119. Into the Flames
The man jumped into the fire without hesitation.
Neither the rafters falling with a loud noise, nor the sea of fire flowing through the carpet, could stop him.
He had no time to feel the fear of death or the heat that melted his flesh. When he saw the hut engulfed in flames as he rode his horse without thinking, it was already burning. Just seeing the woman with her bloodless face and drooping limply was hell to him.
He leaped over the flames and picked her up. Without reason or sense, he relied only on instinct and fought his way through the fire pit again.
When he finally reached the soft grass where the fire could not reach, the man could feel a small breath brushing his ear.
It was faint and faint, but it definitely had life in it.
...is alive.
He couldn't help but sit there, feeling as if his sense of relief was collapsing.
“Emilia.”
The answer was only a thin groan, but it was enough. The man on his knees found God for the first time in his life at that moment.
There was a man in the bushes not far from them who had been watching the situation the whole time.
It was the chief assassin who had been waiting with a fire lit.
It was a completely unexpected situation for him.
Nothing stood in his way as he entered the forest and fired dozens of flaming arrows at the cabin.
It was all so easy. All he had to do was kidnap the woman who would come running out in panic, or wait until it all burned down.
But then out of nowhere, that guy showed up and started messing everything up.
Of course, nothing would change. The person who hired him clearly did so.
Just set it on fire. You can burn the entire forest. You won't hold anyone responsible if someone dies in the process.
He quickly pulled out his pistol, checked the magazine, and carefully extended his arm to aim the gun.
It wasn't easy to aim because of the darkness, the heat, and the wind blowing from all sides. He took a deep breath and pulled the trigger in an instant.
Bang!
If the sparks carried by the gust of wind had not passed before his eyes, and if he had been accustomed to aiming his gun like a soldier, he might have pierced the heart of his opponent. But the stray bullet passed over the man's arm instead of his chest.
It was a fatal mistake for the chief assassin.
The opponent was a man who had been known as a shooting genius since childhood. He had also received harsh military training.
The moment he felt a hot pain brushing his shoulder, Hardius reacted immediately. With incredible speed, he pulled out the rifle slung over his shoulder and turned around.
The bullets were already loaded, and he had already calculated where the person who shot him would be. The red flames that lit up the pitch-black sky like daylight gave him a clear view.
He held his breath with the buttstock firmly planted on his shoulder in the correct posture. There was not a single waver or hesitation in his hand as he pulled the trigger.
The assassin aimed his pistol once more, but no back-alley thug could outrun a highly trained man.
Bang! Bang!
The fired bullet flew through the air and pierced the assassin's head exactly. He couldn't even scream. The assassin's body fell like a rag doll. It was an instant death.
It was while Hardius was quickly loading bullets and aiming his gun at another assassin who might be hiding somewhere.
"Master!"
Two men on horseback appeared along the driveway.
The mercenaries sensed something strange and rushed to the hut right after a gunfight with the assassins who were pretending to be wanderers.
Only then was Hardius able to put down his gun. Blood spurted from his shoulder, staining his pure white shirt red and dripping down to the ground.
“Your Excellency, please... treat me.”
An urgent voice was heard through her hazy consciousness.
Emilia tried to open her eyes somehow, but her eyelids were too heavy, as if they were being weighed down by a rock.
“...The farm fire... has been put out...”
“Kill all three... The last one is... Chasing..."
“Miss Bern... Please... receive treatment from the young master...”
Unlike the other people's words, which were muffled by the gust of wind, the desperate voice saying, "Call a doctor," came through clearly as if it were her own.
Only then did Emilia realize that she was in Hardius's arms.
The man's body, pressed against her, was trembling violently like a person with a fever, and his heart, which was close to her ear, was beating so fiercely that it felt like it was going to pierce her bones.
The moment she felt the throbbing pulse under his shirt, Emilia felt as if her whole body was collapsing with relief.
He came. He really came...!
