Chapter 41
Tatadak.
Arrows that had lost their target shattered against something sharp and dropped to the ground.
“……!”
She whipped her body around in a panic.
That brief moment was all he needed.
“Aaaargh!”
Screams erupted. A silver blade cleaved through the darkness, and the scent of blood filled the air in an instant.
Thud, thud, thud. Heavy things hit the wet ground.
Sensing danger, a magician quickly deployed a magical shield. But having fallen off his horse, he could barely save himself.
“How dare you.”
A voice as cold as ice froze the air around them.
“At whom do you think you’re aiming your arrows?”
It was the voice of a beast, raspy and menacing.
Eslyn struggled to focus.
Gradually, the rain began to ease. The clouds shifted, and faint moonlight broke through.
In front of her was a massive, black back—like a mountain.
“Duke Ripherius…?”
The magician who had rolled across the ground muttered in disbelief. He glanced at the fallen knights around him and flinched.
“W-Why are you doing this to us? We were ordered to capture that maid. By the First Prince, Your Grace. So if you’ll just—”
“Too much talking.”
The broad back moved. Without hesitation, he pulled a dagger from his coat and thrust it forward.
Thwuck! A chilling sound echoed as the blade pierced something.
“…….”
The man slowly turned his horse.
He wore a black cloak. His rain-soaked hair was pushed back, revealing his full face.
His eyes were strikingly clear.
Red-tinted black eyes. Cold and still—studying Eslyn in detail.
“Come with me. It’s dangerous here.”
He—Tevet—extended a hand toward Eslyn. The knight, returned from battle, looked larger and more solid than ever, exuding a quiet danger.
“Take my hand.”
Eslyn stared blankly at his fingers. As if anxious, he repeated softly:
“Please.”
And like someone hypnotized, Eslyn slowly reached out her hand.
At that exact moment—
Crack!
The split earth groaned and trembled once again.
Eslyn instinctively glanced to the side. At this rate, the ground would collapse.
And if it collapsed…
She imagined the river Sehaz flowing below—like death itself.
“Esh!”
Tevet shouted urgently as her horse’s footing became unstable.
He spurred his horse forward, swooping toward her in a flash and seizing her waist.
He shielded Eslyn with his own body and grabbed the reins.
Rumble!
The ground trembled. Tevet’s horse stumbled and began to tip sideways.
The earth was rapidly giving way beneath them. He knew, instinctively—it was too late to retreat.
“Sir Tevet!”
Eslyn screamed. Her voice gave him resolve.
Tevet’s arm tensed with strength.
Then he released the reins from one hand and used his entire body as a shield, embracing Eslyn tightly.
“Don’t worry.”
Boom!
The cliff crumbled. Everything was dragged down by gravity in an instant.
Downward. Ever downward.
Into the devouring black waters of the Sehaz River.
“Haa…”
Tevet secured Eslyn firmly in his arms. Her scent hit his nose.
Even in this moment, the scent drove him wild.
Like a man learning to breathe for the first time, he buried his face in her neck and inhaled deeply.
The fall felt like it lasted a thousand years.
“Huh…”
Eslyn whimpered, terrified.
Tevet gently cradled her head.
She was afraid, yet somehow not afraid.
He would not let a single speck of dust harm her. He would never let her go again.
Time snapped back into motion.
Splash!
A violent impact spread through his body, and fierce waters wrapped around them like hungry beasts.
And yet—to Tevet, it felt right.
This warmth. This breath. This Eslyn he had longed for… was finally in his arms.
The once-empty hands now felt full at last.
Eslyn opened her eyes.
Her whole body felt like dead weight. Lifting her eyelids was all she could manage.
Haa. Her breath came out hot.
She barely raised a hand to her forehead—and flinched. It was burning like fire.
‘Where… am I?’
Eslyn looked around. The darkness made it hard to see.
Her feverish eyes made her vision swirl, adding to the dizziness.
‘A kidnapping…?’
The thought suddenly struck her.
‘Was this Kardan’s doing after all?’
She bit the inside of her cheek.
But oddly enough, she wasn’t terribly afraid.
Whether it was Dierian, Sir Jeks, or Lohart—
Her close allies must have realized she was missing by now. They weren’t incompetent. They would come find her.
The problem was her body—completely unable to move.
‘I just need to survive until then. As long as I stay alive…’
Eslyn thought coldly.
At that moment, the tightly shut door burst open roughly.
“So this is where you were hiding.”
A strong stench of blood filled the room. Eslyn frowned, staring into the shadows where a figure emerged.
Heavy, fast footsteps pounded the floor. Then—scrape. Something was dragged along behind them.
