Unable To Escape (10 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 4
Before her regression, Alicia had made many mistakes.
Most were trivial errors anyone could make, but there were also grave missteps that drove her to choose death herself.
And one of those major mistakes was precisely her engagement to Killian.
‘That was the beginning of all my misfortune.’
Following the course of her past life, this winter would have been the very time she received imperial approval for her engagement to Killian and shed tears of joy.
At the age of eighteen, in winter, Alicia obtained the Emperor’s permission and sent a formal proposal letter she had written herself to the Duchy of Vinion.
She had heard rumors that on the day her daily love letters were replaced by an official proposal, a minor commotion had arisen within the ducal palace.
But that was the end of it.
Upon hearing the news, other nobles merely nodded once, as if finally acknowledging something they had long expected.
‘After all, it wasn’t a secret that I was clinging to Killian.’
It was in the spring of her thirteenth year when she first laid eyes on Killian, who had come to the imperial capital alongside his grandfather, Duke Diaz, to represent his late elder brother, and fell for him instantly.
From that day onward, until her death, Alicia’s heart never wavered.
‘But it’s different now.’
Instead of stubbornly sending the formal proposal letter she had originally written herself, Alicia sent Killian a farewell letter instead.
She could have simply stopped sending her passionate daily letters and called it quits, but she felt she needed to bid him a proper goodbye to fully let go of her lingering attachment.
“Seeing you write that letter, Brother was delighted.”
“Huh? Your Highness, what did you say?”
“Nothing at all.”
Having sorted through her thoughts alone, Alicia waved a hand toward Mina, who was contemplating whether to refill her empty teacup.
At her gesture, Mina swiftly cleared the tea table.
Watching the tabletop instantly become spotless, Alicia lifted her gaze and took in the surrounding scenery.
“The Fairies are blooming beautifully.”
“The gardeners and greenhouse caretakers pay extra attention to them, as they’re Your Highness’s favorite flower.”
Named “Fairy” because its small, full blossoms resemble the hem of a fairy’s dress,
Alicia’s beloved red flowers climbed the white gazebo’s arched pillars and fences inside the grand glass greenhouse, capturing every onlooker’s gaze with their splendid, breathtaking beauty.
After gazing for a moment at the vibrant blooms, Alicia remained seated and reached out, gently brushing the petals of a climbing rose that had flowered inside the gazebo.
“Your Highness, the thorns are sharp.”
Amy, standing quietly behind Alicia and closely watching over her, softly issued a warning.
As both the nurse who had raised young Alicia and the head maid responsible for managing the Crown Princess’s household, Amy held considerable influence within the imperial palace—
though only concerning matters related to Alicia. Knowing her place well, she never spoke out of turn, and thus had never once wielded that influence until now.
‘The first time Amy ever spoke up was about her.’
Cheryl Lewis, Countess Lewis’s daughter—the woman secretly involved with Killian.
The same woman who, like Killian himself, had been a powerful heir, had pushed aside her own older brother to claim the title of Countess.
She had become the owner of the empire’s largest trade guild only because of Killian’s support as her lover.
Killian—who was to become the fiancé of the Crown Princess and later the Emperor’s husband—never abandoned his lover.
‘When you think about it, I practically stole her place.’
Not only had Alicia caused pain to her father and brother through her stubbornness, but she had also taken an innocent woman’s beloved.
Thus, even after learning that Killian had never severed ties with his lover, Alicia pretended not to know.
Partly because she believed their relationship would naturally fizzle out with time—but mostly because, back then, she was still confident she could win Killian’s heart.
“How foolish.”
“Your Highness?”
Not just foolish—but arrogant and conceited as well.
Having never encountered anything that didn’t go her way, she had been absolutely certain she could win Killian’s affection too.
Alicia gave Amy, who watched her with concern, a slight wave and a reassuring smile as if nothing were wrong.
‘There will be no engagement. Nor marriage. Killian will be happy with her, and I… will fulfill my duty as Princess of Eregorn.’
The Emperor had told her it wasn’t necessary, yet Alicia still felt indebted to Eregorn.
Though that debt had now been erased from reality, emotional debts weren’t so easily dismissed.
Therefore, in this life, Alicia resolved to become a princess who would always benefit and serve the Empire, no matter what.
“Winter is drawing to a close.”
Stepping out of the gazebo and onto the garden soil, Alicia lifted her gaze toward the greenhouse’s glass ceiling.
Unlike the warm, bright interior, the dome’s upper surface was repeatedly blanketed with snow that had begun falling since morning, accumulating to a certain thickness before sliding down again and again.
“The final snowfall will come soon, and then spring will arrive shortly after.”
Amy, who had followed Alicia out of the gazebo, draped a light shawl over her shoulders as she replied.
“I’d like to stay at Lasa Palace briefly once the banquet ends… Do you think Father will grant permission?”
“How long do you plan to stay?”
“Until the end of spring.”
“…He’ll surely allow it.”
Amy had cared for Alicia from the moment of her birth until this very day.
Recognizing instantly that this request to retreat to a rest palace was really an attempt to avoid Killian, she nodded.
“If you inform His Majesty, he’ll probably even permit you to skip the banquet entirely.”