“...”
She opened her mouth to speak. No, Imshe tried to open it. But she couldn't make a sound; only labored breathing came out through her gaping teeth.
Every time Emilia opened her mouth, her throat ached as if it were being stabbed by a knife. She felt him stop and look down, as if he heard the groans that were coming out.
“...Just bear with it for a little longer.”
A painful, low sound, like spitting out blood, woke her up and tore at her lungs.
Emilia barely managed to raise her head and looked at her lower abdomen.
"Baby..."
“...”
“Our child...”
“Don’t talk, please...”
A painful sound, as if his Adam's apple was being scratched, came from his mouth again. Emilia once again raised her eyelids with all her might. She saw him through her blurry vision.
“...!”
A shock-like pain ran through her entire body.
He was completely falling apart.
The silver-gray eyes that were as calm as a lake were now filled with turbulence, and the muscles connecting his temples, lips, and jaw were trembling without mercy as if they would explode at any moment.
Over the man's shoulder, the red flames still screamed and burned the cabin.
She was able to realize it even in her blurred consciousness.
It's arson. Someone started the fire. To kill me. To kill my family!
Fear gripped Emilia's whole body. How can she describe the suffocating feeling she felt the moment she discovered the blazing fire?
But strangely enough, what was burning in her heart right now wasn't fear.
If Emilia were him, she would be burning to the bone with self-reproach and disillusionment about this whole situation.
She didn't want to hurt him. She didn't want to make him suffer.
I had to tell you. I had to say it somehow.
I'm okay.
Emilia tried to put strength into her cheeks and raise the corners of her lips.
The child will be okay.
Her trembling hand reached out to him with difficulty. However, no matter how hard she stretched out, her hand could not reach his face and kept slipping away. Her hand, which was falling weakly, barely held on by grabbing the collar of his shirt.
“Master...”
It was the moment when she opened her eyes again, struggling to breathe out the words. There was a shocking scene that hit her in the head belatedly.
What is dyeing the man's shirt bright red is...
“Blood...!”
Emilia couldn't say anything more.
Unable to bear the intense pain that ran up her spine, Emilia lost consciousness again. An animalistic groan echoed through the man's Adam's apple.
“At this time, there do not appear to be any life-threatening injuries.”
The doctor moistened his dry lips with his tongue and continued speaking.
“The problem is the swelling of the airway due to smoke inhalation, but based on the patient’s condition, it doesn’t seem to be serious. It seems that the patient temporarily lost consciousness due to suffocation and sudden shock.”
“Oh, God, thank you.”
Kalia sighed and clasped her hands together as if praying. Charlotte burst into tears, and Mitch quickly hugged his sister and comforted her.
It's okay, Charlotte.
He whispered proudly, but Mitch was also trembling the whole time. He couldn't take his eyes off his sister, who was lying dead on the bed.
Why was the whole family so obsessed with taking Uncle Beppy to the hospital?
They were too relieved to know that there were guards in the forest hired by Hardius Meyer.
I should have picked up my sister yesterday. I absolutely should not have left her alone...
His heart felt like it was going to burst with regret and self-reproach.
The doctor waited for the awkward atmosphere to calm down before speaking again.
“The problem is the fetus...”
The doctor's eyes couldn't help but turn to the man standing by the window.
He was looking out the window with a pale face, one hand curled in his pocket. The transparent sunlight filtered through his pure white shirt and illuminated the bandage wrapped tightly around his shoulder.
The doctor stared blankly at the man, frozen like a statue, then turned his head back to his family.
“There have been no signs of miscarriage yet. She hasn’t had any bleeding or abdominal pain.”
"Ah... "
Kalia sighed again and placed a hand on her chest.
“Of course, I can’t guarantee anything. There are quite a few cases where miscarriages occur without any symptoms. You should watch for the time being and take absolute rest.”
“Yes, sir. Thank you very much... thank you very much.”
