Unable To Escape (10 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 12
Back in her room, Alicia, having vomited everything in her stomach, lay on the bed supported by Amy.
Perhaps because she had not only expelled all her food but also continued vomiting bitter gastric juices as if her insides were being wrung out, Alicia’s eyes were reddened, and her face looked exhausted.
“Your Highness, shall I call the physician again?”
“I’ll be fine after some sleep.”
“But still…”
“Amy…”
“Sigh… Very well. But I’ll stay a bit longer to apply a cold compress to your eyes. If you sleep like this, it’ll be painful to open them tomorrow.”
“Okay.”
Listening to her head maid’s worried voice, Alicia closed her eyes and sighed deeply as she felt the cool cloth easing the heat around her eyes.
She felt utterly pathetic—foolish enough, yet also weak—and wanted to curse herself.
But she had to hold back; otherwise, Amy, already distressed over her condition, might faint from shock.
‘Besides, I don’t even know many curses to begin with.’
As she kept her eyes shut, feeling Amy’s gentle, concerned touch, her consciousness gradually blurred.
How long had it been since she’d slept so deeply that her back ached upon waking?
She couldn’t tell whether it was the encounter with the demon beast that drained her, or her conversation with Killian that sapped her strength—her whole body felt limp, utterly devoid of energy.
“Please sleep. Everything will be fine when you wake up.”
A soft voice.
Alicia sank into a deep slumber, sensing Amy’s voice fading into the distance.
[This is the timeline separator]“I told you not to do anything unnecessary, didn’t I?”
A cold gaze and a sharp voice.
Alicia was looking at Killian, who was glaring at her and clicking his tongue in irritation.
For a moment, her mind clouded as if shrouded in fog, and she couldn’t grasp what was happening. She turned her head slowly to take in her surroundings.
A spacious hall, adorned with an elaborate chandelier hanging high above.
This familiar place was the Grand Hall of the Imperial Palace—opened only for grand imperial banquets.
It seemed a banquet was currently underway; nobles dressed in splendid attire were glancing toward Killian and Alicia, whispering among themselves.
“Did you summon me here just to attend such a trivial banquet?”
“Trivial? Killian, this is our wedding anniversary.”
“I’ve told you before—use proper titles in formal settings, Your Majesty.”
Ah… this is a dream.
Alicia realized it was a dream as she watched herself speak and act against her will.
Such a vivid dream…
In fact, it was a recreation of something that had truly happened in the past.
‘It was the banquet held to celebrate our first wedding anniversary. I lied, saying there was an urgent matter, to hide the fact that it was a banquet.’
There was no ill intent behind the deception.
She simply wanted to celebrate the day together—and to be celebrated.
She had also hoped to surprise Killian, but fearing he wouldn’t come if told it was an anniversary celebration, she resorted to a lie to bring him.
The reason for her lie was simple—and pitiful.
She hadn’t expected him to remember their wedding anniversary at all.
Yet, though pitiful, Alicia hadn’t been desperate then.
She already knew his heart wasn’t hers.
At that time, Alicia believed that if she couldn’t be loved, she would just have to love him more in return.
She even held a faint hope that, eventually, Killian’s heart might slowly turn toward her.
This banquet had been part of that plan.
Although guilty about lying, she intended to apologize later and create a private moment just for the two of them to properly commemorate this special day…
‘I never imagined he’d get angry in such a public setting.’
Alicia had been foolish to believe that, despite the unwanted engagement and marriage, he’d at least show her that much courtesy as her husband.
“I hate wasting time the most.”
“Killian…”
“I despise repeating myself. Use the proper title.”
“I—I…”
“If you ever summon me again for such pointless matters, Your Majesty… I won’t hold back anymore.”
This is a nightmare.
The worst possible dream—dragging a painful memory from the past and displaying it vividly before her eyes.
The nobles encircling them in a wide ring watched with eyes gleaming in vulgar delight.
The downfall of someone noble was the greatest entertainment for onlookers.
Not a single person stepped forward for Alicia.
They merely stood by, treating her humiliation as spectacle.
Back then, she’d been too hurt by Killian’s behavior to even notice her surroundings—but now, things were different.
‘Did everyone really look at me like that?’
Though this dream pulled from actual events, it rendered even forgotten details with unnatural clarity—likely colored by her own imagination. And yet, not a trace of sympathy could be found in the scene.
‘…How pathetic.’
It was sorrowful, agonizing, horrifying, and utterly despairing.
Unable to conceal her anguish, she wanted to turn away—but the cruel dream wouldn’t allow her to escape.
“Since it’s a banquet hosted by Your Majesty, I trust you’ll manage to conclude it properly.”
“W-Wait… just a moment! Killian!”
“Then I’ll take my leave, Your Majesty.”
Killian turned as if he hadn’t heard Alicia’s voice and walked out of the Grand Hall.
Right behind him followed a noblewoman with striking red hair.
Cheryl Lewis—Killian’s lover.
Left alone in the Grand Hall was Alicia, while Cheryl had departed alongside Killian.
The nobles’ whispers grew louder, pressing down on Alicia like a crushing weight.
“Just as expected of His Grace…”
“He’s still with Lady Lewis…”
“Poor Her Majesty…”
“…Seriously, stealing another woman’s husband…”
Mocking remarks and contemptuous stares closed in around Alicia.
