Unable To Escape - Chapter 20

When the news that Killian had entered the imperial palace early in the morning reached her, Alicia was planning to spend a quiet day as she had for the past few days.

She was going to stay cooped up in her room all day, using the excuse that her body was still unwell, to avoid accidentally running into him if she went outside…

“She snuck into the changing room?”

“His Majesty said he would personally give out the dukes’ clothes for this banquet.”

“I know that.”

It must have been an excuse to summon the dukes to the imperial palace.

Clothes aren’t made overnight, and it’s not like only one or two outfits were needed for the banquet.

So they probably planned to use that as an excuse to steadily come in and out of the palace, exchanging opinions without others noticing.

“They needed to change into light clothes to take measurements…”

“And then?”

“It wasn’t from the beginning, but it seems she snuck into the changing room secretly while they were taking measurements.”

“Did no one notice Isabel’s movements?”

“The Crown Princess dismissed all the court ladies.”

Of course.

Though called court ladies, they were all noble young ladies.

How could they be allowed into the men’s changing room, not knowing what might happen?

“With only male attendants left working, no one noticed Isabel had left her post.”

“How did she sneak into the changing room?”

“Um… well…”

Seeing Mina hesitate to answer, Alicia could instinctively tell that the next words would be the crux of this incident.

Not just Mina, but even Amy had her eyes tightly shut and brow furrowed – it seemed this was no ordinary matter.

“Go on. Nothing could be worse than a count’s daughter shamelessly sneaking into a changing room in negligee to throw herself at a duke.”

More accurately, there shouldn’t be anything worse.

What had happened was already no small matter, but something even bigger?

Just imagining it made her head ache and stomach churn.

“Well…”

“Well what?”

“…She said she was running an errand for Your Highness…”

“…What?”

“Since Isabel originally belonged to the Princess’s Palace and is a senior lady-in-waiting… she said she just needed to go in briefly for an errand from Princess Alicia…”

Does a past mistake really have to be corrected?

Can’t we just let it die?

The thought that flashed through her mind shook her resolve.

“…I can understand getting in, but why didn’t they check when she came out?”

“Unfortunately, it was during the shift change.”

“No, she must have deliberately aimed for that time.”

Desire beyond imagination must have moved that dull mind.

The problem was that the thinking was too short-sighted.

She had the thought to aim for the shift change, but lacked the mind to think of what came after.

If only she’d lacked the mind to think of doing such a thing in the first place!

Blinded by greed, she used her poorly functioning brain, and now Alicia was left to clean up the mess.

“Haah… So what happened to Isabel?”

“Well, um…”

Since a maid belonging to her palace had caused trouble, she needed to resolve the incident before it escalated further.

“Right, first we should quietly send someone to the Flemming Count’s family…”

“A-about that, Your Highness.”

“Hmm?”

Alicia had been planning to summon Count Flemming to explain the situation and handle things so he wouldn’t harbor ill feelings, but she tilted her head at Mina’s urgent call.

Though Mina could be a bit hasty and clumsy at times, she had never interrupted Alicia’s words before. What could be the reason for calling out to her so urgently now?

Somehow, she had the sinking feeling it wouldn’t be anything good for her.

“Duke Diaz wishes to see Your Highness about this matter…”

“Huh?”

“…It seems Isabel begged for her life and brought up Your Highness’s name.”

“What?”

“She said that since she belongs to the Princess’s Palace, only the Princess could punish her…”

Perhaps completely severing ties with the Flemming Count’s family wouldn’t be such a bad idea.

With the Emperor and Crown Prince still healthy, they wouldn’t dare to have other thoughts, and if the punishment was the same as in the past…

“Your Highness?”

“…It’s nothing. Duke Diaz wants to see me?”

The incident had occurred, and her resolve to correct past mistakes remained.

Though her determination wavered for just a moment in between, let’s move past that.

“What about Sienna?”

“It seems even the Crown Princess can’t do anything.”

“I suppose not… *sigh*…”

Though Sienna was in charge of this banquet, she likely wasn’t yet confident in how far her authority extended when it came to punishing someone belonging to the Princess’s Palace.

After all, she’d only entered the imperial family a few months ago.

In her previous life, that was precisely why Alicia had been able to take over duties that should have fallen to the Crown Princess.

“The Crown Princess is still inexperienced, and facing Duke Diaz must be quite burdensome for her.”

“And my brother can’t intervene in Sienna’s affairs either.”

“The one fortunate thing is that Duke Diaz wants to resolve this matter quietly.”

If he had intended to disgrace the imperial family, he would have lodged a formal protest with the palace instead of calling for Alicia.

And he would have extracted appropriate compensation.

The punishment for the Flemming Count’s family would have been harsher too, which would have naturally shaken the position of the pro-Emperor nobles, if only slightly.

