Unable To Escape (10 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 6
Eregorn’s winter begins with snow and ends with snow.
Though it did not snow incessantly throughout the season, each snowfall gradually accumulated more than the last, and by winter’s end, the snow was deep enough to completely immobilize both people and beasts.
That was precisely why Alicia hurried to prepare for her move to Lasa Castle.
“The final snow of winter has begun to fall.”
The most luxurious and beautiful bedroom in Lasa Castle.
Standing by its window, gazing at the snow piling up outside, Alicia’s murmured words left a faint trace on the cold glass.
“Your Highness, it’s cold by the window. Please come inside.”
Early that morning, Amy had come to Alicia’s bedroom to assist her with her morning routine and now called out to her in a voice filled with concern.
Unlike the cold, white world beyond the window, warmth filled the room’s interior—Amy stood holding a white towel, and beside her, Mina held a basin of warm water for washing.
This had been their daily morning scene ever since they moved to Lasa Castle.
“I was thinking of lazing about today…”
“Wash your face first, then decide.”
At Amy’s gentle nagging, Alicia grumbled softly, finished her morning wash, carefully massaged her face with toner and cream, then—looking genuinely reluctant—slipped back into bed, still wrapped in her robe.
“I’m bored…”
“But didn’t you say you liked how quiet and peaceful it is here?”
“Yeah—only for the first week.”
Before her temporal regression, during her time as Emperor, Alicia had never truly experienced rest.
From the moment she chose death until that very instant, she had been mentally exhausted—but now, for the first time in ages, she could enjoy real relaxation at Lasa Castle.
The problem was that, having grown accustomed to the breathless pace of imperial duties, she now found these perfectly calm, uneventful days unbearably dull.
‘Even when winter ends, I still can’t return to the imperial capital…’
When spring came and the surrounding snow melted, she might manage short outings—but since she was here under the pretense of illness, she still had to be mindful of others’ perceptions.
‘Shall I visit the greenhouse?’
Lasa Castle did have a glass greenhouse.
Though not as grand as the one in the imperial capital, it was just the right size for forgetting the season, admiring vibrant flowers, and enjoying a cup of tea. Adrian had gifted it to Alicia for her tenth birthday.
Having realized that no matter how much he economized on the Crown Prince’s budget, he could never present her with a palace as magnificent as the Emperor’s, Adrian had poured every coin he’d saved up until then into building it.
A greenhouse requiring constant human attention, built in a castle he visited only a few times a year—
Of course, dedicated staff maintained it, so Alicia needed only enjoy its beauty.
Yet, perhaps because she had experienced firsthand the harsh realities of ‘budgeting’ during her reign as Emperor, she could no longer innocently appreciate scenery as she had in childhood.
‘Older Brother is too frugal when saving and far too extravagant when spending. I hope Sienna reins him in properly this time…’
At this point, Adrian and Sienna had only been married for three months—they were still newlyweds.
Sienna, overwhelmed by the effort of adapting to the imperial capital’s atmosphere, hadn’t yet revealed her true character—but once her adjustment period ended, she would surely prove more capable than anyone else at curbing Adrian’s occasional recklessness.
‘She was a woman of great strength—but not merely strong in a blunt sense.’
In the previous timeline, after losing her husband before even bearing an heir, Sienna had voluntarily stepped down from her position as Crown Princess and entered a convent, unwilling to become an obstacle to Alicia’s ascension to the throne.
She had made that decision barely a month after her husband’s death.
Back then, reeling from the shock of losing her younger brother, Alicia had mistakenly assumed Sienna’s calm demeanor meant she wasn’t deeply grieving.
The truth only came to light later, when—after the Emperor collapsed—Alicia reached out to the convent for her help.
Sienna, seemingly composed, had actually lost all will to live.
She had attempted to hang herself on her very first day in the convent.
Her death had been concealed, following her final wish not to burden Alicia further.
How deeply Alicia regretted learning these truths too late.
‘This time, I’ll protect everyone.’
Still prone on the bed, Alicia turned only her head to look back out the window—her sky-blue eyes sparkling.
The tragedy had begun with Adrian’s death.
Shattered by the loss of his beloved son, the Emperor collapsed, never recovered, and ultimately crossed the uncrossable river to reunite with his cherished child.
His grieving widow hanged herself, and Alicia, left utterly alone…
‘…was forced to watch as her beloved was falsely accused of murdering her own family.’
It was the death of blood kin.
No matter how incapable Alicia might have seemed, she was both Imperial Princess and Emperor.
She had used every resource at her disposal to track down Adrian’s killer, yet only confirmed it had been a simple accident.
Meanwhile, rumors spread.
Trending
Whispers claimed Duke Diaz—now Alicia’s fiancé—had murdered the Crown Prince to seize power.
Given that Adrian died, Alicia inherited the throne, and Killian subsequently wielded power through her, the accusation wasn’t entirely baseless.
But Killian murdering Adrian?
That was unthinkable.
As the sole imperial heir, Alicia had used her authority to silence them.
While political calculation played a role, her decision stemmed primarily from deep love and trust in Killian.
