Chapter 288 – Please Be Safe (2)

Elena’s hands and feet were bound by ropes and a bag was placed over her head, restricting her limbs’ movement and obscuring her sight. She lost sense of where she was being taken, and for how long they had been traveling. It was impossible for her to estimate how many days it was since she had been captured.

“Kollog.”

She coughed drlyy through her gag. Batori offered her nothing except water throughout the journey, and her physical strength declined day by day. Her situation was hopeless. Even though her life was as fragile as a candle against a strong wind, Elena continued to worry about the child in her stomach.

‘I hope there’s nothing wrong with the baby.’

If it had grown large enough to start moving, she may be able to guess that it was still alive, but for now there was no way to know that she was pregnant except for the morning sickness. She wanted to save the child at all costs, even if she had to give up her life, but there was no way to do so when their lives were connected.

‘Just a little more time…’

The less Elena knew about her situation, the more likely something could go wrong. However, she wouldn’t give up her baby until her very last breath. She whispered to herself that it was possible to escape, and resolved to endure.

After stopping at what she assumed was their destination and finally taken to some unknown room, Elena felt a hand shove her into a seat.

“I delivered her to you.”

The soldier’s reply was greeted by a deep, rough voice.

“Very well.”

The moment Elena heard the voice, the hair on the back of her neck stood on end. She knew that voice by instinct.

‘…Paveluc.’

She did not know where she was, but she guessed that Paveluc was standing right in front of her. He had to be the one that planted the spy Batori.

She heard the other soldiers leave the room, and the blindfold was torn from her eyes. She blinked as she finally regained her sight after what felt like a long time, frowning as she did so. Paveluc’s smiling face focused into view in front of her.

“So now we meet, Your Highness. No, or should I call you Your Majesty now?”

He roughly pulled away the gag from her mouth as well. Elena’s jaw ached like hell, but she threw Paveluc an angry glare. He looked down at her with mock concern.

“I thought Batori would be quite harsh bringing you here, but it looks like you still have some vitality.”

“…What are you going to do to me?”

In response to her question, Paveluc stroked his neatly groomed beard, a smile playing on his mouth. Despite his relaxed behavior, however, his eyes were as black and as cold as stone.

“Well. Since I missed the opportunity to kill the Emperor, how about I carve out your eyeballs to stop that impertinent look you’re giving me.”

His voice had a joking lilt, but Elena knew not to take him lightly. Killing people gave him pleasure, and he wasn’t the type to not follow through on his words. She knew this well from her last life. However, Elena looked straight at him and allowed herself a small, taunting smile.

“What do you want, only my eyes?”

Paveluc’s expression twitched. Elena seemed undaunted, despite the fact that she was helpless before him.

“What, is that not enough for you? Then why don’t I mess a make of your pretty face before I remove your eyes? If I hack it with a knife, no one will admire your looks anymore. It would be quite fun to show it to you in a mirror.”

Elena’s firm expression remained unchanged. Feeling provoked, Paveluc continued on.

“It’s easier to break a woman than you think. How about being raped by several men in front of the Emperor’s eyes? Even if you live, you would never be able to return to your old life…”

Paveluc broke into a smile, as if he found the scenario entertaining. Elena listened quietly to his terrible words, but she could not stop the trembling of her fingertips.

This was Paveluc. A man who knew where an opponent’s weakest area was and how to strike it. On the surface Elena’s emotions appeared unchanged, but Paveluc could sense that she was furious. He grinned and gave a dangerous murmur.

“Are you scared now?”

Elena clenched her jaw without realizing it. If begging could change the outcome, she would have done so a hundred times. However, Paveluc was a monster who enjoyed breaking his opponents before killing them. Knowing that, Elena did not want to look weak in front of him. No matter what attitude she took, Paveluc would do as he pleased.

“Let me make this clear.”

Elena finally spoke, and Paveluc looked on with an interested expression.

“Whatever you do to me, you will suffer a hundred times worse than that before you die. I promise. ”

She remembered how Paveluc killed her in her last life. The cold touch of the steel blade was still as vivid as if it happened a moment ago.

But this life was different. If she survived here, she would be able to avenge herself…and if she didn’t, she had faith that Carlisle would do it in her stead.

“Is that a curse?”

Paveluc laughed scornfully, and then his face hardened.

“You’re a cocky one.”

Pak!

He slapped Elena on the cheek with one large hand. One wasn’t enough.

Pak! Pak! Pak!

Elena’s head jerked in every direction as she took each one of Paveluc’s fierce blows.

Kwadangtang!

The chair toppled over from the force of his hits, and Elena, who was tied to it, fell as well.

“…Keus.”

Blood trickled from her mouth. The metallic taste stained her tongue, and she remained too stunned to form a coherent thought. Paveluc delivered a swift kick to her stomach.

Pak!

Elena felt intense pain in her stomach, and was not able to hold back her fear for the first time.

“W-wait…”

She wanted to beg him to not hit her stomach, but she gritted her teeth, knowing that if she showed such weakness, he would hurt her even more. She curled up as much as she could despite her bound state, hoping to protect her stomach.

She endured several kicks like this, before Paveluc stopped and neatly brushed away her hair. He spoke in an insultingly casual voice.

“I originally planned to kill you, but now that I met you in person, I change my mind. You could be useful when dealing with Carlisle…perhaps he would lose his mind if I hung your neck on the wall.”

He tapped her reddened cheek with his toes. Elena looked at him with a venomous stare, and he chuckled. He continued on.

“So, Your Majesty, if you want to survive, you should know your place. Otherwise…I’ll feel regret if I have to do something to you.”

Elena clenched her teeth again, holding back the pain. She didn’t know whether the blood on her was from Paveluc’s assault on her, or from her biting her teeth. The only thing she could think about was the baby in her stomach.

‘Please be safe…’

Her mental and physical energy spent, she could no longer hold on to consciousness and blacked out.

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