Fuming with anger, Reinhardt tried to rush to where Erich was.
“Your Grace, please calm down!”
It was his aide who stopped Reinhardt.
Meanwhile, Erich had already cleared the area around the carriage.
The people were unable to approach the carriage, overwhelmed by the powerful presence of the cloaked figure who suddenly appeared. Seizing the opportunity, Marquis Philippe reacted swiftly.
“Everyone, protect the carriage!”
In an instant, knights surrounded the carriage. Erich, the Duke of Blant, approached the carriage at the same time.
Crack!
Reinhardt clenched his fist tightly, gritting his teeth before breaking into a smile.
‘Yeah, you’ve finally come to the death trap.’
Reinhardt gestured towards Duke Blant and addressed his assistant,
“Signal to change the target. Instead of the carriage, aim for that guy.”
“Yes.”
While a single rat may be weak, there are always those who will charge into a rage when one of them dies.
And as the number of those who die increases, the reckless ones willing to face death begin to emerge.
A picture formed in Reinhardt’s mind. The hero of the Empire becoming the enemy of the foolish people and being killed by them.
Reinhardt then told his aide again.
“And tell them to remove his hood. Make sure everyone sees his face and knows who he is.”
Reinhardt smiled brightly as he glared at Erich.
‘Let’s see you become the public enemy of the Empire! Erich Lennon Blant!’
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
“Come out now!”
I panted heavily at the angry voice from outside.
“Huff… huff!”
Suddenly, the carriage jolted.
Thud!
I could see countless malicious eyes staring at me.
<Look at that black hair. Such a dirty color.>
<Is she really the Emperor’s daughter>
<But her face is exactly like the Emperor’s. Perhaps God has cursed her.>
When I left the palace, I had planned to boldly reveal my identity. I was ready to endure the reactions of those who would mock my dyed blonde hair and the malicious gazes directed at me. I was prepared to endure it all. However, I had only expected to face a small number of people.
“Come out now!”
“Show your face!”
I had not anticipated being surrounded by a large crowd in the middle of the city streets.
Although their social status was far inferior to mine, I knew their ferocity all too well.
<Kill the royals!>
I still can’t forget.
I lived a glamorous life, always looking down on others, but my bloodline was brutally extinguished in the revolution.
And just like back then, they could once again end me, a member of the royal family.
“Just because you’re a princess, you think you’re safe? We won’t let you go!”
I crouched down in the carriage, closed my eyes, and covered my ears. Yet despite that, the voices were still clearly audible.
“Let’s break the carriage door!”
‘Am I going to die like this?’
At that moment, filled with fear and a sense of helplessness, I suddenly heard a loud bang.
I thought the carriage, which had been protecting me, had been destroyed. But when I opened my eyes, the carriage was still intact. Moreover, the previously loud voices were now coming from a distance.
‘What’s happening?’
Looking out of the carriage window, I flinched. A cloaked figure stood in front of the carriage door.
Ping!
As soon as I heard that sound, the door swung open.
‘How did they do that? Did they break the lock to drag me out?’
A chilling sense of fear washed over me, and I bit my lip tightly, clenching my fists.
‘Don’t be ridiculous. I’m not dying here.’
Yes, I couldn’t die like this. If I die like this, my child will become an orphan and have to live alone.
‘If I shoot someone as an example, they’ll be scared.’
Although there were many people in the crowd, none of them would want to die. So if I could hit just one person with the gun, I might be able to survive.
I took out the pistol from my pocket and tried to load it.
At that moment, a soft voice came through the door.
“Are you alright?”
Even in this situation, that deep voice sounded impressive; I recognized its owner.
“Erich.”
As I softly called his name, a response came back.
“Yes.”
Who would have thought I’d be so glad to hear that annoying voice? However, even with his arrival, I couldn’t easily relax.
And for good reason…
<This is my master’s command.>
<Capture the princess and kill the child!>
The intense memory of his betrayal before I died still lingered in my mind.
As long as that memory remained, Erich was a traitor who wanted to kill me and my child.
Thus, I had no choice but to be suspicious of him.
“Why are you here?”
Countless people were blaming me for feigning death and were enraged.
To them, I was the wicked woman who deceived the national hero, Erich Lennon Blant.
In such a situation, even if Erich turns his back on me, people won’t blame him. Instead, they would sympathize with him as a victim.
So if he wanted to kill me, now was his chance.
“Are you here to watch me suffer? Or are you planning to hand me over to them?”
I sneered as I looked at his silent back.
‘As expected, I shouldn’t have had any expectations from you.’
I continued.
“Yeah, if I die now, you’d be quite pleased. You would even be pitied for having lived with a defective product like me…”
“No. You are not a defective product. Rather, you are someone far too noble for me.”
His words made me flinch, then furrow my brow.
“Too noble? And yet, you still turned your back on me? Does that make any sense?”
I still vividly remember. Your cold gaze as you turned away from me.
No matter how I looked at it, he was just as despicable.
He has to live a lifetime with a mutant cursed with black hair.
“So stop the nonsense and show your true intentions…”
“Madam.”
Finally, he turned to face me.
“If you wish to run away, I will run away with you. If you want to punish them, I will kill them all to protect you, even if it means my death here.”
“What?”
Just then, as I wore a dumbfounded expression, a frantic shout from a knight echoed.
“An armed rioter is approaching the carriage!”
The figure approaching the carriage looked formidable, like a highly trained warrior. However, Erich instantly sent him flying.
Bang!
Due to the overwhelming gap in strength, the people hesitated to attack Erich.
Instead…
“He’s in league with the wicked woman!”
“That demon!”
Unaware that the person they were calling a demon was the hero who had single-handedly held off countless enemies at the front lines.
Yet, seeing him remain unfazed, I found myself biting my lip.
“Why…?”
I wanted to ask him. Even if you abandon me, the one who deceived you, you wouldn’t receive any blame. So why are you protecting me while taking the insults?
Everyone is trying to blame and attack me, so why are you standing in front of me? Even turning many people against you in the process.
‘If this continues, your precious reputation will be ruined…’
I looked at his back, visible through the window. I had always thought I was alone, that there was no one to protect me. Yet now, Erich was silently shielding me from the people’s scorn and attacks. For the first time, someone was protecting me.
‘Why…?’
Then, beyond his broad back, I remembered what the boy I first loved had said.
<But please don’t think of yourself as a defective product. To me, the princess is… the most noble person in the world.>
And the words spoken by the last man I loved as I looked at the countless crowd.
<I swear. I will protect you and our child with my life.>
I clenched my fists tightly. I couldn’t precisely define this emotion.
Erich’s coldness towards me after our marriage was a bitter memory, and as much as I had loved him, I still felt hatred and resentment.
But at least I was starting to feel certain that this man wouldn’t sell me out to the traitors. After all, what I saw now was his effort to protect me.
‘Perhaps the words I heard from Xenon before my regression…’
At that moment, I heard angry voices from the crowd.
“Who is that guy?”
“Let’s see the face of that wicked woman’s dog!”
And in that scene, I felt something strange.
‘They were too scared to approach, but now they want to reveal his identity all of a sudden?’
In response, Erich drew the sword he had at his waist. Seeing that, I shouted urgently.
“Stop!”
