The Kidnapped Marriage of the Empress Who Turned Back Time.

The Kidnapped Marriage of the Empress Who Turned Back Time,

Chapter 1

“Hold me, Your Highness.”
“I cannot do that.”
“Am I not desirable to you?”

In a room bathed in moonlight, a graceful voice whispered an intimate request.

The woman asking to be held was considered the most eligible bride in the empire.Her father was the powerful Duke Rosana, and she herself was a beauty exuding elegance.

She was a noble lady who had rejected the Crown Prince, the most esteemed flower of high society, and Duke Rosana’s most cherished daughter. Though she was slightly past the ideal age for marriage, countless suitors vied for her hand. Every man desired her, but her father’s authority made them hesitant, waiting for the right moment to approach her.

Even the Duke of the North, Flint Howard, ruling the northern territories of the Biantica Empire, had once allowed his gaze to linger on Eliano. But it had nothing to do with romantic interest.

So, while every other man yearned for her, Flint could not.
“I do not accept women who do not have feelings.”

His cold, curt words left no room for misinterpretation, yet the woman remained unfazed. Instead, her emerald-green eyes sparkled brightly.

“Then develop those feelings.”

“You do not love me.”

The man’s blunt response elicited a light laugh from the woman.
How unexpectedly romantic this man was.

Her emerald eyes softened into a radiant smile.

“What if I say I love you, Your Highness? Will you hold me then?”

“Eliano…”

“Then let me say it. I love you.”

Suddenly, the man’s breath hitched, and his throat went dry.

A heartbeat, whose it was unclear, echoed in the silence.

“But Eliano…”

The woman reached out and gently caressed the man’s chest, making him flinch. Smiling playfully, she whispered,

“You’ll love me too.”

“This is… unacceptable.”

“But you don’t hate it.”

She placed her hands on his shoulders and kissed his lips. Though the kiss was devoid of love, it wasn’t unpleasant.

With a bit more pressure, she pushed the man onto the bed. As ripples spread through his gray eyes, Eliano smiled.

“Just hold me, Your Highness.”

In an instant, the man’s hand wrapped tightly around her waist, reversing their positions. Her hair spread across the sheets as his warm body drew close.

Closing her green eyes, Eliano leaned into his embrace.

At the end of a tragic and miserable life, Eliano had been granted the miracle of turning back time. No longer was she an ignorant and fragile child or a naïve girl who believed in eternal love and the sincerity of men.

She knew exactly what she needed to do to avoid living the same life again. And for that, she would stop at nothing.

—

Eliano was a noble lady of the Biantica Empire, a descendant of a founding family that had shaped the empire’s history. As the daughter of Duke Rosana, a man at the center of power, she was the most prestigious flower of high society. Everyone knew how deeply Duke Rosana adored his daughter.

She was given everything she desired. But her life belonged to her father.

Naturally, her husband would be chosen by him.

She had always known this.

What she hadn’t expected, however, was that she’d be sent to marry someone from another nation, the Zacadoor Empire’s prince.

Raised like a delicate flower in a greenhouse, Eliano was naïve but still aware of one thing: Zacadoor practiced polygamy.

“Multiple wives? Not mistresses? How can people live like that?”

When Eliano expressed her dissatisfaction, her nanny gently explained,

“That is Zacadoor’s culture and law, dear. Of course, some men only take one wife, but…”

No matter how much her nanny tried to comfort her, Eliano shook her head in disapproval.

“No. Nanny, I don’t want to go to Zacadoor!”

If her father truly loved her, why had he chosen a man from such a barbaric nation? Eliano didn’t dream of love, but she did dream of a romantic marriage.
Nowhere in that dream did she imagine sharing her husband with other women.

And to leave the empire she was born and raised in? The thought terrified her.

She lacked the courage to die but resisted in her own way by refusing meals and locking herself in her room.

Yet her father’s intervention swiftly ended her rebellion.

“Eliano, what is this nonsense?”

“F-Father…”

“I heard from your nanny. You’re worried your husband will have other wives?”

Seeing his pale-faced daughter, Duke Rosana clicked his tongue in frustration.

“Yes! I heard the Emperor of Zacadoor has countless women—wives, concubines, everyone! Even the First Prince has two wives! Father, I’m scared… Please don’t send me there!”

Even in her plea, Eliano couldn’t outright say she didn’t want to go.

Kneeling on the cold floor, she begged not to be sent away. Duke Rosana’s face twisted in irritation.

“Foolish girl! The seventh prince, your fiancé, is nothing but a mere figurehead. He’s far from the throne and barely has any real power.”

“Then… won’t the next emperor kill him?!”

Her crying grew louder, unable to suppress her despair.

She recalled the grim rumors her friends had gossiped about.

— “Poor Lady Eliano. They say Zacadoor’s royal family has short lives. If a prince doesn’t become emperor, he ends up dead.”

— “Oh, don’t say such cruel things! If he supports the next emperor, he might live.”
— “Still, marrying a Zacadoor prince is like gambling with your life.”

Eliano couldn’t hold back her tears.

The more she thought about it, the more frightened and hopeless she felt.

“Eliano, listen. As a symbol of peace, the prince and his wife are protected by law. Not even the next emperor can harm you. If your husband is killed, you’ll be safely returned.”

“R-Really?”

“And he’s forbidden from taking another wife. It’s part of the treaty.”

Her tear-streaked face brightened slightly at her father’s words.

“What a mess you are, acting like this. Tsk.”

With another click of his tongue, Duke Rosana instructed her nanny to restore her to a presentable state.
His daughter must always be elegant and composed.

From then on, Eliano underwent even stricter grooming.

Knowing her husband couldn’t take other wives eased her fears slightly. But she still didn’t want to go to Zacadoor.

She feared her father, but the foreign empire terrified her more.
“What if they kill me for being from Biantica?”

The longstanding enmity between Biantica and Zacadoor made her uneasy.

Despite the peace treaty, tensions remained high.

Even as she voiced her concerns to her nanny, Duke Rosana summoned her.

“Eliano, sit.”

Startled by his rare gesture, she obeyed.
Soon a table was filled with her favorite desserts.

Watching cautiously, she poured tea into a cup, her movements flawless and graceful.

“Still worried, are you?”

“No, Father. I’m fine…”

“All you need to do is bear a child. What’s there to worry about?”

His words were firm yet strangely reassuring.

Though her fears didn’t completely vanish, she clung to the treaty’s promises.

“Remember, Eliano. You are a noble daughter of Biantica. Keep your dignity and protect our family’s honor.”

“Yes, Father.”

Eliano nodded obediently, but her beautiful face was still shadowed with worry.

“Enough of that expression. As the daughter of Duke Rosana, you’ve lived in luxury, free from want. It’s time to repay me.”

Eliano understood.

As a child of the Rosana family, it was her duty to fulfill her father’s wishes. From that moment on, she no longer voiced her resistance to the marriage.