89. An Accelerated Death

Klaus, his face pale as a ghost, spoke in a hard, unyielding voice.

“What do you mean by that…?”

“I’ve relayed the message exactly as received. It’s said to have been a bandit raid, but what kind of audacious group would dare attack a royal carriage?”

“And the imperial palace?”

“The Imperial Guard has already been dispatched. However, His Highness the Crown Prince is currently conducting inspections in the northern regions…”

At the mention of the Crown Prince, Klaus’s brow furrowed deeply.

‘Damn it. If that Crown Prince had been properly looking after the Crown Princess, this wouldn’t have happened.’

He even doubted whether the Crown Prince would bother to actively search for her.

Klaus turned abruptly, his expression set like stone, and barked an order.

“Mobilize the duchy’s private forces. Prepare my horse.”

“You’re going personally?”

As Klaus moved to leave, Roselia stepped in front of him, blocking his path.

“Calm down, Your Grace.”

“Step aside, Antonio.”

Seeing Klaus lose his composure over the Crown Princess’s disappearance struck a chord of pain in Roselia’s heart.

She already knew from the original story that Eveline was more than just the Crown Princess to Klaus—she was an old friend, someone deeply cherished. But witnessing his reaction firsthand made her heart ache.

Ignoring her own pangs, Roselia spoke calmly.

“The Imperial Guard has already been dispatched, and the Crown Prince won’t just sit idly by.”

The truth was, the Crown Princess’s abduction was a pivotal event in the original story.

In it, Klaus attempted to rescue her, but ultimately, it was the Crown Prince who succeeded.

This incident was the turning point where the Crown Prince began to realize his feelings for Eveline, drawing them closer together.

In contrast, Klaus became an obstacle in the process.

Not only did he get injured during the rescue attempt, but he was also unjustly accused by the Crown Prince of orchestrating the abduction.

Roselia couldn’t stand idly by and let this predictable sequence of events unfold.

“His Highness the Crown Prince will rescue the Crown Princess. There’s no need for you to intervene.”

But Klaus only looked down at her with his steely, unyielding gaze.

“I don’t trust His Highness the Crown Prince.”

With those words, he tried to step past her, but Roselia blocked his way again.

“What are you doing?”

“Don’t go.”

Klaus paused at her uneasy expression and, for a moment, spoke more softly as he met her eyes.

“I’ll be back soon, so don’t worry.”

‘You’re not a welcomed presence in this situation. Your involvement will only lead to more misunderstandings,’ Roselia thought, the words rising to her throat.

“For once, trust me and don’t go,” she pleaded.

Klaus frowned, his expression conflicted as he looked at her.

“I don’t know why you’re acting this way, but this isn’t the time for hesitation. We don’t even know the Crown Princess’s current situation. I can’t just sit here and do nothing.”

He signaled Alejandro to prepare the soldiers and horses.

Roselia understood that Klaus’s feelings for Eveline weren’t romantic.

Even in the original story, those feelings weren’t clearly defined. They seemed to lie somewhere between the bonds of close friendship and ambiguous familial affection.

Still, seeing Klaus so shaken over Eveline’s disappearance pained Roselia deeply.

Eveline was undoubtedly a good woman—a character Roselia had liked in the original story. But now, Roselia couldn’t help but feel a pang of resentment toward her.

Klaus, noticing Roselia still standing in his way, softened his tone as if to console her.

“The Crown Princess isn’t just the Crown Princess to me. She’s my family and my friend. I can’t stand by and helplessly lose another loved one.”

Roselia knew exactly what he meant by “another loved one”—he was referring to his late parents, the former Duke and Duchess.

“I want to protect the people I care about with my own hands. That’s why, no matter what, I have to go.”

His words, calling Eveline a “loved one,” stung Roselia’s heart like a sharp thorn, leaving it aching and raw.

Roselia could no longer bring herself to block his path or endure the words that pierced her heart like a dagger.

‘Perhaps this, too, is an inevitable part of the original story’s progression…?’

Or was she simply deluding herself into thinking that Klaus had somehow changed from the character she once knew in the original?

With a hardened expression, Roselia lowered her head, unable to lift her gaze.

Klaus hesitated briefly, his eyes lingering on her bowed form, before striding past her and rushing out of the estate.

His retreating figure, running off to rescue Eveline just as he had in the original story, seared itself painfully into Roselia’s heart.

* * *

Klaus, leaving Alejandro in charge of the estate since he was unable to fight, led the private soldiers of the duchy and departed.

Riding without rest for two days, Klaus and his soldiers arrived at the location where the Crown Princess had reportedly been abducted.

He immediately dispersed his men to begin a thorough investigation of the surrounding area. It wasn’t long before they found traces.

“Your Grace, there are tracks here as well!”

