The women's hunting competition was held on a small scale, like an extra game. However, the interest was no less than that of the men. In fact, it was even greater.
It was also the first time that a women's hunting competition was held, and the sight of the women in hunting attire revealing their bodies with trousers was enough to elicit cheers.
In particular, Elze's body, toned with slender muscles, attracted the attention of many people. Unlike the slender bodies of other women, Elze had a healthy charm.
Shan didn't like the fact that others were looking at Elze with sexual feelings, but he couldn't block out all the eyes of those who were looking at Elze.
Shan recalled Elze walking lightly like a cat. The sight of countless eyes fixated on her firm thighs and buttocks was still vivid in his mind. Shan placed his hand on his forehead.
"Ha..."
He regret that it would have been better to dress her in different clothes.
While waiting for the women to return from their hunt, Shan sat in the seat set aside for Crown Prince Raymond. It was one of the most honorable seats, reserved for the winner of the day. Raymond was just so happy that a smile never left his face. He chatted with Shan about this and that, telling him stories about the hunting competition.
But Shan couldn't focus on what Raymond was saying. He simply answered in a way that was not too polite. Right now, just thinking about Elze made his head spin.
She seemed oblivious to how others viewed her. Shan was burning inside, thinking that when she returned from the hunt, he should put something around Elze's waist.
Time passed that seemed like it would never go away, and finally, the women who had gone out hunting began to return one by one. Surprisingly, they all came back with a rabbit or a squirrel in their hands. In the case of the squirrel, it seemed like the hunting dogs had caught it rather than the women themselves, but in any case, not all of them returned empty-handed.
Shan waited anxiously for Elze's return, but she showed no sign of coming. In the meantime, a young lady from a famous martial arts family caught two large deer and received cheers. Everyone agreed that she would be the winner of this competition.
“..."
And Elze had not yet shown up. All the other women had returned, so why wasn't she coming? Had she lost her way? Had she been in an accident? Shan was thinking about all sorts of things at that time.
“Erzenes!”
Finally, Elze returned. Shan quickly got up from his seat and ran to Elze. Raymond was about to say something to Shan who automatically got up and ran to him, but he was shocked and said, “Ah,” but he didn’t even hear it.
“Why are you so late? I was worried for a long time...”
Shan, who helped Elze get off the horse, looked at her. Elze's hands were empty. In addition, not only had she left her servant behind, but she had also ridden the horse alone. Seeing Elze's appearance, gossip began to spread.
“No, the other ladies and gentlemen even caught small squirrels...”
“How can she be so proud and empty-handed? Isn’t that too much?”
“This is insincere. It brings shame to the name Targayel.”
They were whispering in low voices, but Shan heard it all clearly. Shan clenched his teeth for a moment. However, for now, he had to check on Elze first. While Shan was worriedly checking to see if she was hurt anywhere, Elze left Shan behind for a moment and called out to the servants who were passing by.
“When you go inside the forest, there will be a servant dragging the animal I caught, so go and help him.”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
Only then did Elze smile and say to Shan.
“Were you worried?”
"...So much."
Shan replied curtly and immediately took off the coat he was wearing. He then draped it over Elze’s shoulders.
“It’s hot.”
Elze pushed him away because she was hot, but Shan wrapped Elze tightly again and said.
“Wear it. It’s my wish.”
“Well, if only one wish could come true...”
Shan's face, which had been relieved for a moment, finally relaxed. Shan was about to ask Elze how the hunt was.
“Wow!!”
Suddenly, a cheer rang out throughout the forest. It was louder than any cheering anyone had ever heard when they returned. Shan turned around to see what was going on, and couldn't believe his eyes.
The servants stood in a long line, moving the animals. They moved the animals and piled them on one side, and even though several people ran to help, there was no end to the number.
At first glance, the piled-up items were more numerous than the animals Shan had caught. Shan stared blankly at them, then turned to Elze. Shan asked her a question as she smiled brightly.
“Are they all things you caught?”
Elze nodded with a proud face. Then she said with sparkling eyes.
"Yes."
Elze's hand suddenly reached out in front of Shan's eyes.
“Please give me back my handkerchief, Count Targayel?”
