Claes could no longer speak to Karad.

“Now, get ready!”

The knights who had been riding alongside them grabbed the Divine Net and rushed forward.

Chohee didn’t know about the Divine Net.

But when the knights flanked her on both sides, she sensed that Karad was about to do something.

‘No! At this rate, I’ll really get caught!’

Panicking, she increased her speed, but it wasn’t easy to outpace the knights desperately galloping.

She looked at the barbed wire fences of the border line, less than a hundred steps away. She felt she would definitely be caught unless she used the magic scroll called ‘Wind’s Rising Current’ that she had prepared to cross over there right now.

‘I have no choice. I have to use it here… I just hope the effect lasts a little longer!’

Anxiety and unease spread through her chest.

Seeing Chohee tearing the scroll, the knights’ eyes widened. In that moment, Chohee received the scroll’s magic power and instantly put distance between herself and the knights.

Since ‘Wind’s Rising Current’ was a magic scroll that enhanced jumping ability, Chohee bounced along and ran out swiftly like a rabbit.

“Elysia…!”

Please escape. Please.

Claes called her name in anguish, but fortunately, seemingly knowing his wish, Chohee didn’t stop.

And when she finally reached right in front of the barbed wire, she leaped up like a spring.

‘I did it!’

“Throw the Divine Net immediately!”

“Yes! Understood!”

But that was a mistake.

When she reached right above the barbed wire, the Divine Net restrained Chohee’s body. When the knight pulled the net rope, she was instantly pulled away from the barbed wire.

“…!”

‘No…!’

“Elysia, I told you. You’d have to pay the price.”

Karad spoke cruelly while licking his lips. Claes, who had been riding the white horse, gazed at her with a pained expression, but trapped Chohee could only bite her lips tightly and couldn’t look at his face.

A slight stinging pain rose from the skin that touched the net, but Chohee had no intention of pleading with Karad.

“Look forward to it. I’ll violate you more intensely than ever before.”

Karad spoke to her with a cold expression. But not wanting to hear even that whisper, she covered her ears and lowered her head.

More than this faint pain climbing up her body, the thought of having to accept a future as a Breeding Vessel tormented her even more.

‘I want to return to my world. I don’t want this anymore…’

Soon hot tears fell, tracing lines down her face.

‘I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Chohee.’

“We return…”

“Yes!”

When Claes spoke weakly, the knights followed.

But without even thinking to look at him, Chohee only sniffled while wrapped in the net.

No matter what happened to Lars, she didn’t regret running away.

She only regretted not meeting his expectations and failing to escape outside the empire.

“…”

Claes quietly gazed at such Chohee, but he couldn’t comfort her as she covered her eyes with both hands and sobbed.

He had to protect his position as Crown Prince.

That way, when the emperor passed away, he could ascend to the throne and prevent Elysia from living only as a Breeding Vessel due to the contradictory oracle.

‘…What importance could this position have when I can’t even comfort the one person I love.’

But the doubt that arose was unavoidable.

And if the emperor continued to live…

Her days of having to live as a Breeding Vessel for the three princes would never end.

‘Haah…’

It felt like his chest was full of thorns.

And it was the same for Chohee.

‘Now I’m going back to the days when I was only treated as a Breeding Vessel? I hate having to keep listening to Karad’s harsh words. I’d rather die…’

It was truly a night filled with agonizing thoughts.

Being dragged away in the net, Chohee recalled the last day she had possessed this body.

Remembering the kindness of that day when gentle Claes and Lars had found her.

* * *

“What!? You want to t*rture Elysia? Are you in your right mind saying that?”

Claes shouted with a voice full of rage. He was furious to his core. It was truly nonsensical.

But Karad raised the corners of his mouth and spoke clearly once more.

“There’s no choice, is there? She won’t open her mouth about who gave her the scrolls.”

“Karad!”

He barely restrained himself from wanting to slap Karad’s face due to the emotions boiling in his chest. If he raised his hand, Duke Serow and the Empress wouldn’t stand for it.

However, his fists trembled uncontrollably, almost impossible to suppress. Claes spoke without hiding his anger.

“Don’t talk crazy. Even though it’s a contradictory oracle, before the oracle to treat her only as a Breeding Vessel, there was also an oracle to welcome her as a one and only wife. Who in the world confines and t*rtures their wife! Stop talking nonsense!”

Then Karad cruelly raised his lips.

“Are you saying you won’t hold Elysia accountable for running away from the Imperial Palace?”

“Shut up, Karad. Even if Elysia fled, there’s no provision that makes that a crime. Only those who cooperated in the escape can be punished!”

Karad’s eyes became even more insolent, but Claes continued.

“Moreover, fundamentally, Elysia ran away from this Imperial Palace because the oracle requiring her to be treated only as a Breeding Vessel was too painful for her to accept!”

Karad let out a laugh. “Haha.”

