Chapter 13
Gasp, gasp, haa…
Prina staggered blindly through the thick forest path, panting desperately. Her breaths didn’t feel like they were coming from her heart, but instead landed in her chest with the weight of a blunt weapon.
The moment she realized the knight meant to harm her, she ran without looking back. There was no time to question how things had gone so wrong or where the mistake had been. Her only instinct was to survive.
The knight had said he would violate her before killing her anyway. In that situation, there was nothing Prina could do but grit her teeth and run, again and again.
Her knees buckled, her toes shook, and she stumbled easily over stones and branches. Nearly losing her balance for a moment, she grabbed a tree for support. Each raspy, metallic breath brought bile to her throat. Her vision flickered, threatening to go dark.
She had no idea how deep she’d come, but the surroundings felt less like a forest and more like a dark, eerie cave.
Plik—
A heavy raindrop landed on her cheek, making her shudder.
Rain?
Even as she thought it, more drops began to fall.
It was misfortune piled upon misfortune.
One shoe had already come off as she ran, leaving her barefoot. She couldn’t tell if it was from a rash or thorns, but every step made her feet sting and burn.
But that pain didn’t matter now. What mattered was to take one more step, to escape as far as she could. The sound of pursuit echoed in her ears from far behind.
“Princess!”
That unfamiliar title sounded as if it were mocking her, or like the voice of a reaper come to fetch her from the underworld.
Prina felt the same icy terror she’d seen in Mr. Lawrence’s eyes. She would be devoured by death. Her flesh and veins would be torn apart by death’s fangs, until not a trace of her remained. To escape that formless fear, she could only run.
After running for what felt like forever, Prina suddenly stopped dead.
The path was blocked. It was a complete dead end.
Was there any way out? It didn’t seem so.
Sir Arthur, already well-acquainted with the area, had driven Prina directly into a trap.
Now, it was too late to change direction, the sound of his boots was already too close. If she tried to run, she would only get caught.
The closer the presence drew, the more her nerves jangled, every breeze in her ears sounding like death’s whisper. Every time she blinked, she felt she might collapse, as if different scenes were flickering before her eyes.
Frozen with fear, Prina managed to turn—
Only for the dark figure of the man to seize her roughly.
“No point in fighting it. Neither of us needs to waste our strength, since you can’t run away anyway.”
A base, triumphant smirk crossed his face. Prina trembled like a fish out of water, desperately struggling.
“Aaagh!”
Fighting back, Prina bit down on his arm with all her might. He screamed and, with a hand as big as a pot lid, slapped her across the face. Smack! Her face spun helplessly under his violent blow.
“Filthy wench, making trouble. That’s right, girls like you need to be beaten to come to your senses.”
Sir Arthur shoved Prina roughly to the ground, binding her and tearing her clothes as if to strip her.
“I’ll let you taste c**k before you die. You should be grateful. How dare you bite me?”
“H-Hiic, please, let… go…!”
“Princess, princess. Do you really think you’re someone important just because I call you that? If you want to live even a second longer, spread your legs, b***h.”
She struggled to live, but there was no overcoming the man’s overwhelming strength. As he mocked her, hiking up her skirt and undoing his belt…
The moment his dark, grotesque organ sprang out—
Bang!
A single gunshot rang out, and suddenly, the light in Sir Arthur’s eyes went out.
In Prina’s tear-blurred vision, she saw the knight’s now empty, lifeless eyes.
At the same time, his huge body collapsed to the side, lifeless as a rock. In an instant, only a shell remained.
What… What just happened?
Her whole body shook uncontrollably.
She couldn’t tell if it was the terror of witnessing death up close or the cold rain lashing her body like a knife.
At some point, the rain had intensified, pelting her skin with painful force.
The mix of pouring rain and the sticky stench of blood made Prina feel as if she were drowning.
Her eyes slowly fluttered as she tried to process the unbelievable sight, and she felt strength drain from her entire body.
How much time passed?
The sound of rustling grass.
No, footsteps slowly pressing into the wet grass.
That sound drew closer, bringing with it the rich scent of greenery.
‘That man…’
The familiar figure wavered in her fading vision, and as fear swept over her, Prina lost consciousness.
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