Contrary to her desire to keep as much distance as possible from him, she now found herself cornered. Not even a single step backward was possible.
Behind her was a blocked door, and in front of her was the man blocking it.
Her small resolve hardened. Using his vulnerability didn’t appeal to her, but she had no choice.
Helena slowly extended her hand. She carefully brushed away the silver hair that had fallen over Ian’s forehead and placed her hand on his exposed cheek.
He didn’t push her hand away. Feeling a bit more courageous, Helena stroked his cold skin with her thumb, just as he had done to her.
After caressing his cheek a couple of times, he slowly closed and opened his eyes. Their gazes met at close distance.
How long has it been since I saw myself through someone else’s eyes?
“I wonder if that’s how you normally look at people, or if that’s just how your eyes are naturally.”
“…What do you mean?”
Helena slid her hand down smoothly to his nape. The toned muscles underneath her palm twitched.
Ignoring the subtle tremor, she pulled him toward her. Though she applied only slight pressure, he was easily drawn in.
Helena tilted her head slightly and asked.
“Do you know me?”
Then she continued in almost a whisper.
“Because I don’t know you.”
At that moment, the breath warming her cheek disappeared. Ian momentarily stopped breathing.
Once again, cracks appeared on his face. A face filled with emotion that she had repeatedly avoided.
This time, instead of turning away, Helena pulled him even closer. He seemed slightly dazed.
‘He didn’t strike me as a man who would be flustered by such skinship. Could this be an act too?’
Either way, this was her only chance.
Helena raised her knee with all her might. She was determined to leave this place, even if it meant using force.
“I let my guard down. I should have remembered that you’ve always been skilled at bewitching people, both then and now.”
Until her forcefully raised knee came to an abrupt halt midway.
“Let go.”
“Your stubbornness remains quite impressive. I should have prepared a cat trap.”
“I said, let go.”
“You know I can’t do that.”
Ian, who had grabbed the upper part of her knee with his free hand that wasn’t bracing the door, applied gentle pressure.
Not stopping there, he inserted his thick thigh between her legs, completely controlling her movement. Their bodies pressed closer together.
“A storm is coming soon. All the other inns have already closed their doors.”
His unhurried voice brushed against her earlobe. Helena tried with all her might but couldn’t break free from his hold.
No matter how hard she pushed, his solid chest didn’t budge at all. It felt like facing an enormous rock rather than a person.
It was hard to believe this was the same man who had yielded so easily to her touch just moments ago.
In contrast, Ian remained calm despite Helena’s various efforts. He naturally felt her forehead and his expression only grew more severe.
“You still have a fever. If you go out like this, you’ll collapse again.”
Helena inwardly sneered.
What was the point of pretending to be concerned? In the end, he just wanted things his way. The irritation she had tried to suppress began to rise again.
She disliked having every aspect of herself understood by him. She was not some stray cat that needed to be tamed.
Now the only shield she had left was her sharp attitude.
“How convenient. I can continue where I left off earlier when someone interrupted my attempt to die.”
Helena glared at him as fiercely as she could. Surely even a saint would have limits to their patience after hearing such abhorrent words.
Although she felt quite pathetic, even this was ineffective against him. Ian broke through her defenses far too easily.
“That’s unfortunate. Just like earlier when you couldn’t die, someone will prevent you from doing so now as well.”
Ian stepped back slightly.
Helena’s momentary relief at the fresh air between them was short-lived.
From below came the sound of something being violently twisted.
When Ian withdrew his clenched right hand, a pathetically crumpled golden object was revealed. It was the door handle, which had been intact until moments ago.
A chill ran down Helena’s spine. Something had gone terribly wrong. She felt as if she had stepped into an inescapable swamp.
“Now we’re both trapped. With no way out, it would be best to get some sleep.”
Said the very person who had caused them to be trapped.
Helena tried to protest, but before she could, a large hand wrapped around her waist. He hoisted her onto his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and approached the bed.
Helena yelled at him to put her down and pounded on his back, but only her fists suffered. Ian paid no attention and tossed her onto the bed.
“Ugh!”
The impact momentarily disoriented Helena. In that brief interval, Ian even took care to pull the blanket over her.
“What are you trying to do?”
Helena sat up abruptly as soon as the dizziness subsided and demanded.
He casually ignored her outburst and flopped down on the floor. Then he remained silent.
Helena stared intently into the darkness. With the shadows of furniture added, she couldn’t clearly see what expression he wore.
Whoosh.
Just then, rain began to pour. The rhythmic sound of water filled the silence between them.
The window frame occasionally creaked in the strong wind. Silence persisted for a while.
Left with no choice, Helena burrowed into the blanket. She curled into a ball and waited for the storm to pass.
This time came the sound of floorboards creaking. It seemed he had turned onto his side.
