#103. The chase
“Can you ride a horse?”
Daphne nodded to Count Locania’s question. It didn’t take long for them to resolve their confusion. When Count Locania pointed to the horse, the Count’s knight took the horse. Daphne looked at the knight. Unlike the other knights who wore armor, he wore plain clothes like a servant.
Count Locania looked toward the forest.
“Over there, past the forest, you’ll see the river.”
Daphne nodded.
“If you go right along that river, you’ll see a bridge. Go east in the middle, towards the big rock. If you go to the red ribbon, you’ll find my man.”
“...”
Does that mean the Count has no involvement in this matter? The Count sighed and said, perhaps noticing Daphne's doubt.
“I have work to do here. The Emperor is still unaware of my betrayal. I cannot follow you.”
"Yes."
Daphne nodded. He must have something to do. She was about to get on her horse when she suddenly remembered something and looked back. Sarah was standing there. Daphne seemed to think about something for a moment and bit her lip.
“Can’t I take that kid too?”
"What?"
“She is my friend.”
Sarah flinched at the word 'friend'. Count Locania frowned and clicked his tongue.
“Are you saying we should add one more bundle to our load?”
“But if you go on like this... You’ll kill Sarah.”
Sarah paused at those words and turned around. When she saw it, the knights were surrounding her. Yes, they were the ones who killed the knights. The life of a maid was not important. If Daphne left, she would be killed without anyone knowing. Daphne would save her there.
“You went to all the trouble to start a war, and now you’re causing trouble.”
Daphne's eyes widened at those words. War? Was it the Count of Locania who had declared war on the Kingdom of Thalassa? But there was no time to think about that. They could hear that story later. Saving Sarah was important.
“I’ll let her ride on my horse. It’ll be fine since there are two women.”
Daphne glared at the Count of Locania. The Count knew that she had made up her mind. There was no point in wasting any more time here. The life of the maid was not important, but it was not something that mattered.
"Good night."
Yes. Daphne smiled. She took Sarah's hand and pulled her out of the place surrounded by knights, and helped her mount the horse. Sarah still didn't realize what was happening to her. Daphne came up behind her. Then Daphne whispered in Sarah's ear.
“Just in case, don’t tell anyone that you were his spy.”
Sarah nodded at Daphne's whisper.
“Good luck.”
Daphne bowed her head at Count Locania's words. That man also risked his life to help her. Fabian died because of her, and now he is giving her freedom.
"Thank you."
Daphne finally looked ahead. The knight who was to guide her glanced at her and began to ride. Daphne also moved her horse.
As they left the wooden fence and headed out of the main camp, the horse's speed increased. Not a single person was visible, perhaps because they were all engaged in a melee attack. Daphne also grabbed the reins and began to speed up.
Daphne was terrified. This was the first time she had ridden a horse this fast. But she had to do it, no matter what. She was grateful to her mother for teaching her how to ride. This was the only way she could escape from him. Daphne tightened her grip on the reins. Her determination shone through.
What will happen if I get caught this time? I will definitely die.
Daphne admitted. It was not that she did not want to live by 'Asherad's side, but that she wanted to live if she could get away from him. A life that was not controlled by anyone, but a life that she could lead on her own.
If she were caught, she would gladly accept Asherad's sword. If Asherad didn't kill her, she had no choice but to do it herself. If she were caught, she would die. The wind felt cool as Daphne came to a simple conclusion. The hood of her cloak fell off and shook.
“Since when, since when has it been like this?”
Sarah, who was sitting in front of Daphne, asked. It must have been hard to talk because she was shaking from riding, but she seemed genuinely curious. Daphne spoke, careful not to bite her tongue.
“For a moment, momentarily, I came to my senses.”
Yes, she didn't completely lose herself. Daphne came to her senses once in a while. Her suicide attempt failed, and Asherad was remorseful and treated Daphne well. She knew she was being treated like a child.
Adult Daphne was miserable. If her suicide had failed, she wished she had no adult self. Every time she regained her memories, she would cry and fall asleep, and when she woke up, she would be young Daphne. But that time was over. By the time the war broke out, her escape was over. At some point, her memories completely returned. As if the time to escape was now.
That's why Daphne desperately whined to be taken to Asherad. Asherad took Daphne as she had thought, and she thought about running away from the battlefield. Even if it weren't for the Count of Locania, Daphne would have run away. On the battlefield, Daphne quietly waited for the right time. She didn't know if she would be able to run away right away the next morning.
“It was all smoke since the war broke out.”
