Please Don’t Let Go Of That Leash - CHAPTER 3 (Part 7)
CHAPTER 3 – First Date (Part 7)
“Aah!”
A pained scream echoed loudly from deep within the alley where Ria had escaped.
“P-Please spare us!”
“We were wrong, we were wrong!”
Indifferently watching the two men, now covered in blood, writhing on the ground, Kahin drew his sword.
“How dare you touch her with these filthy hands.”
“Oh, no, we didn’t…….”
“I never wanted an answer.”
With those words, the sword traced a path and moved once.
“……?”
The two men stared blankly at the ground where the sword had struck. At the end of it, they saw blood gushing from a neatly severed wrist.
“Aaaah!”
The realization of the situation was followed by unspeakable pain. There were gasps for breath and one man’s eyes were already rolling back in his head. Kahin wiped a bit of blood off his sword and spoke in a soothing voice.
“Cutting off your hand won’t kill you.”
“G-Guh…”
“I’d like to gouge out the eyes and brains that dared to look at the lady, but…”
The sword, glowing sharply again, slid into its sheath.
“I’ll spare you.”
“Hmph, hmph.”
“I’d rather have you begging for death in unbearable agony.”
The words didn’t reach the two men, who were unable to gather their wits due to the intense pain in their hands.
“Take them to the basement of the mansion.”
“As you command.”
Just then, two knights from the Carlisle Duchy appeared with Eden, and upon his orders, they dragged away the two men bleeding profusely.
Once they were out of sight, Rune, who had been observing Cherta and Ria all along, spoke up.
“Ria finally met the Crown Prince.”
“Yeah, all because of those scoundrels.”
“When I tried to approach her, the crown prince ordered me to take care of them.”
Kahin followed the fleeing maiden, who had created a gap for herself before he could save her, and his eyes locked with Cherta’s. He ordered him to take care of the two men in the alley, out of her line of sight as she caught her breath.
Not daring to disobey the crown prince’s wishes, Kahin had no choice but to leave Ria in his care and go into the alley.
“…The effects of the magic potion had also worn off.”
Upon this added report from Kahin, Rune, and Eden clenched their fists tightly. There was nothing more they could do now. The Crown Prince had noticed her existence.
“We mustn’t let Ria out of the mansion for the time being.”
“It’s pointless. The Crown Prince will try to meet Ria again in any way possible.”
“…….”
“It’s not a good idea for us to bring up Ria first. It’s better to wait until he brings up the topic.”
With a sigh, Rune wiped his face roughly. Frankly, he didn’t even want to talk about Ria first.
“For now, take that lady to the Carlisle mansion tonight.”
“I understand that you should come secretly without telling Ria, right?”
“The reason I barely refrained from torturing Katrina to death and sent her back to your mansion was for that purpose. It’s obvious.”
Darkness sank within the walls that Ria thought were as clear as the blue sky. His eyes, deep as the ocean, were icy cold.
“Until I return, don’t kill her.”
“I don’t plan to kill her outright. I’ll carve her up slowly and make her suffer the most painful death.”
Even as they exchanged ominous words, their expressions remained unchanged. It was the familiar demeanor of nobles that everyone was accustomed to.
Only in front of Ria did they hide it.
Meanwhile, Ria, who had stopped crying, squeezed her eyes shut tightly against the embarrassment that came over her all at once and took a step back, slipping out of Cherta’s arms.
“I’m sorry for surprising you.”
“No, it’s okay. But more importantly, are you really okay?”
“Yes, yes. Thanks to you, I feel much calmer now. Thank you.”
“That’s a relief.”
With a gentle smile, he cautiously reached out his hand towards Ria’s reddened eyes.
She closed her eyes in the near proximity of his hand, and when she opened them, she gave him a puzzled look. Cherta then showed her his hand, which had a moistness on his index finger.
“It’s because there are tears.”
“Oh.”
As Ria, with eyes wide open as if surprised by her own unexpected words, quickly wiped away the remaining tears from her eyes, Cherta looked at her intently before speaking.
“If it’s alright, may I escort you home?”
“Huh?”
“Since you don’t seem to have company. I’m a bit worried about leaving you by yourself.”
He lied nonchalantly, even though he’d seen with his own two eyes that she was with three men. It wasn’t like she could ever know the truth anyway.
“No, no, it’s alright. I can’t inconvenience you any further.”
“But…”
“I’m really okay. Thanks to you, I’ve calmed down a lot. I’ll just be grateful for your concern.”
However, Ria firmly declined. She just wanted to leave quickly because she was still embarrassed by her actions in front of him. But to be escorted home? She was sure she would die of embarrassment.
“Then, I’ll fetch a carriage. Please, just don’t refuse that.”
In the end, Cherta took a step back. He couldn’t risk leaving a bad impression by approaching hastily. But since he didn’t plan on retreating completely, he offered Ria another alternative that she could nod her head to.
Unable to refuse, Ria nodded her head. She didn’t know how to return to the mansion or even how to hail a carriage. In fact, it would have been resolved if she had returned to the three men, but she was so exhausted from the previous events that she couldn’t think of a solution.
Soon, a carriage stopped in front of them.
“Where shall I take you?”
“I am headed to the Astina Estate…”
As Ria absentmindedly answered the question while opening the carriage door, she paused for a moment and glanced at him. She wondered if it was okay to talk about her destination.
“Okay, I’ll tell the coachman that.”
Fortunately, he didn’t say anything, which relieved Ria.
“Thank you so much. I feel much better thanks to you.”
“I’m glad I could help.”
Ria, giving him one last thank you before getting on the carriage, turned around with a faint smile at his affectionate words. Cherta called out to her again, a little impatiently at the small figure turning away.
“Young lady.”
Ria, who was about to place her foot on the stair tread, turned slightly toward him. As Cherth strode forward, closing the distance that had been created by the single step, Ria tilted her head to look at him, her gaze hovering just below his chest, where it would have been had she stayed.
Close enough to reach out his arms and take her in his arms, Cherta looked down at her looking up at him, and thought it was as if she was trapped in his arms, which was quite a satisfying feeling.
“…Can we meet again?”
The question came out of his mouth, his voice hoarse. He had the urge to lust after her lips as they parted slightly in response. He couldn’t stop his gaze from drifting to it.
“It might be difficult to give a definite answer.”
“…I see.”
He replied, a beat late, finding it difficult to focus on her words. Even that was strenuous. Unable to understand his low, lumpy voice, Ria assumed he was disappointed. But as someone who couldn’t move freely, there were very few words she could offer.
Ria gave him an apologetic smile and climbed back into the carriage, which immediately began to roll as soon as she got in.
“…….”
Now, all that remained in his arms was her scent. Watching the carriage move away, Cherta licked his finger where her tears had been with his tongue. The moisture had long disappeared, but it left a sweet taste. Suddenly, he wanted to see her crying again because of him.
“We’ll see each other again soon.”
Because I will make sure of it.