VOLUME 1

Chapter 5. Ambush

“The weather is so nice today!”

“Right? It’s perfect for a walk since it’s late summer.”

The princess laughed cheerfully, holding Adelia’s hand tightly.

Walks with her were always enjoyable.

When walking with her brothers or His Majesty, she always had to be carried in someone’s arms or watch out to protect both hands from them. But Adelia knew how to bring up appropriate conversations, hold hands warmly, and quietly enjoy the scenery.

Though she sometimes looked downcast and spaced out, she would smile softly again when looking at her.

‘This is what a walk is all about!’

This was one of the reasons why Ariana couldn’t help but like Adelia.

An appropriateness that others didn’t have!

Among the too excessive people, she was a sweet relief for the princess.

“I really like you too much, sister.”

“I like you too, Your Highness.”

Adelia stroked her small head.

Her pink, luscious hair swayed and shimmered under her touch.

‘I feel good.’

Ariana blinked slowly and clung to her hand.

It was the softest hand that ever stroked her head.

Their destination after a cozy and short walk was an outdoor table behind the Crown Prince’s palace.

Snacks and drinks they had ordered in advance were ready.

The princess’s eyes sparkled as she ran towards them.

“Cream puff bread!”

The princess’s first target was the cream puff bread.

Recently, it was her favorite snack because of its savory bread filled with sweet and soft cream.

Naturally, it was Adelia’s choice.

“It’s not just cream puff bread. Cut it in half.”

“Chocolate!”

The princess devoured the delicious snack bit by bit.

She looked like a cute squirrel, making Adelia watch her with a delighted face.

‘How can she be so cute?’

Adelia also enjoyed this time.

Although they weren’t completely alone due to the guards around them, it still felt comfortable to be with the princess alone.

“Here, try this too.”

She pushed a plate filled with fruits towards the princess.

“The strawberries are sweet and delicious.”

“They are sweet! Next time, I’ll ask for a strawberry tart.”

“You should eat lots of fruits too.”

They bickered playfully while enjoying their tea time.

The atmosphere was so pleasant that even the guarding knights occasionally glanced over and smiled.

And that peace was shattered in an instant.

Swoosh–

A sound of cutting through the air came from somewhere.

Adelia quickly turned her head towards the sound.

Something sparkling flew towards them, aiming at Ariana.

Before thinking anything else, her body moved instinctively.

She leaped forward to shield the princess and stretched out her hand to block it.

‘White magic won’t do!’

Adelia suppressed the surging white magic within her and tried to block the arrow with the regular magic she possessed.

However, perhaps due to the arrow’s power, the barrier shattered instantly.

Instead of blocking the arrow, Adelia managed to shield Ariana within her arms successfully.

Thud—

An arrow unexpectedly embedded itself firmly in her back.

Adelia’s body couldn’t withstand the shock and shook violently.

Ariana was flung away by the impact and rolled on the ground.

Adelia tried to hold onto the table to support herself but it was in vain.

Eventually, she collapsed on the ground

The serene tea time turned chaotic in an instant.

The knights, a few steps away, didn’t have time to react.

Adelia quickly suppressed her white magic deep within her heart.

‘White magic must not be discovered…’

Her mind was filled with the thought that white magic shouldn’t be exposed.

Using magic to block arrows or healing herself immediately would arouse suspicion.

At least what happened inside her body wasn’t visible, so she barely managed to push away the sensation before the arrow penetrated her body.

Adelia lay on the ground, trembling all over.

‘It hurts!’

As soon as the arrow embedded her back, a clicking sound was heard, followed by intense pain. It seemed to be a type of arrowhead that burrowed into flesh upon impact.

If she had known this would happen, it might have been better to expose her white magic instead.

Moreover, this feeling was definitely poison. She sent white magic into her veins to detoxify slightly, but the nauseating feeling remained.

A normal human would have died instantly.

Clench—

Adelia bit into the soft flesh inside her mouth.

Her whole body trembled and cold sweat dripped down.

The pain in her back was so severe that she couldn’t feel the pain in her mouth anymore. 

If she didn’t do this, she felt like she would lose consciousness. The detoxification wasn’t finished yet
and the arrow was still firmly lodged in her back.

‘Losing consciousness means death.’

She was barely holding back the additional injury with her white magic. The moment she lost consciousness and her white magic dispersed, it would be instant death.

