Chapter 11

Rohana headed to the naval base where her younger brother was stationed, in the third division, conveniently adjacent to the Hanover Duke’s port.

The port was filled with the sound of waves and the strong scent of the sea. Rohana first stopped her horse between the existing warehouses. Then she began to run quietly.

Surely, it was here. Her breath was labored, and her feet quickly ached in uncomfortable shoes, but that wasn’t the issue.

Her younger brother had always been a kind-hearted child who couldn’t even harm a bug. He detested military training but couldn’t defy their father’s expectations.

Her brother was an ordinary, sensitive person. He couldn’t be alright after doing such a thing.

‘Please, Brandt!’

Rohana had arrived in front of an old warehouse that was somewhat isolated. There was a site that hadn’t been used recently and was meant to be demolished, but whenever they tried to sell it, their father insisted on leaving it as it was.

It was peculiar for someone so heartless to hold onto an unused warehouse, which made it memorable.

Rohana carefully moved forward and pressed her ear against the door. At that moment, she heard the rustling sound of a presence.

‘Found it.’

If she knocked suddenly, her startled brother or his subordinates might do something rash.

If it wasn’t too late yet, what should she do? She had come recklessly without a plan.

Then.

“Sis…ter?”

Rohana, who was pressing close to the door, quickly turned around to see a familiar face.

“Brandt.”

A small voice cracked out. Brandt stood there, pale.

As he looked around wildly, he swiftly covered her mouth with his large hand as she tried to speak.

Rohana was suddenly pulled into the warehouse, her mouth still covered. Brandt pushed her against the wall. Her back stung sharply as she collided with it. Her younger brother locked the door.

“What are you doing here, sister?”

Brandt’s eyes were bloodshot.

“What are you doing here? What is this?”

Rohana whispered urgently, hiding her heavy breathing. She couldn’t speak loudly.

“Are you alone here?”

“You came here alone too? What about the party?”

Brandt shook her shoulders roughly. Rohana stared straight back at him.

“Answer me, where is she?”

Brandt’s lips twisted.

“Where is she?”

Brandt clamped his mouth shut. His angry eyes quickly turned sorrowful, then fearful.

“Is she still alive?”

The fact that her brother hadn’t left the scene meant that the task wasn’t complete yet.

“Brandt, answer me. Where is she?”

Rohana felt her brother’s grip on her shoulders gradually weaken.

“She’s alive.”

Brandt muttered resignedly and slumped to the ground.

Rohana let out a sigh of relief. With the tension easing a bit, she took a deep breath, realizing she hadn’t been breathing.

“Brandt, pull yourself together. Where is Aurelia?”

“In there.”

Brandt weakly pointed to a small door. It was the warehouse office door.

“What’s her condition?”

“Fully bound. Crotonus.”

“Crotonus? The exact amount….”

“I should have killed her here, but I couldn’t.”

Brandt’s voice began to tremble, and tears flowed from his eyes.

“Father will be disappointed in me again.”

Crotonus wasn’t a poison. It was usually used as a general anesthetic, probably injected to move her and then planned to kill her here. The port was right next to the sea, after all.

The mere thought made Rohana shiver with horror, her body breaking out in goosebumps.

What a horrible man.

She wanted to curse, but she held back her emotional outburst. This wasn’t the time for that.

“Brandt.”

Brandt looked at her with a slightly dazed expression.

“We’ll talk later. Aurelia is still okay, right? Did she see your face?”

Brandt shook his head.

“Crotonus is an anesthetic. Did you give her anything else?”

He shook his head again.

“Brandt, there’s a horse behind the warehouse. We’ll take Aurelia to the central hospital. Pull yourself together!”

She lightly slapped Brandt’s cheek, and he nodded as if he finally understood. Rohana headed for the office, leaving her brother behind.

When she opened the door, little Aurelia was lying gracefully on her side. Even in the dark interior, her blonde hair glistened. Rohana checked her consciousness and pulse.

‘Thankfully, she’s okay.’

