I’m a Hostage Princess, But My Confinement Is Way Too Cozy - Chapter 5

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.

After all these various thoughts, my eyes began to flutter shut. Perhaps because the tension had finally lifted, a sudden wave of fatigue crashed over me. My wrists and the soles of my feet, which hadn’t been properly treated, throbbed with pain. I felt warm, so it seemed like I might have developed a slight fever.

Just as I was about to fall asleep, forgetting the pain, the bedroom door opened and Zeke entered my room.

“Princess.”

In Zeke’s hands were two small medicine bottles. He set the bottles down carelessly on the stool beside the bed.

“Medicine. Apply it.”

His tone carried not even a trace of ceremonial kindness. It seemed he had received orders from the emperor not to let my wounds fester. I barely managed to hold onto my drowsy consciousness as I fumbled for a response.

“Ah, just leave… them there.”

“……”

“Thank… you.”

Even after hearing my response, Zeke stood there blankly for quite a while. My eyelids, unable to resist drowsiness, drooped heavily.

My last memory of that day was of his motionless boots.

***

I lay bedridden for several days after entering Drémoor Castle. While I had only been in Sylvia’s body for a mere two days, Sylvia herself had endured over two weeks of suffering from being dragged from her home country to the empire. It was only natural that her weakened body would collapse the moment it found a place to rest.

From my fragmentary memories, it seemed Zeke had entered the bedroom several more times. He always stood a step away from the bed, looking down at me with indifferent eyes. Like someone who had only come to check whether I was alive or dead.

But I didn’t expect any more kindness than that anyway. I knew Sylvia wouldn’t die right now, and my body would recover eventually. I had no idea how much time had passed, but since I was confined anyway, the flow of time was meaningless.

One day, my blurry vision cleared and instead of a hoarse rasp, my voice came out clear. When I gulped down water greedily, my stomach rumbled loudly. After finishing a bowl of cold vegetable soup that must have been made who knows when, I opened the medicine bottle that had been placed beside it.

To think I was only looking for medicine after suffering through everything—I let out a wry chuckle at my own ridiculous situation.

There were two medicines: one ointment to apply and one potion to drink. The potion bottle was completely empty, and the thick ointment showed signs of having been used multiple times.

“…What? Did I somehow find and take the medicine while half-asleep?”

Thinking that was certainly possible, I checked my wrists and the soles of my feet. They had definitely been covered in cuts and scrapes, but aside from a few major wounds here and there, everything had healed cleanly without even a scab—and it had been that way for quite some time.

“I guess I was sick longer than I thought.”

As if to prove that time, my legs that stretched out from the bed couldn’t support my body and swayed unsteadily. It seemed I had lost muscle mass in my legs during that time. My already thin body looked so gaunt that only bones were visible.

But I was still beautiful in the mirror. So much so that I wondered if I was under some divine curse to remain eternally beautiful.

I blinked while caressing my cheeks, which were plump compared to the rest of my body. Sylvia’s beauty reflected in the clean mirror—not in a puddle or metal surface—was truly shocking.

Moreover, despite having been unable to bathe for days and being soaked in sweat, my body gave off a sweet fragrance similar to ripe fruit. To think that a scent like that of a perfectly ripened peach would come from a human body. Perfumes and scented oils were meaningless to Sylvia. The same fragrance emanated from her clothes and bedding alike.

The descriptions of the male leads being unable to maintain their composure when they entered Sylvia’s bedroom due to her dizzying fragrance weren’t metaphors for the male leads being deeply infatuated with Sylvia—they were literal, physical descriptions. However, even Sylvia’s intoxicating body scent seemed to have no particular effect on Zeke.

He knocked twice quickly on the door, then immediately opened it and entered the bedroom carrying a tray with soup and bread.

“You’re awake. This is today’s lunch.”

He showed no sign of surprise even though I had gotten up after several days. His attitude suggested that whether I had recovered or not was outside his area of concern. He was simply delivering food to the bedroom because it was mealtime. There seemed to be no other purpose. He did glance at my complexion, but even that was literally just a ‘check.’

I stared intently at this man whose inner thoughts I couldn’t read. He met my gaze expressionlessly and spoke first.

“Do you have something to say?”

“How many days have passed since I collapsed?”

“One week.”

“Then, what’s today’s date?”

After asking him, I realized it was a pointless question. Sylvia had lost all sense of dates since being confined. She only knew that summer had passed and autumn was coming by looking at the scenery outside the window. Her mind and body were always in winter. This was especially true since Valencha’s weather was generally colder than Roang’s on average.

Zeke rolled his eyes briefly, as if he himself was uncertain about the date. It was the first glimpse of humanity I’d discovered in him.

“June 9th.”

“Ah, thank you.”

“I can bring you a calendar if you’d like.”

It sounded like kindness at first, but it seemed to mean “don’t ask me the same question again.” Anyone facing him would think the same thing. Except for the real Sylvia.

“That would be good.”

He set the tray of food down on the table and left the bedroom without another word. Perhaps because he was only wearing a loose dress shirt, his retreating figure looked particularly large.

Ten days since being confined in Drémoor Castle.

Having adapted to life in captivity, I was spending my days following my own routine. Honestly, aside from not having a smartphone, it wasn’t that different from when I lived in 21st century Korea. Since I spent most of my time reading novels on my smartphone anyway, it might really not be all that different.

His Majesty, the generous Emperor of the Valencha Empire, had provided me with two things in unlimited quantities: food and books. Without me even asking, I was given food from the Kingdom of Roang, and the books weren’t subject to any particular censorship either.

“Ah, this novel’s protagonist is Kallist.”

Black hair and red eyes. Royal status. Inhuman personality. It was clearly a novel written with Kallist as the model—just a different name for the same person.

I stopped reading and smoothly combed through my hair. Even though I was Sylvia herself, Sylvia’s body was truly special.

My hair always flowed gracefully even without brushing, and my skin stayed moisturized and radiant without applying oils or creams. The way it wrapped around my fingertips like silk soaked in water felt chillingly good. Not only did my stomach stay flat no matter what I ate, but while my arms, legs, and waist were slender, my chest and hips were full. They weren’t just large—even their shape and texture were perky and soft.

Indeed, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Sylvia was a creature born for men’s pleasure. Though she herself seemed completely oblivious to which parts of her drove men crazy.

“Hmm… it should be about time now.”

I checked the calendar and tapped my temple lightly. If my memory was correct, Kallist should be coming to find Sylvia soon.

Hidden in darkness, stealthily.

With a dagger in his chest, meant to kill Sylvia.