Tamed Monster - Chapter 121

“You’re not going to let me hand it directly to the head steward myself, are you?”

She said it to his sulky expression, the kind that clearly asked why he was being made to run errands at all. After nodding as if conceding the point, he accepted the letter without protest.

Truthfully, if she wanted to, Sylvia could have started screaming right then and there to alert everyone outside that something was wrong—but she didn’t.

There was no need to create unnecessary victims.

Her opponent was a monster. Someone who could twist a human’s neck without hesitation, perhaps even with pleasure. Sylvia had no desire to witness such a scene, nor did she want to sacrifice the steward, who had at least treated her kindly out of obligation.

All she had to do was remain docile, endure captivity, and wait for the day she could escape.

When she called the steward and passed the letter through the door without making a sound, the monster turned back to her with a satisfied smile and spoke in a breezy tone.

“Looks like you’ve finally had a change of heart?”

He studied her expression closely, half intrigued, half uneasy, as if her sudden lack of resistance felt strange. Thanks to her constant vigilance, Sylvia managed to keep both the coded message in the letter, and the fact that she had not changed her mind in the slightest, hidden from the perceptive monster.

Once the letter was delivered and the two of them were left alone again in the cramped room, a subtly indecent atmosphere crept in. It was entirely one-sided, something the monster deliberately exuded.

Sylvia didn’t so much as twitch an eyebrow. The moment she showed agitation, she felt certain he would pounce.

He claimed to be disappointed in her, said he hated her for trying to kill him—yet for some reason, he still hadn’t given up on sleeping with her. Struggling to steer the conversation away, Sylvia brought up a completely unrelated topic.

“Has anyone figured out what you really are yet?”

For some reason, she felt he wouldn’t take this as provocation. If anything, he’d see it as a concern. Sure enough, after a brief pause, his eyes lit up and he broke into a wide grin. Reassured by her question, he puffed out his chest proudly.

“My disguise is perfect. They think I’m insane, but not that I’m a monster.”

The fact that he spoke so freely, holding nothing back, almost made it seem as though he truly thought of her as his wife. That realization was chilling. The ease with which they conversed, like an actual married couple, was unsettling.

By now, Sylvia had grown used to the mad monster’s words and actions, and the monster, in turn, treated her irritation and defiance as nothing more than endearing quirks. He pampered her like his chosen female.

If even driving a blade into his neck hadn’t changed his feelings, perhaps she really would never escape his grasp. The thought made her nauseous.

“Hm? What’s wrong?”

In the middle of the conversation, his crescent-shaped eyes widened when he saw her press a hand to her forehead. Just as he’d said, the disguise was flawless. The man before her looked exactly like the husband she remembered, down to the smallest detail. Only his behavior was completely different. What, exactly, did this monster want from her?

“What do I need to do for you to let me go? I’ve been wondering that ever since I found out what you are.”

The moment she raised the heavy question, his eyes narrowed. He clearly didn’t like it. He scratched at the scar where the blade had once been lodged. His nail caught on the warped flesh, producing a dry, unpleasant sound. The fact that she’d caused that wound only made it worse.

“Well… do I really need to let you go? I like you this much, you know.”

No matter how intensely someone showered another with unrequited affection, that alone didn’t make them lovers.

The monster didn’t seem to care about that distinction at all. No matter how much he liked her, if she didn’t feel the same, that should have been the end of it. Sylvia might crave him physically. But emotionally, she loathed him.

“Then you should change your mind.”

“That’s not something I can just do because you tell me to…I don’t like you. At the very least, shouldn’t monsters fall in love with other monsters?”