She was a truly unbearable woman. Shan burst into laughter. After laughing for a while, Shan shook his head lightly and whispered to Elze.
“I guess I should take care of you and live with you.”
***
Marriage and sword
Book 4
Thanks to the great efforts of Elze and Shan, Targayel took all the victories in the hunting competition.
In particular, since Elze's amazing hunting skills were something no one had expected, people were busy expressing shock and admiration.
Elze felt a little regretful when she saw the beasts she had caught forming a mountain. She felt like she had shown too much skill. The beasts kept coming and she was able to catch them easily, so she got excited and ended up catching too many.
But the regret quickly disappeared when she thought that she could obtain the treasures of the kingdom of Ryeo that Ivanna had coveted. Just imagining how happy Ivanna would be if she could bring her the treasures of Ryeo made her heart flutter.
And when she mentioned this concern to Shan, he assured her that she didn't have to worry at all. No one would guess Erzenes Targayel as Elijah's Elze just by hunting.
Shan said that Elze's actions were a good thing, saying that anyone who thought that way would be treated as crazy.
“I guess it’s necessary to show it like this once.”
By demonstrating Targayel's might in this hunting tournament, she naturally showed the other families that Targayel was not dead yet. Shan, who said that he would solve any problems that arose, was very trustworthy.
Even today, it was thanks to the servant he had arranged that she was able to hunt. If it weren't for the servant Shan had arranged in advance, Elze might have become a defeated soldier who couldn't catch a single animal.
“I won thanks to you.”
Elze whispered her thanks to Shan. Shan brushed it off as if it was nothing, pretended to be serious, and started talking about something else.
“I gave you back the handkerchief, but you didn’t give me a kiss.”
She wondered what he was going to say, but it turned out to be nonsense.
“You already had your fill earlier!”
Shan met Elze's gaze. He met her eyes and brought his lips to Elze's ear. Then he whispered softly.
“...Is not enough.”
It was just a single word, but how could it sound so dirty?
Thanks to the great efforts of Elze and Shan, Targayel took all the victories in the hunting competition.
In particular, since Elze's amazing hunting skills were something no one had expected, people were busy expressing shock and admiration.
Elze felt a little regretful when she saw the beasts she had caught forming a mountain. She felt like she had shown too much skill. The beasts kept coming and she was able to catch them easily, so she got excited and ended up catching too many.
But the regret quickly disappeared when she thought that she could obtain the treasures of the kingdom of Ryeo that Ivanna had coveted. Just imagining how happy Ivanna would be if she could bring her the treasures of Ryeo made her heart flutter.
And when she mentioned this concern to Shan, he assured her that she didn't have to worry at all. No one would guess Erzenes Targayel as Elijah's Elze just by hunting.
Shan said that Elze's actions were a good thing, saying that anyone who thought that way would be treated as crazy.
“I guess it’s necessary to show it like this once.”
By demonstrating Targayel's might in this hunting tournament, she naturally showed the other families that Targayel was not dead yet. Shan, who said that he would solve any problems that arose, was very trustworthy.
Even today, it was thanks to the servant he had arranged that she was able to hunt. If it weren't for the servant Shan had arranged in advance, Elze might have become a defeated soldier who couldn't catch a single animal.
“I won thanks to you.”
Elze whispered her thanks to Shan. Shan brushed it off as if it was nothing, pretended to be serious, and started talking about something else.
“I gave you back the handkerchief, but you didn’t give me a kiss.”
She wondered what he was going to say, but it turned out to be nonsense.
“You already had your fill earlier!”
Shan met Elze's gaze. He met her eyes and brought his lips to Elze's ear. Then he whispered softly.
“...Is not enough.”
It was just a single word, but how could it sound so dirty?
It felt like something whispered in bed. Elze had to try to suppress the heat in her face. And then she absentmindedly said something to Shan.
“I’ll go home and finish it...!”
She realized what she had said only after she said it, but it was already too late.
"Good."
Shan smiled with satisfaction, having gotten what he wanted. Elze felt like she had been fooled by him. Shan smiled slyly and stamped her seal of approval.
“I want you to be a Countess who keeps her promises.”
