44 - How to Escape the Reverse Harem Cliché
Chapter 44
At that moment, I keenly felt that this was my last chance. The thought that if I couldn't escape here, if I were dragged away by Evan like this, I might finally be captured by him forever and forced to live as a Guide, made my mouth go completely dry.
I hid, not daring to make a sound, until my whole body felt numb. Only when I saw the sun beginning to set did I finally emerge and gasp for air.
I might have actually suffocated if I had stayed there any longer.
“I suppose it’s best to hide away at the summer villa for a few months.”
Now that he knew I was in the South, Evan would undoubtedly search this place with a fine-tooth comb. With his power and wealth, there was nothing he couldn't do.
I was a fool to have expected him to forget about me. Evan had no intention of forgetting me in the first place; he had let me go because he was confident he could find me again.
The fact that he hadn't searched for me immediately was a display of his composure, knowing he could find me whenever he wished.
“Young Lady!”
Passing by the closed shops, I reached the spot where the carriage was parked. Lena, who had been anxiously tapping her foot while talking to the coachman, rushed towards me in surprise.
“What happened? I couldn’t find you even at the dessert shop…”
“I was hiding because Evan’s unit was looking for me.”
“The Prince?”
“Yes. There’s no time. We need to leave quickly.”
“Young Lady, how long were you hiding? You’re sweating on your forehead…”
I had run frantically from the dessert shop without picking up the bonnet I dropped, leaving my hair a mess.
Lena, who was wiping my forehead with a handkerchief, turned pale at my expression and urged the coachman to depart immediately.
Even after getting into the carriage, I curled up in a corner, squeezing my eyes shut. It was a last-ditch effort, even though I knew it would be useless if Evan was determined.
“Young Lady…”
“Let’s leave for the summer villa in the North tomorrow. I think it’s best to hide there for about two months.”
“Understood. I’ve already packed your things just in case. We’ll depart right away.”
As the thought that I had passed a major hurdle settled in, a chill ran through me.
Lena looked at me with pity as I shivered, draped a blanket over my shoulders, and sat beside me, holding me close.
“Young Lady. Lean on me and rest your eyes. We’ll be back soon, so don’t worry too much.”
“Yes. Thank you, Lena.”
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have left you alone…”
“Why is that Lena’s fault? Don’t apologize.”
I felt a sisterly affection from Lena that I had never experienced before. As I was held in her embrace, listening to her heartbeat, my own racing heart gradually calmed, syncing with hers.
The rattling of the carriage and Lena’s heartbeat became white noise, and as I was lulled by the sounds, my eyes began to close.
Screech—
The carriage suddenly stopped, jolting me slightly. Lena pulled away from me and stood up.
“I’ll go out and check the situation, Young Lady. Please continue resting.”
“If it’s nothing serious, come back quickly, Lena.”
“Don’t worry.”
Even though Lena left with a smile, my tension flared again, and my fingertips trembled.
This was all Evan Olivite’s doing. He seemed like nothing much when you actually saw him…
Still, he was an Esper. A High-Class Esper that a weak Guide like me couldn’t do anything about.
I pulled the blanket over my head, leaving only my eyes visible, and opened the small carriage window to peer outside.
Squinting, I scanned the darkened surroundings. Quite a few people had gathered outside. The murmuring voices grew louder and louder.
“Young Lady!”
The carriage door opened, and Lena stumbled inside, panting, and pulled off the blanket I had draped over my face.
“It’s a checkpoint.”
“A checkpoint? What kind of checkpoint?”
“I don’t know. They said they were from the Imperial Family, but their uniforms aren’t those of the Knights of the Order.”
“…An Esper.”
“It seems so.”
They were clearly determined.
I should have known he wouldn’t let me go so easily. I had underestimated Evan.
“Don’t worry too much. Looking at the carriages ahead, they seem to be just glancing at the verification papers and letting them pass. It’ll be fine.”
“Okay.”
After I answered, Lena and I moved with practiced efficiency, as if we had rehearsed it.
Once Lena confirmed she was blocking the window, I quickly changed out of my clothes and into the ones I had stowed inside the carriage.
With a wig and a hat pulled down low, I looked like a plausible disguise for a man. In the dark night, I probably looked like a small, unassuming man at first glance.
It felt strange. I had sworn just the other day that I would never resort to cross-dressing to avoid clichés from the original work, but now I was doing it to survive.
