Chapter 71
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Froy, who had fled to the study, washed his face in despair over his own cowardice. He slumped onto the sofa and let his head fall back.
“Ah.”
Even in this state, he was appalled at himself for still pondering how to persuade her. But he couldn’t think of any other way.
Maybe he should tell her firmly that he’d never abandon her, that he could never tire of her.
Or perhaps threaten her instead? Warn her not to entertain such foolish thoughts, saying her punishment wasn’t over yet?
But he was afraid that if he did, Hermie might come to hate him. It was the cowardice of not wanting to be hated, even while doing cruel things to her.
I want her to cling to me like she does now. I want her to wait for me and see only me.
I want everything else in her mind to be erased, leaving only me. I want to possess her utterly, to have her all to myself.
It was a terribly selfish and greedy desire.
He knew they couldn’t stay like this forever. But he wished this time could last just a little longer.
The time she spent breathing right before his eyes, within his space, was achingly good.
‘Just a little more.’
There should still be time. If he placates and persuades Hermie, he can monopolize and savor her time a little longer.
He still doesn’t fully know Hermie. He finished investigating her background long ago, but the past he saw on paper wasn’t perfectly understood.
He needed to understand not just her body, but also her heart, her thoughts, her values, her entire past.
Only when he felt he had come to understand her completely would he feel at ease opening the cage door.
So, not yet. He wasn’t ready to open the locked door yet.
Froy organized his thoughts and stood up. Having made an utterly cowardly decision, he didn’t have the confidence to face her right away.
He headed not to the bedroom but to his office and began dealing with the work he had been putting off. Keeping busy helped organize his cluttered mind.
Then, he began to miss Hermie. He hadn’t seen her for barely half a day, yet a thirst rose in him as if he’d swallowed saltwater.
I should go back to the room quickly. I should hold Hermie, who’s sleeping in late in bed, and soothe her.
I’ll tell her: Not yet, please bear with it, I’ll treat you even better, let’s stay like this just a little longer. I’m so happy and enjoying this moment right now that I simply can’t let you go. I’ll persuade her like that.
He was prepared to accept it even if she got angry and irritable.
Froy strode quickly down the hallway. The closer he got to the room, the more impatient he became, his steps turning into a near-run.
Even to himself, he seemed pitiful, so he let out a short, hollow laugh before opening the door.
“Hermie, what are you doing here.”
However, finding Hermie lying on the cold floor in front of the door was a situation he hadn’t anticipated in the slightest.
His buoyant heart plummeted, and he froze for a moment.
“Why were you sleeping there?”
“…You didn’t come, so I waited.”
It was strange. Whenever Hermie said she was waiting only for him, he had always been pleased and happy. But this time, he wasn’t happy.
The thought of her lying on the cold floor, waiting for him, made his heart ache with a piercing pain. He felt sorry and heartbroken, his chest turning cold.
So, this wasn’t what he had wanted.
He had only dreamed of Hermie living happily and peacefully within his space. He had never, for even a moment, wanted her to be hurt, in pain, or crying.
At the moment he returned with breakfast and saw Hermie standing by the door with a face so pale she looked ready to collapse at a touch.
Froy felt the ground give way beneath his feet. He was confronted with the fact that something was going very wrong.
“Do you know… how I managed to escape?”
It was only after hearing what Hermie had felt, what risks she had taken to escape, that Froy realized his own foolishness.
How arrogant had he been?
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