...It was definitely something that happened.
While Elze and Shan were bickering, the hunt was being cleaned up. At the awards ceremony for the winners, Raymond's mouth was hanging from ear to ear.
“Very well done! Targayel has made the hunting tournament shine brightest.”
Not only did Elze's performance surpass Shan's, but she also overwhelmed all of Ryeo's knights, so it was no different from properly putting pressure on the Queen's pride. Raymond praised Targayel without holding back for having done such a great job of upholding his pride.
The Queen was calm, although it would have been understandable to feel offended by Raymond's eagerness to show off. She certainly felt older than the young and energetic Raymond. After congratulating Shan, the Queen gave the treasure of Ryeo to the winner, Elze, as promised.
“Your skills are truly amazing. The knights of Ryeo must work even harder.”
When Ryeo's precious items appeared on a cart, the other women who had participated in the competition looked at her with envy.
For some reason, the Queen spent much more time praising Elze's inaction than she did praising the hard work of her knights. It was almost embarrassing to listen to her.
“I will finish the hunting competition!”
After the congratulations, the hunting competition was officially declared over by Crown Prince Raymond.
But even though the competition was over, the socializing was just beginning. A feast was to be prepared using the game caught during the hunt today.
While the palace chefs were busy preparing the feast, the nobles leisurely enjoyed the forest. The men gathered together to smoke cigarettes and talk about the hunting weapons they had brought. The women were also busy gossiping about the hunting competition.
Today, some of the women participated in the hunt, and they pretended not to be able to resist the other women's requests to tell them their hunting stories.
Elze was no exception. Especially since Elze was the winner of the competition and had caught more beasts than Shan, everyone was curious about her. The men also looked around, secretly curious about Elze’s story. However, their curiosity was not entirely pure. There was suspicion underlying their admiration and praise.
Perhaps she used dirty methods. Perhaps the attendant who went with her caught them instead.
It wasn't that she didn't understand their suspicions, so she just let them pass without thinking. No matter how much they slandered and belittled her, the fact that Elze was the winner didn't change.
Meanwhile, Crown Princess Iarin came to see Elze.
“Erzenes, you are amazing! How can you be so good at hunting?”
Iarin congratulated Elze as if she had won a hunting competition. Iarin asked Elze to take a walk, saying she wanted to hear Elze's tale of bravery.
“Would you like to take a walk around for a bit?”
Of course, Elze also enjoyed spending time with Iarin a hundred times more than being harassed by other people. Elze and Iarin walked together, talking about hunting. Elze talked about hunting while hiding things that needed to be hidden.
“Ah, really... this is amazing.”
Iarin, who had been listening to Elze's story without being able to breathe, spoke with shining eyes.
“Hearing your story, I understand that hunting dogs are important. I’d like to see them.”
It was Iarin's first time seeing a hunting dog. Hunting dogs are literally dogs made for hunting, so she would not see one unless she went hunting.
The place where the hunting dogs were gathered was not far away, so Elze walked toward it with Iarin. The servants were taken aback by the appearance of the Countess and the Crown Princess. However, when Iarin said that she was just there to watch, they returned to their work of taking care of the hunting dogs.
Elze and Iarin watched from a distance as the servants tended to the hunting dogs. The dogs, having finished a hard day of hunting, were feasting on the meat they had caught that day.
It was a rather cruel scene, but surprisingly, Iarin wasn't scared and watched it carefully. While watching the hunting dogs, Iarin tried to say something to Elze but pointed to the bag on her waist.
“What is that?”
“Ah, this is a bag that contains simple food for hunting.”
What Iarin was pointing to was the bag Shan had given her. Elze handed her the bag so she could look at it.
“Oh my... This is a first for me.”
Iarin was amazed as she picked up a water jug from her bag. She, who only drank water from pretty cups, seemed to find this crude jug unfamiliar and yet fascinating.
“I’ve always been indoors, so this is my first time going out to a hunting competition... There are so many new things.”
Seeing her enjoying herself so much with just one water bottle made her heartache. Seeing that Iarin wanted to try some, Elze quickly told her.
“You can drink it if you want.”
“Really?”
