Chapter 39

Suddenly, Lariana mounted a white horse and started galloping at full speed. Sensing the danger, Cain turned his gaze towards the troll. The troll’s massive hand was flying towards him.

Fearlessly, Lariana swiftly dove between the troll and Cain, reaching out her hand. In that moment of hesitation, Cain grabbed her hand and mounted the horse.

“Growl!” 

The troll’s roar filled the air, shattering eardrums and creating a gust of wind with its intense sound waves. Cain instinctively bowed down to protect Lariana within his embrace.

“Cain, are you okay?”

As the troll’s roar subsided, Lariana rose to her feet. Cain remained vigilant, assuming a defensive stance. Looking around, strangely, the two larger trolls had disappeared, leaving only a small, seemingly immature troll remaining.

Even that one displayed a noticeable decrease in aggression. The troll, now unexpectedly docile, observed Lariana, Cain, and Lita from a distance. Lita, too, watched the troll and swiftly climbed onto a horse, keeping an eye on it.

“Ha, you, woman, really know how to tire a person. Why did you come all the way here?”

“I came to die with you.”

Lariana’s response was unexpected. Cain wordlessly looked down at his wife for a moment.

“Because it seems like all of this happened because of me. I couldn’t just leave you to die alone.”

“What nonsense are you talking about? Are you saying that trolls appeared because of you?”

Initially, when Cain heard about being stranded in the forest, Lariana was the only suspect he considered. But now, looking back, Jenox was no witch, and there was no way he could have summoned trolls.

“That’s not it, but regardless of what happened, I’m sorry. Anyway, I couldn’t just leave you to die!”

It felt like they would be chased all the way to the square if this continued, and Cain’s head throbbed. How did he end up accepting such an impulsive woman as his wife?

“It’s not me who’s crazy, Lariana Delacroix. It’s you.”

Watching the Duke and Duchess fussing around from the side, Lita couldn’t hold back and spoke with an exasperated expression.

“Your Excellency, please move your body quickly!”

In response to Lita’s shout, Cain grabbed the reins of the horse.

“We’ll talk about this later. Hold on tight.”

As the horses started running, Lariana’s sky-blue cloak fluttered. And in the moment it brushed past the troll’s side, the troll grabbed Lariana’s cloak. Lariana was ruthlessly dragged along by the troll.

The helpless Duchess was wearing that ridiculous cloak. Why did she come here and make this situation even more chaotic?

“Ah!”

At Lariana’s scream, both Cain and Lita halted their horses. Both men reached for their swords and carefully observed the troll’s actions.

Ironically, the troll was holding Lariana as if she was a doll, and the sight was oddly endearing. The troll even gently pressed her against its cheek.

“What on earth is going on?”

Cain was about to say something, but Lita beat him to it. Lariana also stood there, bewildered. One thing was certain: the troll didn’t seem to have any intention of harming Lariana. But that didn’t mean they could simply abandon her.

Even though she was the damned Lariana, she was still his wife. So there was no other choice but to rescue her.

The troll was completely absorbed in playing with Lariana. It now held her in its palm, gently rocking her as if she was a baby. The troll cautiously touched her with its claws.

Lariana reached out and gently stroked the troll’s coarse hair. The troll became even more agitated.

“Lita. Sword!” Cain signaled, and Lita threw his sword towards him. 

With both swords strapped to his waist, Cain bent down and took hold of the reins. He guided the horse forward, riding towards the front of the troll where Lariana and the troll was standing. In no time, he was standing behind the troll, gripping its rough and bristly hair, even reaching up to Lariana’s hand that was resting on its back.

Lariana found herself standing on the troll’s giant hand, face to face with its eyes. She turned her head to see Cain standing behind her.

“Cain, this troll seems young,” she said, ignoring her husband’s gesture as he reach for the sword at his waist. The troll only had eyes for Lariana and paid no attention as Cain approached its face.

“No! Don’t kill it!” Lariana cried out. “It doesn’t seem like it wants to kill us. Can’t we spare its life?”

Although it appeared immature compared to other trolls, they couldn’t predict when it might suddenly change.

“It doesn’t seem like it wants to kill us, but it also doesn’t seem willing to let us go. We have to kill this troll to escape the forest,” Cain replied.

“Am I the same?” Lariana asked.

Cain turned back to Lariana with an annoyed expression. “What nonsense are you talking about?”

“Do I have to be killed like it?”

“You always say I’m the crazy one, but deep down, do you know that you’re the craziest? It would be better if you spoke sensibly according to the situation, wouldn’t it?”

