While Luana was looking for a chance to escape, the carriage arrived at its second hideout. The second hideout was slightly bigger than the first. While waiting there, she heard a voice from somewhere. Another princess who had been running away, Ingrid, had arrived.
Ingrid, who wore pants and tied her hair, looked completely different. She got off her horse as soon as she found Luana sitting in front of the hideout. Even her appearance felt elegant, indeed from the real princess.
Luana rose from her seat. Thinking, now that someone she could finally communicate with came, she was going to ask her.
“Luana!”
Ingrid, who ran like she was flying, hugged Luana tightly.
“Are you all right? I didn’t hear you were here.”
Behind the two, Cain explained further.
“I brought her here.”
“By force.”
Luana stared at Cain and said that, but he just shrugged nonchalantly.
“It was necessary.”
“What do you need? Why is it necessary to bring me by force?”
While Luana gritted her teeth, Ingrid, who grasped the situation, intervened.
“Sir Cain, did you forcefully kidnap Luana?”
“Yes.”
Cain’s attitude toward Ingrid was more polite than when he treated Luana. He was very formal towards her, which was annoying when he was the one who took her here.
“Why?”
Ingrid asked in a cold voice. Looking at her way of talking, she was indeed the female lead. Luana might’ve put her thumb up if only she were in a better situation.
“I think I’ve told you it was necessary.”
“Luana didn’t want to.”
“But should we leave the blood of the kingdom under the Duke of the Empire? Have you not forgotten what he did in the kingdom? She’s okay now, but is there any law that the duke won’t change his mind later?”
It wasn’t wrong. Ingrid was shaken. Even though she knows, she has to listen to her sister’s opinion. She, of course, doesn’t want to leave Luana with the duke of the empire, who used to kill her parents; she has been trying to understand Luana all this time.
Because she was abandoned, it was natural for Luana to think she was okay. How does it feel to be abandoned as soon as you are born and can’t even look at your parents? She must’ve not had a happy life and was always on the bad side. Ingrid always tried to think in Luana’s shoes. She tried to understand why she was doing a favor to the person who killed her parents.
“Sister, I have to go back.”
Luana begged Ingrid with a sad expression. But maybe it is. Could she have neglected Luana, let her making her wrong choices because of her behavior in trying to understand her? Shouldn’t she have forced her to separate from the duke and let her know her situation?
“Sister?”
Ingrid pursed her lips and looked at Luana. She felt like her confused mind was getting organized. It didn’t take long for her to come to a conclusion.
“Luana.”
“What?”
“I think Sir Cain is right. Stay here.”
“What?”
Luana looked perplexed.
“How do you know when the duke will change his mind? He’s a slayer. He is someone who kills people recklessly. He might harm you. So, stay with me.”
‘No, why do you have such a conclusion?’ Luana stamped her feet. She thought at least Ingrid would listen to her, but Cain’s words already convinced her.
“Luana, don’t go. The empire is dangerous. Let’s go with me for now. When it is stable to some extent, I will send you to another country. You’ll be able to live in peace.”
“Why do you decide my future?”
“Luana.”
Even though Ingrid made a sad expression, she did not back down. Only Luana was frustrated. All the people here are members of the death squad. The duke is not dangerous here, and it turns out he couldn’t even be called a friendly person. Luana couldn’t even say that she loved him. If she did, it was obvious how she would be treated. Maybe Cain is now looking at her.
She felt a sense of despair, as if the ground was going to go down. It was not easy to persuade people who had different thoughts from her. It was all the more so because it was a situation where resentment was intertwined.
‘But I can’t stay like this!’
Even at this time, Legion might have been suffering in real-time. Luana clenched her fists. She couldn’t give up here. She was determined to escape somehow and must return.
To the place where Legion is waiting. For now, she decided to look at the opportunity calmly.
***
The ranger, who was taking the lead in looking at the floor, sighed and said,
“We missed it. It seems like there is a ranger on the other side.”