Kalia kept bowing her head to the doctor.
Ahem, the doctor, who had cleared his throat, began talking about precautions once again. Charlotte's sobbing and the man's stern explanation echoed in the quiet bedroom.
At that moment, Grojean, who had just entered Rheinsbuch Street, was wiping his sweat nervously from the shaking carriage. He was also very upset about various things. Above all, the conversation he had with Lady Leichnen the night before lingered in his mind.
'...I went to Sitmer a while ago. I wanted to surprise your master.'
The word "Sitmer" shocked him for a moment, but then even more heartbreaking words followed.
'I saw that woman there. Don't fool me. I saw it with my own two eyes.'
Grojean gave up on controlling his expression. Her red-gold eyes, staring straight at him, were burning with determination to find out the truth. This was not a situation that could be overcome with some clumsy trick.
‘I see...’
Grojean nodded slowly. On the other hand, he was thinking hard.
How much does Young Lady know?
If it's been completely discovered, it might be better to run out and tell the young master right away rather than wasting time here.
Fortunately, the other person immediately confessed her feelings.
'It seemed like they weren't on good terms. They seemed very... intimate. Anyone who saw them could tell... they were lovers.'
Bianca Leichnen was the epitome of a noble lady, always calm and reserved.
But at that moment, she was just a normal person. Just a 'person' who was swayed by emotions, made arbitrary judgments, and bit her lips because she couldn't overcome them.
'She was really pretty. Even from a distance... It was enough for me, a woman, to be impressed. It was enough for a man like Hardy Meyer to fall for it...'
Grojean realized in an instant.
You like him. You do that because you like it alone.
What was blazing in her eyes was not a plot or a scheme. It was just a sharp jealousy, sharpened like an awl.
He thought she was the perfect woman for a political marriage, but that was also a complete misjudgment.
'Miss...'
'Is that her?'
The question made Grojean's heart sink. At least the identity of 'that woman' had not been completely revealed. He felt relieved, but at the same time, his chest felt heavy to the point of nausea.
What on earth made you fall in love with a man like Hardius Meyer?
A man who is crazy about his woman right now and is running wild without being able to tell the difference between heaven and earth.
A man who is agonizing over whether or not to put 'Bianca Leichnen' on his blacklist...
The man jumped into the fire without hesitation.
Neither the rafters falling with a loud noise, nor the sea of fire flowing through the carpet, could stop him.
He had no time to feel the fear of death or the heat that melted his flesh. When he saw the hut engulfed in flames as he rode his horse without thinking, it was already burning. Just seeing the woman with her bloodless face and drooping limply was hell to him.
He leaped over the flames and picked her up. Without reason or sense, he relied only on instinct and fought his way through the fire pit again.
When he finally reached the soft grass where the fire could not reach, the man could feel a small breath brushing his ear.
It was faint and faint, but it definitely had life in it.
...is alive.
He couldn't help but sit there, feeling as if his sense of relief was collapsing.
“Emilia.”
The answer was only a thin groan, but it was enough. The man on his knees found God for the first time in his life at that moment.
There was a man in the bushes not far from them who had been watching the situation the whole time.
It was the chief assassin who had been waiting with a fire lit.
It was a completely unexpected situation for him.
Nothing stood in his way as he entered the forest and fired dozens of flaming arrows at the cabin.
It was all so easy. All he had to do was kidnap the woman who would come running out in panic, or wait until it all burned down.
But then out of nowhere, that guy showed up and started messing everything up.
Of course, nothing would change. The person who hired him clearly did so.
Just set it on fire. You can burn the entire forest. You won't hold anyone responsible if someone dies in the process.
He quickly pulled out his pistol, checked the magazine, and carefully extended his arm to aim the gun.
It wasn't easy to aim because of the darkness, the heat, and the wind blowing from all sides. He took a deep breath and pulled the trigger in an instant.
Bang!
