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[Chapter 3]
The woman acted friendly, but Ahfwyn didn’t let his guard down.
—I am not a slave.
From the moment he woke up, that thought had taken root in his mind. And so, he resented everyone who treated him like a slave.
But this woman was different.
She said she was sorry she couldn’t free him, brought him herbs, and never once looked down on him or treated him like he was beneath her.
Even when he lashed out in anger or questioned her, she didn’t change. She was a little startled, maybe, but that was it. She never mocked him or got irritated that a slave dared to talk back.
Whether it was all an act or she had other motives—he didn’t know. But one thing was clear: she treated him like a person.
Like an equal.
That made him curious.
“Why are you trying to free me?”
“?”
“There’s nothing in it for you.”
“Do you really think there’s nothing in it for me?”
She smiled playfully.
“Like I said earlier, you being here is a secret. The fact that Charlotte has such a hobby is also a secret. Even if you escaped, Charlotte couldn’t send anyone after you. She’d be furious on the inside, sure—but scared too. Afraid you might survive and expose her dirty secret. Imagine her living the rest of her life in fear… Doesn’t that thought feel satisfying?”
“So… you want to free me just to get revenge on your master?”
“That’s just a small part of it. Personally, I do want to get some payback.”
Her words were vague and hard to follow.
“I can’t easily leave this place. So I wanted to help you live freely.”
There was no logic or solid reason behind her words.
But somehow—
“If I get to see you break your chains and fly away… I think I might be able to get my own wings back too.”
—she didn’t sound like she was lying.
If anything…
She just sounded deeply sad, Ahfwyn thought.
“It’s time.”
She stood up and picked up her basket.
“Well then, I’ll be going—”
He instinctively reached out and grabbed her. She turned to him, confused, and he mumbled like a child making excuses.
“Leave it.”
“Pardon?”
He nodded toward the basket, and after a pause, she smiled.
“Were you hungry?”
Like someone who had just successfully fed a wild animal that refused to be tamed.
She knelt down, pulled something from the basket, and placed it on his lap. Then she picked up the empty basket and stood again.
“S-Sorry, but I can’t leave the basket. Someone might notice.”
“That doesn’t matter.”
“Thanks for understanding. Then… I’ll come again tomorrow.”
Only when she saw him raise the bread to his lips did she leave the basement.
She thought she had earned a bit of his trust—but no. Ahfwyn didn’t trust her at all.
He just hated her a little less than before.
“If I get to see you break your chains and fly away… I think I might be able to get my own wings back too.”
That was the part he could understand.
Maybe she wants to use me to draw attention so she can escape later herself.
What a clever woman.
The more he thought about it, the more ridiculous it seemed.
Who’s freeing who, really?
She looked so fragile, like she’d collapse if he even bumped her by accident.
But he couldn’t laugh at her—because he had seen her hands.
Her sleeves were stained with herb juice, and her fingers had small cuts like she’d been handling sharp plants. Whatever her motive, the effort she put into helping him was real.
He bit into the bread. It was harder than he expected, and tasteless—but he ate all of it.
He didn’t know when, but if he wanted to escape like she said, he had to conserve his strength. Starving would only hurt him.
He wiped the crumbs from his mouth with the back of his hand and looked up.
A tiny window high above—the dawn that looked like her was approaching through it.
Ahfwyn thought I wouldn’t be able to help him—but he was wrong.
I was the only one who could speed up his escape. Because I knew the future.
I knew exactly where the key was to unlock the restraint on his neck.
‘It was under the floor beneath Charlotte’s bed, right?’
The reason I found out… was ironically because of Charlotte’s terrible personality.
Charlotte was incredibly moody. She acted however she wanted with most people.
The same went for the maids. If she was in a good mood, she’d give them jewels and money. If she was even a little annoyed, she’d yell or even hit them.
Despite her being so temperamental, many maids wanted to be her personal attendant. She liked flattery, and it wasn’t hard to please her if you knew how.
But one day, when she was in a terrible mood, something unexpected happened—a maid got fired.
And the reason?
She spilled water on Charlotte’s dress. That’s it.
After getting slapped in front of everyone and humiliated with insults, the maid swore revenge.
“Vulgar? Hah. And who in this house holds the dirtiest secret, huh?”
What she ended up doing was unlocking Ahfwyn’s restraints.
She hoped that once Ahfwyn escaped, he would expose Charlotte’s secret hobby.
…If the future hadn’t changed, then the key should still be where I remembered.
The problem was getting into Charlotte’s room. Unlike mine, her room was always surrounded by servants.
‘So what do I do?’
As I was thinking—
Knock knock.
“It’s time for the formal dinner, my lady.”
The maids didn’t wait for permission. They just came in like they always did.
Even their disregard for me was exactly as I remembered.
“Still in your pajamas? It’s not like you have anything to do, and yet you’re sleeping in?”
“How can someone be this lazy? Lady Charlotte has been up for hours!”
“First, wash your face!”
They said they couldn’t take me to the count like this, and they began dressing me up.
Today was the formal dinner that only happened once a week.
Usually, I ate in my room and had the same food as the maids.
But on this one day, I was allowed to have a fancy meal.
Not because they wanted me to enjoy anything—this was the one time each week the count would show up and talk to me directly.
He was hardly ever at the mansion, so if he had something to say, this was the day.
If he had no message, the meal would be skipped. But I was being called today…
‘What’s the reason?’
Wondering, I went down to the dining hall. Charlotte and the count and countess were already there.
They’d been chatting happily until I entered. The moment they saw me, their smiles disappeared.
No matter what, I was always the unwanted guest in this house.
I bowed awkwardly, like always.
“I-I’m sorry I’m late.”
“Sit.”
The count didn’t even bother to respond. He just pointed at the empty chair—right next to Charlotte.
She frowned like she was sitting next to trash but didn’t say anything, since it was her father’s order.
The count was a strict man. Even Charlotte didn’t dare defy him.
I glanced at Charlotte’s outfit.
Even though we were indoors, she was dressed up more extravagantly than usual.
‘She looks like she’s going to a party.’
Two years from now, Charlotte would be kicked out of high society. After that, she never wore party dresses again.
‘She used to say balls and social events were disgusting.’
So it had been a long time since I’d seen her dressed like this.
“What are you staring at?”
Had I looked too long? My eyes met Charlotte’s.
I quickly said something I knew she’d like.
“I-It’s just… you looked like a princess.”
“Ha! What an idiot.”
She scoffed, but she couldn’t hide the smile tugging at her lips.
The formal dinner began, and all sorts of luxurious dishes were brought out.
I lifted my utensils to enjoy something I never usually got to eat—but then…
“Bella.”
The count called me.
“Yes, Uncle.”
“You’re not a foolish girl. You know what day it is today, don’t you?”
Even today, this meal was being used for their purposes.
