This voice… could it be?
Irene turned around, startled. The shoe she was holding tightly in her arms rolled down the stairs.
Then, she saw Carlos, slightly bent over, extending a candlestick towards her.
Irene, surprised that her guess was correct and that it really was Carlos, pulled back while still sitting.
However, since she was right next to the stairs, she tilted backward and almost fell.
“Ah…!”
Irene let out a short scream and reached forward. It was a reflexive action to regain her balance, not hoping Carlos would catch her.
Carlos grabbed her hand tightly and pulled her forcefully towards him.
Thanks to this, she avoided the misfortune of falling down the stairs, but Irene’s eyes widened as her hand was caught by his. His large hand felt like a firm trap, making her feel uncomfortable and scared.
Irene tried to pull her hand away, but he wouldn’t let go. Instead, he held it even tighter, as if he would never let it go.
“Let go, please.”
“Shouldn’t you say something first?”
Carlos read the question in Irene’s eyes and added an explanation.
“In situations like this, shouldn’t you say ‘thank you’ for saving you?”
It was a reasonable statement, but it felt strange coming from him.
“Th-thank you.”
As Irene reluctantly expressed her gratitude, Carlos finally let go of her hand. She stood up awkwardly, wrapping her sore hand.
“What were you doing here?”
No, she was about to stand up when she heard his follow-up question and lost strength in her legs, sitting back down.
“There’s a bathroom in your room, so you weren’t going to the bathroom.”
A calm but indifferent voice continued above her head.
“Were you hungry? Or…”
His eyes narrowed as he looked down at her.
“Were you trying to escape?”
Thump.
The sound of her heart dropping echoed loudly in her ears. Carlos twisted the corners of his lips as he saw her blue eyes tremble with anxiety.
“So, you were trying to escape.”
“N-no. I just wanted to know where this place is…”
It was a poor excuse. There was no way Carlos would believe such a ridiculous excuse.
Indeed, he was looking down at her with disbelief.
Avoiding his gaze, Irene clasped her hands together.
‘He’s going to get angry.’
A fierce slap or kick could come flying, or in the worst case, he could kill her.
The plea for her life rose to her throat, but Irene didn’t utter it.
No matter what she said, even if she cried and begged, he wouldn’t listen.
Although she didn’t know much about the world, having been locked up in her house all her life, she knew well how frightening and cold the Duke of Esper was.
Her mother, who pitied Irene for having to stay home alone all day while she and her father went to work, brought her all kinds of reading materials, including gossip newspapers, where stories about the Duke of Esper frequently appeared.
The stories were all chilling, such as the Duke inheriting the blood of a monster, having a bizarre personality, and killing children he didn’t like with a single stroke.
If she was doomed to die anyway, she wanted to at least protect the last shred of her dignity.
Resigned to everything, she felt a bit more at ease. She closed her eyes and waited, hoping whatever punishment was coming would be over quickly. Then, a cold voice came from above her.
“Take it.”
Irene opened her eyes slightly at the words. She saw Carlos holding out his hand towards her.
“How long are you going to sit there?”
So, he was telling her to take his hand and get up?
Surprised that he wasn’t going to hit her, Irene stared blankly at Carlos.
Despite her irritating behavior, Carlos didn’t click his tongue or hurry her. He waited patiently.
Finally coming to her senses, Irene stood up without taking his hand.
Carlos furrowed his brow slightly, perhaps feeling awkward, and withdrew his hand.
“I’ll take you back to your room.”
Why wasn’t he getting angry?
Could it be that ridiculous excuse actually worked?
There were many things she was curious about, like why he brought her here and where they were going, but she couldn’t easily bring herself to ask any of them.
She was still scared of him.
Especially when facing his purple eyes, which were the symbol of a monster, her legs trembled, and chills ran down her spine.
‘But I need to know.’
She couldn’t keep being dragged around without knowing anything.
When they arrived at the room, Irene gathered her courage and asked.
“Why did you… bring me here?”
Carlos, who was kindly opening the door for her, turned to look at her.
The courage she had scraped together shattered the moment she met his eyes.
Her face turned pale, and she lowered her head helplessly.
Carlos, looking down at her, finished opening the door.
“Because I need you.”
He gently pushed her back with his other hand.
Surprised by his answer, Irene turned around, momentarily forgetting her fear.
“So, don’t think about running away.”
Carlos said in a rare emotional voice.
“Next time, it won’t end like this.”
“…”
“Now, get some rest.”
With that final word, the door closed.
*
Although Carlos had told her to get some rest, Irene couldn’t rest at all.
She tried to force herself to sleep, but in the end, she spent the night wide awake, rubbing her red, bloodshot eyes as she got out of bed.
There were many reasons why she couldn’t sleep, but the biggest one was Carlos’s answer to her question.
He had said he needed her.
If he had taken her for entertainment or some such reason, he wouldn’t have said he needed her.
That meant there was another reason, but she didn’t know what it was.
“My head hurts.”
She had been thinking all night, and her head was throbbing. The lack of proper sleep also contributed to it.
Planning to wake herself up with cold water, Irene entered the bathroom and ended up taking a thorough bath.
It was good to wash off the dirt accumulated from her time in the prison, but another problem arose.
She had no clothes to change into.
Debating whether she should put on the dirty clothes again, she heard a knock.
Could it be him? Her blue eyes, filled with anxiety, stared at the door.
“Miss, are you awake?”
The voice from outside wasn’t Carlos’s. It was definitely Dewey.
“Miss?”
“Just a moment.”
Irene quickly put on her dirty clothes and opened the door.
Dewey stood there with a bright smile like sunlight.
“You’re awake.”
Irene nodded, looking around. Fortunately, he was alone. Carlos was nowhere to be seen.
“What is it?”