Elze had taken a sip earlier, but she drank it cleanly without even touching it, so it seemed okay for Iarin to drink it too.
Iarin happily opened the water bottle lid. The usual refreshing scent wafted out.
“Mmm, it smells good.”
Iarin brought her face closer to smell the scent. Then, the quiet hunting dogs suddenly barked. She was so surprised that she twisted her hand.
“Oh my!”
The water jug flipped over and spilled out in an instant. Iarin, who was completely soaked in water, was more upset that she couldn't even take a sip than that her dress was wet.
It was when Elze was trying to appease Iarin by saying that if she asked her servants to make her more than ten water jugs, they would make them.
“...!”
“I’ll go home and finish it...!”
She realized what she had said only after she said it, but it was already too late.
"Good."
Shan smiled with satisfaction, having gotten what he wanted. Elze felt like she had been fooled by him. Shan smiled slyly and stamped her seal of approval.
“I want you to be a Countess who keeps her promises.”
...It was definitely something that happened.
While Elze and Shan were bickering, the hunt was being cleaned up. At the awards ceremony for the winners, Raymond's mouth was hanging from ear to ear.
“Very well done! Targayel has made the hunting tournament shine brightest.”
Not only did Elze's performance surpass Shan's, but she also overwhelmed all of Ryeo's knights, so it was no different from properly putting pressure on the Queen's pride. Raymond praised Targayel without holding back for having done such a great job of upholding his pride.
The Queen was calm, although it would have been understandable to feel offended by Raymond's eagerness to show off. She certainly felt older than the young and energetic Raymond. After congratulating Shan, the Queen gave the treasure of Ryeo to the winner, Elze, as promised.
“Your skills are truly amazing. The knights of Ryeo must work even harder.”
When Ryeo's precious items appeared on a cart, the other women who had participated in the competition looked at her with envy.
For some reason, the Queen spent much more time praising Elze's inaction than she did praising the hard work of her knights. It was almost embarrassing to listen to her.
“I will finish the hunting competition!”
After the congratulations, the hunting competition was officially declared over by Crown Prince Raymond.
But even though the competition was over, the socializing was just beginning. A feast was to be prepared using the game caught during the hunt today.
While the palace chefs were busy preparing the feast, the nobles leisurely enjoyed the forest. The men gathered together to smoke cigarettes and talk about the hunting weapons they had brought. The women were also busy gossiping about the hunting competition.
Today, some of the women participated in the hunt, and they pretended not to be able to resist the other women's requests to tell them their hunting stories.
Elze was no exception. Especially since Elze was the winner of the competition and had caught more beasts than Shan, everyone was curious about her. The men also looked around, secretly curious about Elze’s story. However, their curiosity was not entirely pure. There was suspicion underlying their admiration and praise.
Perhaps she used dirty methods. Perhaps the attendant who went with her caught them instead.
It wasn't that she didn't understand their suspicions, so she just let them pass without thinking. No matter how much they slandered and belittled her, the fact that Elze was the winner didn't change.
Meanwhile, Crown Princess Iarin came to see Elze.
“Erzenes, you are amazing! How can you be so good at hunting?”
Iarin congratulated Elze as if she had won a hunting competition. Iarin asked Elze to take a walk, saying she wanted to hear Elze's tale of bravery.
“Would you like to take a walk around for a bit?”
Of course, Elze also enjoyed spending time with Iarin a hundred times more than being harassed by other people. Elze and Iarin walked together, talking about hunting. Elze talked about hunting while hiding things that needed to be hidden.
“Ah, really... this is amazing.”
Iarin, who had been listening to Elze's story without being able to breathe, spoke with shining eyes.
“Hearing your story, I understand that hunting dogs are important. I’d like to see them.”
It was Iarin's first time seeing a hunting dog. Hunting dogs are literally dogs made for hunting, so she would not see one unless she went hunting.
The place where the hunting dogs were gathered was not far away, so Elze walked toward it with Iarin. The servants were taken aback by the appearance of the Countess and the Crown Princess. However, when Iarin said that she was just there to watch, they returned to their work of taking care of the hunting dogs.
