Chapter 66

"If His Highness wishes to continue studying, then by all means, do so."

"...Please call me Rosalind."

Although he hadn't even touched his drink, Jerome couldn't resist the urge to confess his feelings when he saw her blushing cheeks.

"Rosalind, that's a truly beautiful name."

"Thank you."

"Rosalind, have you ever thought that there might be a gravitational force between people?"

Rosalind tilted her head in confusion when the man, who was a Ph.D. in humanities but also well-versed in science, asked such a basic physics question.

"Of course there would be. Gravitational force is a physical attraction between all objects with mass."

"Your gravitational force seems even greater than the moon's."

"Excuse me?"

Rosalind was at a loss for words at his strange comment.

'Did he just indirectly call me fat?'

Gravitational force is proportional to mass.

But Rosalind was far from fat; she was rather slim. When she looked at him with a puzzled expression, he smiled softly and continued.

"I keep being drawn to you, Rosalind."

The moment she realized it was a flirtatious advance and not an insult, Rosalind's face turned bright red.

Goodness. This was the first time someone had used a scientific theory to flirt with her.

Trying to suppress her racing heart, Rosalind spoke in a more rigid tone.

"Dr. Winston, I'll pretend I didn't hear that…."

"Then I'll confess every time I see you. Each time with a different theory or law."

"Dr. Winston, I'm going to marry your brother. I thought you were a decent person, but this is so immoral…."

The man suddenly pulled over to the side of a dark wall and turned to face Rosalind.

"What are you doing?"

"Rosalind, don't deny it. I know you're drawn to me too."

He pointed to the geology book on her lap, which she had borrowed from him during her last visit. She had occasionally called him with questions, though they were all rather childish excuses.

"Dr. Winston, these feelings are like a cold; they'll pass."

"If it's a cold named Rosalind, I'd be happy to have it for life."

Seeing that Rosalind had acknowledged her feelings by comparing them to a cold, Jerome decided to push harder.

"Let's talk about reality. Leon Winston will never see you as a woman for the rest of his life."

"How can you be so sure?"

"This is a secret no one knows, but I'll tell you, Rosalind. My brother is still pining for a fleeting first love from over a decade ago."

"How romantic."

Despite her unwavering response, Jerome didn't give up.

"Do you want to be a supporting character in a third-rate melodrama where Leon Winston and an unknown woman are the main characters? When you can have a love story of your own, why waste your life like that?"

"…It's impossible for it not to be found out."

Rosalind's resolve began to waver. Jerome leaned in closer and whispered.

"I know my brother well. When he finds out about our relationship, he won't feel betrayed; he'll think it's for the best, getting rid of an annoying obligation. Do you want to spend your life with a man who sees you as an obligation?"

He slowly reached out his hand toward her cheek.

"Do you want to spend your life with a man who sees you as just a rock, or one who cherishes you like a diamond? The answer is obvious. The right answer isn't in your head, but in your heart."

Just as his fingertips were about to touch her flushed cheek, Rosalind turned her head away.

"Doesn't it bother your conscience to do this to the woman who will become your brother's wife?"

Jerome laughed, his eyes crinkling at the mention of conscience. If his brother had heard this, he would have laughed the same way.

"Leon Winston was born with greed where his conscience should be."

Jerome, who had a useless conscience, sadly frowned and bowed his head.

"And I want you."

Rosalind knew she could push him away but did nothing. When their lips met, she simply closed her eyes.

He didn't give her a chance to feel guilty about her first act of wrongdoing. When Jerome's glasses hit Rosalind's face, they both burst into embarrassed laughter.

"Is this your first time?"

The man, who had been so confident, blushed and nodded. Rosalind took off his glasses and whispered.

"It's my first time too."

Their lips met again. They kissed for a long time, exploring this new territory, before finally parting.

What should one say and what expression should one have after a kiss? Rosalind had no idea. She awkwardly turned her gaze, but Jerome spoke first.

"Sweeter than 3.14."

Rosalind, who had only blinked at his cryptic comment, suddenly understood and clapped her hands.

"Pi!"

She burst into laughter, instantly forgetting her awkwardness. Jerome, who was looking at her with a mixture of awe and joy, asked:

"Can I see you again tomorrow, Rosalind?"

Rosalind nodded eagerly.

"Call me Roz."

* * *

3:00 AM. The time when everyone should be asleep. But for the guard on duty to watch over Grace, it was a time when sleep was impossible.

Every morning, voices could be heard in the hallway. The guard at the door and the one on watch around the corner often passed the time by chatting through the night.

As usual, when the indistinct voices began outside her door, Grace got out of bed. Peering through the keyhole of the metal door, she saw that the chair where the guard should be sitting was empty. He was undoubtedly around the corner.

'Now's my chance.'

Grace quietly made her way to the bathroom. When she removed three of the cheap panels attached vertically to the inner wall, a gray concrete wall was revealed.

At her feet was a large hole.

They say that in desperate times, people can summon superhuman strength. What she thought would take a month, she had accomplished in just four days.

Grace pushed the panels aside and crouched down. The hole, with its neatly cut rebar, was just large enough for her to squeeze through if she tucked her shoulders in.

On the other side of this wall was a storage room. Pushing aside the basket that blocked the opposite side, Grace inserted her hand and head into the hole.

"Ugh…"

Compared to the humiliation she had endured, crawling on the floor like an animal was nothing.

As she squeezed through, her shoulder got stuck. Twisting her upper body, she muttered to herself.

'Useless lump of flesh, even holding me back at the ankles.'

She had intentionally lost weight to make her escape easier, but while everything else had slimmed down, her chest remained the same.

'Can't cut it off either.'

The bizarre thought made Grace twist her lips.

'If I leave a piece of my chest behind, he'll be happy.'

After shifting her weight and squeezing her chest, she finally managed to free herself. Without a moment to catch her breath, she twisted her hips to free them and stood up, leaning against the wall.

'Good.'

Beyond the keyhole, the dimly lit hallway was still empty. The only sound was the muffled chatter from somewhere.

She grabbed the doorknob and turned it slightly. Peering through the slowly widening gap, she confirmed that no one was around and quickly stepped into the hallway.

As soon as she quietly closed the door, she tiptoed to a dead end.

The laundry chute. Grace's only escape route.

Opening the door of the chute, which looked like a regular door, she squeezed into the narrow space beside the basket and closed the door. Relying on the faint light seeping through the cracks on the floor, she began preparing for the next challenge.

She took off her shoes, tied the laces together, and hung them around her neck. To avoid making noise, she also stuffed them into her cardigan.

Tying her hair tightly and rolling up her sleeves to her shoulders, she even rolled her skirt and stuffed it into her bloomers before she was ready. Climbing onto the overturned basket, she crouched and reached out into the darkness.

Her hand touched the cold metal plate.

The laundry chute was quite wide. While an adult man might struggle, a slim woman could easily pass through.

Estimating the size by feeling the walls, Grace slowly stood up.

"Ha…."

How long had she been climbing the chute, pressing her body against the cold, unseen walls, as if sitting in a chair?

'When will I reach the first floor?'

She was getting weaker. Climbing carefully to avoid alerting the building to her escape, and with her legs trembling from the torment she had endured late into the night, it was taking a long time.

'Just a little more, a little more.'

Moreover, the chute, welded smooth to prevent laundry from getting caught, was incredibly slippery.

'This is your last chance, Grace. If you fail now, you'll be trapped here forever.'

Gritting her teeth, she continued to climb the smooth metal.

"Ah…."

Her cold, sweaty foot slipped.