“I brought breakfast.”
Irene then noticed the tray in Dewey’s hands and reached out for it.
But Dewey shook his head and didn’t hand over the tray.
“I’ll set it up for you.”
“But…”
“I insist.”
Dewey spoke so firmly that Irene had no choice but to nod.
Humming a tune, Dewey quickly set the table and invited her to sit.
“Please, have a seat.”
As Irene sat awkwardly, he poured her a glass of water and placed freshly baked bread on her plate.
Never having experienced such luxury, Irene was dumbfounded and didn’t think about eating, just blinking.
“If my presence makes you uncomfortable, I can leave.”
“N-no.”
Irene shook her head in a panic.
It would be a lie to say she wasn’t uncomfortable, but compared to being with Carlos, it was heaven.
“I’m just not used to being treated like this, so don’t worry about it.”
“I see.”
Dewey smiled, his eyes forming pretty curves.
“Still, since you’ll be staying at Esper Castle, you should get used to it.”
So, Esper Castle would be her new home.
She had vaguely guessed that they were going to the Esper territory because Carlos was the Duke of Esper, but she hadn’t expected to be going to the castle.
“Why did… His Grace bring me here?”
She had heard from Carlos that he needed her, but that wasn’t enough. She wanted a clearer reason.
“You should hear that directly from His Grace.”
Unfortunately, Dewey didn’t give her a clear reason.
Irene thought about telling him she had already asked Carlos, but decided against it.
“I see…”
Even if she said it, he probably wouldn’t tell her.
So, there was no point in asking further.
Resigned, Irene picked up the bread on her plate.
Dewey placed some jam next to her plate and said,
“If you need anything, please let me know.”
Anything she needed? Irene’s eyes naturally went to the worn clothes she was wearing.
“Oh, my!”
Dewey also saw her clothes and sighed deeply before quickly leaving the room.
Shortly after, he returned with a set of clean clothes and apologized.
“I should have been more considerate. I’m sorry.”
Irene shook her head.
“No, thank you for getting me clothes.”
“It’s nothing. It’s my duty.”
Dewey placed the clothes on the bed with a faint smile.
“I’ll be in the room next door, so if you need anything, please call me.”
*
After Dewey left, Irene decided to finish her meal before changing her clothes.
The food would get cold if she changed first.
And she was hungry. She hadn’t realized it until she saw the food, but once she did, the hunger she had forgotten about came rushing back.
During her time in the prison, she had only eaten a fist-sized piece of bread, which was moldy and mostly inedible.
The delicious food and the long-forgotten feeling of fullness improved her mood, making her feel a bit more relaxed.
Irene hummed a tune as she checked the clothes Dewey had left.
The clothes looked much more comfortable and durable than what she had been wearing.
It was a good thing she had asked Dewey.
Thinking about what she should do next, Irene bit her lip in hesitation.
‘Should I stay here as Carlos wants?’
She had never thought about leaving her home before. But now, the idea of staying somewhere far away from home felt overwhelming.
She had to think of a way to escape.
Thinking back to Carlos’s warning, Irene clenched her fists tightly. He wouldn’t forgive her if she got caught again.
But if she stayed here, she’d be living in constant fear of Carlos.
‘I’ll escape tonight.’
Irene made up her mind.
*
After a long, tense day, the night finally came.
Dewey, who had been keeping an eye on her during the day, didn’t come to check on her at night.
Even better, Carlos hadn’t shown up at all.
Perhaps he had business to attend to.
Carefully, Irene opened the window and peered out.
There were guards stationed outside, but the castle was so large that it would be easy to avoid them.
When the guards turned their backs, Irene slipped out of the window and onto the castle grounds.
Moving quietly and swiftly, she made her way towards the edge of the grounds.
Suddenly, a light shone on her from behind.
“Where are you going?”
The deep, familiar voice sent chills down her spine.
Carlos.
Before she could think, Irene found herself in front of him, trembling.
She had failed again.
But this time, she wouldn’t escape the consequences.
Carlos stepped closer, his eyes boring into hers.
“What did I tell you?”
Irene’s heart pounded as she tried to find the words to explain herself.
But before she could say anything, Carlos reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her towards him.
“You need to learn to obey.”
He tightened his grip, and Irene flinched.
Carlos’s eyes softened slightly as he saw her fear, but his voice remained firm.
“You belong here. Understand?”
Irene nodded, her heart sinking.
There would be no more escape attempts.
She had no choice but to accept her fate.
Carlos let go of her arm and turned to leave, his voice echoing in the night.
“Get some rest. Tomorrow, we’ll talk.”
Irene watched him go, feeling a mix of fear and resignation.
She was trapped.
There was no escape.
As Carlos disappeared into the darkness, Irene stood alone in the cold night air, feeling more helpless than ever before. The weight of her situation pressed down on her, suffocating her with its enormity.
She had thought she could escape, thought she could find a way out of this nightmare. But now, as she stood there, defeated, she realized that there was no escape from Carlos and his castle.
With a heavy heart, Irene turned back towards the window, her footsteps slow and heavy. Each step felt like a burden, dragging her down further into despair.
As she climbed back through the window and into the room, Irene couldn’t help but feel a sense of hopelessness wash over her. She had thought she could defy Carlos, thought she could break free from his grasp. But now, as she sat alone in the darkness, she realized that she was truly trapped.
With a deep sigh, Irene lay down on the bed, her mind swirling with thoughts of what was to come. She didn’t know what Carlos had planned for her, didn’t know what he would do next. All she knew was that she was at his mercy, and there was nothing she could do to change that.
As exhaustion finally overcame her, Irene closed her eyes and let herself drift off into an uneasy sleep, knowing that tomorrow would bring only more uncertainty and fear. But for now, there was nothing she could do but wait and hope for the best.
