Unlike his assertion that his conversation with Theron had no effect on him, Reus acted as if he had encountered a natural disaster whenever even the slightest change occurred in Roel’s emotions.

Those words Theron had said. They felt like the only correct answer to explain how Roel had been gradually changing.

Reus now worried not about the woman leaving the Grand Duke’s castle and disappearing from his sight, but feared that she would leave his side forever and he would be deprived of any chance to meet her.

Perhaps due to his heightened nerves, the days he couldn’t sleep outnumbered those he could, and his personality naturally became a bit more sensitive.

“Where are you going, Roel?”

“Ah… It’s nothing, just…”

Though she was merely going to get a book, Roel mumbled vaguely in response to the sharp reaction that reflexively came to her movement.

At that, as if he had been waiting for her answer, Reus pulled the woman into his embrace. Roel, whose movements were suddenly restricted, rested her head gently on the man’s chest without any struggle.

Right. My reading a book isn’t that important anyway. Roel blinked blankly and then completely relaxed her body.

The daily routine of the two people confined to the bedroom was very simple.

When Reus brought meals up to the bedroom, Roel, who had woken up late, nibbled on some food and then sat in an armchair, endlessly gazing at the scenery outside.

Then she would have a brief, rather meaningless conversation with the man, read a book, and fall into an afternoon nap.

After eating dinner, washing up, and changing clothes, night would suddenly fall. Though they hadn’t done much, they would fall asleep early and when they struggled to lift their eyelids, the same morning would come every day.

Roel felt suffocated by the days that didn’t change much, but Reus didn’t seem to mind at all.

Rather, as if he wanted to possess even her movements, he never thought of leaving her side. Then Roel inwardly mocked her own thoughts.

A person who wants to possess?

Reus had already possessed all of her time and life. And was that all he possessed?

Her mood changed according to the man’s reactions as if it had never been hers to begin with, and she only uttered words that were pleasant for the man to hear.

Yes, I like it, of course. I don’t mind. If Reus likes it, I like it too…

Her thoughts were the same. Since she stopped leaving the bedroom, only things related to Reus had filled her mind for a long time.

Yet the man seemed unsatisfied and bound her even more tightly. Roel didn’t think at length these days and spent most of her time in a daze.

But suddenly she wondered if there might be something the man really wanted and that’s why he was doing this.

Maybe… Reus is actually really punishing me – that thought.

But soon she had to deny the doubt. If he had intended to punish her, Reus would have thoroughly tried to ruin her life. Not falling apart together with her like this.

So that definitely couldn’t be it.

But even after reaching that conclusion, nothing changed. Even if Reus had no intentions, she still had to suffer anguish whenever she saw the man.

She knew something was wearing away inside her, but as always, Roel erased her thoughts and emotions. After all, there was nothing she could do in front of the man from the beginning.

Roel just closed her eyes tightly and patted Reus.

“Reus. Get some sleep, even if just a little.”

“…”

“I’m not going anywhere. I’ll stay right here.”

At that, Reus quickly regained his peace and became docile as if nothing had happened.

A fake peace. This time that looked plausible on the surface was the time Reus liked most, and also the time Roel suffered most.

Like that, Roel was finally able to slip out of bed only after repeatedly telling the man who hadn’t been able to sleep for days the same words countless times.

She couldn’t understand why she felt so tired when all she did was soothe him by saying it was okay. Perhaps these things were even worse than what she had felt at the Ibel Count’s house.

Roel herself couldn’t understand why she felt that way.

There was no Feria here who hit her, nor Briella who hurt her with words every day. So no one starved her, no one beat her for making mistakes, and no one forced her to do things she didn’t like.

But strangely, she felt more and more suffocated. As Roel stared blankly out the window, she unconsciously said to herself:

‘…I want to go out.’

Wanting to run away right now was a very natural thought, but soon Roel was startled and quickly erased that thought.

Reus would clearly dislike it if he knew. She had to make sure he didn’t know she had such a thought.

Otherwise, she would have to endure something beyond this. She wasn’t sure if she could bear it. Neither herself, nor Reus.

Roel buried her forehead in her legs, which she had tightly hugged on the chair.

