Chapter 38 It Happened Again
Delphine clasped her trembling hands behind her back to hide her nervousness.
Delphine clasped her trembling hands behind her back to hide her nervousness.
The knight looked her up and down with greedy eyes, then-.
“Hmmm. Okay. Pass.”
Finally, permission was granted.
Delphine glanced up, and the man in front of her smirked.
It was a strangely unpleasant laugh.
“Yep. Then…”
Mimicking the maid’s tone, Delphine stuttered, and hurried through the gates.
***
Once inside the walls, the stench of the streets faded away.
But in that brief moment, she felt as if she could smell it in her own body.
The throbbing headache didn’t go away.
And her mind was dizzy with the sudden onslaught of information.
Phosgium and black crystals.
The barrier.
And, Ioannes…
Yuck.
Her stomach churned as she took in the stench.
Delphine covered her mouth and ducked into an alleyway, leaning her back against the sewers.
A groan escaped her mouth as her stomach twisted in agony.
How painfully she had emptied her stomach.
Barely able to raise herself from her stoop, Delphine rested her back against the wall and took a moment to catch her breath.
She could feel a cold sweat trickling down her back.
‘How long has it been?’
It’s supper time, and they have to get back before Anna notices.
Don’t worry, Ioannes, the man’s mania has passed and he’s busy again, but…
So busy, what is he doing?
Another rumbling, twisting pain in her stomach caused Delphine to lower her head again, but this time it was only a small amount of gastric juice.
“Hey, maid. You okay, need some help?”
It was just then that a gruff voice came from across the alley.
Delphine hurriedly lifted her hand and groped for the top of her head, despite the pain in her stomach.
The handkerchief that had covered her face had fallen to the ground in the distance.
Delphine gritted her teeth and looked up.
“You okay, huh? Let me pat you on the back.”
The man smirked and approached.
It was the knight who had checked her ID at the gate.
“I don’t need your help.”
“Oh, really?”
She replied sharply, and the man wiped the smile from his face.
“Well… think I could use a little help from a young lady right now.”
He sticks out his dirty tongue and licks his upper lip.
Delphine gritted her teeth, barely able to contain the disgust that coursed through her.
“… I’m a maid for a noble family, I don’t think you can get away with touching me.”
“Yes, yes. Then go and tell your noble lord.”
The man chuckled unpleasantly as he walked slowly toward her.
“That is, of course, if I can tease that pretty tongue properly after today.”
“…”
Instead of making a pointless protest or provoking the man with a scream, Delphine rolled her eyes and scanned her surroundings.
It was a dirty back alley, littered with sharp-looking stones and broken bottles of liquor.
The man, misinterpreting the meaning of her silence, blinked and drew in a ragged breath.
“Good. Good girl. Just like that…”
And with that, the man’s rough grip snatched her wrist and held it.
Delphine quickly rolled to her feet and used the recoil to flip herself onto his back.
“Argh!”
The man screamed in pain as his arm was snapped back in an instant.
In one swift motion, Delphine grabbed a piece of the bottle from the ground and drove it straight into the man’s thigh.
The man screamed in agony once more and fell to the ground.
Thud, thud…
Delphine drew in a ragged breath, not letting go of the broken bottle’s spout.
Then she muttered in a low, shaky voice.
“I did it, I did it…”
She didn’t know why, but her mother had taught her swordsmanship and self-defense from a young age.
The memories were still ingrained in her, like horseback riding, which is something you learn once and never forget.
Of course, it was the first time she ever tried it in real life.
Perhaps all that training had been for a day like today.
‘Mother. I did it!’
Delphine was beaming with pride.
“Hey, Harley. What was that?”
“You said look at the net. Why are you doing this… Harley!”
Three more men in armor burst out of the dark alley.
For a moment, she was pleased.
Delphine bit her lip, clutching the mouth of the flask she still hadn’t released.
“Harley, for fuck’s sake, what a sight!”
“Did your bitch do this?”
All three men were huge, like knights.
They all wore scabbards at their waists.
They had managed to catch her off guard once, but would they be so lucky a third time?
Delphine barely managed to speak, feeling her body tremble.
“… Yes. I tried to stab the center and missed. If we don’t get this fixed soon, I’ll be limping for the rest of my life.”
Maybe their camaraderie would kick in and they’d rush the wounded man to the clinic.
