Chapter 8
‘Who are you?’
Only when he heard her voice did he come to his senses.
‘I, I… … .’
Before Alexis could utter another word of plea, he heard rough footsteps behind him.
‘Whew. That thing is incredibly fast, like a rat.’
‘Hey. I don’t know who it is, but let’s just take that kid, so let’s not make each other fight, okay?’
The Quaidal bandits knew that Alexis was asking for help from a respectable knight and spoke with their ears perked up. No matter how reckless they were, they were not confident that they could handle attacking a knight who had enemies in the Empire. As they had said, they planned to return without causing any trouble if they just handed over Alexis.
Alexis, who was staring in shock at the bandit who had come up right behind him, crawled on his knees in a hurry. The destination was a red-haired woman who seemed to be the knights’ superior.
‘Please, please, please. Please, please help me… … .’
The woman looked down at Alexis without any response. The clear green eyes that matched the forest surrounding them now felt somehow cool. Still, he thought they were better than the bandits, but Alexis became increasingly anxious as the woman did not move an inch.
I reached out my hand, thinking I should grab the hem of her robe and beg her, but something suddenly grabbed Alexis by the nape of his neck.
‘Aaah!’
‘I’m sorry for making a fuss all of a sudden.’
One of the bandits walked over and lifted Alexis up. Alexis looked at the woman with an earnest gaze. However, the woman still had no reaction. The anticipation inside Alexis was shattered when he saw the indifferent green eyes before turning his head.
The bandits were just about to take him back.
Bang!
‘Ah!’
The bandit standing next to Alexis suddenly screamed and fell to the ground. The other bandits turned around in surprise, and saw the knight who had not moved a moment ago pointing his gun at them.
Shit. The bandit with the harsh words in his mouth threw Alexis as if he was going to throw him, and fumbled his waistband. But before he could even pull out a proper weapon, the knights’ guns fired first. A flock of birds sitting on a tree in the peaceful forest jumped up at once, startled by the loud noise.
‘Are you okay?’
Two feet appeared in Alexis’s field of vision as he lay face down. He slowly raised his head and saw the woman who had just stood there like a wax doll. The woman helped Alexis up and shook off his dirty clothes.
‘You must be very surprised.’
The woman reached out and caressed Alexis’ cheek. It was only then that Alexis realized he had been crying.
When I was caught by the bandits, I thought everything was over. The sudden fear that I felt as a child paralyzed my brain and eventually made me shed tears.
There was no need to ask why she was helping him now. He was grateful that he had been saved. Alexis avoided her hand and wiped his face dry.
However, perhaps because of the sense of relief, he could not stop crying. While he was thinking that even the Duke, whom he believed to be his father, would surely abandon him, the kindness he encountered stirred his heart.
The woman, bending down to meet Alexis’ gaze, smiled at him as he cried like a lost child.
‘Wait a minute, miss!’
It was then that the knight at the front of the group shouted urgently.
Bang! The knight’s shout and the sound of gunfire echoed around once more. Alexis blinked once and the woman stumbled, and blinked twice and the area around her pubic region in her white dress was slowly turning red.
‘Shit!’
‘Miss!’
One of the bandits who had been attacked by the lady’s escort knights had finally gathered his strength and fired a shot. It was not the knights who numbered quite a few, but the lady they were supposed to protect. Alexis could not quite understand what was happening before his eyes. He just blinked in confusion, and the tears that had been gathered flowed down his pale cheeks.
‘Miss. Are you okay? Miss!’
The knight in the lead hurriedly grabbed the woman by the shoulder and supported her. In the meantime, the other knights completely took the bandit’s life. However, that did not change the fact that the woman was shot.
The woman bit her lower lip and panted softly. Her skin, which had once looked as beautiful as white jade, turned pale in an instant.
‘I’m okay… … that kid first… … .’
Her beautiful voice, like the chirping of a bird, changed into a voice that seemed to be squeezing her from the danjeon. Hearing her words, the one who seemed to be the leader of the escort knights nodded to the low-ranking knight, and the knight raised Alexis who had fallen down.
Alexis managed to escape the forest with the knight’s help and safely returned to the duke’s mansion. He dropped me off at the
gate and stopped the knight as he was about to leave, asking him urgently.
‘Excuse me, may I know the name of that person from earlier?’
The knight, who had to go back to her immediately, answered coldly, slapping his arm away with a slightly annoyed look.
‘I cannot arbitrarily disclose the owner’s information to others.’
He couldn’t help but be sensitive because the boy who suddenly appeared made the target he was supposed to protect endangered. The knight glanced at Alexis with displeasure and left without looking back.
Many things happened in an instant. The most impressive of them all was, of course, the woman who had been shot and fell on my behalf. As he watched her slowly crumble, something in his heart seemed to be shattered. It was such an intense and unforgettable moment.
“… … Your Majesty, Duke?”
Alexis woke up from the past to Samuel’s voice calling him. He rolled his eyes and saw a document filled with information about Sis Millan.
Siss Milan. A woman who looks exactly like her from the past, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say.
After the day he met the woman who caught him, Alexis came to his senses. Even just from this brief incident, he could see that everyone was making fun of him and treating him carelessly.
He realized that all this was because he was an illegitimate child and did not have the power he deserved. His anger towards them became the driving force that spurred him on. Alexis worked hard every day to the point of bleeding and stubbornly endured all the hardships given to him.
Of course, during those difficult times, the only thought that came to mind was the woman who had saved me. More than anything, what I was most curious about was her life or death. Was she alive or safe after being attacked by bandits in return for saving me? I wanted to know about her, but I didn’t know anything about her.
The only thing that was clear was her face, so pure and beautiful.
It took a long time, and only when he finally pushed out the legitimate successors and took the duke’s seat did Alexis begin to search for her in earnest. He wanted to find out about her life and death, which he had been wondering about for years, and if
she was alive, he definitely wanted to express his gratitude that he had not been able to give her then. He wanted to tell her that he was alive because of her, that she had saved his life.
But as he had feared, the information was too insufficient. Alexis never even knew the name of his benefactor. He had gotten what he wanted, but the emptiness was greater than the sense of accomplishment. That gray emptiness was filled with longing for the woman he had not found.
It was really strange. He had grown up to be a powerful duke, but whenever he thought of her, he still felt like a helpless brat who couldn’t do anything. His mainspring, which had been running normally, had stopped abnormally only in the clock that was her.
“What should I do?”
Samuel’s voice interrupted his thoughts. Alexis frowned, recalling the vivid image that still seemed to be before his eyes.
“Continue investigating.”
“Yes.”
“And…….”
His golden eyes, visible through the smoky clouds, sparkled like the eyes of a soaring eagle.
At that moment, suddenly there was a knock on the door to the office and the head maid came in.
“Master, the letter has arrived.”
She handed the letter in her hand to her master.
Alexis took the letter out of the envelope with a cigar between his lips. The sender was surprisingly Sis Millan, who had been on the topic of conversation. His smoke-filled pupils quietly scanned the letter for a long time.
Finally, he smiled and put the letter down.
“I guess I should do my own research.”
The letter stated that Sis was coming to retrieve a trinket that she had accidentally left behind.
It was a moment of regret for not being able to catch the one that ran away. However, Alexis was happy that the prey was right in his hands.
Alexis was willing to play along to her tune, although he didn’t know what Millan’s intentions were in approaching her.
