Chapter 17 Valeria Is Coming Back

　　"Elaine, you don't have to confine yourself to the castle all day," said Sherman, wiping his mouth with a tissue in a graceful manner before rising slowly.

　　He thought about what Cheryl had once told him-that Elaine needed access to fresh air and sunlight for her health.

　　"You mean I can go out at ordinary times?" Elaine asked, a little incredulous.

　　After all, she had resigned herself to being a beeder, and perhaps more humbly, a slave.

　　She often sat by the window, yearning to fly out like a bird from the noisy cage, even if it was just to wander in the forest. She longed for freedom.

　　"Sure," Sherman shrugged, seeming a bit confused by Elaine's question.

　　His motive for giving her this newfound freedom wasn't so much because he wanted her to be free, but rather because he believed he could find her no matter where she went.

　　Elaine, however, was overjoyed at the small amount of freedom she had been granted.