Hearing a soldier’s call, Klaus approached to examine the evidence—a clear trail of hoofprints.

It was odd. Typically, kidnappers would abandon their horses or scatter them to confuse pursuers, yet these tracks blatantly led to one location.

Suspicious, but with no other choice, Klaus left some soldiers to guard the area while leading a group of knight-level men to follow the trail.

“It leads to that house!”

A soldier pointed to an isolated, shabby hut ahead. Klaus raised his hand, signaling the men to halt, and carefully surveyed the area.

The hut stood alone, with no sign of bandits—or even the horses they would have used.

Perplexed, Klaus ordered his men to stand guard and cautiously entered the hut.

Inside, tied to a wooden pillar, was the Crown Princess, Eveline. Klaus’s eyes widened in shock as he called her name.

“Eveline!”

He rushed to remove the gag from her mouth and examined her condition.

Her eyes fluttered open, hazy and disoriented from fainting. She looked at him in a daze.

“Klaus…?”

Confirming that she was weak but unharmed, Klaus quickly untied the ropes binding her. He glanced around, his suspicions deepening.

Why were there no guards or traps? Why was the security so lax?

Something didn’t add up.

Just then, a blood-curdling scream rang out from outside.

Klaus froze, his expression hardening as he stood abruptly. Placing Eveline behind a nearby crate, he spoke urgently.

“Stay hidden here.”

With those words, he drew his sword and exited the hut, only to be met with chaos.

Men clad in armor bearing the insignia of the Imperial Guard were mercilessly slaughtering the duchy’s soldiers.

The soldiers, caught off guard by what they assumed were allies, were quickly overwhelmed.

Some managed to counterattack, but their efforts were largely ineffective.

“What the hell is going on…?”

Before Klaus could process the situation, a sword came hurtling toward him.

He swiftly deflected it with his blade, his sharp gaze scanning his opponent.

These weren’t the Imperial Guards.

This was a trap—an elaborate ploy designed to make it seem as though the Imperial Guards were attacking.

Even so, these attackers were no ordinary men; their skills were on par with knights.

Klaus intercepted a strike aimed at one of his men, parrying it with a grunt as he shouted:

“Defend the hut! Reinforcements will arrive soon! Hold the line until then!”

His booming command drew the attention of several attackers, and three knights charged him at once.

Klaus deftly dodged the first strike, blocked the second with his blade, but failed to avoid the third.

A sword grazed his shoulder, drawing blood.

“Argh!”

Klaus kicked his opponent away, clutching his wounded shoulder as he staggered back.

But the attackers gave him no respite, pressing their assault relentlessly. Klaus barely managed to parry their blows, but his movements grew sluggish as pain and exhaustion set in.

Noticing an opening, one of the knights swung horizontally, aiming for a fatal strike.

Klaus narrowly avoided the blow, but the blade left a deep gash across his abdomen.

The force of the dodge sent him stumbling backward—right over the edge of a cliff.

Realization hit him too late as his body plummeted.

In that brief moment, he thought of Roselia, her face filled with concern as she tried to stop him.

‘Damn it… I should have listened to you.’

His thoughts were cut short as his body collided with the icy, raging river below.

The recent storm had turned the river into a violent torrent, dragging him under with unforgiving force.

Above, one of the knights removed his helmet, revealing himself as the shadowy subordinate of Grand Duke Rubelio.

“I didn’t plan to kill him, but there was no other choice. Send a message to the Grand Duke. Leave the bodies of the duchy’s soldiers, but gather our wounded and dead. We’re pulling out.”

* * *

As Roselia sat in the study, jotting notes on paper while reading, the nib of her pen snapped with a sudden ‘crack’.

She stared anxiously at the broken pen tip, a sense of unease creeping over her. Just then, the library door burst open, and Alejandro rushed in.

Turning to him with a growing sense of dread, Roselia cautiously asked, “What about the Crown Princess?”

“Her Highness has been rescued by His Highness the Crown Prince,” Alejandro replied.

As expected, the events had unfolded just as they did in the original story. The Crown Prince had saved the Crown Princess.

Relieved, Roselia exhaled a long sigh.

“I see… And where is His Grace the Duke?”

At her question, Alejandro’s face turned pale. He hesitated, his lips trembling as he struggled to form the words.

“He… His Grace is missing.”

Roselia’s grip on her pen faltered, and the broken nib rolled off the table, clattering to the floor.

“What…?”

“According to survivors, His Grace was injured and fell from a cliff. The area is being thoroughly searched on the Crown Princess’s orders, but…” Alejandro’s voice cracked as he bowed his head, his expression filled with anguish.

“The Imperial Court has effectively declared him deceased.”

Roselia’s mind went blank, the weight of his words rendering her unable to think or breathe.

 

 

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