Chapter 48
“They appear to have breached the east wall around 11 a.m. Thankfully, the rebels were discovered before the damage could escalate, and His Majesty the King is unharmed, but… Her Highness the Princess, who happened to be taking a solitary stroll… was taken hostage…”
The deputy captain’s report continued behind him as he ran. Thanks to the early detection, there were no casualties, but with Diana taken hostage, they couldn’t act recklessly, so the Royal Army and the rebels were currently in a standoff near the east gate.
Viern’s face, receiving the report, showed a startling lack of expression. However, his bloodshot eyes were as chilling and terrifying as those of a demon risen from hell.
Arriving at the east gate, he spotted the two opposing forces locked in a standoff atop the battlement. A red-haired man with a tattoo on his forearm stood precariously on the parapet, the unconscious Princess slung over his shoulder. The Royal Army, fearful of harming the Princess, was hesitating, allowing the retreating rebels to slip away.
Without hesitation, Viern snatched a bow and arrow from a soldier at the rear and aimed at the red-haired man.
Thwip—!
The man twisted his body at the flying arrowhead but was struck in his left forearm.
“Ugh.”
Cursing, he yanked the arrow out and spotted Viern glaring up at him with sharp, honed eyes from below the wall.
“Release Her Highness. Now.”
Immediately nocking a second arrow and aiming for the man’s heart, Viern threatened in a voice cold enough to freeze someone to death. However, the man, realizing Viern couldn’t attack freely due to the Princess’s safety, curled his lip and let out a jeering laugh.
“Ohh, the famous Duke of Erkman, I presume.”
“……”
“Whoa, whoa. Lower that weapon, Your Grace. Your eyes are too murderous; I might accidentally drop Her Highness. Right down there.”
The man made an exaggerated gesture as if about to drop the Princess slung over his shoulder down over the parapet. The soldiers stirred. The tension in Viern’s fingers on the bowstring tightened. The man was within range, and Viern was confident he could hit him without harming Diana. The problem was the moment the man released Diana, her body would plummet over the battlement. He couldn’t guarantee her survival then.
“Hand Her Highness over. I’ll give you whatever you want.”
“Whatever?”
“Yes. Whatever.”
“Then try bringing me the Royal Seal.”
“Very well.”
Viern answered the man’s sarcastic remark with icy calm.
“Wh-What?”
“I will bring the Seal.”
“…!”
It was a well-known story throughout the kingdom that, though Diana was the sole heir, she was a puppet princess kept alive by the Duke of Erkman for his own purposes. At Viern’s compliant answer to hand over the Seal for such a Princess, the man was momentarily speechless.
“A-Are you insane? You’d hand over the Seal? You think anyone wouldn’t know you’re just trying to put me at ease before attacking?”
Stammering with visible panic, the man suddenly spun around and began to flee, still carrying the Princess. This abrupt action by the man, who had just been threatening the Royal Army with the Princess as a hostage, left not only the Royal Army but even the rebels following him in confusion.
Amidst it all, Viern alone remained unflustered and rational. Under his command, the Royal Army began to pursue them, and the chase between the army and the rebels resumed.
The rebels who had fled the palace through the east gate disappeared into the precipitous Arlef Mountains that lay just beyond the eastern wall. At some point, Viern, now at the head of the pursuit, charged after them on horseback. However, the high, rugged terrain combined with a downpour of heavy rain beginning to fall from the sky caused them to lose the trail.
“Your Grace! It’s raining!”
“Going deeper is dangerous! Your Grace, Your Grace!”
The palace soldiers close behind tried to dissuade him, but Viern pressed on, venturing deeper into the mountains. However, defying its rider’s will, his horse, pushed to its limit, slipped in a crevice between wet rocks and fell. Quickly leaping clear and rolling with the fall, he avoided serious injury, but the formal attire he had donned early that morning was now caked in mud.
“Your Grace, are you alright?!”
“…….”
The startled soldiers approached and checked him, but Viern, grinding his teeth in the falling rain, only glared into the dark forest path. The steady drizzle soaked him.
* * *
The disarray inside the palace was quickly resolved, but the atmosphere surrounding it grew even more oppressive. For days and nights, without sleep, Viern pursued the hideout of the group that had kidnapped Diana. He hardly ate, cut his sleep to a minimum, his eyes bloodshot as he searched for the rebels. Everyone grew concerned for the Duke’s health.
His engagement ceremony had been unintentionally derailed, leading Sophia and Marquis Silberk to visit him several times, but they had to leave without being able to speak a word to him. And they weren’t the only ones desperate to speak with him. Ever since the Princess’s abduction, Viern had worn a terrifying expression that suggested anyone uttering the wrong word would face dire consequences.
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