What was that? Did he... somehow realize what I was thinking? My blood ran cold.

I couldn’t say a word—just widened my eyes—when Joo Seunghyuk pointed at the inside of my wrist.

“It’s red right here.”

Following his finger, I looked and saw the area was swollen and red—maybe a mosquito bite?

“Oh. Looks like a mosquito got me.”

My mind kicked into overdrive. What if I said something like, ‘If I were wearing clothes, I wouldn’t have gotten bitten...’? Would Seunghyuk give me my clothes back?

And if I was dressed, it’d be so much easier to make an escape from this place.

...

But in the end, I kept my mouth shut. If I said something careless, it might arouse unnecessary suspicion.

When I didn’t respond, Seunghyuk casually asked a question.

“Do you want to wear clothes?”

It was exactly the response I’d hoped for, but I shook my head gently as ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) if I didn’t care.

“No. I’m not allowed to, right? You said not until I’ve had four kids... And I’m not even an omega, so you’re not going to give them to me anyway.”

I lowered my head in feigned resignation. Seunghyuk stared down at me without saying anything.

He was probably checking. Trying to see if I still had any intention of escaping.

“Put these on.”

The next day, Seunghyuk handed me clothes. A thin white long-sleeve T-shirt and black pants.

I finally got dressed. I had passed the first gate in my escape from the obsessive tyrant.

Doing my best to hide my excitement, I asked carefully,

“...Can I really wear them?”

“Put them on. You shouldn’t be getting mosquito bites.”

“Thanks.”

A faint curve appeared on his lips. But his eyes—his eyes weren’t smiling at all.

Ever since I got caught trying to run away, Seunghyuk’s gaze had changed.

He could be gentle one moment, then suddenly watch me with a cold, chilling stare. He was kind on the surface, but he hadn’t forgiven me. And he definitely didn’t trust me.

Just because I was out of the basement didn’t mean it was over. Just because I had clothes now didn’t mean I was free.

If I wanted to escape, I had to pass every one of Seunghyuk’s tests.

This was just the beginning. Unless I convinced him I had no intention of running, I’d never get out of here.

“Try them on.”

“Okay.”

Seunghyuk silently watched as I got dressed. Once I had the shirt on and fastened the pants buckle, he asked in a low voice,

“How does it feel?”

“It’s a little weird wearing clothes again after so long.”

I scratched my temple awkwardly and added,

“Thanks. They fit me perfectly.”

“Do you like having them on?”

“Yeah. It’s embarrassing being completely naked.”

“What’s there to be embarrassed about? It’s just the two of us.”

“Which is exactly why it’s even more embarrassing.”

I smiled shyly. Seunghyuk stroked my hair.

“They look good on you.”

“Thanks.”

Should I say I want to go for a walk on the beach now that I’m dressed? Maybe I could get out of this room—out of the villa, even. If I did, I might be able to figure out the layout of this place.

“...Um.”

“Do you have something to say?”

“...Just wanted to say thank you.”

I hesitated, but instead of saying something obviously suspicious, I gave him a bashful smile.

I couldn’t rush things. Not until I regained Seunghyuk’s trust. Impatience would ruin everything.

When I thanked him, he silently pulled me into a hug.

That night, the once-empty closet was filled with clothes.

I had finally earned the freedom to wear clothes again. It was a major step toward escaping the obsessive tyrant.

When I woke up in the morning, Seunghyuk was nowhere to be seen. He was gone yesterday morning too. What’s going on? Did he go out for a walk? Or to get breakfast?

He’s coming back, right?

A wave of unease surged inside me.

And then I laughed bitterly. How ridiculous.

I wanted to get away from Seunghyuk so badly, but now I was afraid he might not come back for me? Was I really this spineless, this indecisive? Maybe once I truly left him behind, all this confusion would clear up.

Knock knock.

A knock on the door startled me. Every hair on my body stood on end.

Seunghyuk never knocked. He just came right in. So it couldn’t be him.

