When she applied force to her tightly bound ankles, the chair briefly stirred. Since a considerable amount of stamina would be consumed in one go, she wouldn’t be able to cover a long distance. However, with repeated attempts, she would eventually succeed.
“Ugh.”
Cramps appeared on her thighs, and cold sweat trickled down her body. As her strength dwindled, the chair only wobbled without lifting.
“Please, I have to go…”
If it weren’t for the determination that only appeared in the face of the imminent death, she might have given up and waited until dawn.
She struggled to reach the edge, managing to twist her body. Hoping for the rope tied to the back of the chair to snap as she repeatedly struck it against the edge.
Numerous clumsy attempts resulted in many wounds. The pain felt like hot liquid, and the fear of wrists being severed. Perhaps a scream might escape, but Cloé gritted her lips and continued to challenge relentlessly.
“Ah…!”
After dozens of attempts, her wrists were finally freed from the restraints. Next, she gradually untied the other ropes binding her body.
“Now I need to find an escape route.”
With an intentional lack of identifiable features, even a common window was nowhere to be found.
Even if it meant there was only the door to exit, forcibly breaking it would cause a loud noise. Cedric, who was staying nearby, would quickly follow.
Fleeing urgently without knowing the exact location of this place was a risky gamble.
To stick to a safer method, she set out to search.
“How about there?”
Then, at the very top, she noticed a small opening conceptually designed for ventilation. If she squeezed her body through it, escape seemed possible.
The part where the wind strength was adjusted had been substituted with a small wooden stick, making it seem easy to break. It would be less noisy than breaking a door.
Carrying another chair, Cloé climbed onto it. Holding a leg obtained from the deteriorating chair, she started tapping on the seam above the window.
“That’s it!”
As she expected, the frame easily broke. She quickly squeezed her body into the opening.
She emerged from the window and landed directly on the ground. There was no time to think about the massive impact of her body hitting the hard ground.
Instinctively, she got up, supporting her unsteady legs and moved forward.
“If I go outside, I might find a way to survive. Anywhere, if I wait…”
She thought of hiding in the forest at least. Since patrols were sent regularly from the palace or the estate, finding those searching the forest and seeking help would be a plan.
Soon, a vast forest appeared before Cloé.
Entering the forest without any prepared items or light was a clear suicidal act.
“But…”
But there was no other way. Returning and facing Cedric would render her efforts futile.
“Whether I die according to Cedric’s scheme or get attacked by a wild beast in the forest, there’s no difference.”
Thinking this way, it didn’t seem like an impossible feat.
With determination, Cloé walked into the forest.
The Empress, his wife, was nowhere to be seen.
After finishing the meeting, Cedric, wanting to check on Cloé’s condition, skipped lunch and immediately returned to his bedroom.
However, Cloé was not in the bed, or even in his personal study.
Wondering if she had gone somewhere nearby, he asked the nearby servants about her whereabouts.
However, there was no one who knew Cloé’s exact location. Neither her dedicated maids nor the other knights.
Sensing something amiss, Kun instructed the palace, including the knights, to search for her. They diligently combed through the palace together, but unfortunately, Cloé was not found.
“Your Majesty!”
At that moment, Winter, who had volunteered to help find Cloé, rushed in urgently.
“You should go to the infirmary right away!”
“The infirmary? Could it be that the Empress is injured again, or…”
Kun murmured with a sudden sense of unease.
Winter, her head bowed in distress, quickly explained the situation.
“…I’m sorry. We haven’t located the whereabouts of Her Majesty the Empress yet. However, one of our members seems to have a clue. It’s a knight who was unconscious; as soon as he regained consciousness a while ago, he inquired about the safety of Her Majesty the Empress. It seems to be related to the current incident.”
A knight who was injured to the point of losing consciousness.
And that knight is desperately searching for Cloé.
The anxiety grew stronger. Kun, in the swamp of fear, was a powerless man struggling.
Arriving at the infirmary with Winter, he heard the details of the incident.
It was a dreadful report that the Empress had been kidnapped by someone.
His fist slammed harshly onto the bedside. Thud! It was a powerful blow that nearly shattered the floor beneath the bed.
“Even if your bones break or your head shatters, it is your duty to protect the Empress. Guarding the people of the palace, that is the reason for your existence…!”
My…
He, having left the unspoken words behind, rose from his seat. Cursing briefly under his breath, Kun Freihde vented his frustration.
Protecting Jeongin was Kun Freihde’s reason for existence, his entire worth.
Similarly, the miracle named Cloé was the light and salt, desire, and possession that allowed him to live.
“I will definitely protect you.”
Therefore, he had to protect her.
“So please just stay alive. You must give me a chance. Make at least one precious moment for me, where I can save you, rescue you…”
He had to embrace his precious fate, which he believed would not be taken away, into the safety of his own hands.
Male lead is a Divorced Husband
She said to him: “Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change it!”
Liu Changning transmigrated into a female cannon fodder character in a female-dominant novel.
After reading the first half of the novel’s plot, the first thing she did upon transmigration was to divorce the Pan Jinlian-style male protagonist she had just married.
She indulged herself, pretending to be ugly and poor.
But as time passed, the way that man looked at her became more and more unusual…
Liu Changning was dumbfounded: Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change!
――
This lifetime, Pei Yuanshao was rejected by the same woman twice!
The first time, she drove him away. Forced by the situation, he endured the waves of anger in his heart, yielding and humbling himself.
That person lay slanted on a rocking chair, her sallow face emotionless: “If you don’t want a divorce, go cook!”
Pei Yuanshao’s face was dark and gloomy: “You!”
The second time, after the crisis in Jinling City was resolved, the new emperor sent someone to pick him up. He turned around, stammering: “I… I have to go. If you keep me…”
That person lay on the kang bed, her back to him, as if she had long anticipated this day, crisp and clear: “Goodbye!”
Pei Yuanshao was so angry his fingers trembled: “You… you!”
The mission of family and country made him restrain himself, averting his eyes and turning to leave this broken household.
Two years later, they met again. Seeing her ethereal face, his body shook like a sieve.
“She was originally a ‘she’!”
At the Qionglin Banquet, the top scholar of the imperial examination, a talented person with exceptional speech and conduct, all the unmarried young gentlemen from aristocratic families looked at her with shy and timid eyes.
The peerless imperial official Pei Yuanshao felt the anger in his heart erupt. He pointed at the woman surrounded by the crowd at the Qionglin Banquet, his thin lips slightly curled: “Little sister, I wants that person to be the wife-master of my Mingde Prince Manor.”
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