Unable To Escape (10 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 5

Nodding at his son’s resolute reply, the Emperor spoke again.

“Are you worried she might waver?”

“She’s a kind and delicate child. It’s been not just a year or two—since the age of thirteen until now, she’s held him in her heart. She can’t possibly cut him off all at once.”

“True.”

Though it was a tale from childhood, his beloved daughter remained just as fragile and in need of his care as she had been back then.

“Ari mustn’t meet the Duke for now. She’s barely made up her mind to cut him off… She’ll surely waver if they cross paths.”

The Emperor, who seemed to understand Killian well, knew—as did the Crown Prince—exactly what sort of man he was.

If Killian and Alicia were to become betrothed… his younger sister would never find happiness.

Adrian hoped that Alicia’s blossoming smile, as lovely as a flower, wouldn’t wither beside that cold and fearsome man.

“The Duke will have to stay in the Imperial Capital, won’t he?”

“If what’s written in this letter is true, then yes.”

Before heading to the capital, Killian had already sent a letter containing matters that could pose a direct threat to the Empire.

If those claims were true and backed by solid evidence, Killian—having come to the Imperial Capital to report—would need to remain within the city for the time being, at least for reasons of security.

That was precisely what troubled both the Emperor and the Crown Prince.

“The capital may be vast, yet there’s no guarantee the two of them won’t run into each other.”

“Indeed.”

“…Your Majesty, if you permit, I’d like to send Princess Alicia to Lasa Castle to recuperate.”

A request made not as a son to his father, but as a subject to his Emperor.

The Emperor instantly understood what Adrian was about to say.

“You wish for the Princess not to attend the Spring Banquet.”

“Yes, just this once.”

The Spring Banquet was the grandest event of the Eregorn Empire—a celebration blessing those who bid farewell to the old year and welcomed the new.

Anyone who missed the banquet would be deemed as lingering in the past year and barred from attending any official events until the new year fully dawned; thus, every noble of the Empire was obligated to attend—and the Imperial Family was no exception.

Yet, as with most rules, there existed one exception: serious illness.

Those suffering from illness were excused from attending and could formally welcome the new year by receiving the Emperor’s decree from their sickbed.

“Lasa Castle, you say…”

Nestled beside a beautiful lake against a backdrop of low mountains, Lasa Castle had been a gift from the Emperor to Alicia on her seventh birthday.

Located just four days by carriage from the capital, the castle embodied the Emperor’s wish never to send his daughter too far away should she ever fall ill.

The Emperor recalled how, back then, his son had been so upset—convinced that his father had given Alicia an even greater gift than what he himself had prepared—that he hadn’t spoken to him for an entire week.

“…You seem to be lost in strange thoughts?”

“Recollecting the past is a privilege of the elderly.”

“Firstly, Father, you’re far too young to be called elderly, and secondly, now is hardly the time for nostalgic reminiscing.”

“Hmph.”

Adrian swiftly redirected the conversation, sensing the Emperor was likely recalling memories unfavorable to himself.

“Back to the matter at hand… Feigning illness was the first idea that came to mind, though I suspect you wouldn’t approve.”

“Naturally.”

The nobles still didn’t know that Alicia had let go of her feelings for Killian.

Even the Emperor himself sometimes found it hard to believe—so how could anyone else readily accept such a sudden change, no matter how skillfully the rumor was spread?

If word got out that the Princess was retreating to recuperate from heartbreak, everyone would immediately think of Killian.

“The Princess must not become entangled with Duke Diaz any further.”

“Then we have no choice. Since we can’t use a genuine illness, I’ll ask Ari to feign one.”

“…Will she listen to you?”

“Has Ari ever been a stranger to pretending illness?”

“That was the last time she did it—at twelve years old. She turned from a rascal into a demure young lady overnight and gave her father quite the anxious heart.”

The very day Alicia changed was the same day she’d fallen for Killian at first sight.

If only they hadn’t summoned him to the capital back then…

But then again, the Alicia he knew would’ve thrown herself at Killian’s feet the moment she saw him, no matter the time or place.

“I’ll persuade her. Once she hears that Duke Diaz is coming, Ari will likely agree.”

“Just don’t make it too severe an illness.”

“I’ll ensure she returns by the time spring ends and Duke Diaz leaves the capital.”

“Very well.”

Having boldly declared to the Emperor his intent to convince Alicia, Adrian immediately went to find her.

But upon striding confidently into her room, he was met with an unexpected sight.

“No.”

“Ari?”

“You’re telling me to leave the capital and skip the Spring Banquet? I am a Princess of Eregorn!”