Then who? Who would be knocking?

I had never once met another person at this villa. Seunghyuk had made sure of that, kept me completely cut off.

So who would disobey him and come to my room?

I stared at the door, tense with anxiety.

Then the door opened. A young woman with a cold expression entered, pushing a tray of food.

Judging by her formal attire, she was probably one of the villa’s staff.

She bowed politely toward me, placed the tray down, and then left. The door closed firmly behind her.

What... just happened? Was that... a servant bringing me food?

Why?

Ever since locking me up, Seunghyuk had prepared every single one of my meals himself. But today, he’d left it to someone else.

This was the first time I’d seen anyone but him since the start of my captivity—yet my mind was clouded with confusion.

Should I eat this? If Seunghyuk had sent it, I should eat. Refusing might anger him.

But it could be the opposite. If Seunghyuk found out I ate food given without his permission, he might get furious.

I stared at the tray. The dishes and plating style were exactly the same as always.

It was most likely from him.

What should I do? Eat it? Or not?

...No. Better not to do anything Seunghyuk hasn’t explicitly permitted.

In the end, I didn’t touch the tray. I turned away.

I trudged to the desk and sat down. Opened my favorite book from the shelf—but I couldn’t focus on a single word.

Why send someone else? Was he just busy? Or was something wrong?

Maybe giving me clothes was a signal...? Did I do something wrong? Is he not going to come see me anymore?

A flood of worries filled my head. No matter how much I thought, I couldn’t find an answer.

Knock knock.

A second knock interrupted my thoughts.

The same woman from earlier walked in, carrying another tray of food.

Was it lunchtime already?

I hadn’t even noticed time passing while lost in thought.

She cleared away the untouched breakfast tray and placed the new one down. Even though I hadn’t eaten a bite, her expression didn’t change.

She bowed again, then firmly shut the door behind her.

Seunghyuk still hadn’t appeared.

Had something happened to him...?

Just earlier, I’d been trying to decipher Seunghyuk’s intentions. I was worried, yes—but what I felt more than anything was fear.

But when even lunch came and went without him, worry overpowered everything else. My heart started to race wildly.

I didn’t touch the food again. Instead, I walked straight to the window.

Pulling back the curtains, blinding sunlight flooded the room. Judging by the brightness, it was definitely midday.

There was no clock in this room. This was the only way to guess the time. The ocean was calm again today. I stared at the jade-colored waves for a moment before walking to the door.

I pressed my ear against it. Nothing.

If something had happened to Seunghyuk, surely there would’ve been a commotion. The servant’s face had looked perfectly calm, too. So nothing serious, probably.

But still... What if something had happened?

If he was fighting in a gate somewhere or using mana for some reason, I needed to guide him...

I skipped lunch, too.

It wasn’t calculated. I wasn’t analyzing his intentions or weighing outcomes.

I was just too worried. I couldn’t even feel hunger.

I couldn’t sit still. Couldn’t stand. I didn’t read. I just spent the time pacing in nervous anxiety—

Knock knock.

Another knock.

It was the woman again. She collected the untouched lunch tray and replaced it with a new one.

Then she bowed and left.

But this time, the door, only half-shut, slowly creaked open.

Was that... a mistake?

If a door isn’t shut all the way, sometimes it swings back open. A common enough accident. Maybe she’d just been distracted while carrying the tray.

But what if it wasn’t?

What if Seunghyuk planned this?

Maybe he gave me clothes to make me let my guard down—then sent the maid to leave the door open on purpose to see if I’d try to run.

If that’s the case, I can’t fall for it.

But... what if it really was a mistake?

Then this was the perfect chance. A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to escape Seunghyuk’s grasp.

Even if it was a trap, I could just say I went out because I was worried about him.

Yeah, that works. Who knows when I’ll get another shot like this?

I turned to look at the door again.

The small gap... It looked like it was beckoning me. Tempting me to come.