'No.'
My back was drenched in sweat. My overworked muscles cried out in pain, but I ignored them and kept driving forward.
"Haa, hah."
My breath, pushed to its limit, wavered precariously.
If that carriage broke, if enemies stormed inside, and Rose—she was in there—got hurt…
I knew I would never forgive myself.
"Haa, haa."
A vicious anxiety crept up from behind.
No one was chasing me, yet I was driven by an emotion I had never felt before, nearly losing my composure.
It was an unfamiliar experience.
SLASH!
CLANG!
Thanks to the knights' valiant efforts, most of the enemies clinging to the carriage had been shaken off.
Only three remained in sight.
They were the ones who had charged from the front, holding the area ahead of the carriage.
THUMP!
They finally climbed atop the carriage. The carriage lurched violently, enough to threaten its balance.
"Kyaah!"
The moment I registered Rose's faint scream coming from inside the carriage,
"—!"
Sparks flew from my eyes.
"My lady!"
"Those bastards!"
The knights also ground their teeth and closed in around the carriage.
It was no easy task to ride alongside a wildly swaying carriage. I had to carefully control my speed to avoid colliding with it.
RATATATATAT!
Only after closing in close enough to see the wood grain of the carriage,
"Gah!"
could I finally slash the back of one of the men who had climbed aboard.
CRASH!
The one who fell to the ground was swept past in an instant.
CLATTER!
Meanwhile, another one wrenched open one of the carriage doors. In doing so, he failed to watch where he was going,
CRUNCH!
The door, having struck a tree, was torn away entirely.
"Kuheok!"
The man collided with the door and tumbled to the ground.
"Ugh!"
The knights hastily veered away to avoid getting caught up in it.
In that moment,
CRACK! SNAP!
Another one drove an axe down through the carriage roof. He viciously kicked away the broken piece of ceiling,
CRACK!
then finally smashed through the roof and leapt inside the carriage.
"Rose!"
The shout that burst from my mouth shook the forest.
**
"Haa, haa."
Rose grabbed the wall and tried to steady herself. Every time the carriage jolted, her body was thrown in all directions.
CLANG!
SLASH!
Sword clashed against sword,
SQUICK!
the sound of a blade cutting through flesh,
SNORT!
the neighing of horses—all of it mixed chaotically together.
The sounds coming through just one thin carriage wall were too vivid.
She was terrified of how desperate the situation outside must be, how blood-soaked the scene.
"Haa, hah."
She knew the defensive Magical Device had been broken. That meant enemies could storm inside this carriage at any moment.
The ominous premonition soon became reality.
THUD!
A heavy crash—someone had climbed atop the carriage.
CRUNCH!
Then one of the carriage doors was ripped away.
CRACK!
'Please.'
Rose clutched something inside her clothes.
When she had been given this, she had prayed she would never have to use it. But that, too, had apparently been wishful thinking.
BANG! BANG!
An enemy's kick drove through the broken ceiling. Through the gap, the sky began to show. The moment the enemy came crashing in was right before her eyes.
Rustle.
Rose lowered her body as if cowering in fear. She pressed down on her pounding heart, trying to stay calm.
Only one chance. She absolutely could not miss it.
CRACK!
Finally, someone dressed in black dropped into the carriage.
"The Duchess!"
The man leered and strode straight toward Rose. He looked completely off guard, taken in by Rose's defenseless appearance.
Step.
The moment he reached for Rose's hair,
SPLASH!
Rose hurled something at him.
"Kgh—?!"
Caught off guard, the man stumbled backward.
Sssss—
A sound like thousands of ants swarming and gnawing all at once rang out.
The man's clothes, where the liquid had touched, melted away in an instant. But it didn't stop there—the skin on his forearm turned black as well.
"Aaaagh!"
The man screamed in agony and clutched his face. A few drops of the liquid that had splattered onto his face began to dissolve his skin.
'My god.'
Even in that desperate moment, Rose was momentarily stunned.
'Andersen, what did you give me?'
It was a Magical Device he had slipped into her sleeve, saying it was for emergencies.
You press a button and it fires liquid—she had no idea it would have such a gruesome effect.
'This is no time to space out.'
Rose seized the brief opening and tried to escape through the other side. She crawled frantically and barely grasped the empty door frame,
"You crazy bitch!"
along with a murderous voice, her ankle was seized in a vicious grip.
"Ugh!"
An overwhelming yank dragged her body backward.
"Aah!"
She tried to hold onto the door frame, but it was no use. She was no match for the strength of a grown man and was dragged back.
"Crazy, crazy…!"
Even as he writhed in agony, the enemy kept his eyes fixed on Rose.
One hand pinned her down, the other raised an axe, aimed right at her.
In an instant, the shadow of death swallowed Rose whole.
"Heok…."