“Should we see it as consideration?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“So I have to answer his summons.”

“…Yes.”

It seems I should have stopped this from the beginning.

By the time Alicia could intervene, the maid selection was already over and she couldn’t say anything.

Regardless of the true intentions, stepping in on a matter Sienna had decided would be seen as disregarding the Crown Princess’s dignity.

Worried it might look like a power struggle between the Crown Princess and Princess, she had deliberately kept quiet…

It was too late for regrets, but she should have nullified Isabel’s selection even if it caused a small disturbance.

Then this troublesome situation wouldn’t have occurred.

“Where is the Duke now?”

“He’s still at the location where the incident took place.”

“That too is consideration.”

It meant he wouldn’t speak of what happened inside the changing room.

At the same time, it was a threat that if it wasn’t resolved there, a big problem would arise.

From the start, Alicia had no choice but to answer Killian’s summons.

Realizing this, Alicia let out a long sigh as she rose from her seat.

Though an urgent matter had arisen that needed to be resolved as soon as possible, she couldn’t appear before a guest of the imperial family looking like this.

“Bring me a change of clothes. Keep the preparations light enough to maintain propriety, but so I can move as quickly as possible.”

“As you command.”

Having finished preparations as quickly as possible, Alicia finally managed to move her uncooperative legs to find the space where Killian was waiting.

The first thing that caught her eye was Killian sitting languidly on a sofa in the middle of the changing room, a space made for a specific purpose rather than receiving guests.

And in front of him, kneeling in a thin negligee and trembling…

“Isabel.”

“Y-Your Highness! Please save me!”

Isabel crawled on her knees towards Alicia as if she were her lifeline and clung to her dress.

Her face was a mess of tears, with no trace of the noble young lady she was supposed to be.

Did she truly understand what she had done?

Though it was infuriating to see her fear Killian before her more than Alicia, her master, it was also understandable.

Who wouldn’t be afraid with those cold green eyes piercing through them?

‘…If you were going to be this scared, why did you do such a thing?’

Hadn’t she rushed in to try and steal the place beside Killian?

If so, she shouldn’t have shown such a terrified appearance.

Killian despised weakness.

And Alicia was one of those weak things Killian disliked.

Once again forcibly grasping her self-esteem that was trying to drill through the floor with self-deprecation, Alicia turned her gaze from Isabel to look at Killian.

“It’s been a while.”

“I greet Your Highness.”

Only then did Killian rise from his seat and bow his head in response to Alicia’s greeting.

If it were someone else, they might have criticized his arrogant attitude before royalty, but he was Killian.

And in this situation, she had to pretend not to see or notice whatever demeanor Killian showed.

“Your Highness Alicia’s maid did quite a bold thing.”

At Killian’s words tinged with amusement, Isabel, who had been clinging to Alicia, shuddered.

Watching her reaction with disapproval, Amy gave Mina a look, and understanding her meaning, Mina and the other maids behind her grabbed Isabel’s arms and pulled her away from Alicia’s side.

“Your Highness! Princess Alicia! Please!”

“Quiet. Now is not the time for you to speak.”

“Your Highness, you can’t do this! I’m a Flemming! We’re a family loyal to His Majesty! You can’t abandon me! You, you just can’t!”

Alicia’s head started to ache again at the sight of Isabel, not content with dragging her into this situation, now pushing her father and family into the mud as well.

If only she could show this to Count Flemming.

Though he cared for his child, he wouldn’t stand idly by a child who brought harm to the family.

“She said she came on an errand for Your Highness.”

Alicia, who had been watching Isabel struggle in the maids’ grasp, turned her head at Killian’s words.

The amusement evident on his face, as if he found this situation quite entertaining, felt ominous.

“I wonder if this errand from Your Highness had anything to do with that appearance?”

Killian chuckled as he pointed to Isabel’s thin negligee that revealed all her body’s contours.

“A child from my palace has committed a great sin against the Duke. I’m sorry.”

“Does bringing up an apology mean Your Highness was behind this incident?”

At Killian’s words, Isabel’s eyes sparkled.

She seemed to have found hope, thinking she might survive if Alicia took on some disgrace.

Seeing this, Alicia shook her head and opened her mouth.

“No.”

“Your Highness!”

“Didn’t I say now is not the time for you to speak?”

She had resolved to correct past mistakes, not to take on crimes she had never committed.

Isabel’s face was turning deathly pale at Alicia’s firm voice.

*

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“How dare you!”

“How dare you make me love you, only to cast me aside as nothing more than a friend?!?

“I will never accept that.”

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At first, the male lead despised the female lead. Later, he misunderstood that she liked him, so he condescendingly and reluctantly reciprocated her feelings.

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_____

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