Roel’s words decreased day by day. The smile she showed every day, though not bright, now completely disappeared.

And sometimes she wouldn’t move at all as if she couldn’t hear when called, or her movements became so slow that there would only be a small response after being called several times.

Roel, who was always in a somewhat dull state, spent most of her time either sleeping or sitting still, blankly staring outside.

Reus felt afraid because he didn’t know what the woman was thinking, but Roel’s mind wasn’t that complicated.

Rather, it was closer to being completely empty, as if all the thin lines connecting her thoughts had been cut.

It was because she no longer wanted to think about anything. She just opened her eyes when morning came and closed them again when night fell. She merely lived by adapting herself to the repeating daily life.

Perhaps that’s why, when she sat quietly without speaking, she sometimes looked like a soulless doll had been placed there, making the man afraid again.

Today too, Roel lay next to Reus, fallen into a deep sleep. Her face, looking more peaceful than when her life was in danger and she was struggling between life and death, was enough to evoke anxiety in Reus.

It seemed as if Roel would live her entire life in dreams with her eyes closed like this.

If that really happened, what should he do then? As Reus couldn’t escape from his deeply depressed mood, that’s when it happened.

Bang-! An explosion sound was heard from a bit far away. Though it was a small sound, at the definite sound of bombardment, Reus got up.

Fortunately, no more sounds were heard, but he had to leave this place to check the situation first. However, he couldn’t bring himself to leave Roel, who was still asleep.

After pondering, Reus layered even more barriers on top of the multiple barriers already cast in the bedroom, and finally headed towards the castle walls where the commotion had occurred.

Today’s disturbance was a small prank by the Emperor. It was something that would never have happened if they had been on high alert as usual, but it had been a long time since watching the Emperor was no longer Reus’s job.

Since he chose to watch Roel over the Emperor, he had no time to pay attention to other things.

All he could do was just order the Grand Duke’s knights to somehow protect the surroundings of the Grand Duke’s castle, cast barriers over the entire Grand Duke’s castle, and take a defensive stance.

Even so, there was clearly a way to avoid today’s incident. Because watching the Emperor was also Theron’s job. Even if he didn’t, Theron would certainly have noticed in advance.

However, since their relationship had fallen apart, that too became impossible for Reus.

Rather, Theron had been waiting for the Emperor to touch the Grand Duke castle’s barrier. Because then he could meet Roel.

Taking advantage of the confusion, Theron arrived in front of the bedroom. However, he couldn’t enter the bedroom.

Although he had somehow broken through the barrier surrounding the Grand Duke’s castle, there was no way to break through the layers of barriers cast on the bedroom.

But he didn’t need to open the door to meet Roel. It was enough just to deliver a message today, so Theron knocked on the bedroom door.

But there was no answer. Growing anxious, Theron called for Roel while pounding on the door as if to break it.

“Roel! Are you in there?”

How long had he been knocking on the door like that? At the continuous noise irritating her nerves, Roel, who had been sleeping as if unconscious, slowly opened her eyes.

“You’re in there, right? Roel! It’s me, Theron! Answer me if you’re there!”

Due to her dazed state, Roel couldn’t quickly grasp the situation. The empty room.

And a man’s voice. The vibrations continuously shaking the bedroom door. Thinking about it slowly, she belatedly realized the identity of the man calling her from beyond the door.

‘Theron… This sounds like Theron’s voice.’

“Roel! Can’t you hear me? Ha… Could it be she’s not in the bedroom?”

Soon, rough curses heard from beyond the door. It was definitely Theron’s voice. Roel got off the bed and headed towards the door. And when she tried to turn the doorknob, it didn’t budge at all.

Usually, no matter how much she stayed only in the bedroom, the door was never locked. But now it was firmly locked by some force, impossible to open.

“The door, why…”

“Thank goodness. You were inside.”

Just as he was about to think of searching elsewhere, Roel’s voice was heard right beyond the door. Theron, finally relieved of his worry, soon said:

“Don’t try to open it. It won’t open anyway.”

At those words, Roel abruptly stopped her hand.

“Roel, I’ll help you.”

“What…”

“Leaving. I’ll help you leave.”