Contract Marriage with the Villain Who Will Kill Me

Chapter 33

“Please, someone help me.”

But no one could help her.

With a firm resolve, Rohana dashed back to her room. Her small legs trembled, but it didn’t slow her pace.

Because she had experienced death, she knew.

That boy didn’t have much time left.

Eight-year-old Rohana burst into her room barefoot. Knowing there was no gauze available, she frantically tore off the pillowcases and bed sheets. With her small hands, she barely managed to pull off the large sheet.

When she arrived back at the scene, the black-haired boy had turned even paler.

Pressing, more pressing—each time blood seeped through the makeshift bandage, she wrapped it with more cloth, pressed again, and added more layers.

How could a body so thin lose so much blood?

How many times had she repeated the process?

Suddenly, something changed.

It was strange.

The treatment that seemed utterly useless began to work, and after waiting for a moment, the bleeding stopped.

With trembling hands, she tried to inspect the wound.

The boy flinched.

From the severely swollen and disfigured face came a low, hoarse groan. Silence filled the room.

“Are you… okay?”

The moment Rohana made eye contact with the boy, he recoiled in terror and thrashed about.

The emaciated body, having barely escaped Rohana’s grasp, writhed in pain. After a few deep breaths, the boy swallowed dryly and spoke.

“Let go…”

As their eyes locked, the boy’s body, which had been propped up, suddenly collapsed.

“Gasp!”

Rohana exhaled as if she had been holding her breath for a long time. The sheets were soaked with sweat that had poured from her body. Her long, jet-black hair clung to her white nightgown.

What is this?

‘Why did I dream of that time…?’

Two nights in a row, she had the same dream about that day. She took a deep breath to regain her composure, but something was wrong.

She couldn’t breathe.

Crackle, crackle.

It was heavy.

Rohana forced her eyes open, which felt as though they were glued shut. The surroundings looked similar to before. Judging by the moonlight seeping through the thick velvet curtains, it still seemed to be night.

Cough.

As she tried to take another breath, a harsh cough escaped. The air was suffocating. Realizing instinctively that something was wrong, Rohana desperately rolled her unresponsive body off the bed.

Thud.

Her body felt as heavy as a waterlogged sponge. Something was seriously wrong.

The moonlight quickly vanished behind a thick cloud of smoke.

It was fire.

Hot, thick smoke invaded her lungs.

“Jody!”

Her voice cracked as it came out.

Whether it was due to the thick carpet and curtains absorbing the sound or because she no longer had the strength to speak, her voice was muffled. Barely able to open the door to the bedroom, she was met with thick smoke outside.

After lowering herself as much as possible, she opened the door to the small room where her maid had been sleeping and found a maid from the Pincheser family clinging to the wall, barely standing.

“What’s going on here?”

“My lady.”

The maid coughed as she ran to Rohana.

“Are you all right?”

“Yes, are you?”

“Where’s Jody?”

“I don’t know.”

The maid’s voice wavered.

“We have to get out of here.”

Rohana couldn’t see what was happening outside. She ran to the drawing room and looked out the window. It was too high to jump, with no roof to break the fall. Escaping through the window seemed impossible.

Rohana grabbed the water jug used for washing hands. She poured the water over her head, drenching herself completely.

“My lady!”

Rohana handed the half-empty jug to the maid. The maid hesitated but then poured the water over herself.

“Here.”

Rohana picked up a towel, instructed the maid to cover her mouth and nose with it, and carefully opened the door.

Fortunately, the flames hadn’t reached close enough yet, so opening the door was manageable. As they passed the broken staircase, a pillar shattered and fell.

They tried to run to find another way, but their bodies grew heavier.

Thud.

Could this be happening?

As Rohana’s mind, which had been desperately recalling the original story, began to cloud, there was a crash.

The sound of glass shattering was followed by someone bursting in.

Kaiden?

She thought hazily, but a different voice echoed in her ears.

Calling her name as if addressing her title.

“Lady Delcliff.”

Heath lifted the nearly unconscious Rohana into his arms. His face, unfamiliar with such a fierce expression, was filled with relief as he found her.

“Jody…”

Rohana whispered, clinging to Heath’s neck.

“Don’t speak.”

The heat was unbearable.

As Heath carried Rohana outside the mansion, she finally heard the murmurs of the people.

“Duchess Delcliff!”

Trudy, who had been wiping her face with a wet cloth, came running over. She, too, appeared to have rushed out of bed, draping a blanket over her nightgown.

“Countess Pincheser.”

Rohana barely managed to respond, still breathless. Heath carefully laid her down on the lawn.

“Jody… is still inside.”

Rohana said.

“Inside?”

Heath frowned.