“No. It’s not just any event—it’s the Spring Banquet. As Crown Princess, I can’t possibly be absent.”
“Will you truly be alright?”
“…It’s only for a short while. Besides, if I don’t approach him first… he’ll certainly never come to me.”
A person’s heart cannot be severed all at once.
Although Alicia had resolved to let go of her feelings for him, she well knew it wouldn’t be as easy as merely saying so. With a bitter smile, she shook her head.
Yet she wasn’t afraid of the banquet where she would inevitably face Killian.
It had always been Alicia who approached him.
She was the one who pleaded, the one who begged for his love.
And Killian was the one who, despite witnessing all of it, never offered even the faintest glimmer of affection in return.
So it would be the same this time too.
Especially now that she had already sent him a letter apologizing for everything and promising never to trouble him again.
If Killian were the man she knew, he would have read that letter, felt relieved to have resolved one bothersome issue, and burned it without a second thought.
“Anyway, he won’t care about me at all.”
Moreover, Alicia had an absolute reason to attend this banquet.
‘Every noble in the Empire must know that I’ve let go of my feelings for Killian.’
Though no one said it aloud, the nobility all believed an engagement announcement between the Crown Princess and the Duke would soon follow.
They simply couldn’t predict the timing due to the Emperor’s opposition.
But Alicia had already moved on and was now preparing for a marriage that would serve the Empire.
The Emperor told her it wasn’t necessary, yet Alicia had vowed to dedicate this life to the Empire.
She didn’t know yet whom she would marry, but once her match was decided, she would give him her undivided attention and do her utmost for him.
Therefore, for the sake of her yet-unknown future husband, she needed to sever ties with Killian cleanly and officially.
‘Because I know exactly what kind of hell it is when the heart of a spouse—who should be your closest companion—is given to someone else.’
She didn’t want to subject anyone else to the same hell she had endured before her regression.
‘So from now on, I must plan carefully.’
How could she most effectively make it known that her feelings for Killian were truly over?
And not just known—but convince the nobles beyond doubt?
As Alicia adjusted the shawl slipping from her shoulders and began walking slowly, deep in thought about possible strategies,
a servant clearly having just rushed in from outside the greenhouse hurriedly whispered into Mina’s ear, and Mina, upon hearing the news, stiffened her expression before quietly relaying it to Amy.
“…Your Highness.”
Lost in thought, Alicia hadn’t noticed the small commotion behind her until Amy’s cautious voice made her halt and turn.
Only then did she see the servants and Mina, their faces pale as snow, and Amy looking at her with a complex expression.
“What’s happened?”
“Your Highness, Duke Diaz is on his way to the capital.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“He reportedly has urgent matters to report to His Imperial Majesty and is heading here faster than usual.”
“…What?”
“Because it’s an emergency, he’s headed straight for the Imperial Palace instead of his ducal residence in the city…”
For a moment, Alicia’s mind went blank. Only after slowly scanning the faces of those watching her did she finally grasp what Amy had just said.
Killian was returning.
Hearing this unexpected news, Alicia closed her eyes briefly, feeling an icy wind—impossible within the warm greenhouse—shudder through her body.
News of Killian’s early return reached the Emperor first.
The Crown Prince, who had recently begun learning state affairs at his father’s side, happened to be with the Emperor when the message arrived.
“Will she be alright?”
“…I don’t know.”
An urgent dispatch from the empire’s harshest region—the northern border—and the early return of its guardian.
That a man known for his cold precision and unwavering diligence was heading to the capital before winter’s end was a grim omen.
Yet the father and son seated in the Emperor’s office were worried about something else entirely.
“It hasn’t even been a month since Alicia said she’d sort out her feelings…”
Knowing his daughter needed ample time to heal, the Emperor looked anxiously at his son—their faces nearly identical.
“Adrian, what do you think?”
The Emperor asked his son, who cherished Alicia just as deeply as he did.
And without hesitation, Adrian replied firmly.
“Ari needs time.”
When the male lead is punished by carrying the female lead’s child and having periods like a woman
“I’ve given birth to two children for you, yet you still think about him.
Was I nothing but his substitute to you from beginning to end?”
Synopsis:
Meng Huan, a scumbag who has dated countless girlfriends, transmigrates to a female-dominated country.
Day 1: Whether it’s female dominance or not doesn’t matter. The beauties here are passionate and amorous. Isn’t it easier to date them than in modern times?
Day 2: After a night, Meng Huan discovers the differences in the female-dominated world. Men here actually have chastity locks and menstrual cycles. This hinders his ability to perform, damn it!
Day 3: What’s wrong with sleeping around? I don’t want you to marry me. I’m meant to be a playboy. I don’t care about male virtues… What? You want to drown me in a pig cage? Marry, I’ll marry!
Day N: Meng Huan inexplicably vomits and receives the shocking news of his life… He’s pregnant.
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Darn, her last life truly was the worst timeline. I hope Alicia and her family live happily this time.
Why does she love him? Is it purely because he is good looking? Clearly he didn’t treat you right, so for what reason keeps you clinging to him? Go find a hotter ML who will actually love you from the beginning!
I would also add….stupid as fuuuuuck ajaja girl get over him!