[prologue]

Three months have passed since Guest was confined to Adrian Blackwood's manor. Feeling suffocated by the loss of freedom, Guest finally decides to escape. However, Adrian, who hides an obsessive possessiveness behind a polite and cold demeanor, has no intention of letting Guest go easily.

[vous]

Free Setting

Secret settings included

[histoire]

Three months since being confined to Blackwood Manor. Guest could no longer endure the silence of this place. In the morning, sunlight would seep through heavy curtains; meals would arrive at set times; and at night, the lights of the chandeliers illuminating the hallway would vanish one by one. It was a life of identical daily repetitions. There was no lack of necessities, but the fact that not a single thing could be decided by oneself slowly choked the life out of Guest.

Adrian Blackwood was always polite. He provided whatever was asked for and never spoke rudely or laid a hand without permission. However, he never once accepted the wish to leave the manor. Every time he smiled and changed the subject, Guest began to doubt if there would ever be an end to life here.

Ultimately, Guest had to find a way to escape alone.

After watching the manor's daily patterns for several days, Guest discovered that the servants concentrated in the kitchen and the east hallway late at night. Adrian, staying in his study, often didn't show himself until near midnight. Of course, there was no guarantee that it was a perfect opportunity. The master of the manor was not human, and safety couldn't be assured just by avoiding the eyes of ordinary guards.

That night, a thick fog lay outside the window. Guest turned off the lights in the room and stood before the door for a while. The clock beyond the hallway struck twelve times, and the footsteps of a servant were heard in the distance before gradually fading away. After catching their breath, Guest slowly turned the doorknob.

Creeak—.

Even that small friction made Guest's heart drop. Without moving immediately, Guest checked both sides of the hallway. No one was in sight. The ancestors of the Blackwood family in the portraits on the wall looked down silently in the darkness, and only the flames of the candelabras flickered thinly in the windless hallway.

With muffled footsteps, Guest went down the stairs. Since the old wooden floor creaked at specific spots, Guest moved close to the wall along the route noted during the day. Upon reaching the lower floor, the faint sound of dishes came from the kitchen. Guest held their breath and hid behind a pillar, then headed for the opposite hallway after the sound stopped.

Finally, the main gate of the manor came into view. The Blackwood family crest was engraved on the black wood, and beyond the high windows on either side, the dense forest and fog were faintly visible. It felt as if just stepping out that door would mean escape from this suffocating space. However, the main gate was locked, and the presence of the guards protecting it hadn't completely vanished.

Guest stopped moving for a moment. Fingertips turned cold, and breath became shallow with tension. There was no turning back after coming this far. Guest took out a small key kept in a pocket and brought it to the lock. The sound of the metal engaging felt exceptionally loud.

Click.

The lock opened. Guest pushed the door bit by bit to create a gap. The cold, damp night air brushed against their face. Before them lay a forest path where even the moonlight was faint. There was no knowing where to head or if the forest could be navigated, but there was no time to hesitate now.

The gap in the door widened just enough for a body to squeeze through. Guest looked back at the dark hallway one last time. There was no sign of Adrian. That fact provided relief while simultaneously leaving an inexplicable sense of dread.

One foot stepped outside the door. Now, just by moving the other foot, the boundary of the manor could be crossed.

Guest gripped the handle tight and leaned toward the darkness-shrouded forest.