Though none openly spoke of it afterward, many beneath the surface twisted the tale to their liking, feasting on gossip.
‘Killian… I’ve put my love for you aside. So this is my debt of conscience. Had you not been my fiancé, I wouldn’t have had to hear such things.’
She would prevent Adrian’s death—and stop all subsequent tragedies.
She would also ensure Killian remained untainted by scandal stemming from that incident.
‘…But now that there will be neither engagement nor marriage, perhaps I needn’t worry about that anymore?’
Indeed, getting engaged had been a mistake.
Look—even correcting just that one thing already seemed to be setting events right!
After staring blankly out the window for a while, Alicia gently curved her lips into a soft smile.
Since her regression, everything had felt increasingly blessed.
‘May good fortune continue to fill my days…’
Making a brief wish as she watched the snow fall outside, Alicia rose from her prone position.
She’d intended not to step out of bed even once today—but idly lazing about clearly didn’t suit her.
‘Since it’s been so long, I’ll enjoy the greenhouse until I’m tired of it. Should I ask for a sweeter tea today?’
Seated before her dressing table, brushing her hair with a comb carved from buffalo horn, Alicia mentally outlined her day’s schedule.
Just as she was concluding it would be another peaceful—albeit slightly dull—day,
the bedroom door suddenly burst open, and Mina rushed in with a panicked expression, stopping right before Alicia.
“Mina? What’s wrong?”
“Y-Your Highness! Something terrible—something terrible has happened!”
“Hm?”
What on earth could have drained all the color from her face like that?
Noticing how intently Mina was watching her for cues—and feeling her own anxiety rise—Alicia swallowed hard.
“Tell me slowly. What happened?”
“I-It’s the wolves!”
“Wolves?”
Alicia’s eyes briefly flicked toward the window.
When winter’s final snow fell, Eregorn’s wild beasts remained holed up in their dens, refusing to emerge.
Wolves, of all creatures?
Alicia knew well that since Lasa Castle’s construction, ferocious beasts had been systematically driven beyond a certain perimeter or eliminated each year to ensure safety.
Wolves simply couldn’t be here now.
That very impossibility made her suspicious.
Though sometimes flustered, Mina never lied to her—not ever.
Beyond her innate honesty, Mina—who’d received systematic training from Amy—was Alicia’s loyal servant, a girl who would unhesitatingly lay down her life for her.
For such a girl to claim wolves, unseen in this area at this time of year, were approaching…
“Mina. Tell me again—what exactly happened?”
“Y-Yes! I’m sorry! They say the wolves of Diaz—along with their master—are heading here!”
“…What?”
“The wolves of Diaz”—the term referred to Badulf’s elite unit, Killian’s personal detachment specializing in hunting magical beasts.
And now those wolves were allegedly coming to Lasa Castle with their master?
In that instant, Alicia recalled hearing—just before leaving the capital—that Killian was heading toward the imperial city.
His letter had been sent the day he departed the Vinion Duchy.
Calculating the time needed for the letter to travel via beast and human couriers, plus the time it took her to leave the capital upon hearing the news, and finally the journey here and her stay so far—she quickly deduced the answer.
‘So they’ve met winter’s final snow just short of the capital!’
Lasa Castle was a resort fortress situated slightly off the main route to the capital.
Killian, traveling swiftly, must have reached the capital’s outskirts only to be halted by the last snowfall.
ads
And thanks to Alicia’s repeated boasts about Lasa Castle in her letters to him, he undoubtedly knew its exact location.
“…Who delivered this news?”
“One of the wolves. They said their path was blocked by the final snowfall during their journey. Remembering Lasa Castle was nearby, they’ve come to request permission to stay until the snow clears…”
“…So he didn’t know I was here.”
“No. They intended to ask the castle steward for permission and report to the capital once spring arrived…”
Mina’s words barely registered.
Right now, Alicia’s mind was filled with only one thought: Killian was coming here.
The most beautiful and ruthless wolf of Diaz was drawing near—to her.
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When yandere male lead believes she loves him — but she never did
“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.”
“I will never let you return to him.”
“Even if I have to burn myself to ashes.”
“Even if I must shatter my purity, my dignity, my very soul.”
“I will never let you escape me!”

This was the first novel that introduced me to the matriarchal genre. I’ve read it three times already!
At first, the male lead despised the female lead. Later, he misunderstood that she liked him, so he condescendingly and reluctantly reciprocated her feelings.
Then, he suddenly discovered that she was kind to everyone in the same way, and there was already someone she cherished in her heart, and that person was not him.
The male lead couldn’t believe it, he became angry and crazy. He was determined to capture her body and heart by any means necessary.
Synopsis:
Want to see how a green tea bitch male lead falls in love with the female lead?
Want to see how he flirtatiously pursues the female lead?
Want to see how he gets slapped in the face repeatedly?
The male lead is a green tea bitch, a poisonous lotus, jealous, ruthless, unscrupulous, with a venomous heart, and he’s also a delusional maniac.
The female lead is righteous, positive energy-filled, kind, a holy mother.
Let’s see how two people with extreme personalities come together~
_____
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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!