Escape


    There’s a what?! Did Reiner just say that there was a ‘peeping hole’ in the wall of my bedroom. Is it


    true? Why is it there? Who put it there? How long has it been there…?


    So many questions came rushing into my mind and my bodypletely froze in panic and fear. The


    privacy that I thought I had in this bedroom was nowpletely gone. To be more urately, it never


    existed in the first ce. I never hadplete privacy in this room, and I didn’t know about it all this


    time. I tried my best to keep my eyes on Reiner’s face so that it would not stray towards the wall behind


    him. I need to trust Reiner for now but what do we do now?


    I want to get out of here...but how do I do that? I looked at Reiner in a panic. Reiner, save me please!


    “R…I…” I started to whisper to him. I need to tell him to get me out of this room. Now!


    “Yup! You’ve been good girl today. So, as I promised, I’ll apany you for ate-night stroll. But


    remember, you’re not allowed to leave the house without me. Ok?” Reiner spoke up abruptly in a loud


    and clear voice. He winked at me, and I understood. We can leave now, right?


    “Thank you! I just want to take a stroll in the garden for a bit…” I replied, trying to sound as natural as


    possible.


    “Let’s go…” Reiner said as he turned to walk out of the room.


    I quickly followed him without saying another word. I knew I had to act as natural as possible while I


    walked out of the room. However, I felt so much fear and paranoia deep inside. Since Reiner


    mentioned the hole in the wall, I had been conscious of being watched. I’ve been sleeping in that room


    for more than ten years; how could I never realized?


    The thing that shocked me the most wasn’t the existence of the peeping hole but the implication of who


    had been peeping on me all this time. I was certain that the staff wouldn’t dare create a hole let alone


    want to spy on me. Most of the staff were female to begin with and the males were either very old


    butlers or Lucien’s bodyguards. Naturally, Lucien’s bodyguard never entered my wing of the house.


    Who else could it be? This house only has two family members…and I wouldn’t need to spy on myself.


    Lucien…why did you do this?


    …


    I sighed with relief as we exited the room and Reiner firmly closed the door behind us. Never in my life,


    did I ever dream that the room I felt the safest in would be the most dangerous room for me right


    now. Once again, another part of my old and peaceful life has crumbled away into dust. I stood still,


    stunned, and unable to take in what was happening until I felt the warmth of Reiner’s hand around


    mine as he gently but firmly held my hand.


    “Let’s go…Natalia,” Reiner said in a low voice before pulling me along with him.


    I didn’t know where we were going, and I didn’t care. Right now, anywhere must be safer than here. My


    mind was blurry from shock, and I didn’t pay any attention to where Reiner was taking me. We walked


    through the corridors of the big mansion until we emerged from one of the exits and we were outdoors


    in the garden. I felt the slightly cold wind on my face and the slight softened wet grass under my feet.


    “Where do you want me to take you?” Reiner asked as we stood alone together in the garden. He still


    held my hand and I thanked whatever holy being that existed in this world that he was here with me.


    I considered my options. Thiste at night, where could I go? My most obvious option was to go and


    see Zak, who lived next door. Unfortunately, Zak was not back from his business trip abroad and


    Reiner will probably hate that idea. Should we go to a hotel? That might seem too suspicious if we


    suddenly left. After all, there shouldn’t be a reason for me to leave the mansion now that I was back


    here, and it is already thiste at night.


    “Can we…go to your room?” I asked in a low whisper. For the first time, I wasn’t teasing him about


    letting me into his room.


    To my surprise, Reiner just nodded before pulling me deeper into the garden. Did he misunderstood or


    misheard me? This is clearly not the way to his room at all. We were walking deeper and deeper into


    the garden and further and further away from the mansion.


    After a short while of walking in silence, I tugged on his arm and stopped walking. Reiner immediately


    turned around to face me.


    “R…where are we going?” I asked in a shaky voice.


    “To my room,” Reiner replied tly.


    “But this isn’t the way to your room…” I replied as I looked around the garden.


    “We’re going to go around the garden and use the staff entrance. You wouldn’t want anyone to find out


    that you’re spending the night in my room, right?” Reiner replied calmly as he patted me on the back to


    calm me down. I was so d that he was so calm in this situation because it was starting to calm me


    down too.


    “Ok…” I whispered.


    Reiner took my hand and slowly we walked around the garden until we looped back to the staff wing of


    the mansion. I didn’t know that there was an entrance into the mansion here. The entrance was much


    smaller than the main entrance andcked the usual luxurious decoration. It made sense that the


    mansion had a staff entrance. It was made for staff that didn’t sleep in the mansion tomute in and


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    out of the mansion while wearing their private clothing or carrying personal belongings without


    disturbing the family members and other guests who could be in the house.


    --To be continued...