Maya believed Leon was bluffing when he claimed she had nowhere to go and that this was her home.
After what had happened—especially that incident on the bed and the fact that he killed Peter—she couldn't bring herself to stay.
She would never forgive him for that, and what made it worse was that he had tried to make her... The thought was too much; it made her nauseous just recalling it.
"This will never be my home, not here and not with you," she said, her voice icy as she glared at him. He merely regarded her with an emotionless expression, his lips curled in wicked amusement, seemingly indifferent to her words.
She didn't understand why she was still in this hellish place instead of leaving for good. She refused to be this man's pawn any longer, subject to his hurt and torment. No more. She wouldn't allow him to inflict any more pain.
Determined to escape, she reached for the door, pulling the handle and throwing it open, her gaze falling on the night outside.
Maya swallowed hard as she beheld the moon and thousands of stars in the darkened sky surrounding the castle. She wanted to leave this place for good; she never belonged here anyway.
Taking a deep breath, she began to move, fully aware that Leon was still behind her, watching, eager to make her think she could leave.
But as she made her way to the stairs, wanting to descend to the ground, she suddenly felt something wrap around her legs. Confused, she raised her gown to see what it was, but before she could comprehend the chain, she wobbled and was yanked to the ground, pulled back into the castle.
"No… Please just let me go!" she shouted, her voice filled with desperation as she was dragged along the ground.
Turning to see Leon, she saw the golden chain he held, twisting it around his wrist before pulling hard, dragging her back into the castle as the door slammed shut as if commanded by an unseen force.
She had no idea how the chain had become attached to her leg or how everything happened so effortlessly, but she knew it was his doing. Panic coursed through her.
Now sitting on the ground, tears brimming in her eyes, she looked up at him. "Just let me go," she pleaded again, searching for any trace of pity or humanity in him, hoping for a moment's kindness, as he was only causing her pain.
Instead, he crouched down to her level, gripping her hair tightly and forcing her face to meet his. "Listen to me very carefully," he said through gritted teeth. "You'll remain in this castle forever. You're not going anywhere. If you ever think about leaving again, I'll punish you harder than you can imagine."
Maya swallowed, tears spilling down her cheeks. "What did I do to you? Why are you doing this to me!?" Her voice trembled, small at first, before rising to a yell.
"Because I hate you, Maya. I want to break every part of you," he whispered. More tears fell as she grappled with the reality of her situation. "So you can't leave this castle, understand?!" His blue eyes were cold and unforgiving, searing into her.
She swallowed hard, not responding, her face flushed from crying.
He released her hair, and she stumbled back as he stood. Leon tugged at the chain on her leg until it slipped free, mysteriously vanishing and forming a ring on his finger. Then he simply left her there, alone.
Maya lay on the cold ground, staring at the high ceiling, tears still in her eyes. She couldn't leave; she couldn't die. What could she do? The darkness of the hall didn't frighten her at that moment; she focused instead on the reality of her life.
****
Even after being dragged back in by him, Maya didn't stop trying to escape. The next day, knowing he was absent, she made another attempt to get away.
She didn't need anything; she just wanted to break free from this place.
Moving toward the door again, she found it right in front of her, but just as she reached out for it, the door vanished, replaced by a cold, solid wall. A chill crept down her spine. "What?" she thought, approaching the wall and touching it.
She could have sworn the door had been there, the handles present as well, but now there was nothing. As she traced her gaze along the wall, she spotted the door on the other side and, without hesitation, ran toward it, only to be met with the same unnerving emptiness.
It was as if even the door was taunting her. Maya launched into a frantic run around the hall, tears streaming down her face. When she tripped and hit the ground, she instantly picked herself up, undeterred, ready to chase the door again. She had to get out—no matter what.
She refused to entertain the thought of the high windows; jumping could lead to injury, and she had no intention of breaking anything. She just wanted to escape, not to end up dead or with a broken limb.
"Looks like her majesty has finally lost her mind," Joan muttered to Nadira as they stood by the side, observing Maya's frantic dance across the hall.
"She needs to accept that leaving the castle is impossible," Grace chimed in, though all three of them felt a heavy weight of sympathy for Maya as they watched her struggle.
"I can't bear to watch this anymore," Nadira declared, prompting the others to nod in agreement.
"Let's go, girls" Together, they turned away and left, leaving Maya to her chaotic search for an exit.
It then struck Maya that the castle itself was holding her captive, all orchestrated by Leon.
She finally halted her frantic movements, leaning against the wall and taking deep breaths, tears still falling. The reality of being trapped in the presence of a monster like him felt like an unending curse.
Still dabbing at her lashes as more tears fell, she caught sight of a shadow by the balcony. Lean fingers drummed against the railing, and she instinctively knew it was him. He was relishing her breakdown, watching her as if she were a spectacle. That was Leon's plan: to drive her to madness and self-doubt. He stepped out of the shadows, his piercing blue gaze locking onto hers. "Are you tired now?" he mocked.
Maya balled her fists at her sides, her gaze burning like wildfire and her jaw clenched in anger.
"Accept it. This is where you'll remain for the rest of your life," he taunted.
"Oh really?" Maya released her clenched jaw and allowed a small, defiant smile to grace her lips.
Leon's eyes narrowed at her, wondering why the crying rabbit was suddenly smiling. "So be it," she replied boldly.
If he wanted her to stay, she would stay—but she would show him exactly why that was a mistake.