"How did I end up trapped here, tied up inside this dark, locked room... with this girl? I can barely remember how it happened. It all took only a few seconds." Edward sighed as he replayed everything in his mind.
Let us go back a little.
After Edward, Arthur, and their friend John left Sebastian's office by car, they returned to John's mansion slightly before sunset. Edward decided to take a warm bath and asked Wilson to prepare it for him.
Time passed quickly, and night soon fell. After finishing his bath, Edward walked toward the room John had given him, drying his wet black hair with a towel.
He lay down on the bed, hoping to sleep, but sleep refused to come. He eventually opened the window and stood beside it, enjoying the cool night breeze, thinking it might help him relax before returning to bed.
However, something completely unexpected caught his eye.
From the mansion's window, he noticed a familiar figure nearby. That person was talking to a tall, dark-skinned, broad-shouldered man dressed in the kind of black suit commonly worn by businessmen. Judging from the conversation and the person's body language, they seemed to be in a weak or pressured position.
Even though Edward was watching from above and the distance was considerable, he could still make out the two figures despite the darkness of the night.
Then he recognized that familiar face.
It was Maria, the new classmate who had guided him to the library, allowing him to discover the clue his sister had left behind. Had she not directed him there, he would never have entered the library in the first place, since reading had never been one of his hobbies.
But what was Maria doing outside this late at night with such a suspicious-looking man?
Was he a relative? A family acquaintance?
Those questions filled Edward's mind. Curiosity took hold of him, and he decided to eavesdrop on their conversation. Unfortunately, before he could get close enough, the two of them left the street beside John's mansion.
That, however, did not stop him.
Edward quietly left the mansion and followed them without telling anyone—not Arthur, not John, and not even Wilson.
Sadly, he had no idea what awaited him.
He had stepped into something he never should have become involved in... all because of his overwhelming curiosity.
Edward knew only one thing: Maria appeared to be in a situation no one would envy. Yet he also realized that this was nothing more than an assumption.
So he decided to verify it himself.
That decision would become the first grave mistake our protagonist ever made.