On the day they were expelled from the Grand Ducal Castle, the maids departed, harboring resentment towards Selina. This had weighed heavily on her heart ever since, but fortunately, they now looked happy.

‘They must have had nowhere to go after being suddenly expelled from the castle. I should ask His Grace to reconsider their punishment.’

To do that, it seemed best to speak with them a little more in depth.

“The gifts are all right. I’ll accept the thought behind them. Instead, I’d like to talk with you both a bit…”

“Milady! It would be embarrassing if you refused a gift we went to such trouble to prepare. We can talk at leisure—please, this way.”

Before she quite realized it, Selina found herself following after them.

Viktor stepped a little closer to her side and asked in a low voice.

“Do you know those two?”

“Yes. They used to work at the Grand Ducal Castle.”

“I see.”

When he heard that they had once worked at the castle and appeared familiar to Selina, some of the wariness on Viktor’s face eased.

The maids led them towards the shopping district near the fountain. From the plaza, the streets had appeared orderly and well kept, but once they stepped inside, the roads branched off into narrow, winding alleys.

The layout was so tangled that it almost felt like a maze. The atmosphere of the shops changed as they ventured deeper; it became noticeably different from that of the lively main streets, and there were fewer and fewer passers-by.

“Milady.”

Just as Selina was about to step into an even narrower alley, Viktor called out to stop her.

“I apologize for my discourtesy, but I believe it would be best not to go any farther.”

Unlike when he had spoken about his younger sister, his expression now was grave as he gestured around them.

“This is the slums. Illegal activities take place here day and night, and ordinary territory residents avoid it entirely.”

“B-but…”

Selina looked at the two maids walking ahead of her. When they noticed she had stopped, they turned around to see what was wrong.

“They said their friend is this way…”

“There is a high likelihood that is untrue. Please withdraw slowly, without letting them notice.”

The surroundings had indeed become increasingly ominous, yet Selina was struggling to make sense of the situation. Why had they deceived her and brought her all the way here?

Although it made little sense to her, Viktor was responsible for her protection.

If he had made this decision, then it was only right that she obeyed him.

As Selina carefully took a step back, the maids leading the way changed their expressions.

“Milady? Where are you going?”

“I’m sorry, but I think we’ll have to meet your friend another time. It seems His Grace will be returning soon.”

She wrapped her excuse as plausibly as she could. The two women looked disappointed as they responded.

“Oh… now that you mention it, it seems we’ve brought you quite far.”

“We apologize, milady. Please return safely, then.”

They bowed politely, which only served to deepen Selina’s confusion. Was she wrong to suspect them? This thought weighed heavily on her.

Then, before her eyes, something like thick, dark grey smoke rippled. At the same time, an acrid stench assaulted her nostrils.

“Milady! Do not breathe!”

“Cough—cough!”

Viktor quickly lifted his knight’s cloak and pressed it over Selina’s mouth and nose as though it were a handkerchief. However, she had already inhaled a considerable amount of smoke.

‘M-my body… something’s wrong.’

Her body refused to move, as if she had been struck down by paralysis. All the strength drained from her legs, forcing her to cling to Viktor’s arm.

Her movements became unnatural, and even breathing became difficult. There was no doubt — the acrid scent she had just inhaled was the cause.

‘What… what is this?’

As she struggled to stay conscious and make sense of the situation—

Laughter burst out from the two maids.

“Heehee. Well—nice work getting her all the way here.”

As if the laughter had been a signal, masked men began pouring out of the dark alleys.

There were well over ten of them and they quickly surrounded the narrow passage. Selina and Viktor found themselves completely surrounded in an instant and unable to move.

“Stand back. Do you know who this person is?”

It was as if the laughter had been a signal: masked men began pouring out of the dark alleys.

There were well over ten of them, and they quickly surrounded the narrow passageway. Selina and Viktor found themselves completely hemmed in and unable to move in an instant.

“How could we not? Isn’t she that Empire b*tch—not even worth the trouble of grinding up and drinking?”

The moment the men realized Viktor was affected by the paralytic fumes, they attacked without hesitation.

Daggers flew in from all directions. Viktor staggered briefly under the sudden onslaught, then forced himself to regain his footing.

