Nightmare Came to The Place I Escaped - Chapter 50

“What, who is that?”

“Well, if it isn’t that girl who begged us not to hit him?”

 

The second prince’s lips twitched up when he turned around and looked at Rachel.

 

“Were you still together?”

“But why haven’t I seen you around?”

“Right, she wasn’t there when I went looking for her.”

 

The prince threw away what he had in his hand, and approached Rachel.

 

Tuk

 

Rachel frowned briefly.

 

It was a lizard that fell out of his hand.

 

The lizard that Ian had around this time of year.

 

Ian had given it part of his room, saying it was amazing that a wild animal had followed him. Surprisingly, he took quite a lot of care in finding it food, and feeding it.

 

But at some point, the lizard had disappeared. When Rachel asked Ian about it, he said that it ran away.

 

He definitely told her that it ran away.

 

The lizard that was thrown away by the second prince stayed still where it was thrown. It seemed that it had no intention of escaping.

 

It was just lying there, dead.

 

Rachel turned her gaze to Ian, and took a small breath at the worms that were squirming around him.

 

“Too bad. It was a shame to throw it away, but I could just feed it to that kid.”
“Kukuku, brother. We got these directly from the store. Isn’t it too much for him?”

 

The second prince approached Rachel. Just as he was about to pull on Rachel’s wrist.

 

Bang

 

Ian threw a stone.

 

“Argh!”

“What, you crazy bastard!”

 

The second prince sat down with his hands wrapped around his head, while the first prince faltered and pointed at Ian.

 

Ian looked absolutely furious. It was the first time she’d seen his face so red.

 

“Hey, get lost.”

 

Ian looked straight at Rachel, not at one of the princes. His hair was a mess from being trampled on and there was dirt on his face.

 

Ian stared at Rachel as if he were about to curse.

 

“…Ah.”

 

Rachel took a few steps back.

 

“Get lost.”

 

He growled low, his face and neck were bright red.

 

Rachel finally turned around, and ran away.

 

The last thing Rachel saw was the first prince lying on the floor.

 

“Gasp, gasp.”

 

She ran away in fear, but eventually she arrived in front of Ian’s room.

 

“Did you run all the way here?”

 

The maid glanced down at Rachel, who was panting.

 

“What is keeping you so busy that you’re running around like that?”

 

Rachel finally realized she was in Ian’s room. She bit her tongue when she realized that she’d escaped to this hallway.

 

If she was here, she would have to see Ian again soon. But Rachel had nowhere else to go, but here.

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

Rachel took a breath, and apologized to the maid.

 

Only then did the maid turn to Rachel.

 

Boomboom, Boom.

 

Her heart thumped nervously about something.

 

Seeing Ian again? Seeing him trampled?

 

Dead lizard. An angry figure that told her to get lost.

 

Or leave Ian among the princes, or because she ran away alone?

 

Rachel didn’t know exactly why her heart was beating so fast.

 

More time passed. Every time she heard footsteps of an unknown master, her heart increased its speed even more.

 

***

 

Ian didn’t return to his room until late in the evening.

 

He went into his room without telling Rachel anything.

 

Click

 

The door closed, and the maid spoke quietly.

 

“Did you see that?”

“What?”

“The Crown prince.”

“No.”

 

Rachel shook her head softly. Because she couldn’t raise her head, all Rachel saw was Ian’s shoes.

 

“Didn’t his face look totally messed up? He had a red hand mark on his face. It looked like he was hit.”

“Oh…”

 

Did he get hit by one of the princes?

 

“Should I bring some ice?”

“Well, yes. That’d be great.”

 

At the nod from the maid, Rachel hurried to the Imperial palace’s kitchen.

 

She felt strange.

 

Even though she felt sorry that he was beaten worse because of her, it was just so refreshing.

 

“Get lost.”

 

She wasn’t there because she liked it.

 

She didn’t want to see it, and she didn’t want to hear it. Even though she knew he was trying to help her, everything he said finally annoyed her.

 

What did it matter what did, or didn’t happen to her? Why would he get angry when he could just pretend he didn’t know?

 

“…I really hate it.”

 

Rachel bit her lip in a hurry as tears threatened to flow again.

 

“I brought it.”

 

Rachel handed over the ice bag to the maid. The maid looked alternately at the received ice bag and the door, and handed it over to Rachel again.

 

“You go in.”

“What?”

“You go in instead of me. What would the prince want more than that? The prince took pretty good care of you in the past, didn’t he?”

“But I’m a servant girl.”

 

Rachel shook her head.

 

At this time of year, Rachel and Ian talked about this and that only when there was no one watching.

 

He was no longer a prince who needed children to play with, and if he was too close to a servant there would be ridiculous stories.

 

“Go, go. You can give it to him, then come out.”

“….”

 

Rachel really didn’t want to go through that door.

