Episode 17
He looked at my reaction and, as if the excitement had waned, erased the fierce expression from his face.
“Aren’t you surprised?”
I wasn’t startled. I just didn’t know he would handle it so nonchalantly.
“Did you think I was a fool who wouldn’t notice the missing key?”
“Yes.”
Surprised by the blunt answer, my hand trembled as I grabbed the door. Concealing that, I continued walking inside, closing the door behind me. He watched it with apparent interest.
“What if someone else had come instead of me?”
“You would be dead if it wasn’t Yvonne.”
It was clear he had just finished showering. Water dripped from his hair, and the towel I provided was in his hand.
Moreover, his clothes were new.
“Tell me, if I were to leave here, what do you think I would do first?”
I didn’t expect him to feel so threatening without restraints. Unconsciously, he approached, and the water from his hair fell onto my shoulder. Despite the chill from the moisture, I could sense the heat emanating from his body.
“If I leave here, next in line is your turn. I’ll confine you in my mansion, just like Hildebrandt did with me.”
He said the same words to Hildebrandt in the original. But his actions were different, making both situations bizarre. Thanks to that, I strangely became convinced that he wouldn’t kill me. If he intended to kill, he would have twisted my neck as soon as Yvonne, the princess, approached in the original.
He only traced the scar on my neck with his finger, nothing more.
“Aren’t you afraid of me now?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“If I die, it would be even harder to leave from here.”
Of course, in the original, he fully recovered and left this place. But in the original, Princess Yvonne earnestly helped him recover because she loved him. I believed in the restraint on my neck.
At least Princess Yvonne genuinely believed that he loved me. She was so pitifully lacking in affection. But I was different. Calmly, I continued, explaining why I wasn’t afraid of him.
“The gatekeepers outside both have Esper Communication Syndrome.”
“I know.”
“They can telepathically contact my father.”
“What if I kill them before they can send a message?”
“Even if they die, His Majesty would know.”
Not a word was said. It was annoying, and as he approached closer and closer, it became uncomfortable. When he got too close, pressing my collarbone with his fingertips, it didn’t give way. Despite being so close that our breaths could almost touch, it felt like being a deer just before being devoured by a beast.
“It’s a joke, Your Highness. I was just teasing you for the sake of trust.”
“I know.”
Still sticking close, he playfully changed the atmosphere. It was ticklish, perhaps due to the low pitch near my ear.
“Here.”
He handed me the gag that he had behind his back. I stared blankly at the chain connected to the black gag.
“Why this?”
“It needs to be refilled.”
“Do I have to?”
“Others might come, don’t you think?”
Saying that, he handed me a key in his other hand. Feeling increasingly lost in translation, I alternated between the key and him, muttering.
“What are we doing?”
“We’re building trust.”
Looking at the key and then at him, he was smiling. He might be testing me. Since he genuinely needed me to leave. So, I chose words that he might like, to gain his trust.
“I’ll bring a map when I come tomorrow. There’s a secret passage inside the palace.”
“Is that so?”
When I tried to push him away again, this time, he stepped back. Since there was no suitable place to put the key, I turned around, lifting the negligee slightly, and tied it to the garter on my thigh.
Whether there was a need for him to turn his whole body, he did so and faced away.
“Duke Leonhardt.”
“It’s Julian.”
“Yes, Julian.”
When I called his name, he turned around. So, when I reached out my arm, he extended his arm in the same way.
“What are you doing?”
“Yes?”
As I hugged my neck to put on the gag, he embraced my waist tightly, making it uncomfortable.
“Let go of your arm. That way, I can finish filling this.”
As he slowly released his arm, it felt like a relief. He’s already taller than me by a head, so our arms don’t easily reach each other. He remained silent for quite a while, seeming dissatisfied with something.
“Yvonne.”
“Weren’t you going to address me as ‘Your Highness’ again?”
The red eyes glaring silently at me were frightening, causing the hand filling the gag to pause momentarily. The reason he gave me the collar again wasn’t because he couldn’t leave now, but certainly not because he trusted me. If I didn’t set boundaries, I would end up like Yvonne in the original, murdered.
“Why?”
“I like Yvonne’s scent.”
“Yes. I’ve been with my father.”
With a click, the gag was filled, but it seemed like I needed to adjust the settings again.
