Though Mu’en didn’t know how An’s mindset had changed over the years, turning the nurturing of a young boy into a game of captivity, he knew he had to escape.
Because he really didn’t know what kind of shocking tricks An might come up with next.
After being locked up for just a few days, he was already at his limit.
Mentally exhausted, and even more so physically.
He wanted to live, and more than that, he wanted to live freely.
If possible, he hoped to live happily.
The blonde antagonist had no intention of giving up just yet.
“Keep going, fight on!”
…
The biggest advantage of recognizing the place he had been to was that it brought him some peace of mind.
What Mu’en feared most was being locked in a complex, unfamiliar place by An, where he might not even be able to find an escape route.
Fortunately, An was his personal maid, and her actions were somewhat limited.
So, transforming a disused basement near the Duke’s Mansion into a cage was probably her limit.
Otherwise, Mu’en had no doubt that An would have built a castle in the middle of a lake to imprison him forever.
“Turning me into a ‘princess’ who never sees the light of day in the castle is probably what An wants most,” Mu’en thought.
“Unfortunately, I’d rather be a prince.”
Mu’en picked up a rusty cleaver from the pile of debris in the corner, gripped it tightly, and carefully moved forward, following his memory of the exit.
At the same time, he was on guard against possible traps.
Luckily, there were no traps.
This made Mu’en breathe a sigh of relief, as he currently had no ability to detect traps, especially magical ones.
If An had been more ruthless and installed various tripwire traps or alarm systems in the exit passage, Mu’en would surely have been doomed.
But on second thought, this place was still within the Duke’s Mansion.
If someone from the mansion had accidentally triggered the traps, it might have caused a significant incident.
For An, who had imprisoned the Duke’s son, this was definitely something she wanted to avoid.
“By the way, do the other maids in the mansion know about this?”
“Are they kept in the dark by An, or are they… accomplices?”
…
Mu’en wasn’t walking fast, but the passage was clearly nearing its end.
After turning a corner, a sudden burst of light nearly blinded Mu’en.
But he refused to close his eyes, even as tears streamed down from the intense light, and he stared directly at the dazzling source not far away.
Like a dying man seeing hope.
The exit!
That was the exit!
He was about to escape successfully!
At this moment, Mu’en thought of the sky, the sea, and himself galloping on horseback across the endless grasslands!
Ah, freedom, this is the taste of freedom.
Freedom is right there…
Click.
A crisp footstep suddenly rang out.
And along with the bright, shining light, a shadow suddenly moved, blocking most of the brightness.
Just a moment ago, Mu’en was passionately savoring his newfound freedom, but now he felt as if he had been instantly transported to an icy, snowy wilderness, with a bucket of cold water poured over him.
He quickly hid in the corner.
The footsteps that suddenly appeared at this moment could only belong to one person.
An.
But how could she be back so soon?
Mu’en roughly estimated the time; it had only been half an hour since he had unlocked the door and reached this place.
Half an hour!
For a girl in love, half an hour might not even be enough to apply her eyebrows.
How did An manage to finish bathing and changing so quickly?
Is this the professionalism of a maid? To get all clean and fragrant in just half an hour for the eager master?
This kind of moe is unnecessary!
“Damn it.”
At this point, Mu’en had to admit that he might have been a bit too hasty.
Perhaps enduring for a while longer and waiting until night would have been a better choice.
But there was no turning back now. Even if he went back to the cage and pretended nothing had happened, An would probably notice something was up.
He had to find another way.
Mu’en glanced around and spotted an abandoned cabinet in the dark corner.
“Perhaps…”
Mu’en’s eyes lit up.
…
Click.
Click.
Click.
In the silence, the crisp footsteps grew closer, each step seemingly trampling on Mu’en’s heart.
Mu’en tried to control his emotions, to keep his heart from beating so fast, and he held his breath, covering his mouth and nose.
He was now hiding inside the cabinet.
The abandoned cabinet was about the height of a person, just enough to hide him.
He didn’t know who had left it here, but it was a huge help.
After all, there was only one path here, and without a hiding place, he would have surely run straight into An!
That would have been the end.
Thank you, cabinet god, if you exist.
May every scene of nearly being caught have a wardrobe to hide in.
Mu’en silently prayed in his heart.
“She’s coming.”
Feeling An’s approach, Mu’en observed her movements through the crack in the cabinet.
An slowly came into Mu’en’s view.
Her posture was still as upright and elegant as ever, each step taken with just the right distance.
She had just taken a bath and changed into a new maid uniform, but her hair wasn’t tied up as usual. Instead, it was damp and draped over her back, exuding a unique allure.
But looking at An, Mu’en’s heart leaped to his throat.
In Mu’en’s eyes at this moment, An was no longer a charming and lovely maid, but a ferocious monster that devoured people.
And he was the poor guy forced to hide in the cabinet to escape the monster.
If he was discovered, he was dead!
Thinking this, Mu’en’s heartbeat quickened a few more beats.
He stared intently at An, watching her step by step move from the right side of his vision to the left.
“Hmm…”
An seemed to be in a good mood, humming a nameless tune.
Mu’en remembered that tune; when he couldn’t sleep as a child, An would softly hum it.
It was so nostalgic, An hadn’t hummed it in a long time… Wait, is this really the time to think about that?
Miss An, please stop humming your tune, don’t you want to see me? Walk faster, I’m deep inside here already!
Mu’en kept pleading in his heart for An to walk faster because every second of this was torture.
“Huh?”
An suddenly let out a surprised breath and stopped.
Seeing this, Mu’en almost felt his heart leap out of his throat.
What? What is it? Did An find me?
But I hid so well, how could she find me?
It’s over, it’s over, if the escape is discovered, An will surely cut off my limbs and turn me into a human pig!
My freedom, my galloping on horseback, I’m doomed!
“Strange, my shoelace is loose, I thought I tied it properly.”
An suddenly bent down to tie her shoelace.
“…”
“So… it was just her shoelace?”
Seeing this, Mu’en couldn’t help but breathe a long sigh of relief.
He had nearly been scared to death.
Thankfully, the dire consequences he had imagined did not happen.
After tying her shoelace, An walked away gracefully, disappearing from Mu’en’s view.
Soon, even the sound of her footsteps vanished.
“Is she gone?”
It seemed so.
“Does that mean… I’m saved?”
Mu’en couldn’t help but show his joy of having escaped danger.
He had truly thought he was done for.
Thank heavens, the worst outcome hadn’t happened.
“Out of great peril, comes great fortune, smooth sailing from here on out!”
Mu’en happily thought to himself, and prepared to push the cabinet door open and leave this hellhole.
“Huh, that’s odd.”
Mu’en’s smile suddenly froze.
“Why won’t the cabinet door budge?”
Could it be…
Mu’en stiffly craned his neck upwards and saw…
From the crack he had just been peering through, a beautiful eye was gazing at him.
When the eye noticed Mu’en’s gaze, it curved into a crescent moon.
“Young Master~ What are you doing in a place like this~”