 

She didn’t want to face Ian, and she hated being alone with him.

 

She just wanted to go back to her room after standing like this for a few more hours.

 

But the maid didn’t seem to want to enter Ian’s room. With her arms firmly folded, she didn’t seem like she would change her mind at all.

 

“Come on. Just do as you’re told.”

“…Yes, I understand.”

 

So, Rachel nodded helplessly.

 

Knock, knock

 

Rachel took a small breath, and opened the door.

 

She really didn’t want to face him.

 

But that didn’t really change anything. She couldn’t rebel against the order of the maid, and she couldn’t run away like this.

 

Rachel stepped into the room.

 

She’d entered nervously, but Ian wasn’t in the room.

 

His soiled clothes were lying on the floor, and he seemed to have gone into the shower.

 

Rachel wanted to leave the room before Ian came out, so she hurriedly put down what she was holding on the table and turned around.

 

Rachel glanced at his messy shirt, then hurried out of the room.

 

“How was the prince?”

“He was bathing.”
“Really?”

 

The maid glanced at the room.

 

“He’s been holding it in all this time, so why did he do that?”

“What?”

“The third prince half killed the first and second princes.”
“The prince did?”

“Yes, that’s why the Emperor and Empress kicked up such a fuss. I heard he was being scolded until just recently.”

 

The maid shook her head softly.

 

“No, no matter what the prophecy said. What did he think he was doing? He doesn’t even have any support.”

“….”

“The prophecy has spoiled a man. I heard a prophecy hasn’t come true in a hundred years. How can anyone be sure it’s right? And even if he becomes the Emperor in the future… Do you think it’ll be any different now, than when he was ignored? If you have no power, you have to bend.”

 

The maid looked angry somehow.

 

“For no reason at all. Now I’m even being victimized.”

 

Rachel finally realized why the maid was reluctant to enter Ian’s room.

 

She didn’t want to get involved with Ian, who was hated by the Emperor and Empress. Even though when the prophecy came out, she’d tried to get closer to him.

 

“Tch…”

 

Everything for him was momentary.

 

“I think the ice might melt by the time the prince comes out. Should I bring more?”

“Ha? Do you still want to take care of the prince after listening to me? Be careful, it’s the moment when you’re stupid that you get caught.”

“That’s not it. I’m about to go, but if the prince asks for ice again, you’ll have to go.”
“Oh, that’s right. Then hurry up and go. Ask for more ice this time.”

 

Rachel nodded, and returned to the kitchen.

 

Ian Dakendov

 

It was funny how she felt sorry for him.

 

She felt sorry for the messed up clothes, and knew how much he was suffering because of the Emperor. So, the idea that he had returned from seeing the angry Emperor was ridiculously painful.

 

The maid said that his face was obviously red. But his face was fine in the garden, so he must’ve been hit afterwards.

 

Was it the Emperor or Empress who hit Ian?

 

“….”

 

Ian seemed to have caused a proper incident. Rachel pondered for a moment why things suddenly turned out like this when this definitely didn’t happen in her previous life.

 

Did things go this wrong because she was there?

 

Come to think of it, she’d never seen Ian hit by the princes except for the first time that first day. She’d seen them a few times, but she hadn’t encountered them since.

 

Come to think of it, Ian always told her to return to her room through the west stairs. Was it to keep her from running into the princes?

 

Did the lizard that ran away die at their hands? Was it really for her that Ian threw a stone at the second prince?

 

“….”

 

If he really did it for her, where and how did she do something wrong where Ian started to hate her so much.

 

***

 

Knock, Knock

 

When she opened the door, she saw Ian sitting on the sofa.

 

Rachel stepped cautiously into the room.

 

Click

 

The door closed quietly, and Rachel looked at his back for a moment.

 

Rachel couldn’t read Ian’s thoughts from his still back.

 

“Your Highness, I’ve brought you some ice and some medicine…”

“Didn’t I tell you not to go that way?”

 

Ian let out a low sigh. His angry voice growled through his clenched teeth.

 

It seemed that the anger was coming out even while he tried holding it in.

 

“I’m saying the same thing, right?”

 

Ian glanced back at Rachel.

 

His face caught her eye in an instant, his face was messed up with bruises and a handprint, and his gaze on her was supremely cold.

 

He looked at the ice bag and medicine in Rachel’s hand and smiled bitterly.

 

“I’m sorry, I forgot.”
“What?”

“I’m just going to leave these…”

 

Rachel approached the table as if to put down what she had in her hand.

 

As Rachel approached, Ian rose from his seat as she awkwardly dodged his gaze.

 

“Then I’ll be on my way now.”
“Why? You don’t want to get involved with me now?”

 

Rachel, who would’ve originally visited him earlier, had finally entered. Then she dodged his eyes awkwardly.

 

Like the others who didn’t want to get involved with the powerless third prince.

 

***