Elze and Iarin watched from a distance as the servants tended to the hunting dogs. The dogs, having finished a hard day of hunting, were feasting on the meat they had caught that day.
It was a rather cruel scene, but surprisingly, Iarin wasn't scared and watched it carefully. While watching the hunting dogs, Iarin tried to say something to Elze but pointed to the bag on her waist.
“What is that?”
“Ah, this is a bag that contains simple food for hunting.”
What Iarin was pointing to was the bag Shan had given her. Elze handed her the bag so she could look at it.
“Oh my... This is a first for me.”
Iarin was amazed as she picked up a water jug from her bag. She, who only drank water from pretty cups, seemed to find this crude jug unfamiliar and yet fascinating.
“I’ve always been indoors, so this is my first time going out to a hunting competition... There are so many new things.”
Seeing her enjoying herself so much with just one water bottle made her heartache. Seeing that Iarin wanted to try some, Elze quickly told her.
“You can drink it if you want.”
“Really?”
Elze had taken a sip earlier, but she drank it cleanly without even touching it, so it seemed okay for Iarin to drink it too.
Iarin happily opened the water bottle lid. The usual refreshing scent wafted out.
“Mmm, it smells good.”
Iarin brought her face closer to smell the scent. Then, the quiet hunting dogs suddenly barked. She was so surprised that she twisted her hand.
“Oh my!”
The water jug flipped over and spilled out in an instant. Iarin, who was completely soaked in water, was more upset that she couldn't even take a sip than that her dress was wet.
It was when Elze was trying to appease Iarin by saying that if she asked her servants to make her more than ten water jugs, they would make them.
“...!”
Elze looked back without realizing it.
An eerie feeling coming from all sides...
An eerie chill ran through her body. Elze instinctively grabbed the stilettos she had hidden inside her jacket. And the moment she realized the source of her life, Elze felt frozen.
The eyes of the hunting dogs that had been quietly eating meat just a moment ago were blazing red.
“Ahhhhhhh!!”
A terrible scream split the air. It was the scream of the servant who was managing the hounds. In the screams and ferocious howls, the hounds rushed toward Iarin all at once.
The lead hound crouched down, then jumped up. The twitching muscles moved slowly through her vision. Huge teeth were visible in the gaping mouth, dripping saliva, and murderous eyes.
“Whoaaah!!”
Iarin screamed. For a brief moment, all sorts of thoughts flashed through Elze's head. The moment the hunting dog’s jaws fell on Iarin, her slender figure would have one of her arms cut off comically.
There was no more hesitation. Elze kicked Iarin away with her foot and pulled out her stiletto.
The hound leaped in a long arc and pounced on Elze. The hound’s huge size blocked the sunlight and created a dark shadow. Elze accurately stabbed the vital spot with the stiletto. The feeling of it piercing through the leather and tearing through the muscle was vivid in her hand.
But Elze knew. Beasts don't die like this. Their life force is much stronger than that of humans, and they will run wild even if you stab them in the heart.
“...!!”
A hot pain scratched her forearm. The hound's claws tore through Elze's leather jacket, leaving a long wound. She couldn't avoid it because she had rushed forward to block Iarin. Even though she had prepared for the wound, the pain was excruciating. She could feel the hounds getting more excited as the smell of blood spread.
She could see the servants hurriedly dragging Iarin away and swatting away the hunting dogs that were rushing at them. Iarin, with a face that had turned pale, flailed her hands at Elze, but the servants forcibly dragged her away.
More than half of the hunting dogs have turned towards Elze, who smells blood, so Iarin should be safe.
She could see people running towards her, screaming and holding weapons. But before they could help, she had to deal with dozens of hounds. Elze clenched her teeth. She couldn't fight off all those hounds with just a stiletto, a short dagger.
She kicked the guy who was rushing at her from the front, and slit the neck of the guy who was jumping down from above. However, she couldn't stop the guy who was attacking her from behind.
“Ouch!”
With a dull impact, Elze rolled to the floor. But she didn’t have time to feel pain. She quickly rolled over to avoid the hound that was charging at her and slammed down her stiletto.
