The Kingdom of Niita, where Princess Liliana was born and raised, had suffered a crushing defeat in the war.
The kingdom had long enjoyed a smooth trade relationship with the Carlo Empire, centered on the rare diamonds found nowhere else in the world. But for reasons unknown, Niita had abruptly raised the prices.
The Carlo Empire repeatedly demanded a price reduction, but the King of Niita refused to listen.
War broke out, and the Kingdom of Niita soon felt the overwhelming might of the empire, crumbling swiftly without mounting any real resistance.
The Emperor of the empire, Helio Carlo, sent word through an envoy:
When the envoy finished speaking, the King of Niita bowed his head, shut his eyes, and wept.
For one of the princesses to become Empress of the empire was certainly an honor, but not if she went as a hostage from a defeated nation.
There was no hope she would be treated well, let alone live freely and with dignity.
The Carlo Empire undoubtedly planned to keep a tight leash on the Kingdom of Niita, using the Empress as leverage.
And so, all five princesses of the Kingdom of Niita gathered in the reception hall.
The King of Niita looked toward his eldest daughter, Princess Riley, who was in line to become queen one day. Sending her was out of the question.
He looked to his second daughter, then the third… and even the fourth, but he could not bring himself to choose.
He could not single out any of them; each daughter was far too precious to him, and he loved them dearly.
As the King of Niita lamented his plight, an attendant whispered into his ear:
The fifth princess was Liliana. She had voluminous pink hair like cotton candy, and a small, delicate face fair as porcelain. Her round, lovely pink eyes were filled with anxiety.
Though she had reached adulthood, her short stature and slender frame made her look like a mere adolescent.
And yet, this lovely girl had been entirely overlooked by the King of Niita.
The King’s tear-filled eyes lit up. As everyone turned toward Liliana, she felt every gaze fix upon her and swallowed hard.
The king had forgotten even the name of this princess, born of an unintended mistake.
Liliana murmured softly, carrying the sting of sorrow.
Hearing those words, Liliana’s head dropped, and she collapsed to the floor in a dead faint.
Screams from the other princesses filled the room, while the King of Niita cried out in panic.
❈❈❈
When Liliana—the supposed savior of the Kingdom of Niita—opened her eyes, she was surrounded by six physicians watching her with profound relief as they urged her to awaken.
Then Sophia, the maid standing beside her, spoke through tears.
Liliana’s mother had been a mere palace maid from an impoverished family.
Yet overnight, she had become a countess. There was no greater stroke of fortune than this—one could say she had sold her daughter for the highest possible price.
Her mother was hardly celebrating, however, and Sophia was only offering congratulations out of concern for appearances.
Sophia’s voice was laced with despair.
Liliana spoke, her eyes heavy with sadness.
one of the physicians asked anxiously, and Liliana nodded.
The physicians repeatedly urged her to call on them if she felt the slightest discomfort.
No doubt they were terrified by the King of Niita’s threat of dire punishment if she were not treated properly.
Once everyone had filed out and quiet settled over the room, Liliana bit her lower lip and stared blankly into the distance.
‘I have to run.’
When all eyes had turned to her in the reception hall, including the King of Niita’s, a sudden realization had struck her.
She remembered the tale of a princess, discarded by her homeland, sent as a hostage to an empire to become Empress.
‘Wait, haven’t I heard this somewhere before?’
This was a romance fantasy world—specifically, the childcare novel Princess Liliana is Never Left Behind.
True to its title, it was the story of a female lead with cotton-candy pink hair who melts the heart of her emperor father.
Liliana had enjoyed reading it in her past life. But she hadn’t transmigrated into the heroine, or even a fortunate side character… She had wound up in the body of the heroine’s mother, who was destined to die in childbirth! Of all the fates, this was the worst.
She realized that if she were taken as a hostage and quietly became Empress as expected, death was the only thing awaiting her.
Liliana scrambled to her feet and began gathering every piece of valuable jewelry she could find.