Sarah opened her eyes wide at those words. She was speechless, as if she were thinking about something. After passing the plain, a small forest appeared. The trees, which were densely packed, had been cut down, indicating that they had been marching, and they crossed the forest.
Then, a large river began to emerge. Daphne opened her eyes wide. She had never seen a river since coming here from the palace. Could there be a river this large?
Now just follow that knight to the river. And hide in the forest...
"Daphne!"
Daphne flinched at the sudden voice. The voice was so familiar. It was as if the devil was shouting. When Daphne turned her head, the black horse was shining with luster. For a moment, Daphne almost thought the beast was attacking her. The black hair was blowing in the wind. The horse, running at a fierce speed, was clearly closing the distance.
Asherad.
He chased her with a devilish look. Why is this man here? Surely he must be out of his mind from the night raid? Why would he come here? Daphne pulled down the reins and picked up the pace. The horse's speed increased, but the distance between them gradually narrowed. At that moment, a bridge began to come into Daphne's sight.
Just cross the bridge. Just the bridge.
But the bridge is still far away. Even if she crosses the bridge, she will be chased by Asherad. The river crossing is in a forest, and she cannot go there on horseback. If she goes to that forest, he will immediately see where she is going, and Asherad will catch her.
At that moment, the knight who was running stopped his horse. Then he turned his horse and ran towards the Emperor, who was chasing her. Could it be that he was going to fight Asherad? The knight passed by Daphne without saying a word. There was a sound of swords clashing, and then there was no sound. Was it resolved? At that moment, she had a small hope.
“Daphne, stand over there!”
The voice sent shivers down Daphne's spine. When she turned around, she saw the knight's horse galloping away. Next to it, a corpse with its head cut off lay, spurting blood. Daphne didn't bother to look for the knight's head. The blood in her body went cold. She forced herself to suppress her scream.
“Daphneeeeeee!”
The voice was desperate, but it was also as scary as it was desperate. What would happen if she got caught? She thought she didn’t care if she died, but when she saw that figure, she became afraid. The sound of the horse’s hooves grew louder. What should I do? Should I cross that bridge?
At that moment, Asherad's words surpassed Daphne's.
Daphne was terrified. She thought Asherad's words would stop her at any moment. But Asherad overtook Daphne and continued running. What... what... what...?
And Daphne saw Asherad stop in front of the bridge. Seeing that, Daphne pulled the reins. The horse's speed slowed down.
That bridge was Daphne's only hope of escape. But now that Asherad was blocking it, she...
“Get back into the forest quickly!”
Sarah screamed.
“Daphne, where are you?”
Asherad got off his horse and walked along the forest path. He thought she would give up if he kept guarding the bridge, but she was nowhere to be seen. She must be hiding in the forest. Or she must be heading back to the barracks.
However, Asherad became anxious because Daphne was not moving, and he got down from his seat to chase after Daphne. Even if Daphne ran away to avoid Asherad's eyes, Asherad was confident that he could catch up.
But no one was visible. It was a narrow forest, so it would have been right to be seen quickly, but Daphne was quiet as if she weren't there.
“Daphne, I forgive you.”
He whispered sweetly. Of course, he would forgive her. As he watched her galloping away on horseback, Asherad had no choice but to admit that she had run away.
But she has his seed. He will ask when her memory comes back and cherish her again. There will be no problem. His cute lover is just scared. So he had to reassure her.
“Daphne, come out.”
He listened, but the birds were so loud that he couldn't hear them. Asherad looked at the birds with annoyance. Then, the moment he stepped on a large tree, he heard a rustling sound.
It was Daphne! Seeing the hood he had put on, Asherad chased after her in delight. Even though it was a forest path, she was so fast that he couldn't catch her right away. However, Asherad enjoyed the chase. So run away from me. Then I will catch you and keep you in my arms. He still didn't reflect on himself and was overly arrogant.
The chase was quite long. There was no rush. Asherad wanted Daphne to come on her own because she was tired. The long chase continued for a long time until it ended at the edge of the forest, where the river began. Daphne stopped. Asherad raised the corners of his lips and said.
“Daphne. If you stop quickly, it won’t be hard on both of us.”
“...”
“This is a mountain. You can’t go up. The wild animals are so dangerous...”
“...”
“Daphne, come here.”
Asherad waited patiently for Daphne's despair. Then Daphne looked back. Asherad's expression gradually hardened. As she lowered her hat, the figure of the person he thought was Daphne came into view.
“Hello, Your Majesty.”
Sarah smiled broadly.