If the sparks carried by the gust of wind had not passed before his eyes, and if he had been accustomed to aiming his gun like a soldier, he might have pierced the heart of his opponent. But the stray bullet passed over the man's arm instead of his chest.
It was a fatal mistake for the chief assassin.
The opponent was a man who had been known as a shooting genius since childhood. He had also received harsh military training.
The moment he felt a hot pain brushing his shoulder, Hardius reacted immediately. With incredible speed, he pulled out the rifle slung over his shoulder and turned around.
The bullets were already loaded, and he had already calculated where the person who shot him would be. The red flames that lit up the pitch-black sky like daylight gave him a clear view.
He held his breath with the buttstock firmly planted on his shoulder in the correct posture. There was not a single waver or hesitation in his hand as he pulled the trigger.
The assassin aimed his pistol once more, but no back-alley thug could outrun a highly trained man.
Bang! Bang!
The fired bullet flew through the air and pierced the assassin's head exactly. He couldn't even scream. The assassin's body fell like a rag doll. It was an instant death.
It was while Hardius was quickly loading bullets and aiming his gun at another assassin who might be hiding somewhere.
"Master!"
Two men on horseback appeared along the driveway.
The mercenaries sensed something strange and rushed to the hut right after a gunfight with the assassins who were pretending to be wanderers.
Only then was Hardius able to put down his gun. Blood spurted from his shoulder, staining his pure white shirt red and dripping down to the ground.
***
“Your Excellency, please... treat me.”
An urgent voice was heard through her hazy consciousness.
Emilia tried to open her eyes somehow, but her eyelids were too heavy, as if they were being weighed down by a rock.
“...The farm fire... has been put out...”
“Kill all three... The last one is... Chasing..."
“Miss Bern... Please... receive treatment from the young master...”
Unlike the other people's words, which were muffled by the gust of wind, the desperate voice saying, "Call a doctor," came through clearly as if it were her own.
Only then did Emilia realize that she was in Hardius's arms.
The man's body, pressed against her, was trembling violently like a person with a fever, and his heart, which was close to her ear, was beating so fiercely that it felt like it was going to pierce her bones.
The moment she felt the throbbing pulse under his shirt, Emilia felt as if her whole body was collapsing with relief.
He came. He really came...!
“...”
She opened her mouth to speak. No, Imshe tried to open it. But she couldn't make a sound; only labored breathing came out through her gaping teeth.
Every time Emilia opened her mouth, her throat ached as if it were being stabbed by a knife. She felt him stop and look down, as if he heard the groans that were coming out.
“...Just bear with it for a little longer.”
A painful, low sound, like spitting out blood, woke her up and tore at her lungs.
Emilia barely managed to raise her head and looked at her lower abdomen.
"Baby..."
“...”
“Our child...”
“Don’t talk, please...”
A painful sound, as if his Adam's apple was being scratched, came from his mouth again. Emilia once again raised her eyelids with all her might. She saw him through her blurry vision.
“...!”
A shock-like pain ran through her entire body.
He was completely falling apart.
The silver-gray eyes that were as calm as a lake were now filled with turbulence, and the muscles connecting his temples, lips, and jaw were trembling without mercy as if they would explode at any moment.
Over the man's shoulder, the red flames still screamed and burned the cabin.
She was able to realize it even in her blurred consciousness.
It's arson. Someone started the fire. To kill me. To kill my family!
Fear gripped Emilia's whole body. How can she describe the suffocating feeling she felt the moment she discovered the blazing fire?
But strangely enough, what was burning in her heart right now wasn't fear.
If Emilia were him, she would be burning to the bone with self-reproach and disillusionment about this whole situation.
She didn't want to hurt him. She didn't want to make him suffer.
I had to tell you. I had to say it somehow.
I'm okay.
Emilia tried to put strength into her cheeks and raise the corners of her lips.
The child will be okay.
