I’m a Hostage Princess, But My Confinement Is Way Too Cozy - Chapter 4

Volumes 1 & 2 of HPCWTC are available uncensored on ko-fi! ※ This work contains depictions of coercive relationships, explicit language, and other graphic content. Reader discretion is advised.

Sylvia had described Drémoor Castle as a pointlessly large tomb, and I had no choice but to agree with her expression. I could feel a strange power that seemed to suck the life out of everything, as if even living things would leave as corpses.

But aside from that impression, I actually liked Drémoor Castle. Its suffocating, distinctive aura of death matched perfectly with the wavelengths of my inner self. It was the perfect place to be imprisoned.

Unlike the relatively spacious first floor of the castle, the second floor had only two rooms at the end of a narrow corridor. One was my bedroom, and the other was a servant’s room attached to the bedroom. It seemed like the space where Zeke would stay.

“This is your bedroom.”

He opened the bedroom door and stepped aside as if to let me enter first. I carefully took my first step into my bedroom.

“…!”

A bedroom came into view that was much more spacious and neat than I had expected. The interior of the bedroom was warm and cozy, like a completely different space from the outside where cold air was constantly blowing.

The entire floor was covered with thick carpeting in a rose pattern, providing a soft sensation with every step. Against the inner wall stood a bed surrounded by white curtains on all sides—large enough for three people to lie down with room to spare, and above all, it looked incredibly fluffy.

Whoooosh. Despite not being near the ocean, I could hear the sound of lapping water. Below the large window—the only open view in Drémoor Castle, which was otherwise no different from a prison—stretched a steep cliff and dark blue whirlpools that looked ready to swallow anyone who might jump down. Even that was romantic.

‘I absolutely love this place. I could live here for the rest of my life.’

That was my honest impression, not exaggerated in the slightest. I stood there for a moment, lost in admiration of my precious new home. But it seems that behavior caused an unintended misunderstanding.

As Zeke untied my restraints, he barked out a warning in a sharp tone:

“Princess, it would be wise not to entertain any thoughts of escape. It won’t be easy to die by jumping out that window either. There’s magic cast on it.”

I didn’t want to cause any unnecessary misunderstandings, so I quickly clarified:

“I’m well aware of the situation I’m in. There won’t be any trouble that would put you in a difficult position, Sir Knight.”

He stared at me intently, as if trying to gauge the sincerity of my words. Even though we were clearly making eye contact, I felt like only my inner thoughts were being seen through. My frightened eyes rolled downward. He spoke in a slightly softer voice:

“Please call me Zeke.”

“…Yes.”

“As you know, from now on you cannot leave this bedroom without my accompaniment. However, you may take a walk through the other floors of the castle once a day.”

I nodded carefully with pitiful, blinking eyes. Actually, I had no intention of going out to walk through the other floors. With the bedroom being this spacious, I could just take walks in here. Besides, I probably wouldn’t be spending much time outside the bed anyway.

Sylvia’s daily routine wasn’t much different either. Though palace servants would stop by Drémoor Castle to handle her meals and laundry, there was no description of her actually meeting them. The only people Sylvia encountered while confined in the castle were the three male leads.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

It struck me anew that Sylvia’s voice was as fragile as the tinkling sound of glass beads colliding. To Zeke’s eyes, I probably looked like a herbivore that had swallowed a huge gulp of fear.

As long as I was wearing Sylvia’s skin, I had no intention of revealing my true nature. It would be natural to act the part of a tragic princess, fitting Sylvia’s circumstances of having lost her country and family.

“I’ll take my leave now.”

Zeke looked down at me trembling like a leaf, left only the instruction to knock twice on the door if I needed anything, and exited the bedroom. Once the wall-like giant of a man disappeared, the already spacious bedroom felt empty and hollow.

I took a quick look around the room and immediately dove onto the bed. The bed, with straw laid on the floor and cotton-stuffed bedding, was incomparably soft. Even the slightly rustling texture of the cotton and the scent of sunshine felt wonderfully cozy.

‘This is practically imperial-level imprisonment.’

No matter how much I was confined as a hostage, I was still royalty. Basic safety and comfort were guaranteed. The imperial decree to confine me to Drémoor Castle for “life” was probably just a show of force. When relations between countries changed, I could be released at any time.

Sylvia was young and beautiful, making her highly valuable for political marriages. Perhaps they had confined her with a trustworthy knight in a remote castle to prevent any scandals in preparation for such arrangements. If Sylvia were let loose in the imperial palace, she’d have different men pursuing her every other day.

So the emperor’s decision to confine Sylvia in Drémoor Castle was half brilliant and half useless. Even though she was locked away in a remote castle, men still flocked to Sylvia—and every single one of them was either a high-ranking individual who could defy the emperor or someone who would never get caught.