Crushed beneath an overwhelming terror, Rose could do nothing for a moment.
Time crawled agonizingly slowly.
The vibration of the swaying carriage, her own heart pounding furiously, the flash of light glinting off the axe, the acrid smell stinging her nose.
As everything slowly filtered into Rose's awareness,
THUNK!
A sword pierced through the enemy's chest.
Blood erupted from his mouth and soaked Rose's dress.
"Kgh…."
The enemy's eyes rolled back,
Yank!
and he was grabbed and dragged out of the carriage.
Then—
"Rose!"
The one who had dispatched the enemy—Dane—rushed anxiously into the carriage.
"Ah."
Dane's pale, bloodless face filled her vision.
"Rose."
Dane's face had always been expressionless, calm, or bored. Apart from the occasional faint smirk, he rarely showed any change in expression.
But that man,
"Haa, haa."
stood there, pale as death, gasping for breath.
It was a face she didn't recognize. She had never seen him this shaken.
The hand reaching toward her trembled faintly. Blood was smeared across his face and body.
She could tell how desperately he had run here, how fiercely he had fought.
"Rose."
Hearing his voice again, she finally believed she was safe.
The terror that had filled her entire body rapidly drained away, and relief began to slowly fill its place.
"……."
She tried to say something, but her lips wouldn't move. Not just her mouth—her hands and feet had gone cold and stiff.
Pull.
Dane pulled Rose into his arms. His touch was more desperate and urgent than ever before.
Thump, thump, thump.
She felt his heartbeat through their pressed bodies.
Whenever they were close, Dane's heart had always beaten steadily and slowly. But now it was hammering fast and hard.
"God…."
It was surprising to see him call upon God. He was the kind of man who would do everything himself rather than pray to the divine.
Pressing against his warm body, she felt herself slowly stabilizing.
She had missed this embrace. So much.
"Rose."
Dane pulled back and looked at her again.
His gaze, full of worry and concern, swept over every inch of her face, checking for injuries.
Only then did Rose's lips finally move.
"…My… name."
She saw one of Dane's eyebrows rise. At the same time, her eyelids grew heavy.
"My name,"
Feeling her head drop forward,
"You… called it…."
she let go of the thin thread of consciousness she had barely been clinging to.
He's here. It's okay now.
With that thought, the world went completely black.
**
Wrap, wrap.
Joel carefully wound a linen bandage around Rose's ankle.
With each pass of the bandage, the finger-shaped bruise—dark and blue—was gradually hidden beneath.
"…Fortunately, nothing is broken. But you'll need to be careful with this ankle for a while."
Joel said in a low, quiet voice. It was out of consideration, so as not to wake Rose, who was still unconscious.
"You've sustained several minor scrapes and bruises here and there. I'll continue the treatment."
Joel carefully tended to the reddened, scraped areas on Rose's palms and arms.
Every time he moved, the sharp smell of alcohol and the bitter scent of herbal ointment filled the air.
"……."
I watched in silence, arms crossed.
Aside from the sounds of Joel's movements, Rose's room was still.
The servants moved more carefully than usual, doing their utmost to avoid noise as they wheeled carts and changed the water in the basins.
Because my face had gone cold and hard enough to terrify them.
Tap, tap.
I drummed my fingers against my crossed forearm.
I'd always wondered why Andersen bounced his leg whenever he did. Now I understood. When a person grew anxious, this happened without them even noticing.
"Your Excellency."
A knight who had been waiting behind approached and whispered.
"Have they been secured?"
"Yes. I've also put out a call for interrogation specialists."
I gave a heavy nod and issued my order.
"Tear it all out of them."
Information, body parts, anything.
I had killed every last one of the bastards who ambushed me—no different from the usual. But today was different. There was something I absolutely needed to know.
"Yes, Your Excellency."
I looked away from the knight leaving the room and turned back to Rose. I stared endlessly at her lying on the bed, face pale.
The candle on the wall flickered, and a heavy silence blanketed the entire room.
"Your Excellency, I've finished."
In the stifling atmosphere, Joel finally completed the treatment.
"Everyone, leave."
"…Yes."
Joel wiped the sweat from his brow and stood immediately. Since the last incident, when it came to anything involving Rose, he obeyed without question.
Joel and the servants slipped out of the room with extreme care.
Only when I was finally alone did I—
Slide.
gently sit down at Rose's bedside.
Rustle.
I carefully swept aside the tangled strands of hair on her forehead. The faint warmth of her skin brushed against my fingertips.
Rustle, rustle.
I kept repeating the motion, silently brushing her hair aside.
"……."
My expression remained blank, but inside, it was a different story.
I turned over the thoughts I hadn't had time to process in the heat of the moment.
I can't lose you like this.
The moment those words grazed my ear, they became a roaring tide that shook my heart.