"What does that mean?"
"I'll explain later. But more importantly, your face is too hurt."
I've only been gone for two days, what on earth happened in that time?
Raphael was still frozen, as if he was taken aback by my overly calm attitude.
Indeed, for someone who had been kidnapped, both my appearance and my insides were the same as usual.
"Are you sure it's okay?"
"I'm fine, without any injuries."
It would have been a very dire situation if it hadn't been for Vermont's help.
I didn't feel scared any more, because the present was more important to me than anything else.
Then, following Raphael, Sarah burst through the door we were in.
"Miss, no. Enrica!"
"Gasp, Sarah! Slow down, breathe."
Her complexion was no better than Raphael's. Now that I knew Sarah's character, I could see what wouId happen in the next two days.
She would have spent a lot of time blaming herself, thinking that if she had been there, I might not have been kidnapped.
I hugged her as she came running towards me, out of breath.
"How much do I...?"
"Yeah, yeah. I know everything."
At that moment, Vermont, who had left the room and headed somewhere, came walking back holding a glass fishbowl in his hand. It seemed like he had brought something that had been placed as decoration in another room.
He dropped the warlock, now transformed into a small mouse, into the fishbowl, and closed the lid. and handed it straight to Sarah.
Vermont also seemed concerned as he knew Sarah's story.
"Here."
"What is this?"
Sarah asked him with a frown. Vermont was unable to give an answer right away and kept his mouth shut for a moment.
It was definitely a difficult situation to explain right away. I thought it would be better to just talk to myself, so I intervened.
"Well, what happened was..."
I told her everything that had happened to me here, starting with the time I was tricked by a fake letter and brought Hayden here.
Raphael, who had been listening to me from the side, immediately sent his knights to the top floor of the tower to carry out a rescue operation.
When I was almost sacrificed for the Duke's magic power, Sarah and Raphael's expressions were deeply frowned upon.
And when I moved on to the story of almost being used as a warlock's body, Sarah's brow furrowed even more.
"...So, this is him."
The rat in the fishbowl squeaked and pressed against the wall as if to be let out.
"You may have something you wanted to say or take revenge on."
Suddenly, I felt sorry for Sarah and looked at her before speaking.
"I asked about Sarah's mother in advance why he did that, but I thought it would be better not to hear it...."
She was handed a fishbowl with mice in it and looked at it for a while before letting out a small laugh.
"It's okay. No, there's no better revenge than this. It's the person who always called me a rat bitch."
I thought it was fortunate to hear a light voice that seemed genuinely relieved.
"If you thought it would be better for me not to listen, I would do the same. Because I trust Enrica's heart for my good."
Just as my eyes met with Sarah's and my heart was about to swell, she opened her mouth again and muttered in a sinister voice.
"Besides, if you want to, there are probably quite a few things you can do with this little thing."
The squeaking noise coming from the fish tank grew louder as if it were a panic attack. Sarah looked at Raphael as if doing him a favor and asked.
"I can help you out a little."
"I feel tempted to do what he wanted to do to Enri, but that's okay."
Sarah shrugged at Raphael's rejection and held the fishbowl in her arms.
At that moment, a knight from the Grand Duke's family ran to us and told us the situation.
"All the trapped children and people are being rescued smoothly. Among them, those in critical condition have been transferred to a treatment center as a priority."
"Did you find Hayden? Is he okay?"
I interrupted and asked urgently. Then, the reporter answered with an expression on his face as if he had been moved on his behalf.
"He was found unconscious in the basement. He didn't show any signs of trauma, but considering that he had been affected by black magic, we moved him to the infirmary together."
I sighed as if a great burden had been lifted. Then, Raphael, who had been listening to the knight's report, asked.
"The Duke?"
"I've searched every inch of the tower, but I still can't find him."
Then I gasped and remembered something I had forgotten.
"He said there's another auction tomorrow. He might have already left for the forest to prepare."
After hearing that, Raphael and Sarah exchanged glances and spoke at the same time.
"We will leave now. You go straight to the Grand Duke's residence and rest for a bit."
"That's right. Trust us and go."
Even Vermont nodded as if agreeing with their opinion.
I definitely wanted to take a break. To not be late, I would have to run a long way without resting.
The situation actually became easier because the Duke had messed with me and made a big deal out of it. Now, there was no need to move in secret.
In the midst of all that, it didn't seem like my presence would be of much help. But...
The destination was finally in sight.
"I started it, so I have to see it through. Instead, I'd like to ride a horse like Raphael."
Raphael did not stop me any longer, as my voice was filled with determination.
But he came one step closer and wrapped me in his arms.
Everyone was moving busily to leave. Raphael spoke while still holding me in his arms.
"I wish I was a man you could trust a little more."
"Raphael, that's not it."
Although he pretended not to, it was a voice that cared about my companion.
I waved my hand and denied Raphael's thoughts.
"I would never have come this far without you. Today, you showed up to save me like a savior."
"I ended up putting you in danger. Instead of saving you, I should have prevented it from happening in the first place."
"I... Raphael..."
I was in his arms, and I lifted my arms high on tiptoe.
I wrapped my arms around Raphael's wide back and patted him gently.
"I don't want to be protected. I want to walk together."
I can't say that I saw you turn back time now.
So, you might be more anxious because you can't understand my changed attitude and you don't know what you have given me.
So, at least, I wanted to convey that I would try to make sure that he wouldn't have to shoulder all the burden again.
The regular beating of my heart was transmitted intact to Raphael's body.
I thought that the day when that beat would become two was not far off.
I don't know if my feelings were conveyed properly. With a hand that still had some regrets. I left Raphael's embrace and prepared to leave.
Then, someone came into my sight.
"Hey, sis!"
It was a loud cry that desperately wanted my attention. The children, who had been locked in the same room, were waving their hands.
'It looks like you were rescued safely.'
The knights were carrying or holding the children's bodies, which were wrapped in blankets.
I don't know if you could see it from far away, but I made eye contact with the children and smiled.
Above all, I felt at ease. Feeling more relieved. I got on my horse to go see my father.
Let's go and end this whole tragedy.
***
It was a horseback riding where I almost entrusted my body to Raphael. His strong arms absorbed all the shock from the ground, and I even felt like I was resting from the middle of the ride. We ran nonstop for nearly half a day, chasing the Duke's trail.
We paid special attention to security.
The Duke, unaware of what had happened in the tower, would be stamping his feet and getting impatient by now as to why his 'items' had not arrived at the auction house.
"Keep your voice down from here."
As we entered the royal forest, Raphael raised his hand and gave a command. The sun had already set, and it was getting dark.
The number of people was slightly reduced due to friction with the knights of the 1st Prince at the entrance.
I boldly left those I trusted in that place and infiltrated inside.
Sure enough, near the forest where the auction was being held, several luxurious black carriages were lined up.
Dozens of knights of the Grand Duke's family and the knights of the Second Prince approached the place that Vermont had told them about in advance, holding their breath.
Then we hid in the grass and waited until the auction started.
There was no way things could go wrong now, but I watched the situation with a sense of uneasiness until the end.
Soon, the host's voice began to be heard from afar. It was the same voice I had heard before.
"Please wait a moment! We will provide you with great fun in proportion to your waiting time."
It seemed that the carriage carrying the 'goods' was simply stalling for time, thinking that it was running late. The complaints of the customers were heard all the way here.
Raphael nodded and gave instructions after finally checking his surroundings.
"Capture them all alive without any injuries."
As soon as the sentence was finished, the loud sound of horse hooves echoed in one direction.
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