“She wasn’t… in her room…”

At that moment, a scream echoed from behind. It was the scream of the maid who had followed them. As they turned, Heath and Rohana saw masked assassins charging at them with swords.

With the sound of cold steel, Heath drew his sword.

Whoosh.

The three approaching assassins suddenly collapsed as if they had tripped over something. It was an arrow. From the forest, a familiar face appeared on horseback.

“Rohana.”

Kaiden jumped off his horse and ran to Rohana. His sharp jawline was smeared with blood, as if he had just wiped away the splatters.

“Are you alright?”

Kaiden grabbed Rohana’s shoulders, inspecting her. Rohana, dazed, slowly nodded. She felt disoriented, probably from inhaling too much smoke.

“I’m not hurt. I’m okay.”

Rohana panted. The reality of the bodies in front of her hadn’t fully set in yet.

Kaiden’s gaze reluctantly left Rohana and turned to the burning castle.

Suddenly, she sensed movement behind her. She could feel the presence of someone with intent to kill. Just as she squeezed her eyes shut, Kaiden moved his arm. Amidst the chaos of burning buildings and various screams, a horrific scream stood out sharply.

Rohana knew by the warm liquid she felt on her back that Kaiden had struck down the person behind her with his sword.

“Rohana, stay behind me.”

Rohana urgently grabbed Kaiden’s arm and said,

“Jody is missing. She might still be inside the castle.”

Kaiden frowned at Rohana’s anxious expression. The difference was a split second. His strong arm encircled Rohana, shielding her with his broad body. An arrow that could have pierced through a thigh embedded itself deeply into the lawn.

What is that?

As Rohana, lying on the ground, raised her head, she saw Heath, who had been running closer, drawing his bow. A strangely bright light surrounded the arrow before it flew with incredible speed, striking the head of an assassin.

“Lord Kaiden!”

A woman’s unfamiliar voice was heard.

A woman in black armor with short platinum hair fluttering in the wind came into view. After a sharp glance around, Kaiden helped Rohana to her feet.

“Isarang, take her far from here.”

Before Rohana could even respond, the woman named Isarang grabbed her hand. Despite being much smaller in stature than Rohana, she easily lifted her onto the horse.

At that moment, Rohana noticed someone in the tree above Kaiden as he ran.

“Kaiden!”

At Rohana’s shout, Kaiden’s eyes quickly turned upward. He saw something jumping down from the tree.

The cold glint of metal caught Rohana’s eye. The movements were quick and unhesitant.

Thud—a man, fully masked even over his face, collapsed to the ground, completely severed by Kaiden’s sword.

Kaiden’s movements didn’t seem human. He reacted reflexively to everything, and even to Rohana, who knew nothing about fighting, his attacks seemed flawless. Although it felt long, it must have been a mere moment where she was in a trance.

Before she knew it, Rohana called out Kaiden’s name. He immediately started sprinting toward the burning mansion.

“Kaiden!”

Rohana shouted in surprise, but he dashed into the building through the flickering flames without hesitation.

Isarang tried to stop her, but Rohana hurriedly dismounted the horse. Her nightgown, drenched in blood and sweat, clung to her body, making it difficult to move.

“My Lady!”

As Heath confirmed the downed assassins and turned his back on the mansion, the flames flared up once more.

But in that moment, Rohana unknowingly stopped in her tracks.

The flames began to recede, as if dying down, spreading across the ground.

It seemed as if the fire was being extinguished as Kaiden moved his sword deeper into the mansion.

What is this?

Just as Rohana narrowed her eyes, a cold wind blew.

Like a lie, only thick black and white smoke billowed madly.

The crimson flames disappeared in an instant, and a cold wind emerged from the castle.

“This is impossible…”

Rohana muttered to herself in disbelief and Isarang spoke.

“He handled it quickly.”

“Handled? How… the fire?”

She was so stunned that she collapsed onto the lawn. Looking around, she realized she was the only one shocked. Even Countess Trudy looked relieved rather than puzzled.

Now that she thought about it…

Rohana remembered Kaiden’s face when he was asked if he could wield magic, to which he had given no comment.

The calm, composed face that always carried a hint of a smile.

He was the Duke of Delcliff of Nopthal.

Of course, the strongest in the world would be capable of wielding magic.

How much time had passed?

Kaiden finally walked out of the thick smoke.

As usual, his pitch-black eyes were fixed on Rohana. His face was smeared with soot and blood, and his cold, black eyes were intense.

Whether it was due to the rapidly dropping temperature or his piercing gaze, Rohana instinctively wrapped her arms around her trembling body.

With a cracking sound, ice formed on the castle wall.

Just as she stood there dazed, another person came to Rohana’s mind.

“Jody…”