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“No, what are you doing? Stop, put me down!”
“I’ll hand you over to Zanarf.”
She tried to kick him in an attempt to free herself, but he had a firm grasp on her body, leaving her unable to move. Her head was lowered further, and she couldn’t help but feel nauseous. The big man skillfully weaved through the attack as if he’s used to it and carried Floria away somewhere.
Occasionally, amidst passing, she heard the screams of agony, likely caused by the man swinging his axe.
She could barely contain the rising nausea, unable to even utter a prayer for the poor souls.
“Zanarf! There’s a young woman here!”
It seemed like she was brought to the bow of the ship.
Suddenly, the big man dropped her heavily onto the deck floor. Her cheek hit the hard planks, and for a moment, the pain was so intense that she felt as if she couldn’t breathe anymore. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she held them back and lifted her face.
Then, he saw a man on the other side of the ship’s bow, staring straight ahead.
Like the other men, his upper body was bare, and his tanned skin was illuminated by the flickering firelight. He had a solid, well-proportioned physique, without any unnecessary muscles, and carried himself with great poise.
The tall man slowly turned around.
His eyes, deep like the dark sea on a moonless night, pierced Floria sharply.
As the man walked up, the bonfire revealed a beautiful dark blue tattoo adorned with intricate patterns, extending from his back to his shoulders. It seemed to resemble the wings of a soaring bird.
Ah, the heron…
For some reason, she felt a sense of deja vu. It was as if the heron she had seen during the day had transformed into human form and now stood gracefully at the bow.
“Bring the traitor forward first…!” shouted the man called Zanarf, addressing the big man.
Immediately, Prince Franz, bound with ropes behind his back, was pushed forward by the barbarians and presented before the heron-like man.
The surrounding barbarians gathered around, and cheers erupted. Somehow, Franz’s marines were nowhere to be seen. They must have disembarked the small boat and escaped.
Compared to this heron-like man, Franz, whom Floria had thought to be strong and sturdy, appeared fragile, unreliable and helpless.
As the big man forced Franz to kneel and pressed his head down with his foot, scraping it against the deck, Franz trembled, sensing what was about to happen.
“F-Franz-sama…”
“From now on, we shall have our revenge from this prince. Watch closely,” the big man said to Floria, his smile filled with anticipation of the entertainment about to unfold. The chilling smile, so out of place amidst this hellish scene, sent shivers down her spine.
What was about to transpire was not some mere amusement at a banquet.
It was something far more dreadful, much more terrifying.
Floria’s heart pounded eerily in her chest.
The big man threw the axe he held in his hand towards the heron-like man.
With a loose arc, the spinning axe, as if it had been done countless times before, was effortlessly caught by the heron-like man.
“Franz, you will atone for what you have done with your own life,” the heron-like man declared to Prince Franz with a cold voice.
Even Floria understood that those words meant a death sentence.
What on earth has Franz done? Why did these men attack this ship?
Wasn’t this ship supposed to be safe from such assaults?
Why? Why…?
The heron-like man swiftly raised his axe overhead. In that instant, without thinking of the consequences, Floria’s body moved, and she covered Franz, shielding him.
“Please, please, don’t kill him! I’ll do anything! Just don’t kill my husband, Franz-sama!” Floria clung to Franz, who trembled uncontrollably, and she screamed with all her might, astonished that such a voice could come from her.
“Husband…?” A low, cold voice echoed from above.
Fearfully looking up, Floria saw the heron-like man lowering his axe to his side, furrowing his brow as he looked at her.
“Are you this prince’s woman? Is this prince your husband?”
Her voice wouldn’t come out due to overwhelming fear. Nevertheless, Floria desperately nodded in response.
Just as she felt a lukewarm breeze on her skin, the heron-like man knelt beside Floria, extending a strong hand to grasp her delicate chin, tilting her face upwards. In his icy blue eyes that stared at her, she could sense a hint of contempt. Instantly, a surge of terror washed over her.
The man’s fingers caressed Floria’s lips, now devoid of warmth.
“──What is your name?”
Merry Christmas!!! Yo ho ho ho
Sorry about the delay~~ Also there are some illustrations for the novel but due to it being +18 I’ll not be sharing them here 🤐💀
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