Helena also lay on her side facing the window. The two of them lay with their backs to each other, eyes closed.
In the moisture-filled room, Ian quietly announced the end of the day.
“Good night.”
****
Click. Click.
Natasha sat on the bed, repeatedly opening and closing a silver dagger. The surface, decorated with embossed skulls and grim reaper figures, gleamed softly in the moonlight.
Though it had a rather cruel purpose for being held in such delicate fingers, and was gifted with an even more cruel meaning, Natasha had gladly accepted it.
A woman in love had no reason to refuse a gift from her beloved.
Since then, whenever Natasha had something troubling her, she would caress the dagger as if seeking comfort.
‘This is the first time…’
However, even after rubbing it for nearly an hour until her fingerprints turned red, her worries wouldn’t easily fade.
Natasha released her lip that she had been biting and flicked her thumb. The blade that had been halfway pushed up re-engaged with the sheath.
The clicking sound seemed to echo particularly loudly in the desolate space without Eugene.
It had been fifteen days since he last sought her out.
‘My effect couldn’t have worn off so soon.’
Natasha scratched her chin with the blunt end of the handle as she fell into thought.
‘Could someone have provoked him?’
Or perhaps Helena’s absence had an impact. Though things were in this state now, they had been a married couple who lived together for five years.
Whatever emotions had accumulated over those years, whether love or hatred, it wasn’t possible to simply dismiss someone who had built up layers of connection over years in an instant.
‘That would be a collapse. That woman… she brought it upon herself.’
Imagining Helena, who might be pathetically broken by now, Natasha steeled herself.
If Eugene had even the slightest lingering attachment, even if he wasn’t aware of it himself, she couldn’t act hastily.
In any case, once ignited, the fire wouldn’t easily be extinguished, and the situation would flow smoothly. All she needed to do was continue playing the role of a beautiful, obedient doll, as she had been doing.
However, if there was one thing that slightly bothered her…
‘Given that woman’s personality, I thought she would have endured for several more years.’
Helena’s declaration of surrender, faster than expected, was surprising. Compared to the period when she herself had begun to captivate Eugene, Helena seemed to have folded her cards early.
‘Or is she perceptive enough to know it’s futile?’
That couldn’t be it.
At least the Helena that Natasha understood was a person with exceptional stubbornness.
She thought Helena wouldn’t easily give up without experiencing it firsthand. Unless she was determined to see it through to the end while staying in place.
‘Anyway, it’s better than being late, so I should start moving. I should get the key first to put my mind at ease.’
Natasha put down the dagger on the bedside table, cutting off her thoughts. When she raised her head, she could see the full moon shining brightly through the window.
Natasha, fixing her gaze on the soft light, murmured as if making a wish.
“Come soon, Grand Duke. We have so much to do.”
****
The light was painfully bright. Helena fumbled around for something to block it when she suddenly recalled last night’s events.
‘That man…’
She slowly raised her upper body, leaned against the bed’s headboard, and looked down. He was still lying on the floor in the same position as when they had fallen asleep.
She turned her head again. Fresh sunlight poured directly through the window due to the folded curtains.
‘…I really didn’t die.’
The weather was splendid, as if last night’s storm had been a dream. Helena got out of bed and opened the window.
The aroma of freshly baked bread wafted in first. Then she heard the sound of cart wheels carrying loads of dried fruits.
People diligently moving about from early morning could be seen filling the streets one by one. The scent of life emanated from everywhere.
Everything felt strange. Everything that should have ended yesterday hadn’t ended.
Today had inevitably arrived. Somehow, she had survived. It felt like sneaking a peek at the aftermath of a story that had already concluded.
Even the act of breathing felt alien. The air after the rain had cleared was simply refreshing, which made it feel even more so.
Helena placed her hands on the windowsill and leaned forward. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
The warm yellow afterimage of sunlight danced before her eyes, and a gentle breeze tickled her face along with her hair.
The commotion of ordinary people’s ordinary daily lives sounded like background music.
‘I wonder what feeling makes everyone open their eyes every morning.’
What kind of feeling makes one want to live through the day?
How can one endure so ordinarily for a week, a month, a year, a lifetime?
‘I still don’t know.’
Her thoughts scattered with the cold air that suddenly blew in. As it was early autumn, the wind was rather chilly.
Just as Helena opened her eyes and thought about closing the window, she sensed a presence behind her.
“Even though it’s the second floor, I don’t think you’d come out unscathed if you jumped.”
His voice was slightly husky. Perhaps he had just woken up, as traces of sleepiness permeated his words.
However, that dry drowsiness couldn’t mask the warning tone embedded in his sentence.
Helena still had her back turned to him. Soon, the sound of two approaching footsteps echoed near her.
