Obsession... What's That? I Just Wish Someone Would Help Me Escape - Chapter 113
Eliza had her lips jutting out like she might burst into tears at any moment.
“I came to this country for my marriage to the Crown Prince, but I was falsely accused of trying to harm the Saintess and had to stand trial at the Inquisition. I was transferred here not long ago.”
In the original story, the main reason the Crown Prince abandoned his lover, Saintess Justina, and got engaged to a princess was due to the noble-commoner marriage clause, which stripped heirs of succession rights if they married someone of lower status.
Was her name Eliza in the novel?
I’ve never been good at remembering names, and it’s been so long since I read it that it’s all a blur now.
Anyway, I vaguely remember the engaged Princess being a sunshine-type nightmare, the kind who smiled while feeding poison, the kind of clueless, privileged person who broke the Saintess’s spirit without ever realizing it.
‘I heard you were the Crown Prince’s lover. Shall we get along well? I don’t care about your status, or whether you were his mistress. It’s just a political marriage. It’s not that love changed, only the situation did, right?’
Something like that. From Justina’s perspective, she wasn’t sunshine, and rather a blazing drought in the middle of summer.
That innocent smile of hers only made the Saintess dry up faster and faster.
Thinking about it now, I kind of get why she ended up in a cell.
I rubbed my forehead and asked Eliza.
“Isn’t your kingdom saying anything? I’m sure they’re in chaos. This is the kind of thing they declare war over.”
“I don’t know… suddenly the Arcadian Empire became the Mersenne Theocratic Republic. Now they’re saying Justina is a Divine figure sent to fight the five demons interfering with mankind, so even royalty can’t be exempt. Maybe they’re trying to provoke the Kingdom of Duelern into declaring war first, breaking the peace treaty.”
Given their allied nations, that wouldn’t be easy.
The Mersenne Theocratic Republic, once an empire, now practically leads the alliance. If Duelern declares war, the others will swarm in and tear it apart.
Eliza, who had been explaining everything so calmly, suddenly teared up, blue eyes shimmering.
“Honestly… I’m just scared. I might really die in this place. I hate the filthy cell, the rats, the uncultured people…”
“Then stop meddling in other people’s business and just live quietly.”
“But as a Princess of Duelern, I’ve decided to face this with courage. This is just a trial, and once I overcome it..”
“Yeah, whatever. Do as you please.”
“But I don’t want to die.”
“What do you want me to do, you crazy woman!”
I exploded.
I mean, I felt bad for her, but why was she so stubborn about hearing what she wanted to hear?
It felt like watching someone fail at gaslighting themselves.
Eliza fumbled and took my hand in hers.
“I’m confused too. I miss my family… Being alone in a foreign land, it’s the loneliness that hurts the most. I thought maybe if I became close with the Saintess, it would help, but… I guess she hated me. Judging by the fact she had me locked up here.”
Isn’t that obvious?
Sure, the real culprit was 100% the Crown Prince, who tricked Justina into sacrificing her lifespan for a political marriage, but it’s only natural to resent the one he chose instead.
I can’t exactly tell her she was the designated villain in the novel, the punching bag for the plot. To us, this is real now.
Judging by the fact she got framed and dumped here, it must’ve been before El took over Justina’s body.
Sniffling, Eliza added.
“Kido, will you be my friend? If I return to the kingdom, I’ll ask my uncle the King to help you get asylum.”
“I don’t care whether you think of me as a friend or not, but don’t expect any help from me.”
I kept my tone deliberately cold, but she didn’t seem fazed.
In fact, she looked at me with a benevolent expression, like she understood my closed-off attitude.
“Okay. I won’t ask for too much. I’m the one who should protect and help you anyway. So, we’re friends now, right?”
She’s treating me like some fragile senior citizen.
Johann, who’d been digging in his ear with a bored expression, turned to look at her.
“Hey, get me asylum in your country too. I heard the pasta there’s good.”
