CHAPTER 19

The flag hanging over Bale Castle was lowered. The maid Rosy, glancing at Eva’s expression, informed her that the crown prince had departed. She said he had left Bale Castle early in the morning, wearing silver armor and accompanied by several knights. She also added that many people had admired and watched in awe as the knights rode away on horseback, their appearance so grand and unusual.

Eva simply nodded quietly without asking any further questions. After a night of severe illness, she had finally come back to her senses. She understood that since she had shared a brief, meaningful time with a past acquaintance, that alone was enough. Although she had not been able to end things properly, it was sufficient that he had left knowing she was innocent.

Now, each of them would go their separate ways and live their own lives. She would remain here in Crocs Field, and he in the imperial palace in the capital city of Montana. All they had to do was adapt to their respective places in life.

Perhaps due to Edward’s instructions, Baron Bitty and his wife did not assign Eva any work. That did not mean they treated her kindly, however. They simply left her alone, looking at her with eyes filled with hatred and contempt.

Exhausted, Eva stayed in her room all day and hardly went outside. Occasionally, she would check on Cecil, talk with her for a while, then return to her room to read or sleep.

And so the day passed.

This was Bale Castle again. Her familiar room, her warm and cozy bed. A cool breeze drifted in from somewhere. Half-asleep, Eva opened her eyes and saw sunlight stretching across the floor up to her feet. She must have fallen asleep for a nap, and the sun had already tilted quite a bit.

Cecil, who had been by her side before she fell asleep, was nowhere to be seen. She must have gone out after putting the young girl to sleep. Well, she was probably busy welcoming the guests who had come to the castle.

Eva tried to get up, but instead collapsed back onto the bed. Perhaps she had been playing too much with the younger guests—her body felt heavy.

Still, she closed her eyes tightly and prepared to get up when she heard soft footsteps approaching.

“Cecil?”

Just as Eva opened her eyes and tried to rise, a sheet suddenly covered her face.

“Ah—who…!”

As she tried to scream in surprise, a hand pressed down over her mouth through the sheet. She couldn’t breathe.

Ugh. Ugh.

The young Eva struggled wildly, making muffled sounds. It was the first time she had ever experienced something like this—she was terrified and shocked. There was no one in the castle who would do such a thing, so who could it possibly be?

“Little brat. How dare you humiliate me?”

A furious male voice reached her ears. A boy’s voice. And one that sounded familiar.

“You think you’re so great just because you’re engaged to Edward?”

The voice, spat out through gritted teeth, tightened around Eva like a chokehold.

“Don’t make me laugh. You will never become the crown princess.”

As Eva’s resistance grew stronger, the person climbed on top of her.

“I will become the crown prince. And I won’t leave you and that bastard Edward alone.”

The increasing pressure pinned her down even harder. Forget pain—her air was being cut off, and everything before her eyes began to fade. If this continued, she felt like she would die.

In order to survive, Eva reached her hand out from under the sheet, flailing blindly. Her fingers touched his face, and she scratched hard beneath his jaw. A sharp scream followed, along with curses.

The pressure increased again, and just as she was losing strength—

“What are you doing!”

Another voice rang out, and the weight on her disappeared. Sounds of struggle erupted outside the bed. But it ended quickly, and one person ran off cursing.

Eva, still dazed, lay there motionless. She could breathe again, but she remained under the sheet, crying silently and praying desperately: please let the one who ran away be the attacker, and the one who stayed be her savior.

Then the sheet was lifted, and a face appeared before her. Eva’s vision was blurry with tears, and the face was shadowed, making it impossible to see clearly. Still, a sense of relief filled her—she was alive.

“Who…?”

She murmured, and then suddenly opened her eyes.

She was back in her familiar surroundings. The small, shabby room of Baron Bitty’s house.

It was a dream.

A dream she occasionally had when she felt unwell. It was always the same situation, with blurred, fragmented scenes. The fear was so vivid that Eva had once asked people in Bale Castle whether something like this had happened to her as a child. But no one knew anything, so she assumed it was just a nightmare.

What was strange was that even after waking up, the trembling in her body did not stop.

Then she heard footsteps on the wooden floor nearby. Eva turned toward the sound. The door was firmly closed, and so was the window.

Her gaze swept along the wall until it stopped at the foot of the bed. A large, imposing figure stood there, looking at her.

Her heart dropped. A warning alarm screamed in her mind.

“Wh-who are you?”

As Eva tried to get up, the shadow immediately covered her. She struggled violently, but he did not budge. The difference in strength was overwhelming—and there was a faint smell of alcohol mixed with something foul.

Todd?

The moment she realized it, she stopped moving and looked at him. In the darkness, his twisted face glaring at her came into view. His breath stank as he huffed, and his skin rippled grotesquely as he scowled.

“Ugh… To… dd…”

Eva twisted her body, trying to escape, but her voice and cries for help were easily silenced by his hand.

Todd climbed onto her legs, pinned her wrists above her head with one hand, and immobilized her completely. She could only struggle weakly, unable even to scream.

“I heard what the maids were saying. You were alone with that crown prince bastard?”

His bloodshot eyes glared at her, filled with jealousy and lust.

“What did you do with him? You look at me like I’m dirt, but you smiled and clung to him?”

He gritted his teeth and tightened his grip.

Eva desperately shook her head, resisting as best she could. The increasingly violent Todd filled her with terror. The outside remained completely silent—no one was coming.

Nanny… please help me. Eva called out silently, choking back tears. Cecil was the only person she could think of, even though she knew she couldn’t come.

She struggled with all her strength. If something terrible happened to her, she didn’t want to live at all. She would rather die resisting.

“If you mess with another man, I won’t forgive you. You belong to me.”

Todd removed his hand from her mouth and grabbed her thin neck.

She gasped—her voice barely came out before her throat was crushed. She felt like her neck would snap. Her vision blurred, her breathing stopped, and her mind began to fade.

And just as her eyes were about to close—

Thud!

A heavy blow struck the back of Todd’s head.

“Ah…!”

Todd staggered, grabbing his head.

“Miss, come here!”

Cecil stood there, panting, holding a book above her head. She was barefoot, wearing nightclothes.

Eva, regaining her breath, pushed Todd away with all her strength. As he lost balance, she quickly ran to Cecil’s side. Fear still remained—but so did relief. Cecil, frail and weak though she was, felt like a hundred allies to Eva.

“You disgusting man!”

Cecil glared at Todd with fury. But Todd, enraged, grabbed Cecil by the hair and threw her onto the bed.

“Ugh!”

Cecil groaned in pain, trembling like a wounded animal.

Eva froze in terror.

“No…”

Before Todd could strike, Eva grabbed a heavy brass candlestick and struck the back of his head.

A dull thud echoed.

Todd collapsed to the floor without a sound.

Silence filled the room.

“Todd?”

Eva knelt beside him, trembling. The candlestick in her hand was heavy. He did not move at all.