Chapter 75

The carriage was brightly lit by the lamp, and it took Lillis a while to adjust her eyes.

The faint sound of the door closing and the rapid hoofbeats of several horses reached her ears.

It seemed that those who had attacked Lillis's carriage had gone in other directions—southeast or southwest—to confuse the pursuers.

And this carriage, disguised as that of a wealthy traveler, would head northwest, contrary to expectations.

Pretending the carriage had broken down, they had stopped by the roadside and waited, clearly a well-planned move.

Sitting on the floor with her head bowed, Lillis was thinking about what to do next when someone knelt in front of her.

Breathing shallowly from tension, Lillis looked up to see the man from her dream, smiling gently.

"Nice to meet you, Your Highness. I will be accompanying you on this journey. My name is Saul. Please take care of me."

"…Journey?"

"Yes. I apologize for the rough treatment. We will soon arrive at a comfortable inn, so please bear with the discomfort for a while."

"I… I won't go on any journey! Please, take me back to everyone… to Toisen!"

Lillis pushed away the hand offered to her, either to help her sit or as a greeting, with force.

Her voice trembled with anger, not just acting.

The moment she was pushed into the bright, warm carriage and saw Saul's face, her rationality, which she had been trying to maintain, flew out the window.

Was Rese safe? Were the knights safe?

Thinking of the bloody scene, Lillis trembled even more and felt nauseous.

Suddenly, someone pulled her up and made her lean against a cushion on the seat.

It wasn't Saul, but a third person, which surprised Lillis.

A tall, elderly woman crouched in front of her, placing a cool hand on Lillis's forehead.

The woman's lack of presence and expressionless face were unsettling, and Lillis began to tremble again.

"Unfortunately, I cannot grant your request, Your Highness. And there is one more thing I must apologize for. When I said it would be a short inconvenience, I was mistaken. I apologize again."

Still kneeling on the floor, Saul bowed respectfully.

His polite but insincere attitude made Lillis angry, but she remained silent.

The woman in front of her was tying Lillis's wrists with a thick, twisted silk cloth, not a rope.

(I should have practiced escaping from ropes while I was locked in the room…)

As she watched the woman's work absentmindedly, she heard Saul's unpleasant chuckle.

When she met his gaze, he looked back with satisfaction.

"Indeed, I had heard, but you are truly as docile as the rumors suggest. I would be troubled if you struggled or resisted, but it would be unpleasant if you cried or sobbed endlessly. Well, I will be rude now."

With that, Saul sat down on the opposite seat.

The woman finished her work and sat next to Saul.

However, she never took her eyes off Lillis, and her sticky gaze made Lillis uncomfortable. ——Of course, she shouldn't be comfortable in this situation.

"This woman is Mora, and she will take care of you, Your Highness. If you have any requests other than trying to escape, please let us know."

"…What do you intend to do with me? Even if you sell me, someone like me—"

"I have no intention of selling you. Please rest assured."

Lillis understood, but she pretended not to know, thinking that asking too directly would only make them more cautious.

In fact, she knew nothing.

Saul's—Fontae Kingdom's—true intentions.

That dream was of no use.

Even if she hadn't had the dream, she wouldn't have accepted the baron's invitation, and she was being kidnapped in reality.

She had become arrogant, thinking she could do anything.

But in the end, she could do nothing. She was a weak being who needed to be saved by others.

(I wonder if Rese and everyone else are safe… What if…)

Thinking of the worst, tears welled up in her eyes.

Seeing this, Saul smiled maliciously.

"Don't worry, I have no intention of harming you. You are a valuable hostage."

"…A hostage?"

Lillis asked, pretending not to understand, letting Saul think she was lamenting her own fate.

If he started spilling his plans, she would welcome it.

She had heard from Frederick that Saul was cunning, but perhaps his judgment was weak, as he was just a nameless bureaucrat.

No matter how weak and docile Lillis seemed, he shouldn't be complacent.

"Do you not understand your own value? As proof of the alliance between Freudt Kingdom and Aeras Empire, you are the one who married Prince Gesualdo."

"But the alliance has already been formed. The imperial army is now stationed in Freudt. There should be no problem. After all, the prince… the prince doesn't care about me that much…"

She intended it to be an act, but as she spoke, Lillis felt truly sad, and tears fell from her eyes.

Gesualdo would certainly try to save her, but not out of love.

"Indeed, the prince is known for his ruthlessness. I heard he was responsible for the death of the previous empress. Recently, there have been rumors of a good relationship between you and the prince, but I heard he only replied once to the letters you sent him every day."

Saul drove the point home, perhaps to crush her will to escape.

The letters to the baron and Saul were confidential, and the replies were included in sealed letters to Rese from Dennis, so no one knew.

In fact, the two replies were only sent when necessary.

The only reply to Lillis's postcards was, as Saul said, just one.

The more Lillis thought, the more depressed she became, and Saul watched her with amusement.

Unaware of his gaze, Lillis became more and more trapped in negative thoughts.

If pursuers appeared, she could use her life as a shield to escape.

If she was taken to Fontae and became a burden to everyone, she might as well—.

Just as she thought this, the carriage jolted violently.

It seemed a wheel had hit a large stone.

Saul, who had hit his head hard, cursed and hit the carriage with his cane, complaining to the driver.

However, Lillis was grateful to have regained her senses from the shock.

(I can't do that. I must escape alive. I can't just lament. I need to understand the situation clearly!)

If Lillis's life was lost, Gesualdo would mourn deeply.

He might even blame himself and never recover.

Even if there was no love, there must be some affection.

The once withdrawn Gesualdo had finally started to smile recently.

Thinking of his beautiful red eyes narrowing in a smile, Lillis felt a tightness in her chest.

She wanted to see that smile again.

She would do anything, even tickle him, to make him laugh.

With this resolve, Lillis began to think hard about what she should do next.