Prologue
I opened my eyes.
A cold sensation on my ankle. I lifted my right foot slightly and felt the weight of a heavy lump of iron. As I moved my leg, the chain rattled and clanked.
Jaina suddenly became aware and looked around.
‘What is this? This is…’
The bed she had been lying on smelled of freshly laundered sheets. A faint light was filtering through the heavy curtains in the distance.
A room unfamiliar, yet oddly familiar. Jaina had definitely been here before.
[Jaina, this is a room I made for you.]
As she opened the door, she suddenly remembered him—his eyes sparkling like a puppy seeking praise. She chuckled at the memory.
‘I get the general idea… but what time is it now?’
Judging by the sunlight peeking through the curtains, it wasn’t night. Jaina walked over to the window, hoping to guess the time by the position of the sun.
Clank.
The chain on her ankle was shorter than expected. After just a few steps, it grew taut and wouldn’t let her go any farther.
‘Ugh, this is annoying.’
Forced to return to the bed, Jaina suddenly realized that the shackle around her ankle was looser than she’d thought. Wrapped in layers of soft cloth to avoid chafing, it was far too big for her slender ankle.
‘If I do it right… I might be able to slip out of this.’
She carefully twisted her foot back and forth, pushing against the iron ring. Sure enough, after a few tries, the shackle slipped off.
“It worked!”
She felt like the star of an escape artist’s magic show.
Jaina swung her free foot as she rushed to the window. She pushed aside the soft, billowing curtains and squinted into the pouring sunlight.
The sun was high in the sky—it had to be around midday.
Jaina gently pulled open the window.
‘How can they imprison me and still be this careless?’
Unbelievably, the window opened with just a light pull. The cool breeze blew against her skin, making her pale pink hair flutter.
‘Ah, this feels amazing.’
Jaina sat down slightly. The lush scent of the surrounding forest was refreshing, clearing her mind.
She was just enjoying the fresh, natural air—
Clatter!
The door burst open.
“Jaina!”
“Uh, Theo—no…”
As Jaina raised her hand to greet the man at the door—Theo—her body leaned out of the window frame.
“Huh?!”
Jaina flailed like someone drowning. She tried to regain her balance with her legs, but it wasn’t enough.
‘If I knew this would happen, I should’ve trained my core! This is why people say exercise is important!’
She shut her eyes tightly.
‘But it’s only the third floor… I wouldn’t die if I fell, right? No, wait. If I fall headfirst—then I would die! Noooo!’
Just as she felt herself tipping completely, a strong arm caught her back. In an instant, Theo had grabbed her waist and pulled her back.
He gently lifted her into his arms, looking down at her with a pale, shocked face. Jaina grinned.
“Thanks, Theo.”
But instead of replying, Theo turned his head and silently carried her to the bed. Or rather—he pretended to toss her, but gently laid her down so she wouldn’t get hurt. That was just like Theo.
‘Cute guy.’
She raised her hand to pat Theo’s head like usual, but this time, he didn’t lean into her hand like he normally did.
“Theo?”
Still not meeting her eyes, Theo picked up the chains from the floor.
“I was too careless.”
“What?”
Theo placed the shackles back on her ankles. Looser than before, but still enough to restrict her.
Then he looked up. His silver eyes, like shards of crystal, shimmered coldly.
“I figured Jaina would try to escape.”
“No, Theo, I—”
“I tried to respect your wishes, Jaina. But I can’t keep letting you put others before yourself.”
No, you’ve got it all wrong. I care a lot about my well-being. One of the things I hate most is getting hurt.
“It’s fine if you hate me.”
Wait… what?
“Being hated is nothing compared to losing you.”
“Theo, calm down. Let’s just talk this out—”
“No. There’s nothing more to discuss.”
Please, listen to me.
“Jaina Blake. If you try to escape like that again… I won’t be so forgiving. You’ll never be allowed to leave this place again.”
Theo’s face turned icy cold. But even as he said those harsh words, Jaina couldn’t help but watch his red ears, which betrayed his emotions. Her lips trembled, as if they were trying not to laugh.
“No one will take you from me again.”
With tearful eyes, Theo turned and left the room.
Only after the door shut did Jaina burst into laughter.
‘Oh my god, he’s too cute. That “I’m so happy” look on his face—!’
She collapsed onto the bed.
Her dream had finally come true.
The dream of creating the perfect happy ending—or rather, the bad ending.
