Chapter 2 (2/2)

The man and his family who saved me were mostly kind. Except for one. The man’s wife often glared at me. Still, most people treated me warmly. They gave me food, a warm bed, and fancy clothes. I lived a luxurious life.

I slowly became stable. I was thankful to the family for the life and education they provided me. What I didn’t realize at the time was that they were grooming me for something. They were taking care of me like cattle.

It was a year ago when I arrived at this strange world.

Exactly one year ago.

I worked hard to fit in here for all this time, and only after a year I finally realized the truth.

Middle of the night.

It was dead quiet.

I slowed down my breath, pretending to be asleep. The girl who was hired to keep an eye on me fell asleep. I checked multiple times to make sure.

I had a few close calls. I was very careful.

I was sure she was asleep, but I continued to act asleep. I needed to be completely certain before I act.

I listened closely. All I heard was my own breath and that of Orlean, who was also breathing deeply. I didn’t hear any footsteps outside the door, but I couldn’t be sure if someone wasn’t patrolling the hallway.

I opened my eyes a little.

“…”

The room was quiet. I turned to Orlean, who was facing me, and she looked asleep. I had tried to run away three times already before, so Orlean had been monitoring me closely. That meant she hadn’t been sleeping much for the last three to four days. She finally seemed to give in to her fatigue.

I got out of the bed like a cat. Thankfully, Orlean didn’t wake up. I walked towards the window slowly.

The window was locked. I prayed as I reached for the metal latch.

Click.

It made a small noise, but to me, it sounded like thunder. My heart pounded as I looked around. Thankfully, nothing happened. The room remained quiet.

I opened the door slowly. It made a small noise, making my heart beat even faster. Luckily, my room was on the second floor. Orlean wanted a room on the third floor, but the only available room was this one.

I slowly stood on the window frame.

“…”

The wind blew.

It was fall. The wind wasn’t cold, but it felt cool. It was probably because I was standing on the second-floor window, looking down. If I jumped from here, my legs won’t fare well.

I hesitated. I knew I would get hurt, but if I stayed here…

I murmured quietly to gain courage.

“This is my last chance.”

Tomorrow, we will arrive at Rombrook Island. There, I will never be able to escape.

‘I can only die once, right?’

When I was about to do it, a sharp scream came from behind.

“My lady!”

“Dammit!”

The cool air must have woken Orlean. I closed my eyes and jumped. Then…

“Aahhh!”

I suddenly felt my arm being pulled. When I looked up, I saw that Orlean was grabbing onto my arm.

“Dammit…!”

People started to run into my room after hearing her scream.

This was the last night before arriving at the island.

My last escape attempt was a complete failure.

***

Clunk clunk.

The carriage ride was bumpy.

I swore silently.

At who?

The family that took care of me for the last year.

They called me ungrateful.

However, to put me in this situation…!

I cursed them.

The Bonafit family had black hair, which was rare in this world. I, at first, felt close to them because of their hair. I felt like they could be my new family. I was thankful to them.

…I was an idiot.

I should have asked questions.

Why would they be kind to a complete stranger?

I thought I was just lucky.

Until a week ago.