“His Majesty the Emperor would be truly delighted to hear that you still think of Elysia as your wife. May I convey what you just said to him?”

Claes felt rage rise to the top of his head.

But soon he made his decision.

‘If I don’t prevent my one and only wife from being tortured, what meaning would the Crown Prince position have?’

Rather than watching her be tortured, it would be better to prevent the t*rture and flee with her to live in another country.

Claes answered firmly.

“Yes. Tell him! But under no circumstances can I overlook Elysia being tortured. His Majesty the Emperor would also refuse the order to t*rture Elysia.”

“…”

“In any case, she’s the only one who can bear our children. Torturing such a person is truly insane!”

Karad found Claes, speaking like a champion of justice, disgusting. He couldn’t understand why he treasured a woman who was merely a Breeding Vessel so much.

‘She’s only good for relieving l*st.’

She should be grateful for being treated as a Breeding Vessel – should she be revered like a queen? Karad spoke coldly to Claes.

“I understand. I’ll speak directly to His Majesty the Emperor. Let’s go together, brother.”

“Fine.”

Claes looked at Chohee trapped behind the bars of the underground dungeon. It pained his heart to see her, who would become his wife, sitting blankly on the cold floor. 

Even though she had heard his entire conversation with Karad, her lack of movement seemed to prove the wounds she had received, which tormented him.

‘I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Chohee… for not being able to protect you properly…’

Claes wanted to cry instead. But if he became weak now, there would be no one left to protect Chohee. With Lars also confined to the Third Prince’s Palace, he was the only one who could speak up for Chohee.

Meanwhile, only after Claes and Karad had left did tears stream down from Chohee’s eyes. Now knowing that Claes was prepared to lose his Crown Prince position for her sake, she felt sorry for having suspected and resented him because of Karad’s words.

‘I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Claes.’

Thinking about it now, Lars alone couldn’t have gotten her out. Without the cooperation of Claes, who was in the upper command ranks, finding out the shift times of the knights patrolling the Imperial Palace would have been suspiciously difficult.

“Sob…”

Chohee covered her face with both hands. When the sound of her sobbing echoed through the prison corridor, the knight guarding in front glanced at her with pitying eyes.

She was indeed Elysia. Her hair and eye color, like the night sky itself, combined with her pale skin to create mysterious purity. He couldn’t understand Karad wanting to t*rture such a beautiful woman that just looking at her made him sigh.

‘Since she’s so beautiful, I can understand the hearts of Lord Claes and Lord Lars wanting to make her their one and only wife.’

The knight hesitated for a moment, then took out a handkerchief and pushed it in front of her. He wanted to let her wipe her face when she got tired of crying.

Actually, the fact that the contradictory oracle was strange was something the nobles and knights had recently recognized too. Originally, Elysia should have been unable to read or speak, and it would be normal for her to be incomprehensible, but this Elysia was different – she understood writing and speech.

Moreover, she was cultured enough to read complex political texts and history books, so even if she became a wife, she could become a wise wife who could help with government affairs if she learned well.

Therefore, rumors were quietly spreading in social circles that the first oracle was real and the later one was untrustworthy, along with Altair’s suspicious death.

“…Huh.”

When both of Chohee’s hands became soaked, she raised her head. Seeing the handkerchief in front of her, she carefully picked it up. When she turned her head to look at the knight, he scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

“…”

Chohee bowed silently to him. Then she wiped her face with the handkerchief. Even that sight was so fragile and pitiful that it made his heart ache.

‘There’s nothing to t*rture, so what exactly does he plan to t*rture…’

He couldn’t understand Karad’s intention to t*rture such a lovely woman who seemed like she would break if even one finger was twisted, especially someone who might become a wife.

That’s when several hours had passed.

“Elysia!”

Lars came rushing down the stairs with urgent steps. His face turned pale seeing Chohee trapped in the underground dungeon. He immediately commanded.

“Open the door right now!”

“Understood.”

Claes and Karad hadn’t decided that Chohee couldn’t meet anyone. Therefore, even though Chohee was in prison, there was no limit on visitors. Lars entered the prison with tears welling in his eyes and embraced Chohee.

“You’ve suffered so much. I’m sorry. For not being able to do better for you.”

Chohee felt tears pouring out again. So she nestled into Lars’s embrace with trembling arms and shook her head.

“No, Lars. You did your best.”

“Elysia…”

The knight deliberately stepped away, pretending not to see the intensity between the two lovers. Thanks to this, the conversation between Lars and Chohee could only be heard by themselves and no one else.

“I’m sorry for not escaping properly. If I had gone straight to the barbed wire when I stopped at the village instead of resting, I would have escaped immediately.”

Lars shook his head.

“No. Actually, right after Elysia disappeared from the detached palace, Duke Serow and Karad joined forces and headed to Saraum Village, the border closest to the capital. Seeing how quickly they acted, it seems they had anticipated your escape.”