PLML 15

CHAPTER 15

“I’m a bit busy right now.”

“You don’t look busy at all.”

“My husband is waiting for me.”

“That’s fine. I like married women too.”

‘What the hell is this lunatic saying?’

You can’t reason with guys like this.

If a woman smiles at them, they assume she likes them. Then they come on strong and say garbage like, “You were flirting first,” with their brains full of nothing but crap. Trying to talk it out is a waste of time.

If he were the kind of man you could reason with, he wouldn’t dare show his filthy desire to a noble lady for fear of consequences.

Jaina quickly scanned the area. Fortunately, there didn’t seem to be anyone with him.

“What’s wrong, sweetheart?”

Noticing Jaina’s glance, the man smirked and licked his lips. He grabbed her wrist tightly to keep her from running away.

“Trying to run?”

So annoyingly quick on the uptake.

Jaina smiled gently and placed her hand on the man’s shoulder.

“I was just thinking where we could go without prying eyes.”

“Huh?”

“You’ve grabbed me like this, so I assume you’re confident you can satisfy me better than my husband?”

A sick desire twisted the man’s face. He slung his arm over her shoulder and brought his lips close to her ear.

“Of course. I’ll make you miss me every night.”

“Great. Then, would you mind letting go of my wrist?”

“I can’t do that. What if you try to bolt again? How could I know?”

Not quite as dumb as he looks.

Still clutching her wrist, the man linked arms with her. His hairy arms were filled with odd black clumps of who-knows-what—dirt or maybe bugs. Jaina involuntarily shuddered with revulsion.

‘Is this guy a human or a chimpanzee?’

“What’s wrong?”

She couldn’t very well say, “Because you’re disgusting,” so Jaina forced a smile.

“I’m just excited to see how amazing you’re going to be.”

“You’ve got a silver tongue, miss.”

“A silver tongue? Do I seem like I’m lying?”

At Jaina’s sweet tone, the man grinned wide. Jaina was just waiting for the tiniest opening to strike back.

He led her into a secluded alley. Beside them, piles of black garbage bags were stacked against the wall. The man pressed Jaina against a streetlamp soaked in grime. Jaina frowned slightly in disgust and asked, playfully complaining,

“Weren’t you going to take me somewhere more romantic?”

“Skill’s more important than setting, don’t you think?”

“As a noble lady, I do care about setting, you know.”

The man now seemed completely off guard. He just laughed at her annoyed tone and leaned in closer.

“Planning to hold my wrist even while kissing?”

Jaina deliberately wrapped one arm around his neck.

“Quite the forward young lady. I like it.”

Only then did the man let go of her wrist. He’d been gripping it so tightly that red marks were left behind.

He closed his eyes and puckered his lips.

Now.

Jaina jabbed him in the eyes with all her strength. The man, caught in his sleazy fantasy, screamed and clutched at his face.

“Aaagh! You bitch! I called you pretty and this is what I get?!”

“I never asked you to call me pretty, jackass. Take a damn shower sometime. Even monsters are cleaner than you, you filthy freak!”

Jaina kicked him in the groin with all her might. As he writhed on the ground in agony, unable even to scream, Jaina sprinted down the narrow alley. Behind her, the man—barely regaining his senses—shouted after her.

“I won’t let you get away with this!”

‘What are you gonna do, really? It’s not like we’re ever going to see each other again.’

She ran until his voice was out of earshot, deliberately choosing tight alleys where he couldn’t follow easily.

Eventually, Jaina stopped and took a breath, glancing around.

‘Where am I?’

She had been so focused on escaping that she hadn’t paid attention to where she was going.

‘I need to hurry…’

She looked up. The sun was still high. There was plenty of time before sunset. Jaina began walking aimlessly toward “that place,” unsure of its location. Just in case, she walked in the opposite direction from where she had entered the alley.

Yet something felt off. It seemed like she was going in circles. To be sure, she picked up a stone and marked the alleys she passed.

‘Thought so.’

As expected, she returned to the alley with the first stone.

She used to think she had decent direction sense. She had once found her way back from a forest alone… but maybe that had been luck.

Her feet ached from walking so long. Her heels were rubbed raw from her shoes.

‘When I get back, I’m asking Angeli to make me some sneakers. These heels are torture.’

While resting, she suddenly heard what sounded like a scream in the distance.

“Eek! Help me!”

It was a young girl’s voice, terrified.

‘What the…?’