But maybe because she had stuck it in too deep, or maybe it was caught in the muscle, it wouldn't come out again. In the blink of an eye, the hunting dog twisted its entire body while still having the stiletto stuck in it and fell off in the distance.
In an instant, she was left empty-handed. Her eyes were dizzy. However, her mind was instinctively calculating the battle ahead.
There was no way to attack. She had to stab the eyes, which were the most lethal points that could be attacked with bare hands, or kick the stomach. However, the attack power would be significantly lower than when she had a weapon, so no matter how accurately she struck, she couldn't rule out the possibility that it would attack me again.
Elze kicked the hound's stomach with her foot, causing it to recoil. But that wasn't the end of it, as another hound immediately lunged at Elze with its mouth wide open.
There was absolutely no way to stop it.
She had to give it. She had to give it somewhere, whether it was an arm or a leg. She could picture her skin being torn to shreds.
If only she had a rapier, or at least a mangosh. No, if only she had a sword, anything at all...
“Erzenes!!”
At that moment, the voice she had missed the most was heard. Along with that, something long fell on Elze's head.
It's a sword!
There was no time to think long. Elze jumped up from her seat, grabbed the sword, and drew it. The moment she held the longsword in her hand, a dizzying sense of elation filled her body. The feeling of the sword being held in her hand was tense.
There was not even enough time to hesitate. Elze swung her sword straight away. As the sword swung in a large semicircle, an invisible energy was emitted.
The body of the huge hunting dog that had been charging at her was completely cut in half. Blood dripped from its split body and drenched Elze.
The moment Elze stopped in her tracks due to the blood blocking her vision, a strong force pulled her towards it. A low, seething voice pierced her ears.
“Stay still.”
Shan held Elze in one arm and swung his sword with the other. His sword dug into the middle of the pack of hounds charging at him. The hounds’ corpses poured down like a sea parting.
Shan, who had secured a distance from the hounds, immediately dragged Elze behind. As soon as the two people got out of the hounds, a hail of arrows and javelins poured down. Even elephants could not withstand the rain of attacks. The dogs that had been running wild fell down.
“Huk...Ugh...”
Elze sat down on the dirt floor and gasped for breath. Then she slowly let go of the sword she was holding in her hand. Shan, who was sitting down with her, supported Elze with his body so that she could lean on it. Elze leaned back against him as if she was collapsing.
Shan, who was wiping Elze's blood-soaked face, muttered a few curses.
"Shit..."
Elze stared blankly at him. Only after following his gaze did she realize that her right arm had been torn by a claw.
It was the wound that was first received while blocking to protect Iarin.
"Ah..."
The belated pain came rushing in. Blood flowed out from the gaping wound. She was so excited that she didn't even notice the pain and just kept going wild.
“This way!!”
The servants hurriedly ran towards Shan and Elze. They stopped the no on Elze's arm and began administering first aid.
“...”
Elze blinked, leaning almost flat in Shan's arms. The noise of the surroundings was not heard clearly but rather dispersed like a buzz.
As she leaned against him, the nerves that had been on edge slowly calmed down. Suddenly, her forearm felt hot. When Elze frowned, Shan immediately whispered.
"...Does it hurt? Where, where.”
She wanted to respond to his impatient voice, but she didn't have the strength to speak. It seemed that the wound was deeper than she thought. She must have lost so much blood that her eyes were spinning.
During the Hundred Years' War, she had suffered many more serious injuries than this, but it felt even more painful because there was someone to take care of her. Elze called out to him softly in her dazed state.
“...Shan.”
Elze tilted her head back. She could see Shan's purple eyes. She could also see the long streak of blood on his cheek. Shan didn't seem to be hurt, but somehow he looked more hurt. Elze looked at him and spoke slowly.
“It hurts... My arm...”
She had no intention of saying that, but a weak voice came out of her throat as if it would burst at any moment. Shan’s face is distorted.
He ran his trembling hands through Elze's hair. Shan's expression was too serious. Elze tried to tell him that it was a joke, that it didn't hurt at all.
But really, she had absolutely no strength in her body. It was hard to even smile. Just raising the corners of her lips felt like lifting a thousand-pound rock.