I couldn’t trust him. So, I modified the constraints placed on the gag. In the past, the constraint would be activated with just his exertion of strength, but now, I made it so that it would be activated when he became emotionally agitated.
To him, these two were almost the same. A beast excited by spilling blood as a side effect. That beast had already once bitten my neck, belonging to the insane man.
“Why is your leg like this when you were with His Majesty?”
“I tripped.”
“It seems like the blood has already dried for a long time.”
“Yes. Now, please step aside.”
It was uncomfortable as his chin touched my ear, so I pushed my face away. He looked down at me with a strange expression and tried to hold my hand.
“What’s this about?”
“Your leg. Go get it treated.”
“I can call a doctor to my room.”
If I take one more step back, he won’t be able to chase after me. The chain isn’t that long.
“Yvonne.”
“We agreed to build trust, didn’t we?”
Perhaps to prevent me from escaping, he was holding onto the sleeve of the negligee. His large hand brushed over my hand, and due to the physiological pressure, I wanted to break free immediately.
“…Okay.”
After I gave the desired answer, he let go of the sleeve. I hesitated to take off the outer garment over the negligee; however, if it was for treatment, it might be appropriate to remove it.
So, reluctantly taking off the outer garment and leaving only the negligee, he turned his head away. Feeling a bit relieved, I walked to the bed and sat down. Then, Julian brought the first aid kit that I had left behind last time.
“Here.”
When he handed me a cover, I didn’t take it.
“I think the clothes bother you.”
“…I don’t mind, but Yvonne might be concerned.”
“I’m fine with it.”
Anyway, it would only show a bit of flesh.
When I stared blankly after he said he would treat me, he knelt down under the bed and sat on his knees. Then, he grabbed my ankle, lifting my leg. His hand felt warm, making it uncomfortable.
“I don’t feel pain when I touch Yvonne.”
“…”
“Even without taking the sedative.”
Perhaps this person also had sedatives in the food he ate. If it were Hildebrandt, he would have made it that way and still had some left. It was a message that he could give it before I died, so I wouldn’t go on a rampage. He might even spit out the sedative to mesmerize me. To bewitch me.
“So Yvonne looks forward to it every day.”
The alcohol smell on the cotton was terrible. After soaking the cotton with alcohol using tweezers, he was rubbing the wounded area as I had treated him before.
“Uh…”
“Does it hurt?”
Nodding my head, I cautiously observed his reaction during the treatment. Julian’s side effect was a desire to see blood. From what I saw, he had taken the sedative; otherwise, he wouldn’t be fine after seeing my leg. Of course, even with the sedative, side effects occurred. However, it was clear that he had taken it, considering how well he could endure. If he hadn’t taken the sedative and had side effects, he would have killed me the moment I entered this room.
“I dislike the smell of blood when I’m with Yvonne.”
Feeling even more tense, I wondered if he was casting some kind of hypnosis. Is he in his right mind now?
“Yvonne.”
“Finish the treatment.”
I responded a bit coldly to his continued seductive calls. I felt like sighing, and I briefly held my breath. Why is it that there are only crazy people around me?
I was desperate to escape from the palace as soon as possible.
Trying to pull my leg away because the cotton was tickling, but the grip on my ankle was too strong. I felt uneasy, but I didn’t react to avoid provoking him.
“Did you really just trip and fall?”
“Yes.”
“Then why is there such a long bruise?”
“I brushed against some vines.”
Come to think of it, the bruise might have looked a bit misleading. Compared to a real bruise, it seemed more like a scrape.
“What did you talk about with His Majesty?”
“My father wants to kill me.”
“Really?”
“It’s a joke.”
“You’re not someone who jokes.”
Ignoring his persistently tormenting my leg, I forcibly pulled it away even though he was holding onto my ankle. One leg looked more severe, probably because only one side was wiped with alcohol.
“I told you. Let’s escape together. The emperor is leaving for a diplomatic visit soon. In about three weeks. You knew, right?”
“Yes.”
As a duke, he probably had the information.
“At that time… Uh!”
During our conversation, I unknowingly stopped speaking when I saw the light of the gag shining on his neck. More precisely, I couldn’t continue speaking as he pressed his hand firmly on the wound on my leg.
“Yvonne, really, you lack vigilance.”