Jaina started toward the sound, then stopped.

This was a cliché. The kind where the protagonist follows a scream and ends up kidnapped or dragged into danger.

‘Normally, the male lead would show up and save the day. But I’m the one who’s supposed to rescue Theoris now… and it’s not like I have any special powers.’

Her feet refused to move.

This was a crime-ridden part of town, beyond the reach of city guards. Even in broad daylight, terrible things could happen in these filthy, dark alleys. She didn’t need to investigate to know something bad was going on.

‘I’d be no help. I don’t have any strength or weapons.’

Jaina turned and walked in the opposite direction.

She felt guilty. Ashamed for ignoring a child’s scream. But what choice did she have? If she had a phone, she could call for help, but there was nothing she could do.

‘Yeah. I have no choice. Saving Theoris comes first, right?’

No choice.

No choic—

‘Ugh, fine! Whatever!’

In the end, Jaina decided to go toward the sound.

‘What’s the worst that could happen? There’s still plenty of time. If it looks bad, I’ll just run.’

The source of the scream was a young girl. She was trembling, bound at the wrists and ankles, with a gag in her mouth. Strangely, no one else was around.

Jaina checked the area a few more times—still no sign of people.

Quietly, she ran over to the girl.

“Mm!”

The girl made a muffled sound upon seeing Jaina. When Jaina put a finger to her lips and said “shh,” the girl immediately quieted down.

Jaina removed the gag first. The teary-eyed girl whispered a shaky thank-you.

“Who did this to you?”

“Sniff… I don’t know… They just disappeared…”

“Okay. I’ll untie you in a moment.”

But the ropes were tighter than expected. Jaina regretted coming unarmed.

‘Should’ve brought at least a kitchen knife.’

While Jaina focused all her effort on the ropes—

A man had crept up behind her and bashed her over the head with a blunt object. Jaina collapsed. The girl was too frightened to even scream.

The man stripped off Jaina’s robe. Blood began to stain her pale pink hair. He grabbed her hair and lifted her head.

“What the—? Judging by her clothes, she’s a noble.”

A scrawny man next to him shoved the gag back into the girl’s mouth and replied indifferently,

“Yeah, looks like it.”

“What’s a noble doing here?”

“How would I know? So what now?”

“Dunno. She’s pretty. Maybe we sell her too?”

“Didn’t they say they only wanted kids?”

“You never know.”

“Then pack her up.”

She opened her eyes.

A strange ceiling.

‘Ugh. I’m getting real tired of this kind of plot twist.’

Jaina stared blankly at the wooden ceiling. Gradually, she regained sensation—her wrists and ankles were bound.

‘Knew it. Total cliché.’

A little face popped into view. It was the girl Jaina had tried to save, still with tears in her eyes.

“S-sister… sniff… are you okay?”

It wasn’t the girl’s fault. The ones who kidnapped them were the real scum.

“I’m fine.”

“I’m sorry… it’s because of me…”

“This isn’t your fault.”

Jaina sat up slowly. Her whole body ached as if she’d been dragged around while unconscious.

‘They say “the world outside your blanket is dangerous”—guess they weren’t wrong. I step outside, get knocked out, kidnapped… Honestly, I should’ve just asked Homel to fetch Theoris. What was the point of all this suffering?’

She made a vow: if she ever got out, she’d never leave the castle again.

CLANG—

A loud metallic sound echoed as the door opened. The sudden light pierced her eyes, used to the dark, making her squint.

“Awake, sweetheart?”

A familiar voice. She didn’t even need to look.

The man with the flashlight was the same scumbag who’d been hitting on her earlier—and got kicked in the groin for it.

What the hell are you doing here?

He grabbed her chin roughly and forced her to look up.

“I told you I wouldn’t let you off, didn’t I?”

Jaina’s limbs were bound, and she had no way to escape. So, she decided to go all out.

‘Worst case, I bite my tongue and die.’

“Didn’t expect to see you again so soon. Small world, huh?”

The man let out a snort of laughter at her boldness.

“Looks like you still don’t understand your situation. Not the time to be sassy.”

“Then what kind of reaction do you want? Want me to fake cry for you?”

Before she could finish her sarcastic comment, his hand came flying. The slap echoed through the warehouse. Her face stung. She had expected to be hit at least once, but now that it had happened, her hands trembled in fear. Her lips quivered as she forced them open and smiled right at him.

She refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing her beg or cry.