Thinking this, she checked her body; there were no injuries, and her hands and feet weren’t bound.

Puzzled, she looked up.

Challen was sitting across from her, leisurely reading a book with his legs crossed.

“Are you awake?”

She stared at him for a long time, unable to comprehend.

Feeling her gaze, Challen flipped a page of his book and said,

“It seems you need an explanation.”

“What is this… Why am I here? Where are we going?”

“Don’t worry, sit down. We are on our way back to our homeland, the Khan Kingdom.”

Casalyn finally understood the whole situation.

Challen had planned this all along, ensuring she couldn’t meet Parnes and escape from the palace.

By now, Parnes would think she had coldly broken her promise and left.

“You crossed a line you shouldn’t have.”

“What’s wrong with taking my own person back to my country? Admittedly, I used a bit of a rough method, but if I hadn’t, you wouldn’t have followed me obediently.”

“Don’t delude yourself into thinking you can have me by doing this. I have no intention of complying with your plan.”

Casalyn groped in the darkness, trying to push open the carriage door.

But it seemed to be locked with a special mechanism and wouldn’t budge from the inside.

“I anticipated this and took precautions. It’s useless, so sit down quietly. You might fall.”

No. Even if it meant death, she had to escape from this carriage.

If she gave up and followed him back to the Khan Kingdom, she’d be imprisoned in the palace forever, never to see the outside world again.

Such a thing was not beyond this madman.

‘There must be a way out. A gap to escape from here…’
In the darkness, Casalyn’s gaze was drawn to a relatively poorly constructed window.

It was quite large, and she thought if she threw her whole body against it with all her might, she could break through and escape.

First, she needed to momentarily distract him.

“Seems like you’ve finally resigned yourself to the situation. That’s wise.”

Challen nonchalantly turned a page of his book as he spoke.

“If you behave, I’ll ensure you live luxuriously. A comfortable palace, servants to attend to you, gifts, and allowances – whatever you want.”

“Really? Anything?”

“Yes. Imagine how comfortable life would be. Let’s forget the past and start anew. We could be good friends.”

Seizing the moment as Challen closed his eyes, lost in his distasteful fantasy, Casalyn quickly stood up and hurled herself at the window.

“What are you doing!”

The carriage rocked with the impact.

The startled horses reared up.

Challen, equally shocked, threw his book aside and reached out desperately to Casalyn.

“Have you lost your mind, Casalyn!”

“I told you! I’d rather be a ghost wandering this world than be your concubine living in luxury!”

Veins throbbed on Challen’s forehead.

In a fit of rage, he roughly pushed her away.

That small action triggered everything.

“If you’re so eager to die, let’s see you try…!”

Challen’s words were cut off.

As he pushed Casalyn, the impact caused the flimsy window frame to collapse, and the glass shattered, creating an opening large enough for a person.

A gust of dawn wind blew in.

Already leaning towards the window, Casalyn lost her balance and was helplessly flung out of the carriage.

It all happened in 2 seconds, or perhaps in the blink of an eye.

“No, no!”

Challen reached out, but it was too late.

Casalyn, with a look of desolation, disappeared rapidly below the cliff, as Challen’s cries of despair echoed in vain.

They say that time slows down before death, and one’s life flashes before their eyes – that saying proved true.

Memories of her first debutante party, holding her father’s hand.

Graduating top of her class from the royal school, smiling brightly at the hopeful future ahead.

The day she first met Parnes under the blossoming tree.

Many moments had been happy; there was no regret, but one thing.

She was a little sad that she wouldn’t see Parnes’s face again.

‘Parnes.’

With his name on her lips, Casalyn closed her eyes.

“No! Casalyn!”

Challen’s voice of despair dispersed into the void.