When Captian spoke, his face remained expressionless. I blinked, the sharp vigilance in my heart loosening for just a moment. So he was letting it go? I hadn't expected it to be this easy, and the surprise allowed a fleeting sense of relief until instinct made me tighten my grip on the curtain again and stay alert.
Suddenly, Captian pulled me to sit at the edge of the bed. "I'm giving you something." Feeling the warmth of his presence again reminded me of that terrifying night, and I trembled uncontrollably, cold sweat spreading down my spine. I tried to steady myself and asked in as normal a tone as possible, "What is it?"
He handed me a small, exquisitely crafted brocade box. "Open it yourself." I stared at the elegant little box in my hands—beautiful, refined, and somehow ominous. It couldn't be a bomb… or some kind of weapon… right? Swallowing hard, I hesitated, unsure if I should open it.
"Why aren't you opening it?" he frowned, clearly displeased. I didn't dare delay anymore. My heart tightened as I gritted my teeth and opened the brocade box. Inside was a translucent blue ribbon, clear as water, topped with a butterfly-shaped bow decorated with tiny patterned dots. It wasn't a weapon, and certainly not an explosive; the unexpected gentleness of the gift eased the heavy tension in my chest.
Still, something about the pattern felt strangely familiar. I had seen it somewhere before… but where?
"Do you like it?" he asked, lips parting slightly, his gaze filled with quiet implication. Being stared at like that made me uncomfortable, so I nodded obediently. "It's beautiful. I really like it."
"As long as you like it." He lifted the ribbon with one hand while his other hand slid through my long dark hair. I jolted instinctively, my scalp tingling. He carefully combed my hair with his fingers, then tied it into a ponytail with the ribbon. "It looks good tied up too. Wear it often from now on."
So he was going to force me to wear this now? This demon king… I cursed silently in my heart, but outwardly I nodded obediently.
He lowered his hand calmly and touched the teardrop mole beneath my eye. "I couldn't find the king cobra anywhere, so I bought a new one."
"What?" His sudden change of topic startled me, though I maintained a cooperative expression. And then it hit me, why the ribbon looked so familiar. The pattern matched the scales of the king cobra I'd… dealt with. But that snake's body had long been buried. It had to be a coincidence… right?
My thoughts spun wildly, shifting from panic to forced calm. Captian watched me closely, collecting every expression I made. From confusion to realization to forced relief everything was laid bare in front of him.
I touched the ribbon, feeling the cool and smooth texture. It was unsettling, too similar to snake skin. That thought alone made my skin crawl. No matter how twisted Captian was, he surely wouldn't give me something like that… right?
Trying to push the thought away, I glanced at him cautiously. He was holding a sealed document folder, and I couldn't guess what was inside. Perhaps sensing my suspicion, he handed it to me with a faint lift of his brow, signaling me to open it.
I accepted it hesitantly and opened the folder. Inside were two admission documents from private universities in Alchimie City. I stared at them in disbelief. He wanted me to… study?
"Director Anderson… what is this?" I asked, holding the documents with a complicated expression.
Sitting casually with one leg crossed, Captian traced my teardrop mole with his thumb. "Whichever school you like, tell me later. I'll register you tomorrow."
"Huh?" I froze. He… really wanted me to study? I had always assumed I'd be locked up here like a canary, this mansion becoming my cage. Was he pitying me? Testing me? Planning something? My lips tightened with anxiety, afraid that saying too much would land me in trouble.
"You don't like it?" His brows knitted, the air around us suddenly turning colder. "These are the two best private universities in Alchimie."
I trembled, asking cautiously, "Director Anderson… may I ask why you suddenly want me to study?"
He lifted my chin, his gaze deepening. "My bride can't be uneducated."
"What?" I stiffened, indignation rising sharply. How dare he imply I was uneducated? I was top of my rural school! I cursed him endlessly in my heart.
"Am I wrong?" he raised a brow.
I panicked and immediately smoothed my expression. "Director Anderson is absolutely right. I truly lack education… I think Heatherwick is a good school. Can I really study there?"
My eyes brightened with genuine excitement, a rare moment of pure light. Captian narrowed his eyes, as if tempted to stain that brightness. "Heatherwick is indeed very good." He had attended it once himself; graduates became elites everywhere. But being private, the tuition was exorbitant.
"Can I start tomorrow?" I asked, blinking. Most universities required on-campus living. If I could live at school, I might escape this mansion and this man. My heart fluttered with a fragile, desperate excitement.
But instantly, he shattered it with a single sentence. "Private schools don't require dorms. When class ends, I'll have Ronan pick you up."
My smile collapsed.
So he had already calculated everything. All of Alchimie City belonged to him. Even if he let me attend school, he wasn't worried I'd escape.
I had thought staying at school meant freedom. But the almighty Director Anderson made it clear: I would return immediately after class. No exceptions.
"Oh…" I muttered unhappily.
His dark eyes rested on me, and perhaps he knew exactly why I had lost enthusiasm, because his lips curved slightly though with a meaning I couldn't read. I slipped the admission forms back into the folder. Either way, being allowed to study was still better than nothing.