I Will Disappear, Grand Duke

 

Julia trembled uncontrollably, yet she took in the scene with wide, clear eyes. Creatures engulfed in blue flames were burning before her.

In an instant, the fire spread to the ground, reaching the beasts that had been rampaging on both sides.

Julia stared at the spectacle with vacant eyes for a moment before snapping back to reality.

Right now, escaping was the priority.

Her legs shook as she stumbled and fell several times, but she finally managed to get up. She forced her stiff legs to move, running blindly without knowing where she was headed.

But she didn’t get far. An icy hand suddenly grabbed a fistful of her hair.

“Ah!”

Falling backward, Julia looked up in terror.

A man with white hair, his eyes stained red with blood, glared at her with a face twisted in rage.

“Where do you think you’re going, huh?”

“L-Let go!”

The man effortlessly dragged Julia, despite her frantic struggles.

Even while trembling, Julia tried to recall the sensation from earlier and summon her holy power again.

But this time, no flames arose.

“Ah!”

The grip on her hair tightened painfully.

As she cried out in agony, the man let out a deranged laugh, speaking in a voice filled with malice.

“You dared to do this to my eye. Normally, I’d rip your limbs apart. You know that, right?”

“Ah… hng….”

“But since you have some peculiar holy power, I’ll spare you. For now. Whether you die now or later, being a sacrifice makes no difference.”

The man continued to ramble in a chilling tone.

Julia barely heard his words, too focused on struggling to free herself.

She tried repeatedly to summon her power, but suddenly felt something well up inside her. At that moment, she coughed up blood.

Dragging her for what seemed like an eternity, the man finally threw her roughly into a carriage.

With a loud thud, Julia hit the carriage wall, groaning softly. She tried to open her eyes despite the pain, but her eyelids felt heavier with every second.

She lowered her head, breathing shallowly. Meanwhile, the carriage rocked slightly.

The man threw the limp coachman aside and climbed into the driver’s seat.

Soon, Julia heard the sound of strange chanting.

In response to the chanting, creatures gathered around the carriage from all directions.

The carriage began to move slowly.

In that moment, Julia’s first thought was of the people in the monastery.

Would Gabriel and the children be safe?

Of all times, the priests were away, leaving no one to protect the children.

‘Was this the reason for the knights’ disappearances…?’

As the situation became clearer in her fading mind, Julia exhaled a weary breath.

All the strength drained from her body. Slumping against the seat, she barely managed to lift her eyes to gaze out at the open space beyond the carriage.

Earlier, the man had completely torn off the door, leaving one side of the carriage exposed.

Through the opening, Julia could see grotesque creatures racing madly alongside the carriage.

What would happen to her if she was taken by them? She vaguely recalled the man mentioning something about a sacrifice.

“I don’t want this….”

Julia muttered in a fading voice. Even as her mind grew foggy, the thought of dying helplessly like this filled her with dread.

Once, she’d been utterly exhausted by life. But not anymore.

She wanted to live. More than anyone else, she wanted to live long, happily, and safely.

At that moment, a sword flew from somewhere, striking down one of the creatures running alongside the carriage.

“What the hell is that?!”

The man’s voice, filled with shock, echoed through the air.

Then, someone on horseback appeared, swiftly cutting down the nearby monsters.

“You dare! How dare you!”

The man screamed, enraged as he watched the monsters fall one by one.

The carriage shook dangerously from his furious movements.

With the jolt, Julia’s limp body slipped out through the open side of the carriage.

Thud. Cold air enveloped her skin in an instant.

But instead of the hard ground, she landed in someone’s arms.

Strong arms gently cradled her, lifting her slowly.

Julia stared weakly at her legs dangling in midair, then looked up at the person holding her.

Her fading vision flickered with surprise.

Was she seeing things? Or dreaming?

There, standing before her, was the one man who should never have been here.

Dark brows furrowed above golden eyes glinting in the faint sunlight.

The man she had tried so hard to forget for the past year was right in front of her.

“…Julia.”

Through her blurry vision, Julia blankly stared at Fernan’s face.

He was saying something to her, but she couldn’t make out the words.

The world around her buzzed with heavy noise, and everything grew darker.

As she watched his moving lips one last time, Julia slowly closed her eyes. Her body went limp in his arms.

All her senses shut down at once, plunging her into deep sleep.

—

Heading toward the Holy Kingdom had been an impulsive decision.

In the dead of night, Fernan swallowed a sleeping draught, unable to stay sane any longer. He hadn’t slept for a week.

The drug was supposed to knock him out quickly, but it had no effect.

Instead of sleep, the draught only heightened the impulses he had been desperately trying to suppress for the past six months.

Despite all the self-control he’d exerted for months, Fernan found himself riding out of the castle in a daze.

He wanted to see Julia. Just one more time. He wanted to see her with his own eyes.

Even if he couldn’t bring her back, he wanted to hear her voice. He wanted her gaze to fall on him once more.

It was a dark night, snow swirling around him, as Fernan set out for the Holy Kingdom.

But when he finally arrived after the long journey, the kingdom had fallen into chaos.

“Your Highness, the creatures that attacked the monastery have been wiped out. However, Lady Julia….”

His lieutenant, who had been stationed in the Holy Kingdom to monitor Julia, had arrived too late to defend the monastery.

Many were already dead, and Julia was nowhere to be found.

Fernan didn’t even remember how he searched for her after that.

He tore through the creatures that had overrun the village, slicing them down in a frenzy, desperately searching for any trace of Julia.

It didn’t take long to find her. She hadn’t gotten far from the monastery.

When he caught her, limp and falling from the carriage, Fernan’s mind went numb with shock.

Julia’s lips were stained with blood, her breath so weak she seemed on the verge of death.

The blue eyes that had always been so clear were dull and soon closed.

Holding her tightly in his arms, Fernan regretted his decision that day.

He never should have let her go like that.

If he had known this would happen, he never would have left her in a place like this.

Staring down at Julia’s unconscious face, Fernan’s eyes turned cold and murderous as he glared at the one responsible for her condition.

The sorcerer who had summoned the creatures met his end with a single strike of Fernan’s sword.

He died too quickly to even scream.

“Guard the perimeter. Let nothing approach.”

Fernan ordered in a chilling voice, holding Julia close as he mounted his horse.

In the distance, more monsters appeared, but they were swiftly cut down by Fernan’s knights.

Blood spilled over the ground as they fought.

—

Julia didn’t wake for a long time.

Fernan had no time to take her back to the empire, so they were temporarily staying in a duchy near the border of the Holy Kingdom.

Several physicians had come and gone to treat Julia.

Her external injuries weren’t severe, but the real problem lay in the blood she had coughed up and her lingering unconsciousness.

“Well, you see….”

The physician, who had been feeling Julia’s pulse for a while, hesitated to speak.

Finally, he shook his head and looked at Fernan.

“I can’t feel a pulse. It’s as if something is blocking the flow of her blood….”

All the physicians had said the same thing. They couldn’t detect her pulse, and thus, couldn’t fully understand her condition.