Chapter 38

Hayden naturally expected Lariana to be shocked and dismayed, perhaps even in tears and flustered. However, contrary to his expectations, she remained calm and composed.

Biting her nails and deliberating for a while, Lariana decided to cool her head and quietly left the cabin. She had already guessed what had happened to some extent. Eventually, it had come to this. It was clear that Jenox had orchestrated something sinister. She couldn’t stop it, but she couldn’t just play along with Jenox’s plans like a fool.

While Cain was far from being a good person, he was also someone she loved. And he didn’t deserve to die at the hands of Jenox. Not when it was her own hands that had inflicted various wounds on him.

“Duchess, please calm down. If you act like this, I won’t be able to face His Excellency when he returns safely.”

“Madam, absolutely not! Get down immediately!”

There was a commotion in front of the fence where the horses of the Delacroix family’s knights were kept. Lariana had decided to go to the Witch’s Forest herself to find Cain. When the stable master, who had allowed Lariana to take the horse without any suspicion, heard from Hayden and Jena what had happened, he turned pale.

“Madam!”

“Stop her at once!”

“What are you doing? Catch her!”

“You lot! If we lose the madam, our lives will be forfeit!”

Hayden, Jena, stable masters, and even the servants all came out, trying to stop Lariana.

They all believed that except for Jena, they could easily overpower the Duchess, who was like a delicate flower growing in a greenhouse.

“I’m sorry, everyone.”

However, Lariana’s equestrian skills surpassed their expectations. Riding a horse wasn’t rare in the rugged Heline, her homeland. Regardless of age or gender, everyone rode horses. Even being the precious daughter of a noble wasn’t exempt. 

When Lariana forcefully pulled the reins and urged the horse, the steed whinnied and rushed forward. Its speed was comparable to that of well-trained knights.

With her white muslin dress and shimmering sky-blue cashmere cloak fluttering, it looked like an angel’s wings.

She quickly passed the group near the stable and arrived at the square in front of the Witch’s Forest. The atmosphere in the square was divided according to factions.

Marcella and Evita were crying, and the nobles of the Princess’ faction, including Princess Sonia, were having a serious meeting under a canopy in front of the Witch’s Forest.

The atmosphere of the Prince’s faction was different. Although Cain hadn’t come out of the forest to announce his victory, they seemed relaxed, as if they could sense their victory.

“Lariana!”

As Lariana entered the square while riding a white horse, Jenox shouted loudly. All eyes of the nobles in the square turned to her. Everyone, regardless of faction, admired her as she made her entrance. Her dress and cloak danced beautifully. Mounted on the white horse, she looked like a goddess standing on the clouds.

“As expected of my love. Aren’t you the incarnation of the goddess Vuerin?”

“Uh? Oh… maybe something like that…”

Lejandro observed Lariana’s appearance, even applauding lightly. While she was indeed beautiful, this didn’t seem to be the appropriate moment for such comments. An attendant who was standing nearby glanced around, a bit embarrassed by Lejandro’s naive statement.

All the nobles reacted with a shudder to Lejandro’s careless words. Upon seeing his son’s pitiful state, the Emperor left the scene.

Amidst the chaos caused by the Emperor’s departure, Lariana made her way across the square, heading towards the entrance of the Witch’s Forest.

“Duchess, it’s not allowed!”

“Duchess Delacroix!”

The Delacroix family’s attendants and the Imperial Guards guarding the entrance to the Witch’s Forest began to shout, trying to stop Lariana.

She glanced back at the shouting individuals. Hayden, along with the attendants, were all chasing after her on horseback. Marcella, witnessing the commotion, rushed out of the canopy.

“Lariana Delacroix! Won’t you stop right now?”

“Mother, I can’t live without Cain. I’d rather die together.”

“Lariana!”

Love that even death can’t prevent. Lariana’s cry was so romantic that the young nobles gathered in the square were moved.

However, before she could step into the forest, Jenox stood at the entrance, arms wide open, blocking her path.

“Lariana Heliosen! Halt!”

Lariana stared at Jenox, then lowered her body as much as possible, pressing her body tightly to the horse’s back as she communicated with the horse. With bated breath, she kicked the horse strongly.

Lariana leaped over Jenox Heliosen. The spectators, fearing a horrific scene, turned their heads away and let out screams. The noise subsided, and the square became quiet again.

At the entrance of the square, Jenox Heliosen stood with his eyes tightly shut. His arms were still spread wide open.

* * *

Children in the Martessen Empire grew up reading fairy tales about the giant creatures in the Witch’s Forest, or the extinct monsters of the past. Lariana was no exception.

At first, she had been nervous and galloped at full speed, but as she ventured deeper into the forest, she slowed down her horse.

The animals of the Witch’s Forest were huge in size, but gentle in nature. Lynxes and wild boars even tried to play tricks on Lariana.

