, but didn’t say anything.
“But, you smell different?”
Su buried her nose deeply and sniffed like a dog on a walk.
“What? What do you…”
“A noble smell. Isn’t this perfume?”
She was sensitive to smells because she worked with fish.
Elena hadn’t thought about that when she hugged her.
It must be the scent from Decarus’s bath products.
The scent had rubbed off on her because he hugged her to sleep every day.
Su sniffed around her neck again, fanning with one hand.
Then, like a wary cat, she frowned deeply and tilted her head.
“Hmm… Are you meeting a noble young man? This smells like men’s perfume?”
“Ah, ah. That. I bumped into a noble young man earlier. So, so! I guess it rubbed off then.”
This was the only excuse she could come up with in the current situation.
Her flustered face suddenly turned as red as a ripe tomato.
“Who on earth are you meeting…!”
“What? No, it’s not like that! Ah! I have to go now, Su. Thanks, and I’ll come again!”
“Elena!! Lena!!!”
Ding-.
Behind her, cries trying to hold her back echoed.
But Elena ran out of the store without looking back.
