Nightmare Came to The Place I Escaped - Chapter 51

“Why is it so funny to see you treating me like this?”

“Your Highness, I’m not saying that…”

 

Ian dropped a sad laugh on Rachel, who was trying to explain.

 

“Or are you happy to find something interesting to talk about? Yeah, how is it? You saw for yourself how the poor third prince was treated by his brothers. What do you think?”

 

Ian glared at Rachel as if he were about to shout out loud. Rachel looked as if she was about to cry.

 

Ian, who’d been on his knees, and was being trampled.

 

Until now, Rachel didn’t know Ian was being bullied so badly. Ian always had a shower after he came back from practicing fencing.

 

He probably did it on purpose because he didn’t want to show his messy clothes and self.

 

It must’ve been so difficult for him. During that time, the way people looked at him must have been hard.

 

Normally he wouldn’t have known what the maids here were saying about him.

 

As a servant, she would pick up the stories every day, otherwise he probably wouldn’t have known.

 

“Do you feel sorry for me when you see that my father has beaten me?”

 

She thought it was okay, but Ian hated this past so much. Was that why he hated her?

 

Rachel actually still couldn’t understand why Ian hated her so much.

 

“That’s too bad.”

 

However, she just felt pity when she saw Ian, who was beaten and couldn’t even open his eyes properly.

 

“Ha…”

 

A short sigh came out of his mouth and his eyes, which were bursting with anger, quickly cooled down.

 

“Get out.”

 

With his swollen face, he gave a small chin gesture, and chased Rachel away.

 

“Don’t ever talk about today again. Don’t tell anyone what you saw, okay?”

 

Rachel nodded to Ian’s request and hurried out of the room.

 

Click

 

“Hey, what did the prince say?”

“He just told me to get out.”

 

Rachel glanced at the maid and said,

 

“Then I’ll be on my way.”

 

Rachel left those words behind and turned her back.

 

It was already late and now she had to go back to her accommodation.

 

Tap Tap Tap

 

Rachel’s hasty steps soon turned into a sprint. Rachel clenched her teeth and ran just like she did from the knight that day.

 

Even though no one followed her.

 

Rachel moved her feet as quickly as she could.

 

“Ugh, hick.”

 

It wasn’t until she arrived back to her room that Rachel stopped running.

 

Maybe because everyone went to eat, there was no one in the room.

 

A room with no lights.

 

Rachel closed the door firmly and walked to her bed.

 

Then she hurriedly covered herself with a blanket because she thought someone might see her tears.

 

She definitely hated Ian, who’d killed her, but she felt so sorry for him that she couldn’t breathe.

 

“Try it. Why can’t you eat it?”

 

She didn’t know he was having such a hard time.

 

She’d known him since childhood, so she thought she knew him best.

 

When he was struggling most, she was not able to help or let him rely on her.

 

“Don’t tell anyone.”

 

She hated it so much.

 

His difficulties were the subject of other people’s gossip.

 

He never showed any signs of it, so she thought he was okay.

 

She felt sorry for him.

 

He had to endure the time alone without having anyone he could rely on.

 

She definitely hated him.

 

All of this seemed to be her fault in Ian’s eyes, which seemed to have been deeply wounded. At least she was able to erase her lonely night thanks to him.

 

Life here was a little more enjoyable because of him, but Ian didn’t seem to be any less lonely. Ian was dependent on her, but it must’ve seemed to him that she wasn’t willing to comfort him.

 

She couldn’t be anything to him, Ian was always alone.

 

Ian always told her to come to his room through the west stairs because he didn’t want to show himself being beaten.

 

‘Because you were afraid I was going to laugh, and talk about it with other people?’

 

She would never do that.

 

She couldn’t have laughed lightly at the way he was being beaten.

 

How much did Ian not trust her? Did he really think of her like that? Although she couldn’t have helped him, she wouldn’t have laughed at him.

 

Even now, it wasn’t funny at all.

 

She hated him to death, but she was shocked and heartbroken when she first saw the sight.

 

***

 

It was three days later that Rachel talked to Ian again.

 

“I’m leaving here this evening.”

“What?”

“Pack up.”

“Tonight?”

 

Rachel asked back in surprise.

 

She was so surprised because Ian, who’d been ignoring her for three days, had talked to her. Also, the day they ran away from the Imperial palace was earlier than in the past.

 

In addition, the way he mentioned escaping was different from the past.

 

She thought they’d stay here for at least another month.

 

“They’ll be walking around soon. They’ve got crutches.”

 

Ian didn’t say their names, but Rachel knew he was referring to the first and second princes.

 

“They will probably find you.”

“….”

“We don’t have much time.”

 

In the past, he asked her if she would go with him.

 

But this time, Rachel didn’t seem to have a choice.

 

“Pack simply. Just take some food to eat, clothes and some money. You don’t need anything else.”

 

He threw a bag at Rachel.

