“Your Grace, it seems we cannot afford to stand idle any longer.”
“My thoughts exactly.”
“To launch such a bold attack… I never imagined.”
“We should refrain from making assumptions until we know more details.”
With many ears listening, Clovis ordered surveillance on someone. But inwardly, Karl knew.
Though it was uncertain whether it was Franz or not who targeted Celeste, their lack of firm response seemed to be diminishing their enemies’ fear as time passed.
Intent on defending with minimal movement until the opponent became clear, there seemed to be no reason to do so any longer.
“However, committing such an act in broad daylight must be severely punished. An attack on my lady is no different than one on me. It’s a grave offense that must be handled sternly.”
Clovis vigorously nodded in agreement. Though neither explicitly mentioned a name, it was clear whom they were considering.
“They say the best defense is a good offense. It seems to be the time for the best defense.”
The best defense is offense. In this situation, that seemed to ring true. Karl sighed deeply.
He wanted to uncover everything, make thorough investigations, then devise thorough plans to act.
If Franz truly was behind the attempt on Celeste, many questions needed answers – the motive, whether he acted alone or had accomplices, if Celeste was a pawn for other purposes, etc.
But for now, the priority was keeping Celeste safe.
This couldn’t happen again. To prevent it, Karl decided he must place Celeste and Valerie under his protection as soon as possible.
He was determined to visit Mrs. Pulcheria tomorrow to formalize the pact.
***
Boom! The bullet grazed the man’s arm.
“Next time, I won’t miss.”
Hannah deliberately aimed the bullet to graze the man’s arm. Her goal was not to kill the men, but to capture them alive somehow and find out who was behind this.
“Lower your weapons and surrender.”
Blood trickled down the man’s arm. The two others besides the wounded man exchanged glances. They seemed to be trying to figure out what to do.
“Don’t move.”
Kendrick drew his revolver and pointed it at the other man. Don’t move, or I’ll shoot you. To show that he wasn’t just making a verbal threat, Kendrick quickly disengaged the safety of his revolver.
“If you move, I’ll put the next bullet in both of your legs.”
Rage surged through me. How dare you attack my lord?
She was too precious and too precious to be touched. How dare you touch her, my lord. ……. The tendons in Hannah’s forehead stood out. She gritted her teeth as hard as she could.
“I thought I told you not to move…….”
The man standing to her left slipped his hand into a sleeve dance and pulled something out. I fired my gun to stop the movement, but the man’s throw sent up a cloud of smoke like a gunpowder explosion, blocking my view. It happened in an instant.
The acrid smoke soon engulfed Hannah and Kendrick. It’s a trap, she thought, and she shouldn’t go through it, but it wasn’t something she could will herself to endure.
“Kek, kek, kolok……!”
I coughed and tears streamed down my face. It felt like hundreds of tiny needles were piercing my cornea at once. This wasn’t gunpowder. Kendrick tugged on her sleeve and covered her nose.
“Are you okay, Hannah?”
“Cough, cough. Kendrick, they’re trying to escape. We have to catch them…!”
At Hannah’s words, Kendrick aimed his gun back at the men.
As a former mercenary who had experienced combat in the desert before, Kendrick knew the difficulty of fighting in such harsh conditions. Just a slight movement would cause sand to blow into his eyes and nostrils, making it extremely challenging.
Compared to those times, the pain he felt now was relatively bearable. He remembered the words of his superior, who had said that this experience would someday be useful.
It’s really helpful in situations like this. Through the hazy vision, Kendrick spotted the blurry figure of a man moving and without hesitation, he pulled the trigger.
Bang.
“Ugh!”
He hit his target. One of the three men who were fleeing fell to the ground.
Although their smoke grenades had an immediate impact, they didn’t last long. The sound of a man falling was heard, and a few seconds later, the smoke that had filled the air suddenly vanished. The only thing left was the acrid smell.
“Ugh…”
“Pin him down!”
Tears streamed down Hannah’s eyes. She wiped away her tears roughly with her sleeve, then climbed on top of the fallen man, restraining his arms behind his back.
“You got caught, you bastard.”
Her anger was palpable even from behind. Hannah’s biceps bulged with muscle as she exerted force to pin the man down.
Looking at her arm muscles, Kendrick couldn’t help but think that they were as strong and sculpted as a ballerina’s. She was truly an admirable woman – overcoming physical disadvantages through training and hard work to build her body like that.
Oh, this isn’t the time for these thoughts. Kendrick helped Hannah tie up the man’s legs tightly, ensuring he was immobilized.
“Ugh, groan…”
“Don’t be overdramatic. I only shot you enough that won’t cause any harm to your life.”
“…”
He confirmed the man’s wound. As intended, a bullet was stuck halfway on the outside of his side.
Kendrick draped the man over his shoulders. With a body easily exceeding two meters, Kendrick didn’t mind carrying a person or two on his shoulders.
Although they missed, capturing even one was fortunate.
Hannah and Kendrick brought the man back, hearing news that Celeste and their group were heading towards the Duke instead of the Count. They thought it was a wise decision.
So, we just need to take this guy and go to the Duke. Kendrick threw the man into the carriage and climbed in himself. The carriage, carrying two or rather three people, set off towards the Duke.
Upon arrival at the Duke’s residence, they found not only doctors but also officials from the Ministry of Magic there, for Celeste’s treatment.
Realizing the immense power of the Duke, Kendrick asked the Duke’s knights about a space where they could interrogate and took the man there. After providing basic first aid, they brought the man to the makeshift interrogation room.
As Kendrick started the interrogation, attempting persuasion and intimidation, the man remained tight-lipped about who was behind it all.
“Name.”
No response, of course.
“Who ordered you to do this?”
Again, silence. Just then, the knights appeared with Karl.
“I seek an audience with the Duke.”
Hannah and Kendrick quickly saluted. As the man, previously silent with head bowed in the chair, raised his head discreetly at the mention of the Duke.
“Pay your respects to the Grand Duke! How dare you be so insolent.”
Hannah flicked the man’s forehead with her fist for daring to stare directly at the Grand Duke. It was supposed to be a light tap, but with her strength, it would surely leave a lump.
“Is this the man?”
Karl’s voice was as cold as ice, a stark contrast to how he usually appeared with Celeste.
Yes, she had momentarily forgotten, having only seen him with Celeste, but Grand Duke Albrecht had always been this way.
When at work, Karl Albrecht, the Grand Duke, excluded all emotion, becoming as cold as ice. She had heard the rumours.
When he was with Celeste or Valerie, his expression and aura softened, causing her to forget, but the Grand Duke was indeed a terrifying person.
They said he wore a poker face, interrogating criminals until he extracted the answers he wanted. His meticulous and cold nature was the reason the late Emperor appointed him as the head of the Imperial Investigation Unit.
You, scoundrel, are in deep trouble. You should have confessed when we asked.
Hannah looked the man straight in the eye and drew her finger across her neck. It meant he was as good as dead.
