At the same time, a sharp blade glinted faintly in the light, and blood spurted from the arm of the man holding a club. The man screamed horribly again.
Daniella shouted as she looked at the owner of the sword that pierced the man’s arm.
“Your Grace, the Grand Duke!”
It was Ashid. He mercilessly pulled the sword from the man’s arm and kicked him hard with his military boots. Then he reached out to her and said,
“Are you all right? Are you hurt anywhere?”
Daniella looked up at him with dazed eyes. The relief of survival made her body lose strength, and tears burst from her eyes. At the same time, her heart pounded so fast that it took her breath away.
With trembling hands, she reached out and clasped Ashid’s hand.
“I-I’m all right… I think. But how did you…?”
“That’s what I want to ask. Why in the world did you come into the forest unarmed? Why did you throw away your shoes, and what happened to your face? …Don’t tell me, was it that bastard’s doing?”
Ashid examined Daniella’s body for injuries, then glared at the collapsed man with a murderous look as he asked.
“I don’t know… When I opened my eyes, I was already in the forest.”
“What?”
“…Someone kept telling me to go into the forest. That voice just kept… commanding me.”
“Who on earth was it, and when did it start?”
“…I’m not sure. I think it started when I drank the new tea the young maid brought me…”
Daniella slowly shook her head as she answered Ashid’s question. Strangely, her vision grew blurrier and blurrier, and all the strength was draining from her body. She felt as if she had taken a sleeping pill—sleep was overwhelming her. In the end, her consciousness faded, and her body slumped.
Ashid urgently caught her in his arms and shouted,
“…Daniella!”
There was no answer. No—she couldn’t answer.
Just a few minutes earlier, Ashid had been beside himself with anxiety like he had never experienced in his life.
Time was of the essence, yet the damned Mona Forest was vast and crawling with monsters.
He cut down and kicked away every beast in sight as he ran through the forest without pause. At that moment, he was prepared to kill anything that got in his way.
While charging through the dense forest, brushing aside thick branches, a giant monster bird swooped in and attacked his left arm, which held his reins.
“Damn it!”
Blood gushed from his left arm, pierced by the beast’s beak. Cursing violently, Ashid swung his sword in one strike and severed the monster bird’s neck. The creature dropped dead to the ground without even a proper scream.
“There she is!”
At that moment, a strange man’s voice rang out not far away. Ashid immediately rode toward the source of the sound.
There he saw a man raising a club, and beneath him, Daniella collapsed on the ground.
His vision turned red with overwhelming fear and violent fury. He gripped his bloodstained sword tightly and urged his horse forward at full speed.
As the distance closed, Ashid leapt from the galloping horse and drove his sword through the man’s arm, causing him to collapse with a scream. Then he kicked him away and hurried to Daniella’s side.
“Are you all right? Are you hurt anywhere?”
Daniella’s blue eyes, looking up at him, were filled with fear. The sleeves and hem of her dress were torn, and her bare feet were covered in wounds.
Tears welled in her eyes as she stammered out a reply, but suddenly, she lost consciousness and collapsed into his arms.
“…Daniella!”
In that moment, a tremendous shock overwhelmed him, too deep for words.
The fear of losing someone again, helplessly and right before his eyes, gripped him. Just like when he had lost his mother, his mentor, and Fincher.
Ashid urgently checked to see if she was still breathing. When he heard her steady breath, he felt a flicker of relief. Then he gently patted her cheeks to wake her.
But she wouldn’t open her eyes. His anxiety began to spiral again.
His vision, once red with rage, now turned pitch black. Feeling an unbearable suffocation, Ashid swore under his breath.
“Damn it!”
He quickly picked her up in his arms, like a princess, and mounted his horse. Though she was still breathing, he couldn’t relax. She had to see a doctor immediately.
He spurred the horse into a full gallop, rushing out of the forest.
“Your Grace!”
“Your Grace, the Grand Duke!”
At the forest entrance, everyone from House Alberich who had remained in the central tent—including Mela and Wellard—was gathered.
When they saw Ashid dismounting with Daniella cradled in his arms, their faces turned pale in shock. Mela spoke in a trembling voice.
“What is… My lady…!”
“Get a doctor—now!” Ashid barked, and several maids ran frantically toward the palace annex. Ashid headed straight for the tent prepared for his family.
Inside, he carefully laid Daniella on the makeshift bed and turned to the attendants with a chilling glare.
“There are so many knights and servants here, and yet not one of you managed to properly watch over the Grand Duchess? I don’t understand how this could happen. When did my retainers become so incompetent?”
“…W-We are deeply sorry, Your Grace.”
“Spare me the empty apologies. Instead, explain how this happened in a way that makes sense. Don’t tell me you don’t even know that much.”
The servants’ faces all froze at his terrifying tone. Gripped by fear, they exchanged nervous glances.
“…I will explain everything, Your Grace.”
It was Mela, the head maid, who stepped forward with courage. Enduring the killing intent radiating from Ashid’s eyes, she recounted everything that had happened in the central tent.
Ashid scoffed in disbelief.
“So, you’re telling me that the Grand Duchess had a strange reaction after drinking tea brought by a young maid?”
“…Yes, Your Grace.”
“Where is that maid now? Still in the central tent?”
“She should be. According to the Imperial Guards at the entrance to the annex, no one has left since the incident.”
Wellard answered in Mela’s place. Ashid’s lips twisted into a crooked smile. The veins bulged on his sword-gripping right hand.
At that moment, the curtain of the tent was pulled aside, and the imperial physician Raedle rushed in with several maids.
He gasped at Ashid’s ferocious gaze and again at the blood-soaked state of his left arm. Then, he quickly pulled disinfectant from his bag and approached.
“P-Please, Your Grace, let me treat your arm!”
Ashid coldly brushed the physician’s hand away. He gestured toward Daniella and said,
“Did I ask for treatment? See to her first.”
“Ah… Y-Yes, of course!”
Raedle, his face pale, knelt by the makeshift bed where Daniella lay.
Ashid’s icy gaze shifted past the doctor and back to Daniella. Seeing her pale complexion and barely-there breathing, he felt a tight pain grip his chest.
‘Was this meant to sabotage my revenge? Or was it a grudge against House Enchanto or Daniella herself?’
It didn’t matter what the reason was.
Ashid had no intention of ever forgiving the person who had done this to Daniella.
Just as he was vowing revenge, the physician finished examining her and stood. Ashid grabbed the doctor’s shoulder and asked,
“What’s her condition?”
“…It’s too early to be sure, but I believe she has been poisoned.”
“Have you identified the poison? What’s the treatment?”
“The priority is to expel the toxin that has seeped into her body. To do that, we must heat the room and induce sweating. As for identifying the poison used, I need to extract her blood and examine it in detail. Only then can we formulate an antidote.”
Upon hearing this, Ashid immediately took off his thick cloak and covered Daniella with it. Then he turned to Mela and Wellard and said,
“Strip the cloaks off all the knights and bring them here. Start a fire in the center of the tent right now. Use a brazier, mana stones—whatever it takes to heat this place.”
“Yes, Your Grace!”
Mela and Wellard hurried to carry out his orders. Ashid then turned to Raedle again and warned,
“No matter what happens, save the Grand Duchess. If anything happens to her, you may as well consider your life forfeit.”
With those final words, Ashid gripped his sword once more and left the tent.
It’s getting even better. Waiting for more updates!!!