 

“I’m only going to take that one bag, so go and get your stuff now. Then leave the bag here, eat and come here by 8 pm.”

 

Ian didn’t look at Rachel while saying this. But when Rachel didn’t answer, he finally turned his head toward Rachel.

 

“Okay?”

“…Yes.”

 

Ian immediately turned his eyes again, and Rachel took the bag he gave her and headed to her accommodation.

 

Ian and Rachel left the Imperial palace that night.

 

Ian helped Rachel keep up, but didn’t really take care of her.

 

With an expressionless face, he only showed Rachel the side of his face occasionally.

 

Somehow he looked angry, but Rachel didn’t find it so bad right now. She didn’t really have anything to talk to him about.

 

It wasn’t bad to go quietly like this.

 

Rattle Rattle

 

In a wagon that shook.

 

Rachel looked away.

 

‘Now if we go to Avery…’

 

Should she be there with Ian for another three years? And then she’d die again?

 

Three years in Avery. She didn’t have many happy memories, but she could bear it. But if the result of that patience was death.

 

“….”

“Hey, eat this.”

 

Then Ian threw a bundle wrapped in paper on Rachel’s lap.

 

“What is it?”

 

Rachel looked at the package he’d thrown.

 

“Why? Do you think I would give you something you shouldn’t eat?”

 

Ian smirked at Rachel as she looked suspiciously at what he’d given her.

 

“It’s a medicine for motion sickness. It won’t kill you, so just take it.”

“….”

 

At his words, Rachel alternately looked at Ian and the bundle.

 

“I don’t get motion sickness.”

“You don’t? Then why do you look like you’re going to die?”

“….”

 

Rachel was at a loss for words at his question.

 

She couldn’t tell him it was because of him, that she was worried he’d kill her again.

 

Reluctantly, Rachel opened the paper bundle he’d handed over and took the motion sickness medicine.

 

“Ugh.”

 

It was horribly bitter and absolutely terrible.

 

The smell was so bad that she got motion sickness when she didn’t have it before.

 

“Get some sleep. I’ll wake you up when we get there.”

 

There was no way she could fall asleep in this situation, but Rachel closed her eyes as Ian suggested.

 

She didn’t want to talk to him unnecessarily.

 

At least if she closed my eyes, Rachel wouldn’t have to talk to him, so she quickly closed her eyes.

 

***

 

“We’re almost there.”

“Mmm.”

“Wake up already.”

 

Rachel frowned at Ian, who was shaking her shoulder. Then, she realized that she’d fallen asleep, so she forced her eyes to open.

 

“I wasn’t sleeping.”

“….”

 

Although Ian gave no answer, in his silence Rachel was able to realize that he didn’t believe her.

 

Rachel moved more quickly.

 

She wanted to show that she hadn’t slept, and that she was clear headed.

 

The Avery territory.

 

The sky had long since darkened.

 

“Your Highness, please come this way.”

 

Rachel looked around and pulled at Ian’s sleeve slightly. Ian followed Rachel’s lead without saying a word.

 

Rachel walked between the rows of houses.

 

Ian followed Rachel silently for a while, and then asked.

 

“Do you know where we are?”

“I don’t know.”

“Then where are you going?”

“I don’t know.”

 

Although he had doubts about where Rachel was leading him, Ian didn’t stop following her.

 

“But there’s nowhere else to go anyway.”

 

Ian was much taller than his peers, even though he still hadn’t completely exited his childhood.

 

If he stopped by an accommodation for the night, he couldn’t avoid the owner’s suspicious glances. In addition, his hair was a conspicuous silver.

 

A distinctive feature of the royal family.

 

Ian followed Rachel silently as if he understood this.

 

After leaving the residential complex, the landscape changed a bit. Houses were sparse, and even those dwindled as they walked.

 

A deserted place.

 

“Hey, where are we going?”

 

Ian, who’d been following Rachel well, eventually looked around and asked. He grabbed her by the shoulder and stopped her, as she seemed to be walking towards the mountain.

 

“Are you trying to go to the mountains?”

“Yes.”

“Why? Do you want to live in the mountains?”

 

Ian made a small sarcastic remark.

 

“There might be a house where people don’t live.”

“Ha…”

 

Ian sighed quietly at Rachel’s carefree remark.

 

“Okay, I get it.”

 

However, there was nowhere to go except for the mountain.

 

Because of his beguiling hair.

 

If he took off his hood, anyone could tell that he was the third prince who’d run away.

 

In the end, it would be best to go up the mountain and avoid people’s eyes.

 

“But I’ll walk first from here.”
“Okay.”

 

The sky was already dark, and it was unknown what could live in this forest. Ian told Rachel not to fall behind him, and walked into the woods.

 

***

 

Thank you for reading. If you’ve enjoyed my work, consider sending a Kofi at https://ko-fi.com/rainofsnow. I’ll release an extra chapter for every $6 I received. Make sure to mention the book you’re supporting.