“Please spare it! I don’t want it to die! I don’t want to die!” Lariana cried, equating herself with the troll. The troll suddenly became excited, its movements becoming erratic. The bodies of the two people inside the troll’s hand shook violently.

Cain drew both swords from their scabbards. As he concentrated, a blue light began to emanate from the sharp edges of the blades.

He roared loudly and charged towards the frenzied troll, wielding the repaired swords. Blood gushed like a fountain from the troll’s enormous and vivid eyes.

Goooh! The troll’s cries echoed throughout the Witch’s Forest, causing the ground to tremble as if an earthquake had occurred.

Cain clung to the troll with the sword embedded in its eye. The entire sword, covered in a blue light, had plunged deeply into the troll’s eye.

The troll writhed in agony, swinging its legs. Lariana, who was in the troll’s hand, fell to the ground without a chance to make a sound.

At that moment, the overwhelming sound of a horn announcing an arrival and the clashing sound of numerous armors colliding could be heard.

When the knights of the Delacroix Order arrived, the troll had already fallen backward. Only silence remained where the troll had collapsed.

Cain raised his sword, still embedded in the troll’s eye. The blue light that once covered the sword slowly disappeared. Everyone watched in awe.

“The Duke, the Duke has defeated the troll!” one of the knights of the Delacroix Order exclaimed. Then, as if they had been waiting, everyone erupted in cheers.

Even without counting the slain beast, everyone could tell the number of beasts Cain had taken down. It was a victory for the festival, an unprecedented event in the long history of the Witch’s Forest. The winner was decided in that moment.

Covered in blood from head to toe, Cain leisurely swept his bangs aside and stepped down from the troll’s body.

Only then did he remember one person who had followed him fearlessly into the Witch’s Forest. He couldn’t see his fearless wife anywhere. She had been by his side, but now she was gone…

Cain surveyed his surroundings. The Imperial Knights and the Delacroix Knights were by his side. Knight Commander Ester was also present. However, Lariana was nowhere to be found. Ah, Lita. Lita was also missing. Where could the two of them be?

After searching around for a while, Cain spotted Lita beneath a large oak tree. He was holding Lariana’s sky-blue cloak in his hand. Lita stood up and shouted loudly, “The Duchess is injured! The Duchess is in critical condition!”

Cain’s gaze shifted to where Lita was pointing. Lariana lay on the ground, covered in fallen leaves and rocks. Her eyes were closed, and blood flowed from her overturned body. She looked like a lifeless corpse.

* * *

As always, the victor of the competition was Cain Delacroix. Obtaining a legendary troll, Emperor Ivelian II was delighted as he awarded Cain.

The Emperor didn’t care whether Cain or Estelle won. They were both part of the faction of his beloved children—Sonia and Lejandro.

The more the two factions competed, the more satisfied Emperor Ivelian II was. If Sonia took one step forward, Lejandro followed with two steps. The successor to the Martessen Empire had to overcome fierce competition and rivalry.

Emperor Ivelian II also praised Sonia for rescuing Cain. Watching that scene, Lejandro felt a sense of unfairness.

Although their father seemed to treat them equally, in reality, he favored Sonia more. The gap in abilities between him and Sonia had always been significant. Sonia excelled in everything, not only academics and swordsmanship but also in arts and music.

As a result, Emperor Ivelian II had taught Sonia imperial studies despite her being a princess. It was an unprecedented event in the history of Martessen.

If it weren’t for the fact that her mother, the Empress, was the Princess of Davask, Sonia would have already taken her place as the Crown Princess.

Lejandro couldn’t bear it. It was incomprehensible to him why he had to compete with his sister for the position that rightfully belonged to him.

But still, he would be the winner. His sister was a woman, and he was a man. That was all he had to offer.

Returning to his private residence after dinner with other nobles, Lejandro was in a bad mood. He grabbed a wine bottle and started pouring out his anger and frustration on Julia.

“You. Did you see the Duchess of Delacroix earlier?”

“What are you trying to say?”

“Did you see her entering the Witch’s Forest, saying she would die with her husband?”

“Yes, I saw.”

“You couldn’t do something like that, could you?”

Julia snorted. Of course, she didn’t want to do such a thing. Why would she risk her precious life for Lejandro? Unless he possessed exceptional talents like Princess Sonia or a man like Cain Delacroix.

“I genuinely loved Lari. I’ve met countless women, but she was the first and the last one I loved so passionately. Lariana is a woman who becomes a source of pride just by being by my side. You have no idea how well we complemented each other. Everyone praised the two of us,” Lejandro said.

Read ahead fifteen chapters here.