Not long after, Dorian took advantage of Empress Victoria letting her guard down and slipped out of the palace.

I stood in the courtyard, listening to their conversation on the other side of the wall.

"Celeste, let's leave. I'll give up being Crown Prince, and we can just be an ordinary married couple. Will you come with me?"

"Dorian, are you really willing to give up your title for me? But what about Seraphina?"

"I'd do anything for you. I'm afraid I'll have to let Seraphina down in this lifetime."

After a tender moment between them, they finally showed signs of preparing to run away.

As they were about to leave, I stepped forward and stopped them. "Here's some money and an escape route I've prepared for you. It'll help you avoid the soldiers who'll be searching for you."

From the moment I was reborn, I had been planning this step, making preparations in advance for their escape. I hoped they could leave successfully, fly far away, and never be caught by Empress Victoria.

This time, I would never report them to her.

I would not repeat what I did in my past life: reporting their escape plan to Empress Victoria.

I would not repeat my past life, where I revealed their plan and caused Dorian to be trapped in the palace, unable to meet Celeste. It led to their separation in life and death, and worse, it caused Celeste to die a horrific death, losing both her life and her unborn child; her body was never even recovered.

That was why Dorian held such a grudge against me, and the first thing he did after ascending to the throne was exact his revenge on me. He had captured all the people who had hurt Celeste and made me watch as they were tortured one by one.

Their tendons were cut, their fingers chopped off piece by piece, their eyes gouged out, and their teeth ripped out, drained of blood until they died in agony.

In the end, their bodies were hacked into pieces and thrown to wild dogs.

I did not want to go through any of that again; I would lose my mind if I had to relive it.

...

The news of the Crown Prince eloping with an illegitimate daughter spread like wildfire throughout the capital.

This time, Emperor Roland Ashford himself stepped in and put Dorian under house arrest, forbidding anyone from visiting him.

Empress Victoria was terrified when she heard the news, realizing that even she might not be able to protect Dorian this time. Her body swayed unsteadily where she stood.

"Bring that shameless woman to me immediately."

Before Celeste could even bow in greeting, she was slapped hard twice across the face. Bright red handprints immediately appeared on her cheeks, showing just how much Empress Victoria hated her.

"So, you used that pretty face of yours to seduce the Crown Prince, didn't you?"

Empress Victoria was the legitimate daughter of a prestigious noble family. As a child, she had watched her father being seduced by mistresses while her mother wept herself to death in resentment. Hence, she had always despised illegitimate children with a passion.

Empress Victoria gripped Celeste's jaw tightly with her left hand and extended her right hand, prompting a servant to immediately hand her a sharp hairpin.

Celeste trembled in fear, trying to struggle. However, several guards held her firmly in place so she could not move. To prevent her from screaming, they had already gagged her mouth.

Empress Victoria went mad, slashing Celeste's cheeks countless times with the hairpin as blood poured from the wounds. It looked horrifyingly gruesome, like blood tears streaming from her eyes.

Still not satisfied, Empress Victoria had someone bring salt. Then, she carefully sprinkled it into the open wounds.

"I want to see how you seduce men without this face. Drag her out and beat her..."

"Stop! I dare anyone to continue!"

No one knew how Dorian had managed to get out, but he rushed in, breathless, shouting to stop the punishment.

When he saw Celeste's face, he was visibly shocked. More than anything, his heart ached for her. He gently tried to touch that face he had been longing for, but he did not know where to place his hand.

"Celeste, I'm sorry. I came too late. I'm so sorry..." Dorian said, full of guilt and anguish.

When Celeste saw Dorian, she cried even harder, as if trying to pour out all her grievances. Then, she fainted.

"Mother, why would you do this to her? I hate you! I hate you!" Dorian shouted, holding Celeste as he confronted Empress Victoria.

"Why? You actually gave up your title as Crown Prince for this tramp. Are you trying to drive me mad? If it weren't for her, would you have tried to elope? Is that how you repay your father and me, who've invested so much in you?"

Under her relentless questioning, Dorian was left speechless with shame.

Just then, the sound of footsteps approached from behind. "You ungrateful son! Since you're willing to give up your title for this woman, then I'll grant your wish."

"Your Majesty, no! Dorian was just temporarily misled. Please give him another chance!" Empress Victoria immediately fell to her knees, begging for mercy.

Emperor Roland glanced at his rebellious son, who showed no sign of remorse, and felt deeply disappointed. With a flick of his sleeve, he turned and walked away.

Later, I brought some high-quality medicinal ointment and showed the guards the Emperor's token, signaling them to open the door.

The first thing I saw was two people holding each other tightly.

Dorian and Celeste were nothing like their former glamorous selves. They were disheveled and dirty, with no trace left of the Crown Prince's former glory.

Celeste's facial wounds had not received any treatment; they had scabbed over with terrible swelling, showing signs of infection and rot.

It was truly horrifying to look at.

"What are you doing here? You were the one who told on us... It had to be you!"

The moment Celeste saw me, she became hysterical.