We're Married, After All - Chapter 74
In the past, when sleepiness crept over me, I would give in and go to bed without resistance. Often, I’d wake in the middle of the night, so I always had the maids close the shutters during the day. Keeping the light out made it easier to fall asleep again.
“But… but one of them… it doesn’t lock properly. The latch works, but in reality…”
The maid trailed off, clamping her mouth shut as she heard footsteps ascending the stairs.
I hurriedly asked, “Which window?”
Her trembling finger pointed to the window opposite the bed.
Just then, the bedroom door opened. I slapped the maid’s arm sharply enough to make a sound. The other maid entering the room hesitated.
“Have you finally learned your lesson?” I asked coolly.
“…”
“If you understand, then don’t drop the fresh linens again. Bring them properly.”
The maid nodded and began gathering the spilled laundry back into the basket. Only after that did the sound of approaching footsteps stop.
The maid who had brought the water bottle now eyed me with open fear. She seemed to believe that my striking the other maid had caused the laundry mess, but I didn’t bother correcting her. I was used to being treated as a madwoman by now, and besides, I had more pressing concerns.
I glanced down at the shackles on my ankle. The thick chain was heavier than my fingers, and the small lock didn’t seem all that secure.
I really did choose the right person.
I turned my head slowly. The maids were finishing up their cleaning and preparing to leave.
Both of them looked uneasy. One of them would need to pick up the empty cup on the side table, but my wakefulness clearly made them hesitant.
In the end, the maid who had dropped the laundry was the one to retrieve the cup. As she approached, her face still tense, I whispered softly,
“Let’s add a canopy to the bed. It’d be nice if it came with tie ribbons too—ones reinforced with wire so they can hold their shape.”
“What?” she stammered, confused.
“The color… brown or navy would suit the winter season, don’t you think?”
The maid looked utterly baffled but didn’t press for an explanation.
As the two maids locked the door behind them and left, I estimated the height of the bedroom. How much rope would I need to jump safely to the ground? Would tying together the winter canopy and sheets suffice?
I wasn’t worried about unlocking the shackles. If I could undo the lock on a hidden room, I could handle something right in front of me. Its mechanism wasn’t particularly complex anyway.
I already had a rough idea of when Danel would leave the estate. I also knew the maids’ routine visits to the bedroom. Whether or not I could ride a horse worried me, but if it came down to it, I was prepared to walk to the village. Perhaps I could find a horse there instead—most of the villagers wouldn’t recognize my face.
“Ha…”
A small, quiet laugh escaped my lips. The thought of possibly leaving this place made me feel alive again, a spark of vitality I hadn’t felt in ages.
When Danel decided to put shackles on me, he also made a choice about the rest of his life—to endure anything, so long as he could keep me by his side. That’s why, despite knowing I hated, resented, and was repulsed by him, he remained steadfastly by me.
That didn’t mean he adjusted himself to suit me. On the contrary, Danel showed his true nature without restraint.
Having resolved to bear my hatred, he no longer needed to hide any of his desires.
Until recently, those desires had been expressed through tenderness. No matter what I did, Danel never got angry.
To think that his way of fulfilling his desires was to act kind toward me—what an utterly foolish man.
And now, it seemed Danel had realized just how foolish that had been. As a result, I couldn’t even remain conscious anymore. So much had changed that I no longer felt confident I could leave this place even after giving birth. Perhaps I’d end up confined here forever, branded a lunatic.
If there was even the slightest chance, I wanted to escape before Danel dragged himself to hell.
For days, I threw myself into acting out my daily routine. While I climaxed until I fainted and woke only to repeat the process, my mind was busy crafting an escape plan.
In truth, it wasn’t that difficult. I had already spent plenty of time considering escape routes and what to do after leaving the castle. My current thoughts were mostly trivial details—how long it would take to unlock the shackles, how to secure the sheets and canopy to support my weight, and how long the rope needed to be.
What was truly unbearable, however, was enduring Danel’s touch.
“Hmph…”
Danel’s tongue slid along the inside of my thigh. I clenched my teeth belatedly, but it was too late—a small moan slipped out.
As he moved lower, Danel’s lips finally wrapped around my big toe. I bit down on my finger immediately, knowing I wouldn’t be able to lie still much longer.
From the moment I regained a fraction of clarity, I resolved to behave like a doll in front of Danel. I didn’t speak, and I tried my best not to react. I knew it was ultimately meaningless.
I simply didn’t want to react honestly to him.
When ordinary stimuli failed to elicit a response, Danel escalated to shocking acts. Sucking on my toes was tame in comparison. He made obscene noises as he sucked my c******s, shoved his fingers into both of my holes, and even kissed places like the backs of my knees or underarms—spots where my natural scent lingered.
The most unsettling part was that none of this was done to humiliate me. These were things Danel had always wanted to do; he had simply refrained until now because he knew I would hate it.
His raw desire was evident in his breath, thick and oppressive as it grazed the tender skin beneath my nails. The heat was almost unbearable.
As he alternated between sucking my toes, his fingers rubbed circles over my c******s.
Before long, a flood of fluids gushed out.
“…Hngh.”
By now, even biting my finger was of little help. My body was far too conditioned by Danel. It wouldn’t be surprising if, in time, even the sensation of him licking my soles could bring me to climax.
