Chapter 11

Felix roughly ran his hand through his disheveled hair, an action uncharacteristic of him.

When he tried to approach Elena, the man holding her dragged her a step back.

Felix stopped in his tracks.

“What are you doing?”  

Felix directed his question at the man behind her, but the one who answered wasn’t the man himself.

A group of knights came running up behind Felix, shouting.

“Anguis!”

The knight only shouted a single name, but that name alone explained everything.

Elena quickly inspected the blade pressed against her neck. Though it was scratched and unclear, she could make out a symbol etched into one corner

A wicked snake devouring the wings of a crowned eagle, the emblem of Anguis.

It was the symbol of the rebel forces formed by the knights who had supported the Second Prince in a rebellion over a year ago.

‘I heard the rebel forces hadn’t been completely eradicated yet. He must be one of them.’

The thought sent a shiver down her spine.

Her vision turned white, and she felt dizzy. This man wouldn’t hesitate to kill an eighteen-year-old girl with no impressive magical skills or physical strength.

“Release the hostage and drop your weapon!”

“If you clear the way, I’ll release the hostage.”

Release me? Would he really?

If he managed to escape with them, he would likely kill them to erase any evidence. Without a shred of guilt. To him, she was nothing more than a tool.

The reason she had been captured wasn’t anything special. She was simply the perfect hostage.

A young girl who didn’t run away properly, who was burdened with a baby she had to protect, and who looked like she wouldn’t resist.

Small, weak, and easy to overpower—even without a sword, he could strangle her with his bare hands.

Even Elena herself thought she was an ideal hostage. But she was furious.

Why? Why was she so angry?

Because she had been unlucky enough to pass by and get caught? Because her first day of the new year, which had started so well, was ruined by bad luck?

No, it wasn’t that.

“Mamu.”

It was because this filthy, despicable man was using this tiny kid for his own gain.

She was furious at this dishonorable man, who, despite being a knight, had no sense of chivalry.

Hearing Little One’s voice brought her back to her senses.

At that moment, Elena opened her mouth, her voice trembling, though even she didn’t know why she was doing it.

“Please let the baby go.”

“What did you say?”

It must have been youthful recklessness. Elena had never been exposed to such danger before, nor had she ever experienced a life-or-death situation.

Perhaps that’s why she could say it.

“I’ll be your hostage willingly, so please let the baby go. What crime could a baby who isn’t even a year old have committed?”

Her voice rose in anger at his despicable actions. The man, seemingly displeased by her words, yanked her arm roughly.

Her body twisted, and she came face-to-face with his bloodshot brown eyes.

“Don’t try anything.”

“Do you have no sense of chivalry? No, forget chivalry. As a human being, how can you do something like this? You’re not even human.”

Yes, Elena must have been out of her mind.

If she had been thinking rationally, she wouldn’t have provoked him like this.

The hand painfully gripping her arm disappeared. Seizing the moment, she tried to move, but the man quickly grabbed her hair roughly.

“Ah!”

“Elena!”

She could vividly feel the blade pressing into the nape of her neck, sharp enough to send chills down her spine. A thin liquid trickled down her neck.

She saw Felix and the knights flinch and step forward.

“Don’t move. Clear the way.”

The man barked his warning as he dragged Elena backward, step by step.

Every time Felix tried to move forward, the blade pressed harder against her neck.

Elena instinctively tightened her grip on Little One in her arms.

“Gyah! Hamua!”

Little One raised his head again and let out a loud cry, almost like a scream, directed at the man. Elena was struck with fear.

What if this beast-like man harmed Little One?

“Little One, no. Don’t.”

She tried to pull his head back into her embrace, but Little One wouldn’t listen.

“Auh! Bwaaah!”

“Little One, please!”

“Haaah!”

At that very moment, Little One let out a loud wail. The man, who had been dragging Elena backward, stumbled as if he had stepped on a stone.

Elena seized the opportunity and drove her elbow backward. The man let go of her hair.

The blade that had been pressed against her neck moved slightly away. In that fleeting moment, everything seemed to move in slow motion.

Elena hugged Little One tightly and moved her legs. Her heart pounded as if it would burst. Felix ran toward her, reaching out his hand.

‘Just a little more, just a little more. If I can just get to Felix…!’

But the blade, which hadn’t completely disappeared, grazed her neck. A sharp pain shot through her as her legs gave out.

Elena twisted her body to protect Little One. The sky, hazy as if snow was about to fall, filled her vision.

“Elena!”

She braced herself for the impact of hitting the ground, curling up her body, but instead of the cold, hard ground, something warm and solid caught her.

It wasn’t as painful as she had expected.

When she came to her senses, she saw Felix, who had fallen to the ground in her place, holding her protectively.

“Felix?”

Felix, his hair dirtied with sand, looked at her before turning his gaze to the side.

The pendant around his neck glowed blue.

The rebel knight, who had been fleeing in the opposite direction, spun like a tornado and was flung into the air before crashing to the ground.

“Go catch him!”

The knights charged toward the man, kicking up dust. He glared at them with bloodshot eyes.

Felix, who had helped Elena to her feet, brushed the sand off his shoulder and locked eyes with the man. Felix’s gaze was as sharp as the man’s.

Now without a hostage, the rebel knight was outnumbered. Though he swung his sword in resistance, he was soon subdued by the knights.

‘It’s over.’

The entire ordeal had lasted only a few minutes, but Elena’s body felt as if all her energy had been drained, like she had spent a week cramming for exams.

What brought her back from the brink of collapse wasn’t Felix’s support.

“Ma.”

Little One rubbed his cheek against her shoulder.

“Hauuu!”

Then, as if realizing it all at once, he burst into tears, wailing with snot and tears streaming down his face.

Her shoulder was soaked in an instant. Though she had seen Little One cry many times, this was the first time he had cried so sorrowfully.

‘Of course, Little One must have been so scared.’

“It’s okay, Little One. It’s all okay now.”

Elena raised her hand and patted Little One’s trembling back.

Thankfully, her comfort seemed to work, as his cries gradually quieted.

As she continued to soothe Little One, she grabbed Felix’ arm and whispered.

“Thank you.”

There was nothing she could do.

If Felix hadn’t been there, she would have been dragged away by the man or left bleeding and unconscious. She had been utterly powerless.

But Felix didn’t respond to her gratitude. He simply looked at her neck in silence before reaching out for Little One.

“We need to get you treated first. Give me Little One. I’ll carry him.”

Little One looked at Felix’s hand before turning his head away.

“Come here, Little One.”

Felix practically snatched Little One from her arms.

Little One, still uneasy, looked at Elena with tearful eyes but didn’t resist Felix as he had before.

After staring at Elena for a moment, Little One buried his face in Felix’s shoulder.

“Let’s head back to the inn.”

Felix extended a hand to Elena. Too exhausted to argue, she took it.

His hand was colder than hers, which had been trembling in fear.