Chapter 5: 4

Chapter 4

Duke Rothsilde’s expression was extremely seductive, and even the scent of musk was light, creating a strangely odd atmosphere between us. I was beginning to choke up because his appearance was so dangerous that could be called the standard of decadent beauty.

I leaned my upper body back, trying to hide my bewildered expression.

“What do you mean? Even if I’m a hostage, not in this way!”

“You’re the one who attacked me. What should I do? You’re so pretty, I can’t even rebel.”

He turned his head, feeling his heart sinking as he deliberately made a vulnerable expression. He was like a ravenous beast who found the little rabbit cute.

What is it about my appearance that is so admirable? His appearance was far from our aesthetic standards.

There were no mirrors anywhere, and I was beginning to forget whether I looked good or bad.

“There’s something I want to check.”

He said in a somewhat expectant tone, and then sat up. His face was close to mine again, and as I held my breath, I could feel his soft hair brushing my cheek.

‘All of a sudden?’

I was startled to see the Duke’s hands moving toward me as he sat upright, and I held his hands protectively.

‘What is he trying to confirm?’

However, his  hand veered from its expected trajectory and picked up a coat next to me and took something out. It was a regulation pistol in the hands of the gracefully smiling man.

The flare of light reflecting off the cold metal was redirected to the front. As soon as I realized that the muzzle of the pistol was headed in my direction, I felt a shiver run down my spine. I hurriedly got up and walked out of the bed.

“…Are you perhaps checking to see if I’m going to die or not?”

Is he crazy? Why is he pointing a gun at me? I stood back against the wall. I shrank my shoulders and pretended to be scared, but I asked him deliberately and nonchalantly. He tilted his head, keeping the muzzle fixed on me.

“You will die.”

“Who doesn’t know that being shot by a gun will kill you?”

“That’s a normal reaction today. What would I say the day I brought you here?”

Nodding slowly, the Duke stood up, lowering his muzzle, and approached me, closing the distance between us. His lips relaxed, and he put more strength into the end of his voice, which was clouded with admiration.

“You looked happy.”

The words were unexpectedly right on target.

Who the hell is this man? The inside of my mouth began to dry up. I swallowed hard and blinked. It was a feeling that every little action of mine was a proposition to be deduced. I muffled my expression to the maximum, but the gaze I couldn’t process was tied to his shirt collar.

“Take it, Princess.”

He put the pistol in my hand as if he was presenting me with a precious jewel. I was confused. I couldn’t predict this man’s intentions at all. I hesitated with the pistol in my hand. He was watching me quietly and generously informed me.

“Shoot me and you can run away.”

His quiet manner and voice were as lovely as ever. This only made me more perplexed. There was no way I’d kill him, who should be responsible for my food, clothing and shelter for the time being. Oh, that was what he was trying to check?

Do I really want to run away? He must be trying to test me by giving me a gun without bullets. The evil thing I was holding was a revolver pistol.

I had seen them in the media, but this was the first time I’ve touched one directly. I looked around at the pistol and pulled the rounded cylinder with my finger.

Click.

It was the sound of the cylinder warping to the side and opening. As soon as I saw the six bullets loaded in the chamber, my mind went blank.

He had filled all the bullets and handed it to me, which meant that this was not some kind of Russian roulette bet. This man was truly insane. Or two lives, as the case may be.

The Duke’s beautiful lips, which had been observing my panic, lifted up more and more. The mischievous crooked look in his eyes made it unclear whether this was real or a joke.

“Now hold it with both hands like this and pull here with your index finger.”

He grabbed my hand holding the gun and kindly told me in a gentle voice. He pulled on my wrist holding the pistol and placed the muzzle of the gun on his own forehead.

Unlike me, who stiffened at the sight of the gun pointed at him, he smiled strangely.

“Just shoot me in the head.”

His voice, laced with insane words, was not only spare, but even plausible. My hands shook weakly in panic.

If I didn’t shoot him, he might find out about my ulterior motives. But I couldn’t pull the trigger. I shook my head, a weak expression on my face.

“I don’t want to. I don’t want to kill people.”

“You’re a pacifist.”

“It’s just an ordinary person’s thought.”

