The Reason Why She Can’t Get Married - Chapter 46

Schedule: Tuesday and Friday

Chapter 46

‘Should I reveal she’s the princess?’ That might scare them off. But what if it made them even more aggressive?

A normal person would bow the moment they realized her identity, but these were masked strangers in a royal hunting ground, no less. Their reasoning might be different.

Selena’s heel bumped against a rock, stopping her abruptly. She suddenly turned her head and called out with a welcoming smile, “Lord Dixon! You’re back!”
The men hesitated, then looked questioningly in the direction of Selena’s gaze. But contrary to her words, there was no one there. Seizing the opportunity, Selena grabbed Gabriella’s wrist and started to run. It had been a ruse, pretending Dominique had returned, to distract them momentarily.

“Damn it, we’ve been tricked!”

“After them! Catch them!”

“Don’t hurt them!”

Finally realizing they’d been fooled, the men scrambled after the fleeing pair. Ignoring their shouts, Selena held Gabriella tightly and ran towards the edge of the woods. Running in a dress wasn’t easy, but she gritted her teeth and pushed forward.

However, once again, Gabriella proved to be the problem. Despite wearing clothes far more suited for running, she was already panting, unused to such exertion. Holding Gabriella’s hand, Selena felt her pace slowing.

‘At this rate, we’ll be caught.’

She tugged Gabriella’s hand, urging her to hurry, when it happened.

“Ah…!”

“Your Highness!” Gabriella tripped and fell. Selena rushed to help her up. “Are you alright? Take my hand!”

“Y-yes, lady.” Gabriella tried to take Selena’s hand, but her legs wouldn’t cooperate. She tried to stand, but collapsed again, her face crumpling.

“Wh-what do we do? I can’t feel my legs…”

“Try again, Your Highness. We have to go!”

“…I can’t. I’m sorry. Leave me and go.” Gabriella released Selena’s hand. But with those men chasing them, Selena couldn’t just abandon her. She grasped Gabriella’s hand again, desperately racking her brain.

‘What do I do?’

How could they escape this? Who could help them…?

Suddenly, a thought flashed through Selena’s mind.

‘…The whistle!’

She remembered the whistle Noel had given her, to use in emergencies. She frantically searched her clothes. Where had she put it? She was sure she hadn’t thrown it away. Her fingers brushed against something small and hard in her dress pocket.

‘Found it!’

Just as Selena, relieved, reached for the whistle, a dark shadow fell over them.

“Got you!” Rough hands grabbed Selena’s shoulder, and a strange-smelling cloth covered her nose and mouth. She lost consciousness before she could react.

***

She awoke to a drop of water on her cheek. The cold, damp touch pulled her from the depths of unconsciousness.

‘Oh, my head…’

She didn’t know how long she’d been out. Instinctively, she reached for her throbbing forehead, but her arm wouldn’t move. She looked down. Her body was tightly bound with rope. Her hands were tied together in front of her.

‘This… must be those men. Where have they taken us?’

Biting her lip, Selena looked around in confusion. She was in a dark, damp cave. A small lamp, presumably left by the men, was the only source of light.

‘They kidnapped us and locked us in here?’

Her gaze shifted to the other side of the cave. Gabriella lay there, bound just like her.

“Your Highness!” Selena bolted upright, but her bound torso threw her off balance. She barely managed to avoid falling and struggled towards Gabriella. “Your Highness, wake up! Your Highness? Your Highness!”

She gently shook Gabriella with her bound hands. Slowly, Gabriella’s eyes began to flutter open. “Mmm…”
“Your Highness, are you alright?”

“Lady Irving…?” Gabriella came to, and like Selena moments before, she tried to move, only to find herself restrained. Her eyes darted between Selena and herself, then began to tremble.

“What is… What happened to us?”

“It seems those men kidnapped us and locked us in this cave.”

“They… they did?” Gabriella’s face drained of color. As the empire’s only princess, she’d been raised in a sheltered life. This was her first experience with such a harsh and threatening environment. “Who would do such a thing…?”