Chapter 43

Braden drew the sword at his waist—the one he’d received as a gift—and stepped forward.

He hadn’t expected to use this sword on people.

Out of nowhere, three men appeared. They were his secret bodyguards, always moving with him. Standing in a line, they formed a defensive wall in front of Adela.

Four against twenty.

They sent a lot.

Numerically, it was a disadvantage.

But Braden had spent ten years slaying monsters. Numbers were just a nuisance; humans weren’t a match for him.

He was mostly worried about Adela getting hurt.

“Who’s after the Princess?”

Braden asked the man with the strongest aura among them.

“Not the Princess. You.”

The leader of the assassins replied.

With those words, swords, weap*ns, and whips rained down on Braden.

Clang, clang, clang.

The sword’s defensive barrier deflected their attacks. Meanwhile, the bodyguards cut down three assassins, and Braden cut down three more. In an instant, six were dead or gravely wounded.

“With this level of skill?”

“Take out the bodyguards first.”

At the leader’s command, fourteen assassins rushed the four. This time, even the bodyguards were hit—two were injured.

But Braden killed four more assassins.

The leader was shocked. He’d been warned about Braden’s skills, so he’d gathered top fighters from all over.

But he turned out to be an aura user.

The power of the sword wrapped in aura was incredible.

And what was that sword that could create a defensive barrier?

It was like giving wings to a leopard.

If he lost more men, there’d be no chance of winning. The leader signaled to someone.

Suddenly, a man dressed as a civilian ran out and took Adela hostage. He was an assassin pretending to be a fleeing citizen near Adela.

Adela and Braden were both surprised.

“Drop the sword.”

The man stood behind Adela, pressing a dagger to her neck and shouted.

“Braden, focus.”

Adela’s voice was firm.

Even as a hostage, Adela showed no sign of wavering. In fact, she looked more dignified and noble than ever.

Yes, she was that kind of woman.

“To take a woman hostage—how pathetic.”

Braden swung his sword mercilessly. After a few exchanges, five assassins lay dead.

“If you don’t drop the sword, I’ll really kill this woman.”

Desperate, the man pressed the dagger harder against Adela’s neck. A thin red line appeared, and blood trickled down.

Braden froze.

These were assassins sent by Marquis Adamante to kill him. He’d calculated that they wouldn’t harm Adela, so he’d acted without hesitation.

They wouldn’t kill Adela.

Even knowing that, Braden couldn’t move. He needed to be calm, but he couldn’t be.

“Drop the sword.”

The man yelled.

First, ensure Adela’s safety.

Braden threw his sword. It wasn’t as if he couldn’t fight without it.

Five assassins attacked Braden at once. He dodged quickly. Without a sword for defense, he blocked weap*ns and whips with his hands and arms.

His skin was quickly torn and bloodied, but he pulled the whip-wielder close and broke his neck. With a crack, the assassin died.

What kind of monster was he?

The remaining four assassins stared at Braden in horror, too afraid to approach.

“Don’t move.”

The man shouted desperately, and Braden’s gaze shifted to Adela.

“If you move, I’ll kill this woman…, urgh!”

Then, something unbelievable happened.

Adela struck the man’s solar plexus with her elbow, then stomped on his foot with her sharp heel. It happened in an instant.

“Argh!”

The man dropped the knife and doubled over. Adela pulled a hairpin from her hair and stabbed it into the back of his neck.

“…Guh!”

Blood spurted from his artery, and the man collapsed completely.

Meanwhile, Braden retrieved his sword, and the remaining four assassins were dispatched in moments.

“Call Anne, quickly.”

Braden commanded the bodyguard as he approached Adela.

“Yes.”

“Adela, are you alright?”

Braden’s face was deathly pale.

“I’m fine. You’re hurt.”

Adela’s gaze was fixed on Braden’s hands and arms, which were covered in blood.

***

“Please kill me, Your Highness.”

Alexa knelt before Adela with a solemn expression.

A bodyguard knight not at their master’s side deserved death.

Alexa’s mournful voice barely reached Adela’s ears. Everything sounded muffled, as if underwater.

Adela’s eyes were fixed on the white light emanating from Anne as she treated Braden.

The pure white light was large and bright. The bigger and brighter the light, the deeper the wound.

How badly was he hurt?

The light enveloped Braden’s hands and arms, fading and returning repeatedly. Adela’s eyes trembled with worry.

The light moved to Braden’s back.

‘Was he wounded there too?’

Suddenly, Adela gasped for breath, as if she’d stopped breathing for a moment.