As her vision steadied, her eyes met a pair of glowing red orbs.
“Are you all right, Your Highness?”
The man asked. Seeing her face, he clenched his teeth. He sheathed his sword and dropped something he had been holding.
Eslyn looked down.
A corpse lay there, pierced through the chest by a sword. It was the man who had kidnapped her.
“S-Sir Tevet…?”
“Yes.”
Tevet quickly closed the distance between them. After scanning her pale face, he cursed under his breath.
“Damn it. What the hell happened to you?”
“How did you find me here…?” Cough, cough!
She couldn’t finish. The smell of blood overwhelmed her.
Over Tevet’s shoulder, she saw the wide-open yellow eyes of the dead man—frozen in shock. He must’ve died instantly, not even realizing what hit him.
“Don’t speak.”
Tevet helped her sit up on the bed. Despite his rough tone, his touch was incredibly gentle.
He took off his cloak and wrapped it around her trembling shoulders.
“How did you find me…?”
“Is that what matters right now?”
“…….”
“Why did you leave the palace without proper guards?”
A storm-like quiet anger simmered in his voice.
“When I heard you’d vanished from the capital’s busiest street—do you know how scared I was?”
His hand, clutching the cloak, trembled violently. Eslyn couldn’t say anything in return.
Haa.
Tevet let out a shaky sigh.
“I’m sorry for making you worry. I just…”
Eslyn finally spoke, her voice small and exhausted. Tevet frowned at the weariness in her tone.
“I succeeded in growing winter grapes… I was so excited to show you.”
“If you’d called, I would have come to you immediately.”
He looked at her sternly.
Eslyn gave a vague smile.
“Well… you were angry with me, weren’t you?”
She still clearly remembered the tension between them that night Tevet had come to see her at dawn.
Tevet scoffed faintly.
“How could I possibly be angry at you, Your Highness?”
Though clearly, he was angry.
Eslyn smiled to herself.
“More importantly, tell me what that mage did to you.”
He growled.
“He poisoned me… to paralyze my body.”
“And?”
“…That’s it. Besides, he’s dead now.”
“Even a corpse can be killed again.”
Eslyn slowly shook her head. She was too drained to speak further.
“Can you stand?”
Tevet asked. But it didn’t sound like a real question.
“Just hold on a little longer.”
With that, he scooped her up, cloak and all.
Her head naturally leaned against his rock-solid shoulder. Thump, thump. His heartbeat echoed close to her ear.
“About the last monster war… I’m sorry I didn’t let you have Dierian.”
Eslyn murmured as if sighing, listening to his heartbeat. Tevet looked down at her.
“It’s fine. Don’t say anything else. You look like you’ll collapse any second.”
His tone was softer now.
Eslyn exhaled, fighting to stay conscious.
She and Tevet often clashed, but this was the longest they’d gone without seeing each other.
Sure, he had been away at war. But even after his return, he hadn’t come to see her.
Eslyn mumbled, as if trying to justify herself:
“I couldn’t accept the reason they gave for needing Diel in the war. I couldn’t send someone I care about… into a danger I didn’t understand.”
“Someone you care about.”
His voice turned sharp again.
Eslyn forced her heavy eyes open to meet his gaze.
Step, step.
By then, Tevet was already walking outside. Under the soft moonlight, his face glowed coldly.
“Unless you’re trying to mess with my head again… please, just go to sleep.”
“……”
Eslyn closed her lips tight.
But a moment later, she called again.
“Sir Tevet.”
“I already told you to sleep.”
“…Don’t you ever think of becoming mine?”
Freeze.
His steps, so steady until now, halted.
Tevet slowly turned to look at her. Their eyes met in the moonlit air.
Damn it. Those eyes again.
He cursed inwardly.
She didn’t even realize what she had just said—those deep, lake-blue eyes remained so calm and still.
“…No.”
“Because you’re a Ripherius?”
Her question held a quiet sadness.
Looking at her face, Tevet smiled faintly.
“Do I need to explain more?”
Eslyn closed her eyes.
She opened her eyes.
The sound of chirping insects echoed faintly. Darkness surrounded her entirely.
The roaring currents of the Sehaz River rang in her ears.
‘I…’
Eslyn stared into the pitch-black night, chasing the memories she had recovered.
‘Sir Tevet…’
Hot tears suddenly welled up in her eyes.
What exactly have I forgotten?
Why… did I completely erase you from my heart?
‘I liked you.’
A distant, aching feeling washed over her.
The feelings she hadn’t even realized she’d forgotten came crashing down in a single, overwhelming wave.