The duke frowned at the ranger’s words. The opponent’s ranger was great at erasing traces and camouflaging. Because of that, the chase didn’t end quickly and dragged on. Nevertheless, he was frustrated because he didn’t even see them. He wanted to run to the Imperial Palace immediately and learn about Luana’s safety, but he couldn’t because of this situation.
It began to rain. As the floor got wet, it become more difficult to trace. He alsotried exchanging information with Albert, whom he met along the wat, but he also did not achieve much. At this rate, he thought he would miss the timing to catch Ingrid. It didn’t matter what happened to her, but the emperor would be angry if he couldn’t find her.
“I’ve made up my mind.”
This is bothersome. He then saw a man riding a horse from afar. The knights, who were on guard immediately, immediately lowered their weapons when they saw the familiar uniform. He was a knight of the same order.
“Y- Your Highness.”
The approaching knight smelled like blood. He had been deeply wounded, but his face was familiar. He was one of the knights who guarding Luana’s carriage. Suddenly, he had an ominous feeling.
The knight who got off from the horse tried to kneel immediately, but it was difficult for him.
“Enough. What about Luana?”
The knight clenched his teeth at the duke’s question.
“We were ambushed in the middle of the way and the carriage was taken away. The person on board was also kidnapped.”
The calm duke’s face faded, and an eerie aura surrounded him. It was a look he had only shown on the bloody battlefield. Whenever this appeared, a large number of people died.
“Y- Your Highness.”
“Don’t change the subject.”
The knights were embarrassed by the apparent change of words. He knew he have to stop the sudden action, but he didn’t dare to do so. Now the duke was angry. The anger was so deep that it seemed like it would cut even a person he didn’t care about. So no one could stop him.
“Half stay here, half follow me.”
He reasoned to share the knights. After that, his reason become useless. The duke rode on the horse madly and arrived at the last place he had parted from Luana. From then on, the chase started again. However, the opponent was too clever, removing their trace and he couldn’t trace it easily.
He searched, and searched again, but Luana was nowhere to be seen. Legion’s heart sank. The thought of her being forcibly taken set fire inside. He wanted to scream and get angry right away. Has he ever wanted to express his emotions so much? The duke clenched his teeth.
A deep sense of despair overwhelmed him. ‘What if we don’t meet again after this?’ The thought made his heart ache.
No, this wasn’t the time to think about it.
He thought about Luana.
‘Will she going to just stay calm because she’s been kidnapped? No. She was always positive and lively, but she wouldn’t let them dragged her away blindly. She must’ve trying to find a way to escape.’
With that thought, the duke couldn’t stay still either.
‘I’m sure I’ll bring Luana back.’
***
Raytheon tilted his cup and threw it on the floor. As the thin glass shattered, the shards splattered around, but he didn’t care. He just shouted in angry.
“Failed tracking her, failure, all failed.”
“They say there might be a capable ranger on their side. And as it begins to rain, traces are being erased.”
“Release the dog.”
“We did that.”
Albert tried to report as earnestly as possible, but it did not quell the emperor’s anger.
“You whispered your love, and it turns out you were trying to run away.”
The emperor looked out the window. Through the darkened window, his beautiful distorted face could be seen. It all began out of his curiosity. He was curious about the princess who turned down his order. But as he actually met her, he gradually fell in love with her.
Ingrid.
She was a woman who he couldn’t help but to fall in love with. She had a beautiful appearance and grace, and spoke in a lovely delightful voice.
‘I must have changed my mind. I love you, Your Majesty.’
But she abandoned him and ran away. On top of that, she ran with the death squad of the kingdom. Her choice to join them only meant one thing.
“To rebel against the Empire.”
But it would be like breaking a rock with an egg. Ingrid will eventually collapse with the death squad. It was a fixed future.
“Bring Ingrid safely.”
But he didn’t want to kill Ingrid. The emperor made an order to bring her back alive. When she has been brought back, he thought he’d better lock her up, then she will only look at him. The emperor, Raytheon, said with a smile,
“At the end of the day, you can’t escape, Ingrid.”
The night grew deeper.
