Chapter 74
The faint stirrings in the distance grew louder. Roseline’s face twisted in despair. She’d never imagined—not even in her nightmares—that Valen would be the one to push her into death’s jaws. That blind trust, carried over from their past, had been a delusion. Gods, how could I have been so stupid?
“I was wrong, Your Highness.”
No hesitation—she dropped to her knees. Clasping her hands together, she looked up at him with desperate eyes, even as the noises drew closer. The louder they grew, the more frantic she felt—but the man who held their fates in his hands didn’t so much as blink. He simply watched, waiting, as if there were still words left unsaid.
“I was too foolish to recognize the value of Your Highness’s mercy. I’ve been disrespectful. Please, forgive me.”
“And?”
“…Save us.”
“Who?”
Everyone. All of them.
The question was a farce—they both knew the answer had been decided long before.
‘You know what you should be holding onto.’
Now, at last, it was time to answer the question she’d avoided all night.
“Me. Save me, Your Highness.”
In the end, it had come to this. What was the point of my stubbornness? She wanted to grab her past self by the collar—the version of her that had arrogantly thought she could defy Valen without consequence. But self-reproach could wait. First, she needed to secure the mercy of this ruthless man.
“Hmm. Right now, you’re begging because you have no choice. But who knows?”
“No. Never again. I swear it. Please?”
Roseline’s insides burned with desperation, but Valen remained silent. Scrape. ShuffleshuffleSCRAPE. The sounds grew louder—something dragging itself through the snow. The guild master’s sharp command rang out as the knights formed a defensive line. The survivors, paralyzed with fear, scrambled into the nearest building under the overseer’s direction.
“Ghhh… Krrrr…”
From the five-way intersection, beyond the ashen alleys, grotesque figures lurched into view. Their blood-red eyes gleamed hungrily, fixed on their prey.
“SKREEE—!”
A screech echoed—a signal. Shadows writhed from every side street.
“Your Highness, this is too dangerous! There are too many!”
Even the guild master, who had held his tongue until now, couldn’t stay silent. Shing! A knight’s blade flashed, sending a crescent of crimson mana slicing through the air. Infected heads toppled, rolling across the snow. Blood splattered the white ground like ink.
Roseline’s gaze darted between the survivors’ hiding place, the knights bracing for battle, and the encroaching horde—
Then she crawled to Valen’s feet and clutched at his coat.
“Valen, please—”
Her voice trembled, eyes glistening. The very picture of desperation, as if he were the only thing left in the world she could trust.
Valen studied her—the quivering hands, the fragile grip on his hem—and laughed, soft as a sigh.
“Look at me, indulging you again.”
In one smooth motion, he hauled her upright. Then, just as he had before, he ignited the world around them.
“KkkEEE—!”
The infected shrieked as flames engulfed them. Fire devoured snow and ash alike, reducing the street to an inferno. Meanwhile, Roseline pulled magic from her core, weaving a barrier around the building where the survivors hid.
Chime—
A translucent shield shimmered into place. Embers struck its golden surface and fizzled out.
Only then did Valen glance at her again. The satisfaction in his gaze had frozen over, sharp and cold.
“Again.”
“It won’t… happen again.”
Roseline’s weak smile was the last thing she managed before twin streams of blood gushed from her nose—just like that day from her memories. She swayed, and Valen’s expression finally twisted into something dark. He caught her, cradling her against him as he wiped the blood away with his sleeve.
“You must have had a hard time… all this while.”
“What?”
…Hiding it from me.
The unspoken words never reached her.
So the perfect, devoted lover was actually a madman.
With that final thought, Roseline’s eyes fluttered shut.
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