“Can you ride a horse?”
Daphne nodded to Count Locania’s question. It didn’t take long for them to resolve their confusion. When Count Locania pointed to the horse, the Count’s knight took the horse. Daphne looked at the knight. Unlike the other knights who wore armor, he wore plain clothes like a servant.
Count Locania looked toward the forest.
“Over there, past the forest, you’ll see the river.”
Daphne nodded.
“If you go right along that river, you’ll see a bridge. Go east in the middle, towards the big rock. If you go to the red ribbon, you’ll find my man.”
“...”
Does that mean the Count has no involvement in this matter? The Count sighed and said, perhaps noticing Daphne's doubt.
“I have work to do here. The Emperor is still unaware of my betrayal. I cannot follow you.”
"Yes."
Daphne nodded. He must have something to do. She was about to get on her horse when she suddenly remembered something and looked back. Sarah was standing there. Daphne seemed to think about something for a moment and bit her lip.
“Can’t I take that kid too?”
"What?"
“She is my friend.”
Sarah flinched at the word 'friend'. Count Locania frowned and clicked his tongue.
“Are you saying we should add one more bundle to our load?”
“But if you go on like this... You’ll kill Sarah.”
Sarah paused at those words and turned around. When she saw it, the knights were surrounding her. Yes, they were the ones who killed the knights. The life of a maid was not important. If Daphne left, she would be killed without anyone knowing. Daphne would save her there.
“You went to all the trouble to start a war, and now you’re causing trouble.”
Daphne's eyes widened at those words. War? Was it the Count of Locania who had declared war on the Kingdom of Thalassa? But there was no time to think about that. They could hear that story later. Saving Sarah was important.
“I’ll let her ride on my horse. It’ll be fine since there are two women.”
Daphne glared at the Count of Locania. The Count knew that she had made up her mind. There was no point in wasting any more time here. The life of the maid was not important, but it was not something that mattered.
"Good night."
Yes. Daphne smiled. She took Sarah's hand and pulled her out of the place surrounded by knights, and helped her mount the horse. Sarah still didn't realize what was happening to her. Daphne came up behind her. Then Daphne whispered in Sarah's ear.
“Just in case, don’t tell anyone that you were his spy.”
Sarah nodded at Daphne's whisper.
“Good luck.”
Daphne bowed her head at Count Locania's words. That man also risked his life to help her. Fabian died because of her, and now he is giving her freedom.
"Thank you."
Daphne finally looked ahead. The knight who was to guide her glanced at her and began to ride. Daphne also moved her horse.
As they left the wooden fence and headed out of the main camp, the horse's speed increased. Not a single person was visible, perhaps because they were all engaged in a melee attack. Daphne also grabbed the reins and began to speed up.
Daphne was terrified. This was the first time she had ridden a horse this fast. But she had to do it, no matter what. She was grateful to her mother for teaching her how to ride. This was the only way she could escape from him. Daphne tightened her grip on the reins. Her determination shone through.
What will happen if I get caught this time? I will definitely die.
Daphne admitted. It was not that she did not want to live by 'Asherad's side, but that she wanted to live if she could get away from him. A life that was not controlled by anyone, but a life that she could lead on her own.
If she were caught, she would gladly accept Asherad's sword. If Asherad didn't kill her, she had no choice but to do it herself. If she were caught, she would die. The wind felt cool as Daphne came to a simple conclusion. The hood of her cloak fell off and shook.
“Since when, since when has it been like this?”
Sarah, who was sitting in front of Daphne, asked. It must have been hard to talk because she was shaking from riding, but she seemed genuinely curious. Daphne spoke, careful not to bite her tongue.
“For a moment, momentarily, I came to my senses.”
Yes, she didn't completely lose herself. Daphne came to her senses once in a while. Her suicide attempt failed, and Asherad was remorseful and treated Daphne well. She knew she was being treated like a child.
Adult Daphne was miserable. If her suicide had failed, she wished she had no adult self. Every time she regained her memories, she would cry and fall asleep, and when she woke up, she would be young Daphne. But that time was over. By the time the war broke out, her escape was over. At some point, her memories completely returned. As if the time to escape was now.
That's why Daphne desperately whined to be taken to Asherad. Asherad took Daphne as she had thought, and she thought about running away from the battlefield. Even if it weren't for the Count of Locania, Daphne would have run away. On the battlefield, Daphne quietly waited for the right time. She didn't know if she would be able to run away right away the next morning.
“It was all smoke since the war broke out.”