And leave the maid in the alley.
For a moment, she hoped, but it was a delusion.
“What kind of knight orders a silly maid!”
“Huh. I feel sorry for Harley, but… What a beauty.”
All three men were already dazed.
They began to walk toward Delphine with frenzied steps.
Unlike before, there was no way to dodge the three large men in the narrow alleyway.
‘A little closer. Let’s take advantage of when they’re a little closer…’
Delphine, nervously eyeing her opportunity, quickly darted through the gap between their arms.
“Ah…!”
But this time, she was easily blocked.
“What the hell!”
One of the men shoved her roughly against the wall.
Delphine’s back hit the rough brick wall hard, and she spun around and fell to the floor.
“Ow…!”
She barely swallowed a groan at the dizzying pain that shot up her spine.
“Hey, don’t hurt that face.”
“I know. Just trying to kill a little deception.”
One of the men grasped her fallen head and gave her a mean, sneering look.
“Why, redheads are stubborn.”
Delphine’s eyes sparked.
“How dare you…!”
“Argh!”
It was then.
The man holding her hair suddenly let out a shriek of pain and fell to his knees in a heap.
“What…?”
‘I didn’t do anything?’
Delphine looked at the fallen man in surprise and bewilderment.
There was a small dagger stuck in the exact center of his calf.
Who would…?
She looked up, puzzled.
In the distance, she could see a figure approaching, its presence filling the dark alleyway.
A massive man in a white uniform.
It was Ioannes.
At the sight of him, his high shoulders sagged, and the tension in his body melted away.
‘I’m alive.’
The thought washed over her with relief for a moment.
Delphine’s mind was soon plunged back into confusion.
Since when had this man’s arrival, his presence, been a relief to her?
She doesn’t even know who he is yet.
“You have a large liver.”
He’s only a few steps away, his voice dry and elegant enough to send chills down her spine.
“Or you’re so ignorant that your news is dark.”
The men had already eaten up their fear.
“Uhh, Lord Pride…?”
“What the hell happened to the gates, uh, to the gates… Heh!”
The stuttering man never finished his sentence.
The stuttering man hadn’t finished his sentence, for a Cipheron longsword was now at the base of his neck.
None of them saw the moment Ioannes drew it.
“Sir… Hmph. What happened… If it’s for going off duty, Burr, you’ll be punished.”
The man with the knife to his throat stuttered, shaking.
Then Ioannes, holding a longsword as tall as a man, spoke up, his tone still soft and gentle.
“Red hair, emerald eyes.”
“… Yes, eh?”
The man echoed, shuddering at the casual answer.
“Have you not heard that Lady Pembroke has become the Marchioness of Pride?”
“Uhhh. I suppose that means she’s…”
“I, I had no idea! I assure you, I had no idea! We dare not go to…”
“That’s right, she’s dressed like that…!”
Ioannes’s gaze, which had been glaring at the man at those words, suddenly turned to Delphine, who was cowering in the shadows of the dark alley.
A quick glance at his face.
Then his gaze drifted downward for a moment, as if slowly scanning.
For the first time, Ioannes’s face, which had been eerily calm the entire time, rippled.
The words came out like a groan.
“Delphine. What was that…”
Dropping her head to follow him, Delphine realized what had happened.
Her black dress had ridden up to her thighs, and her white stockings were torn.
The wind had loosened the ties, revealing a pale, transparent skin that had never seen the sun.
Delphine quickly pulled the black dress down to cover her legs.
But when she raised her head again, the man’s eyes had lost all reason.
Goosebumps broke out all over Delphine’s body at the sight of his savage face.
Even as she did, the men facing him were already frozen in utter terror.
‘Kill him?’
Delphine thought for a moment.
She still remembered how that longsword had cut her father’s throat in one swift motion.
It had been a long time since she had been free of the nightmares and visions.
Contrary to her expectations, however, Ioannes did not immediately swing his longsword.
Instead, he glared at the men, grinding his teeth like a fierce wolf, until he saw Delphine cowering.
Then he spoke.
“Go to your quarters… before the gates of the wall and await disposition. I’ve memorized your face, so don’t try any tricks.”
The men didn’t even have time to salute, and they rushed out of the alley, carrying her stunned companion with them.
Ioannes didn’t even look at her.
