Startled, Vansis, who unexpectedly held Miracle, checked her body, but fortunately, she couldn't find any injuries.
"Miracle, what happened? Tell me!"
Despite Vansis's prodding, Miracle only shook her head, tears streaming down her face.
Vansis sighed deeply and asked Miracle's escort.
"You tell me. What happened?"
"That's-"
Just as the knight, his face pale, was about to speak.
"What's all this commotion?"
Suddenly, a deep voice rang out, and Vansis and the knight flinched, turning to look.
Snow-white hair, purple eyes. Vansis's body stiffened as she recognized the owner of the voice.
"Ah, Father."
Miracle, hearing the word "Father," immediately lifted her head and ran into the Duke's arms.
"Daddy...!"
"...Yes, it's alright now."
Holding Miracle skillfully, the Duke looked at Vansis and the knight.
Their breaths caught in their throats at his snowfield-like eyes, devoid of any warmth.
"Explain. What happened?"
"That, that's-"
Just as Miracle's escort, swallowing hard, was about to explain.
"It was an Ogre Man's sudden attack!"
Revil Weed, who had been watching from behind, suddenly interjected and shouted.
At his words, the Duke's eyebrows twitched.
"Wait, what did you say? Ogre Man?"
Rigrin, who had come with the Duke, exclaimed in shock.
"Ogre Man... Is it the Ogre Man I know?"
Asked again with a face of disbelief, Revil Weed quickly nodded.
"That can't be. It's impossible. How could a high-level monster Ogre Man appear? We clearly only released lower-level monsters. How...?"
At that moment, as if something came to mind, Rigrin turned to the Duke with a hardened expression.
Revil Weed, as if he had caught something, exclaimed excitedly.
"Seeing that fearsome Ogre Man trying to threaten Lady Miracle, I, Revil Weed, rushed over in an instant and safely protected her all the way here!!"
He thumped his chest with a face full of pride.
Just as Miracle's escort, looking at Revil Weed with an absurd expression, was about to shake his head.
"...!"
He spotted a huge man rapidly approaching from afar and straightened his posture.
The man who approached in an instant - Aen - spoke to the Duke.
"First, calm the chaos and then deploy the knights..."
Aen's gaze, which had been reporting, reached Revil Weed.
As his gaze turned to him, Revil Weed's shoulders tensed up.
Soon, Aen sighed deeply.
"It's a relief. Your being here means the young lady is also safe."
"Ah, of course!"
Revil Weed answered loudly to Aen's words.
"I was responsible for protecting Lady Miracle."
Revil's face, shouting like that, was overflowing with pride.
In his head, he imagined himself being appointed as the vice-commander of the 2nd Knight Order after being recognized for this achievement.
"...What?"
However, Aen's reaction was completely different from his imagination.
"...What did you just say? Who?"
"Yes? Lady Miracle-"
Revil couldn't continue to speak.
Because Aen, who closed the distance in an instant, grabbed his collar.
"Commander Rixus! What are you-"
Rigrin hurriedly tried to stop him in the sudden situation, but Rigrin also froze at Aen's following words.
"The one you had to protect was clearly Lady Lucia."
"Ku, keuheok! Su, suffocation...!"
"Tell me right now. Where is Lady Lucia right now?"
"Butler, Lord, please help me..."
Revil Weed asked for help from those around him with reddened eyes, but everyone was just glaring at him with cold, hardened expressions.
Revil Weed's eyeballs gradually turned red.
In the midst of the front not being visible well because of the constantly flowing tears, only Aen's murderous intent to truly kill him was clearly felt.
'What the heck, what did I do wrong?'
What was certain was that he might really die like this.
'Someone, save me!'
Unlike the heart burning with the desire to live, his consciousness was gradually fading at that moment.
"How ludicrous."
An uninvited guest broke in.
Aen only turned his eyes to confirm the uninvited guest.
"To think that this is Rodbell, I'm disappointed."
Step by step, a beautiful platinum-haired boy approached with a soft walk.
Rigrin, recognizing him, paused and stepped back.
The strength in Aen's hand also diminished slightly.
At that moment, Revil Weed sensed it.
'He is a savior.'
That boy, who is beautiful like an angel and has powerful power, is the only savior who can save him in this situation!
Revil squeezed out even the strength he used to feed and barely pulled on the hem of the boy's sleeve.
The boy - the Crown Prince - turned to him, and Revil moved his lips with difficulty.
Sa, ve, me.
"Ah..."
Did he read his lips?
The Crown Prince nodded and smiled.
He is definitely a savior.
The moment Revil was relieved.
Swish.
...Thud.
A sunset glow flashed, and there was a sound of something falling.
Huh...? What just happened...?
Revil only rolled his eyes to check below.
'A dagger?'
The sunset glow that had flashed for a moment was the setting sun reflected on the blade of the dagger.
From the tip of the sharp dagger, bright red drops of blood were dripping.
Then what did the dagger cut off...?
Revil's gaze turned to the ground following the falling drops of blood.
Rolling on the dirty ground was someone's hand.
A hand? Why a hand...?
"Ugh, uaaaaaaaack!!"
Revil, who belatedly realized that it was his hand, screamed and writhed.
Aen released his collar.
Thud!
He, who fell to the ground, grabbed his severed wrist and sobbed, letting out suppressed groans.
Rigrin hastily ordered the knight to take Miracle and Vansis to flee, and then approached the Crown Prince.
"Your Highness, what on earth are you doing...!"
"He told me to 'kill me'."
"Ye, yes?"
"That guy told me with his mouth. To kill him."
"Heueuk, I, I never did that!!"
"Oh, is that so?"
The Crown Prince shrugged as if he was regretful.
"I made a mistake. I'm sorry."
"Right now that's...!"
"But, Rigrin."
Neatly ignoring Rigrin, who was trying to protest, the Crown Prince approached the Duke.
The height difference between the two was more than two spans, but the Crown Prince was not at all intimidated.
Rather, he even had a relaxed smile on his lips and moved his lips while staring straight into the Duke's eyes.
"How much does the family disregard the Duchess that a thing like that would openly step forward and blurt out that they abandoned her?"
"......"
The Duke silently stared at the Crown Prince, who was grinning as if he was really curious.
Soon, the smile also disappeared from the Crown Prince's lips.
All that remained was cold reproach.
"If Lucia Rodbell even dies."
A long and elegant finger tapped the Duke's chest.
And he whispered, folding his gray-blue eyes, which did not feel any laughter at all.
"Remember. It was you who killed her."
"......"
The Duke did not even answer, did not even blink, and did not even seem to breathe.
He was just standing upright like a doll, staring at the Crown Prince.
It was then.
"Your Highness! I have prepared a horse!"
The imperial knight ran up, pulling a horse.
The Crown Prince, glancing at the Duke without any regrets, immediately mounted the horse.
He entered the forest as it was.
"Wa, wai- Your Highness!"
The imperial knights hurriedly chased after the Crown Prince.
"Lord, I will start searching first too."
Without even waiting for an answer, Aen also entered the forest.
Like a place that had been swept by a storm, a cold silence descended.
All that remained was the fainted Revil Weed and...
"Lord..."
Rigrin looked at the Duke with a complicated expression.
He barely suppressed the rising sigh.
The words that the Crown Prince had said were lingering in his ear.
'How much does the family disregard the Duchess that a thing like that would openly step forward and blurt out that they abandoned her?'
The moment he heard those words, Rigrin's heart sank.
It was not because he was ashamed or angry.
It was because it was true, and he could not deny it.
'What is the Lord thinking?'
And...
'What on earth am I doing?'
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