Killian’s voice, the sound of Cheryl’s heels following him, and the nobles’ laughter—all merged into a chaotic storm that shook her to the core.
She couldn’t stay here any longer.
‘Run—run away!’
For a moment forgetting this was just a dream amid dizziness, Alicia began running out of the hall, desperate to escape somewhere.
Someone behind her shouted for her to come back—but she couldn’t.
How long did she run?
The scenery around her began to shift.
As night turned to day and then back to night again, Alicia passed through the glass conservatory, her bedroom, the rose garden, and the temple where she’d married Killian.
And then, the place where she finally stopped running.
Gasping for breath, chest heaving, she looked around and realized she was in her private office.
Just moments ago, she’d been panting desperately—but when had she ended up sitting at her desk?
Cradling her head in both hands, she bowed low, barely recalling that this was still a dream.
Even the place she fled to was part of this nightmare.
“How long will you keep hesitating?”
As Alicia wondered how to end this nightmare, she lifted her head at the voice coming from above.
“Marquis Anderson.”
Silver hair loosely tied and falling over his shoulders, icy violet eyes sharp as blades.
The man who had become Imperial Chancellor at the youngest age in the empire’s history.
Raleigh Anderson.
The moment she saw him standing across her desk, gazing down at her, Alicia clenched her fists, recognizing which memory this nightmare was replaying.
“For the sake of Eregorn, the Duke must die.”
“…Have you forgotten he’s my husband?”
Again, her lips moved of their own accord.
She knew exactly what Raleigh would say next—even without hearing it.
“If the Duke weren’t Your Majesty’s husband, I wouldn’t be standing here now, burdened with the tedious task of persuading you.”
Yes—if that were the case, Killian would already be dead by Raleigh’s hand… or perhaps the other way around.
Raleigh hated Killian.
Because Killian had caused the death of the previous Marquis Anderson.
Though Killian hadn’t wielded the blade himself, the political situation he engineered had driven the former Marquis to his death.
His death had shaken the foundation of the nobles loyal to the Emperor, hastening the decline of imperial authority.
Though Raleigh remained the leader of the pro-imperial faction, he stood by Alicia not for the Emperor’s sake—but solely to check Killian.
“Do you even know how much resources your beloved husband has stockpiled in preparation for war?”
“…”
“Don’t claim ignorance. I know you’re not that incompetent.”
“Marquis…”
“The imperial treasury is empty. Nobles in the frontier live poorer lives than commoners, and the people are starving to death.”
“…I know.”
“No. You don’t, Your Majesty.”
Raleigh’s firm words pierced Alicia’s heart.
She knew the fire burning in his violet eyes was fueled by anger—but beneath it lay compassion for the weak and deep affection for Eregorn.
“Right now, Eregorn is barely holding on. The moment war begins, it will collapse rapidly from within.”
Even if Killian won the war, he would never be satisfied.
Since nothing in this world could ever fulfill his hunger, he would surely keep grasping for more.
“If you are truly the Emperor of Eregorn—if you feel even a shred of responsibility for ruining this empire!”
She knew.
She knew exactly what he would say next.
‘Kill him.’
“Kill him.”
Raleigh placed a small black glass vial on Alicia’s desk.
“It’s poison. I trust you know how to use it.”
If she told him those words sounded like an order for her to die alongside Killian—how would this man before her respond?
“…I need time to think.”
The scene before her warped.
Knowing precisely what would happen next—what her choice would unleash—Alicia squeezed her eyes shut, recalling the agony of that moment.
“I sincerely hope you’ll make a choice worthy of Eregorn’s great Emperor.”
Raleigh’s voice echoed relentlessly in her ears, demanding an “imperial” decision.
And Alicia would make the same choice again.
Even in a dream, she was the kind of person who would never choose anything that might harm Killian.
Because that was who Alicia was.
Male lead fell into her trap — and shattered when she walked away
This is also on my reread list!
This one is a slow burn, but when it burns, it burns hard.
Definitely worth a read, y’all!
The story follows a thousand-year-old seductive spirit who, on a bet, sets out to charm the male lead—a once-promising but unfortunate cultivator.
But just when she succeeds in making him fall for her, she heartlessly leaves, driving him to madness.
Determined to find her at all costs, he captures her, keeping her by his side no matter what, even if she hates him.
I love this kind of trope—I enjoy watching the male lead suffer in agony.
The ending drags a bit with unnecessary filler, but that’s fine.
As long as I enjoy the beginning, I’m good.
Intro
As an enchantress, Su Heng possesses captivating eyes and charming beauty, easily manipulating the joys and sorrows of living beings at her fingertips.
But to enchant a god, making him taste the bitterness of love’s separation, long-lasting resentment, unattainable desires, and inability to let go…
Do you dare?
Su Heng assists a divine lord in his cultivation, aiming to make him experience all the sufferings of love, so that he can attain the Great Dao.
Only after being chased down from the heavens by the divine lord, confined and completely possessed by him, does she realize how successful she has been.
The once gentle and polite youth has transformed into someone she no longer recognizes.
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To me … She’s being annoying😒😒😒 she yap too much eheeh
The Audacity of that bitch!!! 😡😡 Glad the princess kept her in her place
Alicia is very unlucky. Of all the servants, she found only Killian’s spy.