“Now you know fear, you little prankster.” He paid no attention to her pleas, tightly gripping her wrists, and from the coat rack, he pulled down the shoulder strap of his uniform, skillfully wrapping it around her wrists twice and tying a firm knot. He lifted her body and placed her on the high counter next to the wine cabinet.
Nhanyi was firmly bound, her legs dangling in the air, lying flat on the high counter. She turned her head, staring at him in terror, as he opened the glass door of the wine cabinet again, his long fingers gliding over the two rows of bottles.
“Since you broke my wine glass, you will be my wine glass.” He took another bottle of red wine from the cabinet, opened the cap, but instead of pouring it into a glass, he held the bottle and came before her, placing it in front of her nose, intentionally letting her smell the aroma of the red wine, and softly said, “1912, Chateau Latour.” He lifted her neck with one hand and, with the other holding the wine bottle, slowly tilted it down along her collar.
“Ah, no—” Nhanyi cried out, seeing the icy red liquid pouring from the bottle, spilling onto her body.
“Don’t—” Her hands were tightly bound by the strap, and no matter how she struggled, she could not break free.
After trembling back to her room, she immediately sat on the floor and cried loudly. That pervert actually treated her like a cup. In his eyes, she was merely a container, a doll; this was the greatest mockery and contempt a man could show a woman. He remained unchanged, and in the end, he never possessed her body.
Nhanyi was already certain he was a eunuch. Falling into the hands of such a pervert was simply worse than death.
The next morning, he could sit at the dining table and eat breakfast without a hint of embarrassment or guilt, as if nothing had happened the night before. The maid, Abigail, still wore a cold expression as she served a plate of steak and poured him a shallow glass of red wine.
He swirled the glass, closed his eyes, and inhaled the aroma of the wine. Nhanyi’s face turned red to the tips of her ears; she swore she would never touch red wine again for the rest of her life.
“Eat more meat; you’re too thin,” he smiled, pushing the plate of beef in front of Nhanyi.
Nhanyi clasped her hands on her knees. There were deep, dark bruises on her wrists, marks left by the pervert who had bound her with the straps of his uniform last night.
She glanced at the steak, which still had traces of blood. “I’m not a wolf; I don’t eat raw meat.”He seemed not to understand the implications of her words. “Abigail, go to the kitchen and have the steak cooked before bringing it back.”
Abigail dared not delay. She quickly walked past Nhanyi, a hint of resentment in her demeanor as she took the steak away. Just as the maid turned to go down the stairs, Captain Jacob entered through the front door, striding confidently toward him. “I apologize for interrupting your meal, General. The investigation you requested has yielded results.”
“Who did it?” He took a sip from his glass.
“It was a group of enemy paratroopers.”
“Paratroopers? They know my whereabouts, my license plate number, the shops I visit; they might even know my woman’s size.”
“I think it’s because…”
“Someone is pulling strings behind the scenes. My friend, it’s clear that those old geezers want me dead. But since they are so generous, I will return the favor.” He raised two fingers, and Captain Jacob immediately understood, bowing his head and leaning in to listen. His eyes shifted focus repeatedly.
As he whispered instructions, he raised his ice-blue eyes to look at her across the table, a hint of a smile in his gaze, making it hard to associate him with the plotting of revenge and murder.
Nhanyi watched all of this, a fine display of a dog-eat-dog farce. With years of warlords fighting in the country, it seemed the upper echelons of the Nazi party were also engaged in fierce struggles. The world was the same everywhere, filled with endless conflict. She had no interest in what he and his aide were conspiring about; she was just relieved that they left the house quickly.
With his departure, Abigail finally vented all her frustrations. She slammed the plate down in front of Nhanyi. “Eat!”