Though she was a forgotten princess, she had still received an allowance in gold, and the money she had saved knowing her future was bleak amounted to quite a sum.
Stashing the jewels in her pockets, she waited until night fell.
She tied the bed curtains together into a long rope to climb out the window.
She managed to reach the stables, where she gently coaxed a horse and led it outside.
Yet the moment she stepped out into the open, a voice caught her ear.
The voice belonged to one of the servants.
Stepping out with the horse, Liliana found herself face-to-face with a familiar attendant.
the servant shouted, and Liliana scrambled onto the horse with a look of sheer desperation.
She was on the verge of galloping out of the palace when a tall man standing behind the servant grabbed the reins and vaulted onto the moving horse behind her.
Shocked, Liliana yanked hard on the reins, causing the horse to rear up on its hind legs with a shrill whinny.
Drawn by the commotion, the guards swiftly closed in.
The guards shouted over one another. Liliana gripped the reins tightly, seething with frustration.
If she were caught now, security would tighten, and she would never get another chance to escape.
She cursed herself for not planning better, but most of all, she harbored pure fury toward the man behind her.
Liliana yelled, turning her head to glare at the man behind her.
At her words, the guards froze in sheer horror, drawing in sharp breaths as they stared at her.
Liliana shot the servant a sharp glare.
Yet the servant’s face had gone so pale that he looked as white as a sheet of paper, even in the dead of night.
His stammering, too, seemed decidedly unnatural.
Liliana opened and closed her mouth a few times before slowly turning back around.
Piercing blue eyes, burning like cold flames through the darkness, looked down into hers.
The corner of the man’s mouth curled upward, as though he were looking down at something utterly trivial.
He didn’t need to say another word; Liliana understood everything in an instant.
This man… was the Emperor of the Carlo Empire, Helio.
What could Liliana possibly do in the presence of the Emperor of Carlo?
Desperate to put any distance between herself and Helio, she twisted her body, trying to scramble away.
As if anticipating her flight, Helio clamped a firm arm around her waist. Before she could react, he vaulted down from the horse, taking her with him.
Startled, Liliana tried to speak, but only a stammer came out.
Helio whispered into her ear. His deep, alluring voice sent a violent shiver through her, pricking the very soles of her feet.
A moment later, however, a wave of relief washed over her.
Helio didn’t hold her for long; he set her right down on the ground.
Liliana scrambled backward, trying to flee his reach, only to back straight into the massive horse blocking her path.
Agitated by the crowd surrounding it, the horse snorted roughly, and Liliana began hiccuping uncontrollably.
She slapped a hand over her mouth, but she couldn’t keep it hidden for long.
Helio’s gaze was razor-sharp, yet he looked strangely amused.
Telling herself she was merely imagining things, Liliana offered a respectful greeting.
Of course, she couldn’t stop hiccuping the entire time, keeping her hand pressed firmly over her mouth.
Looking down at her, Helio asked with a smirk,
Still muffling her mouth, Liliana nodded. Helio stroked his sharp, smooth jawline, tilting his head slightly. Taking in Liliana’s pale face, he murmured to himself,
Liliana attempted one last desperate defense.
Yet she knew nobody would buy such a pitiful lie, least of all the Emperor.
A short chuckle sounded from above.
Looking up, she saw Helio smiling, flashing his white teeth. Liliana stared blankly at his handsome face for a moment before shaking her head in disbelief.
Helio didn’t linger on her, however; he turned around on his heel.
the servant asked, scurrying after him in a panic.
Helio ignored the servant and glanced back at Liliana, gesturing with his chin as he spoke curtly:
“Hostage, follow me.”
With that, he strode away.
Liliana was so dumbfounded that her hiccups abruptly ceased.
‘Of all the rotten luck!’
She wanted to scream it at the top of her lungs. Her desperate escape—all to survive and avoid a doomed death—had been snuffed out before it even began.
Clamping her mouth shut, Liliana was dragged along behind him like a dog on a leash.