“Your Highness, are you alright? Your face is pale.”

Alexa’s worried voice reached her.

Adela turned her gaze to Alexa, who was kneeling.

It wasn’t Alexa’s fault. Braden had been with her because Adela had chosen to leave Alexa behind.

Normally, she would have reassured Alexa, saying, ‘It’s not your fault.’ Alexa would have insisted on being punished anyway.

But now, Adela was too tired to argue.

“This is an order. Leave, Alexa.”

Her voice was commanding and hard to resist.

“Until I give further instructions, don’t let anyone in.”

“Yes.”

Alexa left the drawing room without a word.

“All done. The wounds are healed, and the artifact took care of the poison, so nothing more needed.”

“Poison?”

“The sword and weap*ns were coated with deadly poison.”

“Ha!”

A cold smile spread across Adela’s face.

Anne glanced nervously at Adela and Braden.

She’d thought only Braden had a fearsome aura, but Adela, not even a knight, radiated such intensity that Anne found it hard to swallow.

No wonder she’d gotten along so well with the Captain.

They’d just survived an assassination attempt.

Any other woman would have cried and fainted, but Adela remained calm, as if nothing had happened.

“You did well. You may leave now.”

Adela had already been treated upon arrival.

Braden had been seriously wounded, yet insisted Adela’s injuries be treated first.

“Yes, Princess.”

Anne hurried from the room, eager to escape the tense atmosphere.

“You really do seem like a true Princess now. Like a completely different person.”

Braden said lightly, washing the blood from his hands and arms in a basin.

“This won’t do. Should we shower together, Adela?”

Adela silently watched Braden.

“Oh, this is your residence, so maybe not? Should we go elsewhere?”

How could he act so nonchalant?

“This isn’t your first time, is it?”

Adela’s voice was low and dry.

“What?”

“Being attacked by assassins.”

Adela immediately guessed who had sent assassins after him.

Marquis Adamante—her grandfather, no doubt.

“So what? They don’t even have the skill to kill me.”

Braden shrugged as if it were nothing.

“When did the attacks start? And why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t feel the need to mention it. But today, I’m a little upset. They involved you.”

A chill appeared in Braden’s eyes.

“You should have told me.”

Adela exhaled deeply, as if releasing the darkness buried deep in her heart.

“What would have changed if I did?”

“We wouldn’t have met. Then there wouldn’t have been any more attacks.”

“That’s a strange logic. You’d stop seeing me just because some annoying pests showed up? Am I really that insignificant to you?”

He truly looked hurt.

“Insignificant? You’re risking your life just to see me. And you still insist on meeting?”

She saw Braden attacked by many right before her eyes. It felt like her breath stopped. She couldn’t describe how terrified she was that he might die.

And now? Insignificant?

“That’s why you gave me this artifact, isn’t it?”

Adela touched the piercing that stood out on her earlobe.

“You noticed that too?”

So he said, ‘too’, but she’d only just realized.

She felt foolish. She should have noticed when he suddenly gave her a detox artifact. Who gives their lover a detox artifact as a present?

“Let’s stop seeing each other.”

Adela stood up abruptly.

She’d received the piercing a week ago.

That meant he’d been under attack since then. He’d been risking his life, and she hadn’t known at all.

She’d been so lost in playing lovers that she’d blinded herself. Adela found it hard to forgive herself.

“Don’t.”

Braden approached her and grabbed her wrist.

“It’s nothing. The wounds are all healed. I’ll just increase the guards.”

“And you still want to see me after all this?”

“Adela, the problem isn’t the assassins. It’s not being able to see you. We only have a week left together.”

Adela bit her lip.

He was right. Just a week left. She’d said she’d leave, but her grandfather couldn’t wait.

Was this the only thing he couldn’t wait for? He hadn’t even waited for Holden to stabilize, always pressing her.

How could he send assassins—against someone who’d done nothing wrong?

Was her grandfather someone who thought human life so cheap?

A hot lump rose in her throat. Adela clenched her fists to hold back the heat spreading in her eyes.

As always, she tried to swallow the lump back down.

‘I am a Princess. I must not show my emotions.’

“Adela.”

Braden pulled Adela into a tight embrace.

“Don’t hold back. If you want to shout, shout. If you want to cry, cry. You can do that in my arms.”

She tried to hold back, tried to hold back tears and anger as always.

But his arms were strong, as if protecting her.

Relief spread through her entire body.

“Hhng, sob…”

Adela burst into tears.

His hand gently stroked her back, comforting her. It had been a long time since she’d found comfort in someone’s arms since her mother passed away.