There is No Key to His Cage - Chapter 7
She spent the night wide awake.
She thought about escaping from here, but it seemed like an unreasonable move.
Escaping from such a large mansion at night was nearly impossible.
The security was so tight that even at this hour, there were servants walking around with lights on.
“I need information, after all.”
To escape, she needed to know various things.
First, she should understand the geography of this place.
After all, she didn’t even know where the exits were.
She’d have to ask Jane to bring her the blueprints of this place somehow.
“Haa… dark circles…”
Looking in the mirror, her hair was disheveled and her eyes were bloodshot.
It was because of how he had messed up the room yesterday.
Just thinking about it made embarrassing scenes flash through her mind.
“Ha, I’m tired…”
From early morning, maids came in and hurriedly adorned her body.
The reason was that she had to have breakfast with him or something.
She wore a lavender dress that came down to her calves, with an ivory ribbon tied at the waist.
Having only worn pants before, this kind of clothing felt awkward.
“Ah, what should I do…”
She couldn’t even imagine having breakfast face to face with him.
She didn’t even want to exchange words with him, let alone have a meal together.
There’s no hell quite like this living hell.
“Haa…”
Thud-.
“Just be obedient…”
This was one of the things she had thought about last night.
Since it seemed impossible to escape empty-handed anyway, she had no choice but to obey his words for now.
Once she gained some trust that way, there might be an opportunity.
Thud-.
“How on earth did it come to this…”
Elena, lying on the bed, thought while looking at the painting on the ceiling.
How did it end up like this?
When did things start to go wrong?
Was it when she fell into this place?
Or was it when she was sold to the slave trader?
“My head hurts.”
The more she thought about it, the more her innocent head ached.
She wanted to wash out the inside of her head with a shower.
Knock knock-
The sudden sound of knocking brought her back to her senses.
“Come in.”
It must be Jane.
She had prepared everything as instructed yesterday, in time for breakfast.
“My lady, did you sleep well?”
“Yeah, well…”
Jane, who peeked her face in, slowly closed the door and entered.
“My lady, you look tired.”
She looked worried seeing Elena lying on the bed like a corpse.
“No, I’m fine.”
She didn’t want to worry the innocent girl unnecessarily.
Elena forced a smile to reassure her.
“Let’s go down.”
Elena, who had been lying like a dried squid, got up weakly.
The very thought of having breakfast with him was frightening.
Because she didn’t know what might happen.
She should prepare herself mentally for that.
“My lady, you don’t need to be afraid.”
Jane looked at her with worried eyes as she seemed tense.
“Yes, thank you. I’m okay.”
She said she was okay, but she wasn’t.
The closer they got to the dining room, the more she swallowed nervously.
Just like a high school senior before the college entrance exam, Elena clenched her fists in tension.
“Then I’ll open the door.”
Creak-
As soon as the massive door opened, he appeared in a neat uniform.
The Grand Duke, with his head tilted slightly, stared at her intently.
“Sit.”
Elena glanced at him and carefully took her seat.
Seeing his face made her heart feel like it would jump out.
“You seem to have had a sleepless night. Your pretty face is all ruined.”
“……”
She sighed inwardly at his words.
Does this man never reflect on himself?
The cause is all with you, so why do you pretend not to know and ask?
Not wanting to exchange any more words with him, she lowered her head and focused her gaze on her broken nails.
“Perhaps the meal doesn’t suit your taste?”
“……”
His seemingly worried tone felt hypocritical to her.
As she maintained her silence despite his continued questions, he spoke with a slightly irritated tone.
“Even the servants would know you’re not deaf.”
“……”
“Elena Helios.”
“I apologize, Your Grace.”
He quietly put down the fork he had been holding.
Was he surprised by her sudden use of formal language?
The Grand Duke narrowed one eye and spoke.
“I didn’t know you could speak formally to me.”
“I’m merely showing respect to Your Grace.”
“Respect…”
He sneered, curling his lips as if finding it ridiculous.
Screech. As the chair was roughly pushed back, the sound of his footsteps followed.
Her heart beat rapidly at the steady friction sound that grew closer.
“Respect, yes, respect is good.”
“……”
“But your eyes are full of defiance.”
He, who had somehow come to her side, placed his hand on her delicate shoulder.
“You seem very discontented, Elena.”
The deep voice whispering in her ear sent chills down her spine.
Elena just stared at the bowl in front of her, not daring to lift her head.
“Surely you’re not challenging me.”
“Ugh…!”
Suddenly, her chin was roughly pulled towards him.
Her trembling eyes met his up close.
“What’s the reason for that?”
He tilted his head and stared at her intently.