Alicia quickly grasped why her older brother wanted her to go to Lasa Castle.

Partly because Adrian hadn’t even attempted to hide his true intentions—but more importantly, because her experience from her previous life had gifted her with sharp intuition.

“It’s not that you must leave forever. Just stay long enough to gather your thoughts and come back.”

“I know! You’re telling me to run away to avoid Killian!”

“Ari!”

She understood perfectly why the Crown Prince had made this proposal—and why the Emperor had allowed it.

It was all because of her own foolishness.

Her beloved father and brother knew all too well that she couldn’t properly control her own heart, and that the moment she saw him again, she’d waver once more.

‘I know! I know that! But even so…!’

She had resolved to fulfill her duty as a Princess.

She had sworn to endure any hardship for that purpose!

“I—I am a Princess of Eregorn.”

“No one would ever deny that.”

“I can absolutely stand firm even in front of Killian—no, Duke Diaz! Please believe me; I won’t waver! Truly!”

“Ari, it’s not that I don’t trust you.”

Adrian wrapped his arms around Alicia’s shoulders and gently patted her trembling back, trying to calm her agitation.

“Your father and I simply don’t want you to have to endure such pain.”

These were her family—so tenderly affectionate.

Why hadn’t she recognized this precious kindness in her previous life?

Blinded by her desperate yearning for love, she’d turned away from hearts this precious.

Alicia bit her lower lip, fighting back tears that threatened to spill anew.

If she cried again here, just as before, she’d force her family into making choices for her sake once more.

“It’s not that we’re asking you to avoid him forever. You just need a little more time.”

“…Time to sort out my feelings?”

“No matter how firm your resolve, a human heart can’t be sliced away as cleanly as paper cut by a blade.”

“…”

“So please, just this once, listen to me.”

“…Not just this once—I’ll always follow your wishes, Brother.”

“That’s my good little sister—she always will.”

Alicia stepped out of Adrian’s embrace, took his hand, and smiled.

Ever since that day when she’d shed inexplicable tears for so long, her smile was no longer the bright, cheerful one from before—it had become achingly sorrowful, enough to make one’s heart ache just watching it.

Perhaps it was the wound left from cutting away a piece of her own heart.

But wounds, after all, do heal with time.

Hoping his sister’s wound would fade without leaving a deep scar, Adrian spoke playfully.

“Now, let’s figure out what illness you’ll pretend to have.”

“The first thing that comes to mind is heartbreak, but… Father wouldn’t approve, would he?”

“Ari, you really are my sister.”

“Huh?”

“Ahem—never mind. As you said, Father wouldn’t allow it.”

“I’ll be back before summer, so it can’t be anything too serious.”

“…And you really are Father’s daughter too.”

“Brother? What on earth are you talking about all of a sudden?”

“Nothing. Anyway, for that reason, we need an illness that’s serious enough to require leaving the capital and missing the Spring Banquet—but not too grave…”

Though Alicia noticed Adrian trying to change the subject, she decided to go along with his intention.

“Let’s figure it out together, Brother.”

Naturally, the Crown Prince’s face brightened at her reply.

And to cut to the conclusion—what the siblings came up with that day, after much deliberation, was instantly dismissed with a single snort from Dalton, the Imperial Chief Physician.

[You speak of illness as if it’s some sort of toy you can cobble together at will—neither too serious nor too mild, yet grave enough to keep her from the capital and the Spring Banquet?]

Apparently, the Imperial Physician had taken offense at their attempt to handpick an illness to suit their tastes.

Fortunately, however, Alicia had long been something of a troublemaker in Dalton’s eyes—he’d served as the capital’s physician for many years.

To Dalton, who remained unmarried and alone, Alicia—whom he’d cared for since childhood—was as dear as a granddaughter.

Upon hearing this, Adrian would surely argue that by the same logic, he was practically Dalton’s grandson too—but honestly, wasn’t it only natural that daughters were more beloved than sons, and granddaughters more precious than grandsons?

“He might get even angrier when he hears that.”

“Yet haven’t you yourself occasionally called your son ‘repulsive,’ Your Majesty?”

“To be honest, a daughter is far more endearing than a son.”

“Precisely my point.”

Anyway, with Dalton’s help in settling on a diagnosis, rumors quickly spread throughout the capital that Alicia had contracted a highly contagious illness.

And while those rumors circulated, Alicia finished her preparations to leave the capital and, at dawn, boarded a carriage under the send-off of the Emperor, the Crown Prince, and his wife.

All of this happened within just three days of hearing that Killian was heading toward the capital.