“A normal person.”

He nodded slowly as he repeated my words in a low voice. I’m sure he wasn’t trying to test my antisocial tendencies or my courage.

With my head down, I gently looked at him. At the same time, my thoughts and gaze went towards the door. It shouldn’t be locked because the Duke  came in.

I couldn’t shoot that man, so I decided to pretend to be conspicuous for now. It would give him some evidence that I wanted to escape but just didn’t have the courage to kill him.

I approached the door with my gun pointing at him, hesitating just a moment to give myself room. Nevertheless, the Duke only smiled brightly while standing there.

While looking at him, I opened the door and ran out. The long corridor was empty, contrary to the expectation that someone would be guarding it.

For now, I would run aimlessly somewhere first, then pretend I didn’t win and get caught. I started running to the end of the hallway.

It was strange, he didn’t come to catch me. No one. I ran down the stairs on the third floor, stopped and caught my breath.

“What are you doing, now?”

I mumbled as I stood there sluggishly, looking at the upper floor, and then ran down the stairs again to the first floor entrance. As I passed the main gate, I saw the large archway of the entrance, and no one came to catch me even after I reached it.

The large and heroic mansion seemed to be deserted, and was surrounded by a dark silence. Now, where should I go? I wasn’t planning to run away. I was in a realistic dilemma.

This was Progen, a hostile country, and besides, I didn’t have a single pass or identification card. I didn’t have the appearance of a Belfordian, so it would be hard to claim that I was from here.

Besides, this place was located on the outskirts, far from the city, and there was a high possibility of escaping and dying….For now, I decided to hide in the forest nearby.

‘Please come and get me. You’ll catch me easily!’

I headed towards the nearby dark forest.

I hoped that anyone would find me and stop me, but there was no one following me. In the end, I walked slowly through the forest of dry winter trees, relying only on the moonlight.

The forest was quiet, and the only sound was the crunching of the frozen leaves as they rustled under my feet. It was so cold and scary. I stood there in a daze, afraid that if I went any deeper, my otherwise thin lifeline would snap completely. My nerves were tingling.

The sound of the owl hooting and the flapping of its wings as it flew by, made my hair stand on end.

“Ah!”

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I screamed out, startled by the sound of something bouncing on the fallen leaves. I held up the pistol I was carrying and saw a single brown badger standing there, stunned.

The badger stared at me with a look of surprise in its eyes.

“Go on your way.”

I waved my hand in the air, sweeping my thin face. The badger that was looking at me so shyly disappeared into the dark depths of the forest.

Snowflakes began to flutter down from the sky. The fierce north wind of winter was gradually taking away my body temperature.

I was in my nightgown and my whole body shivered. I should have brought a coat.

‘How am I supposed to escape with just a gun in the first place?’

Maybe he was trying to torment me this way, to psychologically control and manipulate me, or maybe he intended to torment me for fun. I crouched down on the stump.

I heard footsteps coming from somewhere with a reasonable stride, so I hurriedly picked up my gun. I saw the Duke standing at the end of the muzzle looking at me, which coincided with my fearful gaze. His hair, bathed in the quiet moonlight, glowed a dazzling silver.

I put down my gun with a breath of relief. With a black chesterfield coat draped over his shoulders, he smiled gently, his head tilted to one side, beautiful even from a distance.

“I guess you’re lost. Do you need help?”

He asked as if he was a knight who had come to my rescue. I remembered the novel I just read earlier about the male protagonist who saved the female protagonist in a crisis.

Could he save me from a crisis? But he was the one who put me in a crisis. Maybe it was because he was a villain, but it was very contrived. He flicked his finger at me when I didn’t answer.

“Come here.”

He had a long-barreled rifle in his hand. I was startled. Don’t tell me he is pointing a gun at me just because I was trying to escape. I’m not sure I’m up for a gun fight against a skilled man. And isn’t that really sneaky, giving me a small gun and bringing something scarier for himself?

A chilly breeze went in and out of my pajama skirt. With my white pajamas, bloodless face, and pitch-black pigtails, I would have looked like a ghost. With a resigned look on my face, I approached the Duke and faced him. He grasped the tips of my hair softly before shaking it free.

