10. I’m Running Away from My Husband from My Past Life (1)
Now, the three of us—candidates for the Crown Princess—must compete in a selection ceremony to win the position. But before that, we must attend a formal presentation where we receive a pendant from Her Majesty the Empress, signifying our status as candidates.
Anyone who doesn’t participate in this pendant ceremony is automatically disqualified.
I wanted to ask my mother if I could skip the ceremony, but the words wouldn’t come out of my mouth. And even if I said I didn’t want to go, I wouldn’t be able to come up with a proper excuse, and my family might start suspecting I’d hit my head after falling off a horse.
After all, a noble young lady refusing the position of Crown Princess is as absurd as the moon rising during the day and the sun shining at night.
So, I chose to run away. Refusing the pendant is, in effect, a declaration of withdrawal.
At the age of seventeen, preparing to run away required a lot of planning. I needed to arrange for a carriage in advance, get a lantern for nighttime travel, and pack portable food supplies.
My plan was to return after being officially disqualified. After about a week, someone else would surely have taken my place. I just needed to endure until then.
Thanks to having come back in time, I had much more knowledge than someone my age typically would. I also had enough money to survive that long, so if I just held out and returned, I could change the cruel future that awaited me.
According to the geography book, the journey to northern Kubaran would take about four days.
I chose Kubaran, a city known for its brutal cold, because I didn’t think my father would ever suspect I’d go that far. Also, the Duke of Kubaran—my father’s mentor—resided there, which meant I had a potential backup plan in case something went wrong.
The journey didn’t go smoothly. I first took a carriage to Baneshi, spent a night there, and then caught another carriage to Risos. Since the route to Risos required taking a shortcut, I had to sleep outdoors for one night.
And unless I traveled nonstop for the entire day, I wouldn’t make it to Kubaran in time.
I had asked our gardener, Hampton, to buy me a book titled A Beginner’s Guide to Traveling. I took notes on where to rent carriages and find lodging. Although the book was five years old and some information might be outdated, it contained enough useful travel tips to be a good reference.
As he wiped sweat from his brow and put away the shears he’d been using in the garden, Hampton asked, “Why would a young lady like you need a book like this?”
His already-wrinkled forehead furrowed even more.
“Shh, Hampton. You must never tell my parents or Tasha that I bought this book. Even if something happens to me, you have to keep it a secret. Got it?”
At the words even if something happens, Hampton’s face darkened.
“Something happens? What do you mean by that…?”
“I’ll explain it when the time comes. Please. Just promise me you’ll keep this secret.”
He hesitated a bit, but eventually nodded.
“Understood, my lady. But I hope this isn’t something that will worry the Duke.”
“Don’t worry. That won’t happen.”
Of course, that was a bold-faced lie. But looking at it optimistically, it was the most truthful lie I could tell.
I packed painkillers, fever reducers, and other medicine into my bag and quietly slipped out before dawn. It would take two full hours to walk to the carriage rental station, and although I was in a hurry, the chills from my lingering cold made me shiver all over.
Still, if I missed my time slot, I wouldn’t be able to rent a carriage. So, clenching my teeth, I made my way to the station and successfully rented a carriage used by travelers.
The one I chose had two small windows on each side, with shades that could be drawn to prevent people from seeing inside—great for security.
Once I got in, I felt a wave of relief. I sat down, closed my eyes for a bit, and felt much better—both physically and mentally.
We were momentarily delayed as our carriage waited in line to cross a narrow drawbridge leaving the city. Just then, the door rattled—and suddenly, a boy burst into the carriage. I didn’t even have time to scream before he quickly covered my mouth.
“I’ll take my hand off if you promise not to scream,” he said.
I nodded, pretending to comply so I could calm him down before making my escape. The boy slowly removed his hand.
I opened my mouth, preparing to scream—only to stop when I got a clear look at his face.
Because I was completely speechless.
It was none other than the Crown Prince Karzan Reinos—my husband from my past life, the one who murdered me.
His eyes sometimes appeared red, other times blue. He changed them at will. In public, he had black hair and red eyes. But when hiding his identity, he appeared like this: blonde hair and blue eyes, his true face fully exposed.
Most people disguised themselves by hiding their faces. But the Crown Prince? He did the opposite. Always eccentric.
And now, with his blue eyes and that unmistakable face… There was no mistaking it. It was him.
Why had he left the palace again this time?
He had a habit of sneaking out. In fact, just before the fiancée announcement ceremony in our past life, he had tried to run away and was dragged back. Judging by the timing, I guessed this might be that exact incident.
The Crown Prince who used to torment me with magic and cold cruelty, only to kill me on our wedding night. That very man was now sitting before me.
I could only stare at him like I’d seen a ghost.
I was running away precisely to avoid him, and yet here he was again. It felt like fate itself was chaining me to him, and it made me uneasy.
After all the torment in my past life, now he was chasing me down in this one too.
“Take me as far as Baneshi,” he said.
Come to think of it, in my past life, he had been caught by the palace guard in Baneshi during one of his escape attempts.
That meant the palace guards might be nearby right now, looking for him.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t do that.”
Speaking so casually to royalty made me uncomfortable, but I couldn’t afford to be polite—not when I was trying to avoid him, and certainly not if he discovered I knew who he really was. So I had no choice but to keep speaking informally.
“Help me.”
He said the words, but his expression seemed more like a threat than a plea. With that face, no one would ever want to help him.
“I don’t give rides to strangers. Especially not ones who barge in and threaten me.”
“Fine. Let’s just say I was rude.”
Not I was rude, but let’s just say I was. He clearly had no experience apologizing. No surprise there.
“Whatever. I don’t need your apology. I’d just like you to get out of my carriage.”
Karzan stared at me, as if trying to read my thoughts through my eyes.
It was already uncomfortable being face-to-face like this, and his intense gaze only made it worse.
Trying not to be intimidated, I stared back defiantly—but in the end, I was the one who looked away first.
“I’ll give you this.”
He suddenly pulled a pouch of gold coins from his pocket. It was a lot of money. Enough to live comfortably while on the run. I wavered for a moment, but then remembered how cold and cruel he had been to me in our past life, and I snapped back to my senses.
“I don’t need it.”
I wanted to throw it back and tell him to keep his damn money, but instead I just crossed my arms and glared, silently demanding he get out. But he didn’t budge.
Soon the carriage would start moving again. Once it did, it wouldn’t stop until we reached the next stop. That meant I’d be stuck in a carriage alone with the Crown Prince.
“If you don’t get out right now, I’ll scream.”
He leaned back, arms crossed, and said arrogantly, “Go ahead. Then I’ll report you.”
“Report me?”
“You’re dressed like a noble, but this isn’t a carriage with a family crest. And there’s no servant accompanying you. Seems like you’re hiding something too.”
‘Yeah—I’m running away to get away from you!’
“I don’t care why you’re running. But if you won’t help me, I’ll report you.”
So we both go down together, huh?
Maybe I’d underestimated him. Royals started studying history, politics, and geography from the moment they could read. Karzan was more perceptive than I had given him credit for.
“You… you could just rent your own carriage! Why this one?”
“There weren’t any others left.”
If he filed a report, my identity would be exposed. I couldn’t let that happen.
Would he really report me? I thought about it—and decided he absolutely would. He was exactly the kind of person who would.
I really, really didn’t want to get involved with him again…
But now I had to make a choice.