It was strange. It was natural for an arm to hurt when it was torn, but it wasn't something that would drain your energy to this extent. She knew better because she had been hurt many times. She was thinking that something was wrong, but suddenly a voice came into her ear.
"There is a weak poison on the dog’s claws. If it is not treated immediately, the flesh may rot. Since there is no proper antidote, we need to disinfect it with this first...”
Judging from what he was saying, he seemed to be a doctor. After listening to him, Elze, even though she was out of her mind, thought to herself that it wasn't just a simple wound.
“A little, a little bit... It’ll hurt... Please hold on tight, Countess.”
As soon as he felt that it was a very unsettling sound, Shan hugged Elze. The way he supported her body tightly from behind and tied her up was suspicious. He whispered to Elze in a distressed tone.
"Sorry..."
There was no need to ask what he was sorry about. The moment the wet liquid poured down her arm, excruciating pain struck.
“!!”
Elze couldn't even scream at the pain that pierced her body like lightning, and her body froze stiffly. Her whole body trembled involuntarily.
Shan's hand held onto Elze tightly. He's not sure, but it seemed like she was screaming at him to let her go. Then as if something flashed before her eyes, darkness came down immediately.
As she lost consciousness, Elze thought to herself, “It’s better if I just fainted..."
Else's body suddenly froze and then fell limp. She had fainted from the pain beyond her limits.
“Erzenes....”
Shan shut his eyes tightly in pain as he called Elze's name.
“...Eone. First aid is finished.”
And Shan slowly opened his eyes at the doctor's words.
“...”
When the purple pupils appeared again between the eyelids, they were no longer wet and shaking. Shan slowly scanned the surroundings with cold, sunken eyes.
He could see the nobles looking this way with frightened eyes. There must be a culprit among them. A soft voice came out of Shan’s mouth.
“I will find it.”
An eerie silence fell all around. In the chilling silence, Shan spoke.
“We must find the mastermind...”
The voice, not so loud, rang out so clearly that it was impossible to understand, and penetrated into everyone's ears.
Shan's eyes flashed. Then he spat out the words as if he was chewing them out.
“In the name of Targayel, I will tear that bastard limb from limb.”
The secretary trembled and bowed his head to the floor. He looked like he was about to burst into tears, but he held on bravely.
Having lived as a vassal of Duke Seraph's family for years, he probably knows that maintaining his noble dignity in front of Enoch until the end will increase his chances of survival.
Enoch's white-gloved fingers slowly tapped the desk. A lone tapping sound echoed in the silence.
The secretary seemed to feel the sound of his fingers tapping on the desk like the sound of a death hammer. He flinched at each tap. After a silence that must have been hellish to the secretary, Enoch finally spoke.
“Really... I’m so disappointed.”
Enoch looked down at the secretary who was trembling before him. Anyone who saw him was pitifully moved. However, there was not a single bit of sympathy on Enoch’s face.
He couldn't understand. In Enoch's standards, other humans were no better than insects. It was only natural that humans wouldn't understand insect behavior. Enoch frowned and urged softly.
“You can’t even handle that one little thing properly, so do you know what’s happening now?”
“I’m sorry, Your Highness...”
Enoch blinked slowly, his thick, platinum eyelashes following his gaze.
“She's hurt.”
“...”
“It was Erzenes, not Shan Cirxus, who was injured.”
Enoch really didn't expect things to turn out like this.
Judging from what he was saying, he seemed to be a doctor. After listening to him, Elze, even though she was out of her mind, thought to herself that it wasn't just a simple wound.
“A little, a little bit... It’ll hurt... Please hold on tight, Countess.”
As soon as he felt that it was a very unsettling sound, Shan hugged Elze. The way he supported her body tightly from behind and tied her up was suspicious. He whispered to Elze in a distressed tone.
"Sorry..."
There was no need to ask what he was sorry about. The moment the wet liquid poured down her arm, excruciating pain struck.
“!!”
Elze couldn't even scream at the pain that pierced her body like lightning, and her body froze stiffly. Her whole body trembled involuntarily.
Shan's hand held onto Elze tightly. He's not sure, but it seemed like she was screaming at him to let her go. Then as if something flashed before her eyes, darkness came down immediately.