Adelia clung to her consciousness desperately.  

Her whole body was trembling, and her vision was blurry, but she bit her lips over and over again to endure.  

“Sister! Sister!”  

Thanks to Ariana’s voice she heard in her ears, Adelia’s consciousness became a bit clearer.  

The princess, smeared with tears, was sobbing and holding onto her clothes.  

A deep fear was evident on the face of the princess, who was trembling all over.  

Thanks to Adelia, the princess who avoided the arrow was only left with ruined clothes and not a single injury.  

As she rolled on the ground and lifted her head, Adelia, with an arrow stuck in her, came into view.  

“Are you okay? Please!”  

“I’m… I’m okay….”  

Ariana barely lifted her head to answer.  

Blood was seeping from between her lips, and her whole body was pale. Far from okay, she was struggling not to lose consciousness right away.  

The princess knew that those words were meant to reassure her.  

Tears started rolling down her eyes again.  

“Why! Why did you get hit instead of me… Why!”  

“I’m… Ah….”  

She wanted to reassure her by saying she was okay, but now, not even nonsense could come out as okay.  

Pain that started from the back wrapped around her entire body.  

She needed to remove this arrow as soon as possible.  

It felt terrible, as if her insides were burning up.  

“Stay in… your room….”  

Adelia uttered faintly.  

With the last of her energy, she barely stretched out a hand.  

It was clear that what would follow was not a scene suitable for children. It was best to move the princess to her room.  

As the princess disappeared from sight, she spat out a hot lump of blood.  

It was because of the weak poison remaining in her system.  

It caused internal injuries, and as she recovered, she expelled dark blood.  

“Come to your senses!”  

“Pull this… out…”  

“It’s not possible. Doing so would cause flesh to tear away with it, which is dangerous.”  

Despite Adelia’s trembling request, sadly, there was no knight nearby who knew her secret.  

Holding onto her consciousness while controlling magic was no easy feat.  

She had escaped the danger of shock, but every move brought pain trailing behind it.  

The surroundings were drenched in blood, and various people’s voices could be heard around.  

People screaming, calling for someone. And then.  

“Adelia!”  

A familiar voice.  

The person who hurriedly ran here called her urgently.  

A familiar figure appeared in front of her eyes. Black hair and shining red eyes.  

“Lu… Lucian.”  

Why did she feel relieved knowing he had come?  

Her tea time spot coincidentally happened to be visible from Lucian’s room.  

He looked outside upon hearing a loud noise through the window and immediately ran there without hesitation.  

Lucian approached Adelia’s side.  

His disheveled hair and unusually large eyes represented his quite shocked feelings.  

“What happened here!”  

He hurriedly checked Adelia’s condition.  

The arrow stuck in her back, her body drenched in blood, and her pale face.  

He couldn’t even say it was okay as a mere formality.  

The situation was too grave.  

“Ah!”  

She groaned as his touch reached her.  

Her mouth was torn from biting so much, and her eyes were trembling wildly.  

“You… foolish! Why did you endure until it came to this state?”  

“Pull it out… right now…”  

She barely managed to utter a word amidst the pain.  

She hoped he would understand. He was the only person here who knew her secret.  

She was at her limit now. There was no more flesh to bite or energy to endure left. If he didn’t pull it out now, eventually, they would have to heal her with the arrow still lodged in and perform surgery to remove it later.  

Crack—  

Lucian swiftly pulled out the arrow.  

“Aah!”  

Adelia let out a loud groan.  

The arrow, with barbs shaped like hooks protruding in all directions, was designed for killing.  

Once lodged, it changed shape and induced tremendous pain along with poison.  

Blood spurted from where the arrow was removed, repeatedly filling and flowing from the hollow flesh wound.  

Lucian took off his outer garment to wrap around her.  

Only then could she heal herself with white magic.  

The blood was already drenched, and the wound hidden so no one could notice the healing taking place.  

Lucian lifted Adelia up in his arms. The blood that stained his clothes red felt warm, but she was chillingly cold.  

“Damn it! How dare they do such a thing!”  

He was furious that an assassin had entered the palace, and even more so that Adelia got hurt because of it.  

Lucian walked briskly with a cold face, making sure not to run to avoid causing her more pain with jolts.  

Upon arriving at her room, the maids gasped in shock.  

They had already prepared the bedroom upon hearing the news, but the sight of her covered in blood was shocking enough.