“Cain! Where are you?”

She shouted hundreds, thousands of times. Her throat grew sore from yelling, but there was no response.

“Answer me…”

Even the horse carrying Lariana seemed to feel the sadness as it trotted weakly. 

Please, let him be safe.

According to Hayden, Cain was surrounded by trolls along with Lita, the Princess’s attendant.

Trolls, the very trolls that had been extinct for centuries. Those creatures of legend.

The trolls, giants covered in fur from head to toe, had not been seen in hundreds of years and were treated much like the mythical dragons. There had been occasional tales of sightings, but nothing concrete until now.

All the members of the royal family and Delacroix knights retreated to protect Princess Sonia. Only Cain and Lita was left. Under Sonia’s command, both the Imperial Guard and Delacroix knights had planned to attack the trolls all at once.

But Lariana didn’t have the time to wait for their preparations.

“Cain!”

Grrr…

In response to her shout, a roar akin to that of a bear from Heline echoed back. Lariana searched for the source of the sound. Among them, she spotted an Imperial saddle on a horse.

Dismounting from her horse, Lariana grabbed the reins of the Imperial horse and the white steed that had carried her, and began to walk.

After a while of walking, then more walking, she finally saw them.

“…Found you.”

In the distance, three black trolls, the kind she had only seen in books, came into view. The trolls were enormous. They were as tall as a two-story mansion. Among the three, one was relatively smaller, perhaps a young one.

While Lita tirelessly shot arrows from a distance, Cain had plunged his sword into the ground and was crouched down.

“We’ll all be able to get out of this safely, right?”

Whether the horse understood Lariana’s whisper or not, it neighed weakly. Lariana needed to approach the two slowly. Once a chance presented itself, and if the two got a bit farther from the trolls, they could all mount their horses and escape together.

Lariana approached slowly and quietly, trying her best to minimize the sound of hooves. Catching his breath after battling, Cain pulled out his sword and turned his gaze towards where Lariana was.

Their eyes met. Lariana’s mixed emotions were evident as she raised her hand and gave a slight wave. Seeing her, Cain clenched his red lips tightly.

“Damn it, Lariana.”

Cain, even at a young age, had always participated in hunting competitions after becoming the Duke of Delacroix. He had never lost a single time, always emerging victorious with no rivals. However, for the past two years, he hadn’t participated in any competitions due to his duties.

The Witch’s Forest, sought after by massive creatures, seemed peculiar today. There appeared to be a common target among these huge beasts, and that was Cain himself.

Everyone was eyeing him–giant wild dogs and lynxes imbued with witch’s energy, wild boars the size of houses, wolves, brown bears, and even the eagle soaring high above. To top it off, trolls, creatures that had supposedly gone extinct centuries ago, had appeared.

Not only Cain, but also the injuries sustained by the Delacroix knights who were protecting their lord were severe. The situation was critical, almost to the point of death.

Even Lita, the Princess’s attendant who had joined them to support Cain, was nearly attacked by a troll that appeared out of nowhere.

The sudden appearance of trolls, creatures that hadn’t been seen in centuries, was a shock even to Cain. He doubted whether he, a mere human, could survive this encounter with trolls and make it out of the forest alive.

Feeling around his back for his quiver, Cain found that all the arrows were used up. Lita blocked the way in front of him and drew his bowstring, but there were only a few arrows left in his quiver as well.

Though they felt sorry for their family and the woman who loved them, both Cain and Lita were aware that they would likely meet their end here.

“Lariana.”

He murmured his wife’s name. This morning, she had cried tears of frustration, trying to dissuade him from participating in the hunting competition. Maybe she was right; he should have listened to her for once.

As death approached, what was he thinking? He recalled the words the foolish Lariana said about Jenox Heliosen wanting to kill him. But how would Jenox Heliosen, not even a witch of the forest, summon trolls?

His wife was truly naive and innocent. The thought of Lariana made him smile involuntarily. Despite his hatred, he was grateful. Even in the face of death, she could make him smile.

Suddenly, Lita fumbled with his quiver. In the end, his bow, like Cain’s, had become useless. The tension in the air was palpable as they prepared for their final battle. Cain, his breath nearly choking him, drew his sword and slowly approached the troll.

Just then, he heard the sound of horses’ hooves in his ear. If there were horses, they could potentially escape the forest. Looking around for the source of the sound, he couldn’t help but chuckle at what he saw.

“Ha.”

Lariana, who seemed like she might fall with a slight push, was riding and taking two horses towards them. What on earth were those useless knights doing? Instead of helping, they just bring his wife, who was more likely to be a burden.

What was even more absurd was that Lariana seemed to be enjoying the situation, waving her hand like she had just met her owner as a pet. He found himself laughing in astonishment. 

“Damn it, Lariana Delacroix.”

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