“If you don’t like it, say it louder.”

Somehow, the cold voice of Illeone reached Elishia’s ears, and she barely turned her head.

“Illeone.”

Standing in the dim darkness, he appeared in a way she had never seen before.

Wearing lightlooking armor on his shoulders and chest and holding a sword in his sheath, looking up at Illeone made him look like a giant.

“Hhow did you get here…”

Instead of answering, he fixed the sword’s sheath to his waist and reached out to her.

“Let’s go.”

Illeone reached out his hand, but as if she had been bumped when she was kidnapped, her body ached as if the joints were out of place every time she moved. Besides, her head was dizzy, perhaps because of the smoke she had been forced to drink earlier.

When Elishia couldn’t get up, Illeone briefly sighed and picked her up lightly.

There was a familiar smell in his arms.

“Heuk. Illeone.”

At that unreal feeling, Elishia began to shed tears.

“Where are you hurt?”

“Nowhere.”

“Where does it hurt?”

“…Not particularly.”

Illeone moved without hesitation even while holding her. As if he knew every nook and cranny of the palace, he quickly avoided the surveillance network, passed through a narrow passage whose purpose was unknown, and went out of the palace.

He saw a familiar forest that was adjacent to the north wall of the palace and Hardyunsha. Illeone walked boldly into the dense forest without a road. Then, he soon saw a horse with human hands tied to a tree.

“Haa.”

Worried that she might mess things up because of her, Elishia who was trying not to breathe tensely could finally take a deep breath.

‘How did Illeone get here?’

Elishia was kidnapped by Saviel.

Today, she realized it was the day in the original work when Saviel would bring about her death.

Elishia’s last moments, fixed in the original, were about to begin.

‘Am I having an illusion?’

It was too real to think that, with the familiar sensation and sandalwood scent coming from his tightly embracing arms.

Illeone effortlessly jumped onto the big, black horse, holding her, and lightly sat down.

“If you’re tired, sleep.”

She had never ridden a horse so insecurely embraced before.

“I feel like I’m going to fall off.”

“That won’t happen.”

As Illeone grasped the reins, the horse began to walk slowly.

Her head bumped against Illeone’s firm chest to the rhythm of the horse’s hooves, thump, thump, thump, as the wind rocked her up and down.

‘There’s no way I can sleep.’

Despite that thought, Elishia passed out as if she fell asleep.

(This is a time separator.)

At the Earl of Harrington’s house, a big fuss had broken out.

The normally elegant and graceful Countess Harrington had her face flushed red, yelling at Carina with her finger and jumping up and down.

“You, how could you do this?”

“Ma’am, please calm down.”

The maid serving Carina didn’t know what to do as she tried to calm the enraged Countess.

“I’m sorry.”

In front of her, Carina was bowing her head, crying like a criminal.

“How happy I was to bring you in as my daughter. How much I’ve tried to be good to you. You stain the honor of our family?”

“Ma’am. Ma’am. Please calm down.”

Suddenly, as if she had turned into a different person, Countess Harrington slapped the maid’s face.

Slap.

With a tremendous sound, the maid’s face instantly swelled and turned red.

“What are you doing?”

“Ma’am. I’m sorry.”

“Didn’t I tell you to tell me immediately if the young lady, who doesn’t know the meaning of moderation, does something rash!”

“I’m sorry, ma’am.”

Tears fell from the eyes of the maid, who was repeating apologies under the violent scolding.

“Who is the child’s father?”

The beginning of this incident was when the maid, who was looking after Carina, reported to the Countess that she seemed to be unwell.

Young and healthylooking Carina was skipping meals and leaving irregular bloodstains on the bed, so the maid was concerned. It seemed the young lady’s hard days had begun, so she prepared hot water bags and changed the bed sheet to a dark color, but it was fine at first, and then when she changed it back to a white sheet, she left a bloodstain again, and it became a worry.
Checking the master’s health was a very important and basic task for a maid. This was because it was important to see a healthy heir in the marriage of a noble family.

The maid reported to the countess ‘without delay,’ and the countess, who had expected a scolding to be poured out on beautiful Carina, summoned a doctor and unexpectedly visited her room. So far, it had been done with a very warm favor.

But the diagnosis was something no one expected.

“The maiden is with child.”

The countess mumbled as if taken aback and beat her chest.

“I’ve hit the nail on the head.”

“I’m sorry.”

In front of her, Carina only sobbed and cried.

“Who’s the child’s father? You must tell me. That’s how we’ll find a way.”

Carina, who had been shedding tears for a while, licked her lips.

“The, the Crown Prince.”

“What?”