Sarah opened her eyes wide at those words. She was speechless, as if she were thinking about something. After passing the plain, a small forest appeared. The trees, which were densely packed, had been cut down, indicating that they had been marching, and they crossed the forest.
Then, a large river began to emerge. Daphne opened her eyes wide. She had never seen a river since coming here from the palace. Could there be a river this large?
Now just follow that knight to the river. And hide in the forest...
"Daphne!"
Daphne flinched at the sudden voice. The voice was so familiar. It was as if the devil was shouting. When Daphne turned her head, the black horse was shining with luster. For a moment, Daphne almost thought the beast was attacking her. The black hair was blowing in the wind. The horse, running at a fierce speed, was clearly closing the distance.
Asherad.
He chased her with a devilish look. Why is this man here? Surely he must be out of his mind from the night raid? Why would he come here? Daphne pulled down the reins and picked up the pace. The horse's speed increased, but the distance between them gradually narrowed. At that moment, a bridge began to come into Daphne's sight.
Just cross the bridge. Just the bridge.
But the bridge is still far away. Even if she crosses the bridge, she will be chased by Asherad. The river crossing is in a forest, and she cannot go there on horseback. If she goes to that forest, he will immediately see where she is going, and Asherad will catch her.
At that moment, the knight who was running stopped his horse. Then he turned his horse and ran towards the Emperor, who was chasing her. Could it be that he was going to fight Asherad? The knight passed by Daphne without saying a word. There was a sound of swords clashing, and then there was no sound. Was it resolved? At that moment, she had a small hope.
“Daphne, stand over there!”
The voice sent shivers down Daphne's spine. When she turned around, she saw the knight's horse galloping away. Next to it, a corpse with its head cut off lay, spurting blood. Daphne didn't bother to look for the knight's head. The blood in her body went cold. She forced herself to suppress her scream.
“Daphneeeeeee!”
The voice was desperate, but it was also as scary as it was desperate. What would happen if she got caught? She thought she didn’t care if she died, but when she saw that figure, she became afraid. The sound of the horse’s hooves grew louder. What should I do? Should I cross that bridge?
At that moment, Asherad's words surpassed Daphne's.
Daphne was terrified. She thought Asherad's words would stop her at any moment. But Asherad overtook Daphne and continued running. What... what... what...?
And Daphne saw Asherad stop in front of the bridge. Seeing that, Daphne pulled the reins. The horse's speed slowed down.
That bridge was Daphne's only hope of escape. But now that Asherad was blocking it, she...
“Get back into the forest quickly!”
Sarah screamed.
***
“Daphne, where are you?”
Asherad got off his horse and walked along the forest path. He thought she would give up if he kept guarding the bridge, but she was nowhere to be seen. She must be hiding in the forest. Or she must be heading back to the barracks.
However, Asherad became anxious because Daphne was not moving, and he got down from his seat to chase after Daphne. Even if Daphne ran away to avoid Asherad's eyes, Asherad was confident that he could catch up.
But no one was visible. It was a narrow forest, so it would have been right to be seen quickly, but Daphne was quiet as if she weren't there.
“Daphne, I forgive you.”
He whispered sweetly. Of course, he would forgive her. As he watched her galloping away on horseback, Asherad had no choice but to admit that she had run away.
But she has his seed. He will ask when her memory comes back and cherish her again. There will be no problem. His cute lover is just scared. So he had to reassure her.
“Daphne, come out.”
He listened, but the birds were so loud that he couldn't hear them. Asherad looked at the birds with annoyance. Then, the moment he stepped on a large tree, he heard a rustling sound.
It was Daphne! Seeing the hood he had put on, Asherad chased after her in delight. Even though it was a forest path, she was so fast that he couldn't catch her right away. However, Asherad enjoyed the chase. So run away from me. Then I will catch you and keep you in my arms. He still didn't reflect on himself and was overly arrogant.
The chase was quite long. There was no rush. Asherad wanted Daphne to come on her own because she was tired. The long chase continued for a long time until it ended at the edge of the forest, where the river began. Daphne stopped. Asherad raised the corners of his lips and said.
“Daphne. If you stop quickly, it won’t be hard on both of us.”
“...”
“This is a mountain. You can’t go up. The wild animals are so dangerous...”
“...”
“Daphne, come here.”
Asherad waited patiently for Daphne's despair. Then Daphne looked back. Asherad's expression gradually hardened. As she lowered her hat, the figure of the person he thought was Daphne came into view.
“Hello, Your Majesty.”
Sarah smiled broadly.
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