Satisfied with my disguise, Lena sat down and pulled out a letter of guardianship confirmation from her bag, handing it to me.
I couldn’t stay confined to the mansion forever, so I had already created a fake identity as ‘Conrad,’ a ward under the patronage of Count Pauline.
Evan was looking for a woman in a dress, so I figured this male disguise would allow us to pass with a cursory glance.
Soon, it seemed to be our turn, as someone knocked on the carriage door and called out.
“We will be conducting a brief inspection.”
I half-covered my face with a newspaper I had placed beside me and nodded at Lena. She opened the carriage door, and I felt someone’s gaze scanning the interior intently.
“Excuse me, do you have your identification papers or family verification?”
“Here you are.”
Lena took the verification document I handed her and presented it to him.
Until then, I had kept my eyes fixed on the print, gripping the edge of the newspaper tightly.
“It’s a standard procedure. Could you show your face for a moment?”
“Certainly.”
I folded the newspaper and lowered it, turning my head to look at the man.
“……”
“……”
Bang—!
The carriage door slammed shut with a loud bang.
The man, whose eyes were fixed on mine, shaking intensely as if to devour them, ignored Lena sitting opposite me and commanded,
“Get out.”
“But…!”
“If you don’t want to see your mistress dragged away right now, leave your seat.”
“It’s alright, Lena. You can go.”
At my sigh-filled voice, Lena hesitated, her expression anxious, but finally stepped out of the carriage.
The man, who then sat down in the spot Lena had just vacated, seemed to scan me from head to toe.
Valerian’s gaze, which had become even sharper since I last saw him, was as cold as ice.
“Did you think that disguise would fool Andreas?”
“I thought it might fool your Espers, not Evan. Since you’d be looking for a woman anyway.”
“Lady Pasianne.”
“……”
“Your disappearance has rendered our unit non-operational.”
“How is that my disappearance’s fault?”
“Adrian and Orion have gone mad searching for you.”
Hearing their names, I couldn’t argue any further.
As I remained silent, staring only at him, Valerian let out a long sigh and leaned forward to meet my gaze.
“And now Andreas, too. An excessive amount of manpower is being wasted here trying to catch one person.”
“Isn’t that a problem with your leadership, Your Highness, if you can’t prevent it?”
“……”
“Don’t blame me. You know better than anyone that it’s not my fault, yet you’re pressuring me for no reason.”
My words seemed to corner him, and Valerian furrowed his brow. A strange thrill ran through me as a crack appeared on his perfectly sculpted face, as if it had been carved by a master.
How long do you think you can play with me? You have to get a grip on these things early on to avoid future trouble.
“So, what are you going to do? Hand me over to Evan?”
“I am considering it.”
“I’m poison to Evan. He’ll ruin everything because of me.”
“He’s not of much use right now anyway.”
Such brutal honesty. I fell silent again at Valerian’s cold words.
Perhaps mistaking my lack of response for agreement, Valerian let out a low chuckle, the first time he had laughed.
Seeing that, I finally understood Laila from the original work. She must have been a hopeless admirer of handsome men. Among these incredibly handsome male leads, Valerian’s smile, reserved only for Laila, was more beautiful and perfect than anyone else’s.
Even I, in this situation, was holding back an exclamation of admiration.
“I agree with what you said, Young Lady.”
“Yes?”
“You are poison to Andreas.”
“……”
“If he throws a tantrum and refuses to be separated from you, we will have to take you to the battlefield, and to protect you, who can do nothing there, we will have to divide our already insufficient manpower.”
My goodness, the bluntness of his words hurt. I blinked, unable to do anything but stare at his directness, which showed no mercy even towards me.
In any case, he was right. Having lived my entire life as a civilian, my fate on the battlefield would be obvious. I would die immediately.
That was one of the reasons I didn’t want to become a Guide. I didn’t want to be conscripted to fight Monsters or in wars against other nations.
Even though Guides don’t fight on the front lines, that could change depending on the situation. There are no exceptions. Even High-Class Rose fights on the front lines.
I didn’t want to live a short, intense life, so I scowled and bit my lip. Valerian, who had been staring intently at me, nodded and spoke.
“The favor I asked of you before, to persuade Andreas. I will consider this matter as repayment for that.”
“What?”
“I will let you go.”
