Around their necks were other knights with swords drawn, looking exactly like the black knight who had brought me.
Looking closely. I saw that not only them but also behind Julian, the black knights were lined up in perfect formation.
'It was the Shadow Knight.'
Only then did I realize that the strange feeling I had been feeling in my shadow all along was the presence of the Shadow Knight?
'Something felt strange, but I couldn't figure out why, so I thought it was an illusion.'
When did you plant that in my shadow?
Bridget shivered at the eerie atmosphere surrounding this place, surrounded by shadow knights.
It was the first time I actually saw the Shadow Knight that Julian was talking about.
When he was in a relationship with me, Julian never fully awakened his powers and never showed the Shadow Knight to me.
The Shadow Knight was scary and awkward to even face.
It made sense that the enemy soldiers who encountered such things on the battlefield would throw down their weapons and run away.
Under the sword of that shadow knight, Isaac and Penelope were trembling with tears and runny noses.
Julian whispered to me.
"Should I kill them?"
He was expressionless. His dry eyes betrayed no emotion or thought.
But the fact that he could make that kind of face in this situation actually felt madness.
To be honest, it was harsh.
I can get rid of those disgusting humans.
Isaac, who was not human in any way, and Penelope, who had committed a wicked act and run away.
I ground my teeth, shocked and angry by what had just happened.
Didn't I almost get burned to death?
'I can't forgive you.'
My breathing became ragged.
A single word from me and the swords of the Shadow Knights would cut off their necks. Mercilessly and surely.
Just imagining it made me feel relieved.
In my past life, I had been put on the chopping block by people without any fault of my own, and my enemies had condemned me as crazy and thrown me into that horrible convent.
Isaac sold my body to the Count of Kensington.
Penelope steals her friend's husband without even realizing that it is wrong.
If I were to list the reasons why they had to die, it would be endless.
My breathing became increasingly ragged. I felt like I was going to cry tears of anger. Julian, who had been quietly watching my struggle, seemed to understand and made the decision instead.
"Yes, no need to dirty your mouth. I don't intend to accompany you on your journey."
Julian gave orders to the Shadow Knights with a face like someone trying to kill an ant or a fly.
"Kill them."
The shadow knights each took up a sword.
"Ugh, ugh! Please, please! Bridget!"
"Save me, save me! I was wrong!"
Isaac and Penelope crawled on the ground and begged for their lives.
They didn't know what the hell was going on, but they instinctively knew that they had to ask me.
At that moment, I closed my eyes tightly and stopped Julian.
"Don't do it, Julian."
But the Shadow Knights did not stop.
I ran and placed myself under the knight's swords.
The shadow knights froze for a moment like statues.
"Ugh."
I gasped in fear as my throat, was nearly cut off. There was a sword right next to my neck.
Meanwhile, Penelope was desperately crawling on the ground trying to get away from the Shadow Knight and Isaac was clinging to my skirt as if it were his salvation.
"Ugh... Euuuu.."
"Bridget! Bridget!"
Julian looked at me coldly.
It was a look of reprimanding me for my reckless actions.
"What do you want to do?"
I earnestly tried to dissuade Julian.
"Please."
"..."
Julian's rebellious gaze caught my attention.
His red eyes flashed nervously.
"Take it easy, Bridget."
The cold voice sent a chill down my spine.
"You just have to ignore it. Is that hard? Sympathy and good intentions have to be selective about people. Oh, do you want justice?"
Julian, who was grumbling sarcastically, snorted and pointed at Isaac and Penelope.
"What is justice in this mess? I would rather go to hell and find a good person and defend him."
"That's not it."
"Not?"
I pushed Isaac away, his head crawling like it was crawling with bugs and walked over to Julian.
Julian's distorted expression softened slightly at the sight of that merciless sight.
I whispered.
"Please don't kill them so easily for my sake. You can do that any time."
"What?"
"I have a lot to pay back."
He blankly looked at me as I smiled faintly as if looking forward to the future.
It was a completely unexpected development.
"If you want to go to hell. I'll gladly go with you. But not now. I'm not satisfied with this."
***
'Julian must not kill anyone now.'
I was relieved that I had been able to stop him.
How did I turn public opinion around?
I hated Isaac so much that I wish he were dead.
But if Julian killed someone else now, all the gossip would have done was for nothing.
Penelope had been caught trying to kill me and there were many witnesses, so there was some justification for her to be executed on the spot.
But she was pregnant.
It is common sense that even the most brutal of death row inmates should be kept alive until they give birth if they become pregnant because the child is innocent.
'But Julian wouldn't have given such a thing any consideration.'
Julian's eyes were wide open earlier.
It would have been of little use even if Penelope had told him she was pregnant.
There was no way to stop him other than to risk getting hurt and jump under the Shadow Knight's sword.
'Killing a pregnant woman is the worst of the worst.'
Even if she was Penelope, I couldn't stand to see Julian's reputation fall any further because of me.
I didn't know how the Duke of Linchester might use this as an opportunity again. I didn't want to give him an excuse to do that.
I looked at Julian sitting across from me.
Facing him in the confined, narrow space inside the carriage, my gaze was free of obstructions.
'I missed you.'
It had not been long since I left the palace, but even there I had only seen his face twice.
The years I lived embracing the deep longing were long.
Even though I was seeing him from so close, I still wanted to see him.
We were riding together in a carriage to the palace.
It wasn't optional, since Julian had put me in the carriage without warning.
'I told Cedric to take care of the mansion, but...'
Cedric arrived at the scene shortly after I prevented Julian's murder.
I managed to open the window and barely managed to get a word out to him just before the carriage pulled away. Cedric told me not to worry, but I had no idea what would happen at Winston Manor without me.
There have been tremendous events.
Penelope almost killed herself, and the King and his shadow knights invaded the mansion.
I wondered if it was okay to leave like this without organizing anything.
But there was nothing I could do because I could feel Julian's firm will not leave me there.
Although his gaze was elsewhere, I knew that Julian was fully aware of it.
"You planted a shadow knight in me when I was in the palace?"
"..."
"If it weren't for you, I would be dead today. Thank you."
Julian frowned.
"Thank you?"
He let out a nervous laugh.
"I guess it's right to say sorry. I should apologize for almost having someone take the life I saved."
He pulled me closer.
Our faces came closer with a small gap between them.
As I met his eyes up close, I could feel the anger he was suppressing.
"Remember clearly. Your life is mine. From the moment I saved your life. So no one should touch it. Don't forget that."
I did not deny it.
"Yes, that's right. I'm yours. So hold me in your hands. Even if it hurts and you feel frustrated, even if you don't understand, hold me tightly like a glass marble in your hand."
"..."
Julian, who was speechless at the strong affirmation, glared at me.
In the red eyes that had been burning with anger, only confusion remained.
He distanced himself from me without a fight.
"Ha, what I mean is..."
He sighed before saying anything.
"Don't swallow it, tell me, Julian. I want to hear your voice."
"I'm not saying anything that I can't handle."
"I can handle it. I'll do it, everything."
Julian laughed.
"Don't think I saved your life once. You can't handle it. You don't know what I think about you, what imaginations I have that torment you with every hour, every day."
"You were always thinking of me."
"Don't mess with me."
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