Ko-fi shop has been renewed, you can find the link at the end of the chapter.
***
After two more days, her wounds had almost completely healed. Before putting on her clothes, Diana pressed down on her forehead, shoulders, limbs, and hands and feet. Except for the scabbed areas, it seemed that the wounds had healed well without lingering dull pain. The daily application of ointment had been effective.
As the unsightly scars had mostly disappeared, a sudden worry arose. Over the past few days, her master had not laid a hand on her clothing.
But now, there was no reason for him not to touch her. Since the moment they had been left alone in this place, she had prepared herself for the worst, though she still wished to avoid it if she could.
This was a body she had endured countless humiliations to protect, both in Hilde and in the Defierre household. If she gave even this to her master, it would mean surrendering everything she had left.
So Diana decided to act on a burst of defiance.
“Master, may I step outside for a moment? I’d like to feel the earth beneath my feet.”
Felix frowned at her sudden request as soon as she stepped into the living room.
“Do you know the way back?”
“Ah… that is…”
Diana couldn’t argue. It was her first time in this place, and especially in an open outdoor area, getting lost would be all too easy. There was no one she could ask to accompany her.
Her inflated hopes deflated like a balloon with a puncture, her disappointment plainly visible on her face.
Felix observed her closely. She rarely made requests, but it seemed her desire to see the forest was genuine. Her drooping eyebrows and forlorn expression left no doubt about it.
His eyes fell on a coil of string on the side table. It was a cord used to secure protective coverings over canvases.
“Come here.”
Diana cautiously approached the sofa.
When she lifted the hem of her plain, coarse dress, her pale, bare legs were revealed. Her ankles were so slender that Felix could encircle them with one hand. He pulled the end of the string from the coil and tied it around Diana’s ankle.
“Master…? What is this?”
“It’s to keep you from getting lost.”
Diana tentatively felt her calf. The cord that bound her ankle was thick and rough. The knot was so tight that she wouldn’t be able to undo it with her hands.
“It should be enough. Go on.”
As Diana hesitantly walked toward the door, the cord uncoiled and extended behind her. The feeling of something tied around her ankle was unfamiliar and strange.
Meanwhile, Felix, who had taken out a cigar and cut the end, struck a match. He granted her permission with unexpected leniency.
“Be back within two hours.”
“Yes, Master.”
Two whole hours. Her spirits swelled again, as if by magic. Diana carefully opened the door and stepped outside.
How long had it been since she’d been in such pristine and pure nature?
It was her first time since leaving Dorthes. Earth, wind, sun, and water—Diana opened all her senses except her sight to fully enjoy the gifts of nature.
Partway through, she even threw off her shoes. She had hesitated for a moment, concerned about stepping on something sharp, but the sensation of the earth beneath her feet erased all such worries in an instant.
It was so soft. She couldn’t resist the urge to keep stepping on it, causing her to hop and stomp her feet instinctively. Forgetting even the risk of dirtying her skirt, Diana ran down the forest path. The sense of liberation she hadn’t felt since leaving her hometown made her chest feel open and free. Her eyes brimmed with tears despite herself.
I want… to go home.
The scent of water wafted from nearby. Like a madwoman, Diana frantically pushed through the bushes. The sound of water grew closer and closer.
She stepped wrong onto some mud and slipped downward.
Clear spring water caught her as if it had been waiting for her fall. It wasn’t a fall but a landing—no, it was like taking flight. Diana swam beneath the surface of the water like a mermaid, soaring gracefully.
The small stream grew larger and deeper until it met a massive gorge. There must be a waterfall nearby; she could feel the vibrations of the water striking the surface against her skin.
Diana swam vigorously toward the source of the waterfall’s sound.
But a powerful force suddenly yanked her backward.
“…!”
An intense pain shot through her ankle. When Diana screamed underwater, the creatures swimming with her pushed her up to the surface.
“Ah, ah, ahhh…”
The string tied around her ankle had stretched taut. She had reached the end of the distance she’d been allowed. A little farther, and the friction would have torn her skin.
