Chapter 289
My baby
After entrusting Nova to her cousin, Freesia remained in the palace under the protection of the knights. The monsters were swarming in, like ants drawn to hardened honey, but she could not leave her post.
〈Mathilde! Take Nova and evacuate with His Highness!〉
〈M-Mama!〉
The child wailed that she wouldn’t let go, but there was no time.
In the first place, Nova would be safest by the imperial prince, who was the most important person to protect in the canyon palace. She didn’t want her child to witness anything too terrible.
But after using her power, Freesia clamped a hand over her mouth as nausea surged.
“Ugh…”
Maybe it was because it had been so long since she’d used her abilities. Her knees trembled, and she felt the strength drain from her limbs as if her blood vessels were loosening.
“Your Highness! Are you all right?”
The knights of House Arcturus, having slain the monsters Freesia missed, rushed to her side.
One of them did not hesitate to scoop Freesia up in his arms.
“I’ll take you inside, Your Highness! Please hold on for a moment!”
“But…!”
Freesia, being carried, grit her teeth as she looked over the knight’s shoulder.
The monsters, now white petals with a bitter scent, were swept away in little whirlwinds on the breeze.
It was a truly beautiful spring scene, yet the clashing of blades and screams erupting all around felt completely out of place.
Thanks to Freesia, countless monsters had been eliminated at once, but now only those she could not handle with her weakened body remained.
That there were still so many surviving rebels…
How had they managed to appear in this palace, a place whose location was known only to the imperial family?
‘Could it really be Canopus?’
Freesia exhaled with difficulty, chilled by the possibility. Monsters and rebels appearing out of season… Who else could it be but him…?
‘Did Izar fail to finish Canopus off?’
From what she had heard in her waking moments, the official story was that the ringleader who started the southern rebellion had been executed on the spot.
Knowing how much Izar hated Canopus, she couldn’t imagine he’d have spared him out of any blood tie.
‘Whatever happens, I must avoid facing Canopus in this situation.’
Wasn’t she the one who had told Izar about Canopus’s hiding place and schemes, and sabotaged his messenger monsters?
She couldn’t even imagine what kind of revenge he might exact if they met again.
A dread that felt as if it were twisting her organs made her desperately think of just one person.
‘Izar. Where’s Izar?’
He said he was at the underground lake… Was he properly armed? Was he safe?
‘And I don’t have much time left.’
Her throat tightened with desperation and sorrow. She had thought there would be enough time for the three of them to make their final memories.
She had thought she could finally let go of her regrets and take her last breath in his arms…
But what if, even in this second life, she was separated from him at the end?
While Freesia trembled in fear, her party had already reached the corridor leading to the underground lake. The lake was both a hiding place and, with a small hidden boat, a route to escape out of the canyon.
‘Did Nova and my cousin get out safely?’
What if the child was sobbing in terror? Riegel would be watching over her, but recalling her daughter sobbing and calling for her mother made her throat close up.
‘No, this can’t be the end.’
If Izar was at the underground lake, then sending everyone that way was safest. Those still left in the palace could handle the remaining attackers.
This time, she would stay by Izar’s side until the very end.
But as they neared the stairs down to the lake, a chilling scent wafted up. Freesia and all her escorts froze.
It was unmistakably the smell of human blood.
In front of them, imperial knights lay collapsed, soaked in red blood like discarded rag dolls.
Even the escape route was compromised. The knight at the front glanced at the one carrying Freesia and whispered,
“…We should take Her Highness somewhere else—”
But he couldn’t finish. A sword point burst through his mouth, and the slaughter began again.
The battle in the narrow hallway was fierce, and it was especially unfavorable for those trying to protect someone. Fighting while dodging bodies at your feet made it even worse.
In the end, even the last knight protecting Freesia fell to an invader’s sword. Though she collapsed to the ground, Freesia felt no pain, stunned by the silver-haired man approaching.
“Why are you leaving, after coming all this way, Freesia?”
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