Rohana hurriedly began to untie the bindings. She tried to lift her, but even a small, light woman was too heavy for her to carry alone.

“Brandt!”

She called softly, and Brandt clumsily ran over. At that moment, she heard the sound of hooves.

Rohana tried to stay calm as she surveyed the office. By some stroke of luck, there was a back door leading outside.

‘This way.’

Following her gaze, Brandt picked up Aurelia and headed for the back door. The sound of someone trying to open the locked front door could be heard.

There was no choice but to use the back door. Rohana hoped they would focus on the front door a little longer and quietly locked the latch inside the office.

Click.

Now, they had to open the back door and move away as discreetly as possible. She grasped the door handle and turned it.

Bang.

The back door burst open as if it had been smashed.

Rohana froze in place. The blade that stopped just short of her neck glowed a cold blue even in the darkness.

Her slender neck heaved with heavy breaths, and the sharp blade hovered, unmoving, barely touching her skin.

The cold edge of the blade could be felt against her neck.

Sharp eyes gleamed in the moonlight.

Kaiden Phillip Delcliff.

It was a look Rohana had never seen before. Just from that brief eye contact, she could tell that he had killed many people to become the empire’s hero.

Brandt let out a startled breath as he adjusted his hold on Aurelia. Kaiden’s cold eyes scrutinized them, and the tip of his sword shifted slightly from Rohana to Brandt.

Rohana thought hard. There was no way to escape. Kaiden was almost blocking the narrow door.

Brandt was in no condition to fight, let alone be a match for Kaiden.

Kaiden was the best swordsman and soldier in the world. No one had ever been able to challenge him in swordsmanship since he was young.

There was no chance of winning.

“Stay still.”

Heath, who had appeared out of nowhere, spoke coldly. He was usually so relaxed, but now he seemed like a different person.

“Put Aurelia down.”

Kaiden’s low voice was chilling. Brandt, trembling all over, carefully placed Aurelia on the ground. Her body sagged limply. Heath checked her pulse.

Even then, Kaiden’s eyes and sword never left Rohana.

The terrifying sight of Kaiden reminded her of the original story. He was always calm, except when it came to Aurelia.

“What have you done?”

Kaiden asked. Brandt trembled, his mouth opening, but no sound came out.

“Only a regular dose of Crotonus, an anesthetic. Her pulse and breathing are stable.”

Rohana answered quickly without even taking a breath.

“She’ll be okay.”

Kaiden’s gaze, which had been on Brandt, returned to her.

“The horse in front of Warehouse 16, did you ride it here?”

Rohana couldn’t believe her ears.

“Pardon?”

“I asked if the horse in front of Warehouse 16 is yours.”

Their eyes met.

“Yes.”

“And you.”

His gaze quickly shifted to Brand and back.

“I… I don’t have one. I walked back…”

“Shh.”

Kaiden cut Brandt off. Just then, a faint sound of hoofbeats could be heard in the distance.

Kaiden frowned and listened intently. Heath’s voice echoed in her ears.

“Kaiden, it’s the search party.”

“Aurelia?”

“She seems okay, fortunately.”

Heath responded, his tone a bit more relaxed. Kaiden slowly stepped into the warehouse. The approaching hoofbeats weren’t from just one or two horses.

If it were the Kaiden from the original story, he would have taken Aurelia straight to Nopthal…

If he didn’t make that choice, he might hand us over to the search party here…

Or…

A chilling thought crossed Rohana’s mind. The sword close to her seemed to shine sharply in the moonlight.

Am I going to die like this? He won’t forgive anyone who touched Aurelia, so he’ll just execute us on the spot?

Her heart raced. Just then, she heard the search party at the main door of the warehouse, trying to open it.

Rohana thought quickly. It might be safer to be caught by the search party. Staying here would mean death by this sword soon.

Yes, I should scream and alert them.

As she took a breath to scream, Kaiden suddenly pushed her, covering her mouth and holding her close. Her eyes widened in shock, and her body froze.

Pressed tightly against his large, solid body, Rohana couldn’t move an inch.