Collector’s Cage - Chapter 54

Noticing the two small moles on the nape of her neck, Froy’s lips curled into a cold smile.

Froy was a meticulous collector. His eye for detail was so sharp he could remember even the tiniest flaw in a piece once it was in his possession.

There was no way he could fail to recognize Hermie. Her expressions, little habits, posture, even the length of her hair—countless things remained unchanged despite her change in size.

In fact, the difference in size was irrelevant. What mattered was whether or not it was the piece he had acquired.

“And there must be two small moles on the nape of the neck.”
“…….”
“There should be freckles near the flank and the hip area.”

Hermie’s face began to pale.

It was all exposed. He might have known from the very beginning. The mage probably spilled everything to save his own skin.

‘What do I do now?’

Her clasped hands trembled finely. Hermie strained to lift her head, but her gaze remained fixed downward.

She couldn’t bring herself to face Froy. She was afraid he would only look at her with utter disgust.

He might think she was a despicable woman who, blinded by money, let herself be locked naked in a cage and pretended to be a fairy.

“Th-there’s no way such a fairy exists……”

Before Hermie could finish, Froy spoke.

“You will find it. If you don’t, neither the Pumpkin Flower Guild nor you, its accountant, will be spared.”

Clearly, he was furious at having been deceived. Hermie closed her eyes tightly, as if it were all over.

Somehow, no excuses came to mind. Her heart ached so fiercely it was hard to open her mouth. If she did, a flood of bitter tears felt like it might pour out.

The affectionate, warm man was gone. All that remained was an arrogant noble, seething with humiliation and anger.

“I’ll be back in three days.”
“…….”
“In three days, I sincerely hope my fairy will have returned to its cage.”

Froy brushed past her coldly. Bang. The sound of the door closing echoed, and Hermie sank to the floor as if her legs had given way.

Her body trembled as if she’d been doused in ice water. Hermie was clever; she understood his words perfectly.

His demand was clear and unequivocal. He wanted her to become a fairy again and enter his cage.

That was the punishment Froy was giving Hermie, who had dared to mock him.

***

The past three days passed in such a blur that Hermie could barely remember how she got through them. No solutions came to mind, leaving her thoughts a complete blank.

But that didn’t mean she sat idly by. To find out what nonsense Dormi had spouted, she even went to the Magical Tower.

However, the tower expelled her, saying all compensation for the matter had been settled and she was not to return. She couldn’t meet Dormi either.

If only she had the contract she and Dormi had signed, she might have had something to explain to Froy. But the tower had taken the contract back when they gave her the 2,000 gold, leaving her with no evidence whatsoever.

They knew this would happen. They knew Marquis Froy wouldn’t just let it go

Her body trembled with rage at the tower’s underhandedness. They had pretended to console her, showering her with apologies and compensation, only to wash their hands of the matter when real trouble arose.

And they shifted all the blame onto Hermie.

If I beg… will he forgive me?

He might not believe her, but a weak part of her wondered if begging might earn his mercy.

She couldn’t run away, either. Doing so would bring harm to the Pumpkin Flower Guild, and ever since Marquis Froy’s visit, suspicious people had begun lurking around her home.

They were watchers, ensuring Hermie wouldn’t flee.

Get back in the cage?

What did he expect her to do in a cage? Hermie was no longer a fairy. She wasn’t small and was no different from an ordinary human. Putting her back in a cage would yield no specialness, no rarity, no pleasure.