“Good girl. Well done.”

“Didn’t you want me to leave?”

“You are not to leave me when the opportunity arises. Do you understand?”

“You gave me the chance, and you’re the one who put me in a crisis.”

“You can’t die.”

He blurted out the ending, reciting it gruesomely, and smiled proudly. Was it to show that it’s useless to run away? This man must be a beautiful lunatic.

The original story was mostly about the imprisoned Celine making an escape plan and waiting for Colonel Grenedall, whom she secretly had a crush on. Moreover, the Duke was not very interested in the main character. Rather, he gave her a scornful look.

In the latter part of the story, he appeared a bit more attractive, but he also behaved in a crazy way that made the protagonist despair. But it wasn’t like this. He was indifferent to Celine, just teasing her once in a while and leaving her alone, but he would treat her a little better.

I had been looking at the indifference, the neglect, and the peaceful living environment. I was troubled. He asked me as if he was checking again.

“Are you still going to run away? There are wolves in the forest and it’s dangerous.”

I gritted my teeth. He knew that, but he let me run away and pushed me into the bitterly cold forest where the wolves were? I didn’t want to run away even if he scared me. I couldn’t bear to be angry because he put his coat on my shoulders and made a miserable and sentimental look.

It was as if he was hanging on to me and begging me. I felt like I was possessed by a beautiful creature standing under the moonlight, and I was distracted.

“Are you scaring me? Are there wolves, or are you giving me winter training?”

Quickly coming to my senses, I made a nervous noise.

“You don’t cry.”

He rubbed the corner of his mouth with one hand in admiration, and his eyes curved around again.

“Certainly. It wouldn’t be fun if it was easy.”

Said the Duke somewhat absentmindedly, reaching out and taking my hand in his. My personality wanted to shake him off, but I decided to maintain the gentleness of a weak person as the rifle in his hand glowed threateningly.

“Aren’t you cold? It’s better to go in.”

He told me to leave. In sub-zero weather, the breath rose white. I should be more angry and rebellious like a wildcat.

The filthy cold weather wouldn’t let me have any pride or stubbornness. I nodded my head, shivering, wanting to lie down on the warm bed in my room as soon as possible.

The Duke came into the room with me after leaving the forest called Molly and instructed her to serve me warm tea. Even when I sat in front of the fireplace, the cold that seeped into every inch of my body didn’t quite go away.

Exhausted from my sudden escape, I sank down under the covers. He looked at me and chuckled.

“I was afraid you’d freeze to death running away in secret. Are you mad at me?”

‘I’m in this mess because of you, you psycho!’

I quietly soothed my seething chest.

“From now on, let’s talk to each other like intelligent people. Mutual communication is important.”

“Communication? If that worked, there wouldn’t be any war.”

“Lack of communication would have played a part.”

“I see. But people don’t understand unless they experience it for themselves, do they?”

“I want to know without having to experience it, so tell me in advance.” (Duke)

“I’ll give you everything you need. We’ll have lots of conversations. So here it is.” (Duke)

‘Yes, it’s all good, but it would be perfect if it weren’t for you, mischievous one.’

I was getting tired of talking, so I yawned, pretending to be sleepy.

“I’m going to bed now.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“You’re coming back tomorrow?”

“You don’t like it?”

There was a flicker of sadness in the Duke’s eyes, but his face was still smiling.

“No….”

Why is this happening when the original he didn’t come around so often? I was worried for a moment about what I designed so wrong.

That said, the Admiral (her father)  shouldn’t have shown any intention of trying to save me, but that’s also a problem. I’m sure that the Duke already told him that he’s holding me as a hostage here.

I remembered the Duke Rothsilde’s words, which I didn’t understand: “If it’s easy, it’s not interesting.” Aside from the hostage, he seemed to be enjoying and interested in me.

He seemed to find me entertaining and interesting, and that may be exactly what I was. Was that why he brought me here, who looks so pitiful on the outside instead of Celine?

If he lost interest in me, he might shoot and kill me, or tell me to walk home, or mercilessly drive me out into that cold forest. Apparently, I was faced with a difficult situation where I had to appeal to the value of negotiation and raise interest in him at the same time.

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