It was clear that they had come for Selina. If he lost consciousness, her life would be in grave danger — there was no doubt about it.

Holding her tightly against his chest, he stood his ground and deflected the attacks as they came. But for every assailant he struck down, another rushed in to take their place. The *ssault was relentless and unyielding.

Initially, there seemed to be no more than fifteen of them, but many more were lurking in the shadows and hiding in every corner.

D*mn it!

Under the crushing pressure, his stance began to waver. Just as he struggled to steady his breathing—

“She’s a woman! Attack the woman!”

At the shout of the command, the masked men changed their target. They raised short daggers, all of which were aimed at the woman in his arms.

They had never intended to intimidate her. From the outset, they had intended to kill her.

As the daggers flew towards her, Viktor wrapped his large frame around her, shielding her completely.

“Hrk—!”

Several blades—five or six—buried themselves into Viktor’s back, and at last he collapsed onto the filthy ground.

“Tough bastard. You took paralytic fumes and still held out this long?”

The man who had been standing furthest back, observing the situation, stepped forward. He nudged Viktor’s fallen body with his foot. Seeing no response, he concluded that Viktor had lost consciousness.

Once the chaos had settled, he began to give orders to those around him.

“Take the Empire b*tch.”

“Yes, let’s do that!”

At his instruction, they wheeled a handcart over from the entrance to the alleyway. It appeared to have previously been used for carrying vegetables, as clumps of dirt and pieces of unwashed produce still clung to it.

They roughly tossed Selina onto the cart as though she were a pile of vegetables, then covered her with a coarse cart cloth.

“Here. Your payment.”

The man who seemed to be the leader then held out a pouch of gold coins to the maids who had lured Selina here.

“Now get out of here as fast as you can. Leave without a trace.”

“Of course.”

The maids carefully tucked the pouch away and hurriedly withdrew.

When the cart carrying Selina and the masked men disappeared into the dark alley, Viktor was left behind, utterly alone.

Selina had been treated like nothing more than luggage and had no idea where she was being taken. The cart rattled on for a long time, and eventually faint voices drifted in from somewhere beyond.

Her instinct told her that this was her chance — her only chance — to alert someone to her abduction. Yet, against her will, her body refused to move.

Terror gripped her, and her eyelids grew unbearably heavy, slowly closing.

“Libero? Didn’t you say you were going to rest today, no matter what?”

Rocheste’s voice reached her ears.

‘Sir Rocheste!’

The familiar sound jolted her awareness, if only slightly.

“Ah, that’s right. I’m on my way to deliver some vegetables, actually.”

It seemed the man who had abducted Selina was named Libero. He lied smoothly to Rocheste, his voice utterly untroubled.

“Are you heading home? If so, let’s go together. I was planning to visit your family anyway.”

“No, no. I need to take care of this first—it’s more urgent…”

“Is that so? Then it can’t be helped.”

Libero declined Rocheste’s offer and began to move away.

But for Selina, this was a once-in-a-lifetime chance.

‘Sir Rocheste—I’m in here.’

Though her body was paralyzed, she forced herself to move, wringing out every last bit of strength she had.

Thump.

She managed to make a sound—but—

“I must not have stacked the vegetables properly in my haste. They’ve been spilling out ever since I set off. What a mess.”

Libero calmly offered another excuse.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you live so diligently, even on your day off. Your father will be pleased.”

“Yes. My father will surely be pleased.”

He murmured the words with a faint, satisfied smile.

“Well then, I should be on my way. Finish up what you were doing.”

Rocheste gave Libero’s shoulder a few friendly pats before heading back toward his companions.

“Your Grace! Please take me with you as well. Why are we in such a hurry today?”

It sounded as though Calix was there.

‘Calix… is nearby?’

Tears welled up in her eyes.

She had to let him know that she was there. Surely Calix would notice, even if all he heard was the rattling of a cart?

Just as Selina gathered her remaining strength and tried to move one last time—

“Milady. Why are you making such a fuss?”

The cloth covering her was gently lifted, and acrid smoke poured in once more.

“Do you really think this will make them realize you’re here? Perhaps they wish for your death more than anyone else.”

With those words, Selina’s consciousness slipped away into darkness.