The other end of the string must have been secured somewhere. No matter how hard she pulled, it wouldn’t give an inch.
“…”
Standing dumbly in the water, Diana turned her back on the waterfall and swam back against the current. She submerged her head completely beneath the surface, and the frustration in her chest began to dissipate once again.
Diana finally raised her head above the water, gasping for air as if she could no longer hold her breath.
Aside from the sound of grass swaying, the wind rustling, and the movements of insects and birds, the surroundings were as silent as death. Warm sunlight must have been shining on her.
But nothing.
Still, there was nothing to be seen.
Tears burst forth before she could stop them.
Diana buried her face in her hands and cried. She hadn’t thought about wanting to cry, yet the tears came anyway. The slight sense of liberation she was experiencing for the first time in 13 years filled her with joy, while the fact that she was happy over something so small made her pity herself.
Her ankle was still tied with a string, and not a single beam of light penetrated her vision.
Her future seemed just as dark as the black void in front of her. Diana couldn’t protect herself, let alone move forward in any direction.
She sat down on the riverbank and cried for a long time.
***
The way back from the water’s edge wasn’t difficult. All she had to do was hold onto the string tied to her ankle and keep walking. It was ironic how, despite being bound, the path she needed to take and her destination were unmistakably clear.
Her wet clothes didn’t pose a problem. Drawing water and then removing it was one of Diana’s basic abilities. With just a touch of her hand, the droplets evaporated into vapor and vanished.
Although there were still damp patches on parts of her body she hadn’t reached, she knew her time was up. Diana gripped the string and stepped back into the cabin.
“I’m… back.”
Though no sound came in response, she felt compelled to greet.
The master of the house was undoubtedly on the first floor. His gaze was so intense that it was impossible not to notice.
Diana slowly walked to one corner of the room while reeling in the thread. She intended to tidy up the other end of the string. But she stopped after taking just a few steps.
The end of the thread was in his hands.
She had hoped, pulling at the string numerous times, that it might snap. Did her yearning, transmitted along the thread, reach him as well?
Hesitating, Diana approached him and offered the neatly coiled bundle of string. She imagined snatching the opposite end from his hands and diving back into the water.
Felix took the thread and threw it somewhere. However, he didn’t untie the knot fastened around Diana’s ankle. A bitter scent of herbs emanated from him—a scent that hadn’t been present in the morning.
No, it was less like herbs and more like toxic plants.
He had seemed unusually tranquil for the past few days, but that, too, seemed to end today. His silence was always terrifying.
When Felix took a step closer, Diana instinctively swallowed dryly. Despite bracing herself, thinking she was accustomed to his quiet movements or audible cues, she couldn’t stop the tightness in her chest.
A leaf tangled in her hair slid down and fell away. Only then did she realize how disheveled she must look. She had dried herself off and taken off her muddy shoes, but she hadn’t thought to straighten her tangled hair or clean her soiled clothes.
“I’ll go wash up. I was, well, in the forest…”
Before she could finish speaking, she felt his breath brush against the nape of her neck. The prince was inhaling her scent. Each time he took a breath, a gentle chill spread across her skin, leaving goosebumps in its wake.
Diana’s appearance was worse than she vaguely imagined. Her hair was tangled and tousled, with dirt, leaves, and tiny roots caught between the strands.
Her hair was damp in places, as if it had been submerged in water. The mud clinging to her small bare feet had only partially washed away, leaving dried streaks across her insteps. Her apron and the hem of her dress were crumpled beyond recognition.
Despite only being gone for two hours, Diana had returned saturated with the essence of nature. She smelled of clear, fresh water. Like a spirit born and raised in a hidden mountain spring—yes, just like that. More a spirit than a human being.
***
The portrait of Pride has opened a ko-fi shop with 5 advanced chapters. Ko-fi shop will be updated with each update in website. Here is the: LINK
***
Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed what you have read, do consider tipping me a little through: click here. An advanced chapter will be posted as a thank you once I receive 6$. Don’t forget to mention the series that you’re supporting!
