Chapter 10
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After finally finding the tower hidden by the witch and experiencing the joy of meeting the real Rapunzel, that joy lasted only a moment.
“You’ve got it wrong! I’m not one of the witch’s minions!”
“You think I’m that naive?”
Erin was one step away from being killed by the very Rapunzel she had come to rescue. He was trying to cut the hair she was clinging to like a lifeline with his scissors.
If he cut it, she would plunge to the distant ground and die flattened against it. Desperate to avoid that fate, Erin ran for her life along the wall, darting this way and that.
Snip. Snip. The sound of the scissors cutting empty air above her head sent chills down her spine.
“I shouldn’t cut my hair…”
At the muttered words, Erin quickly raised her head.
“That’s right! You shouldn’t cut your hair! Calm down and…”
“I can just stab you to death myself.”
Rapunzel shifted his grip on the scissors. Just as he had said, he changed tactics. Instead of cutting his own hair, he would stab Erin directly and make her fall.
It was then that Erin learned for the first time that she was capable of screaming in such a high-pitched voice. She truly was her mother’s daughter.
“Don’t do it! If I fall from this height, I’ll die. I’ll really die!”
“Who cares if one of the witch’s minions dies?”
“I told you I’m not one of the witch’s minions. I’m the Princess of Kalis!”
Erin screamed at the top of her lungs to save her life, and only then did Rapunzel finally stop. His eyes slowly shifted as he repeated the name Kalis.
“The Princess of Kalis…?”
He still seemed suspicious, but at least he had stopped attacking. Erin breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly nodded. Worried that he might not see her nodding, she moved her head dramatically up and down.
It made her dizzy.
“You’re saying Cedric or Morna didn’t send you?”
“I don’t even know who they are!”
Erin emphasized her words and stared straight into his eyes to prove her innocence. Unfortunately, memories slowly began to surface.
Cedric and Morna. Morna’s name was somewhat unfamiliar, but she knew Cedric. He was the regent who currently ruled Grauden now that the king was dead.
“Liar.”
Rapunzel immediately noticed the flicker in her eyes. He raised the scissors again and prepared to attack.
“I have heard his name before. But I don’t know him personally…!”
“You’re struggling so pathetically just to stay alive. Drop quietly.”
“Wouldn’t you struggle in this situation too? No, listen to me. I told you I’m the Princess of Kalis. Of course I know the name of the regent of a neighboring kingdom. That’s common knowledge!”
It would have been stranger not to know. Erin desperately explained herself. This time, it was the complete truth, with nothing suspicious about it, so her gaze didn’t waver.
“I have no personal connection to him. I swear I only know his name.”
“If what you’re saying is true, then a princess from another kingdom obeyed the orders of Cedric, a man whose face she doesn’t even know.”
He nodded as though he understood, then said, “What a joke,” and raised the scissors high again.
“What I’m saying is, Cedric has nothing to do with why I came here!”
Erin begged him to believe her.
“I was just looking for my younger brother when a wyvern chased me.”
“You said earlier that you came to rescue me.”
“It’s a long story. Pull me up first, and I’ll tell you everything!”
She had already exhausted herself climbing all the way up, and after straining herself further by dodging his attacks, her arms had reached their limit. At this rate, even if the scissors didn’t hit her, her arms would give out and she would fall.
“Please. Believe me.”
Erin pleaded earnestly.
Rapunzel scowled viciously and thought for a moment.
“If you’re going to decide, hurry. I feel like I’m going to slip and…”
“Shut it.”
Rapunzel silenced her with a sharp glare. Erin hurriedly shut her mouth. Instead, she tried to convey her innocence and exhaustion through her eyes.
After staring down at her for a while, the man finally reached a decision and lowered the scissors. Of course, he didn’t forget to give her a friendly warning.
“If you’re lying, I’ll throw you straight out of the tower.”
“That won’t happen. I swear I’m not lying.”
Erin gave him the nicest smile she could possibly manage.
Rapunzel grabbed Erin’s trembling arm and pulled her up in one swift motion. The moment she stood on the solid stone floor of the tower, Erin finally breathed a sigh of relief and collapsed facedown onto it.
She really thought she was going to die.
Letting all the strength drain from her body felt wonderful. She allowed herself to rest and slowly caught her breath. Once she had enough time to cool the sweat from her body, she finally began to notice the inside of the tower.
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