Elena gritted her teeth and said to him.
“Please let go…”
Decarus smiled, curling his lips as if he had expected this.
“Are you giving me an order, Elena Helios?”
She couldn’t answer his words.
She just swallowed hard under the overwhelming pressure that dominated the atmosphere in the dining room.
“No, Your Grace.”
“Then it seems we need to correct that rude behavior first.”
Her eyes, wavering aimlessly, met his.
She ended up averting her gaze from the unapproachable aura.
“You should look your husband straight in the face.”
“……”
He snorted, looking at Elena’s frozen face.
“You were the one who offended me first.”
“……”
“Why do you look so scared?”
His gaze turned to the untouched bowl.
“You haven’t even touched the soup. I specially ordered your favorite soup from the chef today.”
“It’s not your concern…”
“You require a lot of attention.”
At that, Decarus chuckled and used the spoon in front of him to scoop up some mushroom soup.
“Eat.”
“Ugh…!”
She closed her mouth as the spoon roughly entered.
The soup that smeared her mouth dripped down her lips.
The dress, now a mess, was so dirty it looked like it needed to be washed immediately.
“What is this…!”
“Ah, sorry. I spilled it.”
He looked at the dress dirtied with soup, chuckling as if he found the situation amusing.
Then he leaned in close and whispered in her ear.
“It’s a husband’s duty to feed and raise well… Since my wife doesn’t eat well, I have no choice but to feed her directly. Right?”
“Ha…”
A laugh of disbelief escaped at his audacity.
Who was defining whom as a husband at will?
He slowly raised his finger to wipe the soup stain from the corner of her mouth.
Surprised, Elena quickly tried to pull back, but his firm hand gripping the chair was not so easily shaken off.
“How clumsy, Elena.”
Slap-
“Don’t touch me.”
She raised her hand and struck down his finger which was wiping her mouth corner.
At this, he smiled slightly as if he had expected it.
“There’s also fun in taming something wild.”
“Shut up.”
“Now you’re more like yourself.”
His hand painfully gripped her shoulder.
Then he scooped up some more soup and brought it to her mouth again.
“You should eat.”
“Ugh…!”
The pain in her shoulder made her unconsciously open her mouth slightly.
The warm soup entering her mouth was, ridiculously, delicious.
“Does it remind you of the old days?”
Thinking of that time was horrifying.
For nearly a week, she had been caged like an animal in a cold space she didn’t even know.
How sad, how painful it had been.
She had endured alone in that gray space where light barely entered.
But he seemed unable to even consider her painful memories.
“Remember that time clearly, Elena.”
The Grand Duke, putting down the spoon, slowly stroked her hair.
“You can go back there anytime.”
Her dainty lips, stained with soup, trembled finely.
She was afraid at the thought of being locked up in that cold place again.
“And don’t try anything foolish.”
The grip of the hand on her head gradually tightened.
“It’s impossible for you to escape from me.”
He seemed to have instantly realized her inner thoughts as if casting a spell.
Elena looked at him with trembling eyes.
“You’re a devil.”
He smiled, curling his lips at being called a devil.
“I can be worse if you want.”
“Ha…!”
She didn’t want to waste any more time.
The more she talked with him, the more disgusted she felt.
Elena pushed her chair back and stood up.
Thud-.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
He wrapped his arms around her, holding her immobile.
“Let go of this.”
“Where are you going when I’m right here?”
“Let go!!!”
Elena, bound and unable to move, struggled with all her might.
But even that was nothing more than a childish tantrum to him.
It was impossible to overpower a well-built adult man with strength alone.
“You’re always like this.”
“……”
“Even when you rebel, you end up exhausting yourself.”
She couldn’t refute his correct statement.
She was the one who threw the first punch, but she was also the one getting hit.
“You’re noisy…”
“Look at me properly, Elena.”
He held her delicate shoulders and met her gaze.
Then, brushing back her disheveled hair, he spoke.
“I’ve been looking for you for a long time.”
“……”
“I don’t want to lose you again.”
It was frustrating.
How could he say he had been looking for someone he had never even met before?
“I don’t know you.”
“It’s okay if you don’t. You’ll know soon enough.”
He slowly pulled her small head and embraced her in his arms.
The sound of a pounding heart echoed in her ears.
“Even if you ask me to let you go, I won’t.”
“……”
The warmth of his hand stroking her hair slowly seeped in.
“I don’t care if you break.”
“……”
“Just stay by my side.”
We looked at the same place, but in the end, we were headed in different directions.
His eyes held sincerity for the first time.
But she didn’t care.
Because she had someone more precious to her than him.
“Forever.”
