It was her first time killing someone.
She had made many resolutions while planning for revenge, promising to kill first to avoid being killed.
But taking someone’s life with her own hands was a more intense experience than she had imagined.
‘No need for unnecessary thoughts. I have to leave the body and keep moving.’
If she hesitated, lost in useless sentimentality, it would be her own death.
No, considering Lizzy’s personality, she would surely face an even greater humiliation than death. She would want to leave a significant scar on her.
Ariella bit her lip hard enough to draw blood and turned her gaze away from the corpse.
Just as she was about to run again, she realized that she hadn’t been paying attention to the sounds around her because she had been lost in thought.
Tatata!
Someone was approaching the alley where she was.
It would be great if it were Adam, but if it were him, he would be calling her name to find her quickly.
It was already too late to escape with her injured ankle. Having made her decision, Ariella gripped the club tightly again.
‘Three.’
Huff. She exhaled deeply, focusing on the sounds around her as she prepared to commit her second murder.
‘Two….’
As she whispered in her heart, a large, dark silhouette appeared at the entrance of the alley.
‘One.’
Ariella swung the club with all her might without hesitation.
Thwack-!
Something unexpected happened.
The newly appeared man blocked her surprise attack. With just one hand, as if it were nothing.
However, the reason she was shocked was not because of the man’s quick reflexes.
If she had to say.
“…Duke Ashbon?”
It was due to the man’s outstanding appearance visible beyond the wooden club.
Ariella momentarily doubted her eyes.
There was no way Duke Ashbon would suddenly appear in a place like this. It was more convincing to think she was seeing an illusion.
But even after closing and opening her eyes several times, the man in her sight remained the same.
A pale, smooth forehead, thick eyebrows and long eyelashes, a nose that rose high like a mountain, and red eyes that shone like transparent glass… Even upon closer inspection, nothing changed.
There was no one else with such a face and body.
“How did you get here…?”
Ariella gasped, finally releasing the breath she had been holding.
The garden of Count McCoy, the masquerade held at Marquis Emily’s, Catalina’s dinner party. Every encounter with him had been a series of surprises, but none had been as confusing as this.
Nobert did not answer but slowly shifted his gaze from her to look down. At the end of his gaze was the assailant lying on the ground, bleeding profusely.
Realizing what his eyes were conveying, Ariella stammered without meaning to.
“Ah. Th-this is….”
This is the person I killed. There was a reason to kill him.
Countless words swirled in her mind, but they could not escape her lips and remained at the tip of her tongue.
As the red puddle formed around the corpse filled her vision, the anxiety she had barely suppressed surged back up. The strength left her hand gripping the club, and her legs trembled.
Just as she continued to gasp for breath, a low voice carried on the gentle wind.
“He’s not dead.”
The violet eyes that had been aimlessly wandering fixed on him.
Nobert, as if to prove his words, stepped on the assailant’s hand without hesitation with his black boot.
Crack! The harsh sound echoed, and Ariella gasped, her mouth agape.
“Ugh….”
“As you can see, he’s alive.”
It was as he said. A faint groan escaped from behind the black mask, and soon the assailant opened his eyes, albeit weakly. It seemed he had regained consciousness from the pain.
He really wasn’t dead.
Realizing this, she finally felt a sense of relief.
“Even if he were dead, it would only be due to his own actions. You have no fault or responsibility in this. So please, do not suffer because of this trash.”
The blurred vision clouded by fear and tension gradually became clearer.
Only then did Ariella realize that Amira had come close to her. She wore a very serious expression, as if she was determined to protect her lady from the unfamiliar man.
Moreover, behind Nobert stood knights who appeared to belong to the ducal family.
Though not as imposing as Nobert, most were tall and well-built, exuding a much more intimidating presence than the knights of Bedford.
Unless Nobert had suddenly decided to side with the Crown Prince and harm her, it seemed he would be a great help in her current situation.
“Lord Adam, we need to help my escort knight!”
As her rationality returned, the first thought that came to her was of Adam, who must be struggling somewhere. Given his skills, he probably wouldn’t be seriously injured, but with the number of assailants, it was hard to say.