As she lost consciousness, Elze thought to herself, “It’s better if I just fainted..."
***
Else's body suddenly froze and then fell limp. She had fainted from the pain beyond her limits.
“Erzenes....”
Shan shut his eyes tightly in pain as he called Elze's name.
“...Eone. First aid is finished.”
And Shan slowly opened his eyes at the doctor's words.
“...”
When the purple pupils appeared again between the eyelids, they were no longer wet and shaking. Shan slowly scanned the surroundings with cold, sunken eyes.
He could see the nobles looking this way with frightened eyes. There must be a culprit among them. A soft voice came out of Shan’s mouth.
“I will find it.”
An eerie silence fell all around. In the chilling silence, Shan spoke.
“We must find the mastermind...”
The voice, not so loud, rang out so clearly that it was impossible to understand, and penetrated into everyone's ears.
Shan's eyes flashed. Then he spat out the words as if he was chewing them out.
“In the name of Targayel, I will tear that bastard limb from limb.”
***
The secretary trembled and bowed his head to the floor. He looked like he was about to burst into tears, but he held on bravely.
Having lived as a vassal of Duke Seraph's family for years, he probably knows that maintaining his noble dignity in front of Enoch until the end will increase his chances of survival.
Enoch's white-gloved fingers slowly tapped the desk. A lone tapping sound echoed in the silence.
The secretary seemed to feel the sound of his fingers tapping on the desk like the sound of a death hammer. He flinched at each tap. After a silence that must have been hellish to the secretary, Enoch finally spoke.
“Really... I’m so disappointed.”
Enoch looked down at the secretary who was trembling before him. Anyone who saw him was pitifully moved. However, there was not a single bit of sympathy on Enoch’s face.
He couldn't understand. In Enoch's standards, other humans were no better than insects. It was only natural that humans wouldn't understand insect behavior. Enoch frowned and urged softly.
“You can’t even handle that one little thing properly, so do you know what’s happening now?”
“I’m sorry, Your Highness...”
Enoch blinked slowly, his thick, platinum eyelashes following his gaze.
“She's hurt.”
“...”
“It was Erzenes, not Shan Cirxus, who was injured.”
Enoch really didn't expect things to turn out like this.
He didn't expect to be able to kill Shan Cirxus anyway, because he knew he wasn't someone who would die like this.
It started out as a simple warning, but because that stupid Cirxus handed Erzenes a water jug, Iarin got involved too.
Of course, it didn't matter to Iarin that she lost one of her arms and became disabled. She was a usable card as long as she didn't die.
But Erzenes was different. She was special. The perfect blue that Enoch had never had in his entire life, that was Erzenes Targayel.
Enoch chewed his lips. They were crushed beneath his fine teeth. Enoch slowly opened his mouth.
“No one, nothing but me.”
In his blue-gray eyes, various emotions were mixed and jumbled. The mixed emotions gathered and gathered together, and soon hardened into a solid mass.
“Because I can’t distort her perfection.”
The feelings became clearer after he said them out loud. Enoch's eyes narrowed. He slowly chewed over his feelings.
Ah, how beautiful love is. Enoch smiled as the emotion gradually spread. And whispered.
“Because I am the only one who can cause her pain...”
It started out as a simple warning, but because that stupid Cirxus handed Erzenes a water jug, Iarin got involved too.
Of course, it didn't matter to Iarin that she lost one of her arms and became disabled. She was a usable card as long as she didn't die.
But Erzenes was different. She was special. The perfect blue that Enoch had never had in his entire life, that was Erzenes Targayel.
Enoch chewed his lips. They were crushed beneath his fine teeth. Enoch slowly opened his mouth.
“No one, nothing but me.”
In his blue-gray eyes, various emotions were mixed and jumbled. The mixed emotions gathered and gathered together, and soon hardened into a solid mass.
“Because I can’t distort her perfection.”
The feelings became clearer after he said them out loud. Enoch's eyes narrowed. He slowly chewed over his feelings.
Ah, how beautiful love is. Enoch smiled as the emotion gradually spread. And whispered.
“Because I am the only one who can cause her pain...”
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