Her trembling hand reached out to him with difficulty. However, no matter how hard she stretched out, her hand could not reach his face and kept slipping away. Her hand, which was falling weakly, barely held on by grabbing the collar of his shirt.
“Master...”
It was the moment when she opened her eyes again, struggling to breathe out the words. There was a shocking scene that hit her in the head belatedly.
What is dyeing the man's shirt bright red is...
“Blood...!”
Emilia couldn't say anything more.
Unable to bear the intense pain that ran up her spine, Emilia lost consciousness again. An animalistic groan echoed through the man's Adam's apple.
***
“At this time, there do not appear to be any life-threatening injuries.”
The doctor moistened his dry lips with his tongue and continued speaking.
“The problem is the swelling of the airway due to smoke inhalation, but based on the patient’s condition, it doesn’t seem to be serious. It seems that the patient temporarily lost consciousness due to suffocation and sudden shock.”
“Oh, God, thank you.”
Kalia sighed and clasped her hands together as if praying. Charlotte burst into tears, and Mitch quickly hugged his sister and comforted her.
It's okay, Charlotte.
He whispered proudly, but Mitch was also trembling the whole time. He couldn't take his eyes off his sister, who was lying dead on the bed.
Why was the whole family so obsessed with taking Uncle Beppy to the hospital?
They were too relieved to know that there were guards in the forest hired by Hardius Meyer.
I should have picked up my sister yesterday. I absolutely should not have left her alone...
His heart felt like it was going to burst with regret and self-reproach.
The doctor waited for the awkward atmosphere to calm down before speaking again.
“The problem is the fetus...”
The doctor's eyes couldn't help but turn to the man standing by the window.
He was looking out the window with a pale face, one hand curled in his pocket. The transparent sunlight filtered through his pure white shirt and illuminated the bandage wrapped tightly around his shoulder.
The doctor stared blankly at the man, frozen like a statue, then turned his head back to his family.
“There have been no signs of miscarriage yet. She hasn’t had any bleeding or abdominal pain.”
"Ah... "
Kalia sighed again and placed a hand on her chest.
“Of course, I can’t guarantee anything. There are quite a few cases where miscarriages occur without any symptoms. You should watch for the time being and take absolute rest.”
“Yes, sir. Thank you very much... thank you very much.”
Kalia kept bowing her head to the doctor.
Ahem, the doctor, who had cleared his throat, began talking about precautions once again. Charlotte's sobbing and the man's stern explanation echoed in the quiet bedroom.
At that moment, Grojean, who had just entered Rheinsbuch Street, was wiping his sweat nervously from the shaking carriage. He was also very upset about various things. Above all, the conversation he had with Lady Leichnen the night before lingered in his mind.
'...I went to Sitmer a while ago. I wanted to surprise your master.'
The word "Sitmer" shocked him for a moment, but then even more heartbreaking words followed.
'I saw that woman there. Don't fool me. I saw it with my own two eyes.'
Grojean gave up on controlling his expression. Her red-gold eyes, staring straight at him, were burning with determination to find out the truth. This was not a situation that could be overcome with some clumsy trick.
‘I see...’
Grojean nodded slowly. On the other hand, he was thinking hard.
How much does Young Lady know?
If it's been completely discovered, it might be better to run out and tell the young master right away rather than wasting time here.
Fortunately, the other person immediately confessed her feelings.
'It seemed like they weren't on good terms. They seemed very... intimate. Anyone who saw them could tell... they were lovers.'
Bianca Leichnen was the epitome of a noble lady, always calm and reserved.
But at that moment, she was just a normal person. Just a 'person' who was swayed by emotions, made arbitrary judgments, and bit her lips because she couldn't overcome them.
'She was really pretty. Even from a distance... It was enough for me, a woman, to be impressed. It was enough for a man like Hardy Meyer to fall for it...'
Grojean realized in an instant.
You like him. You do that because you like it alone.
What was blazing in her eyes was not a plot or a scheme. It was just a sharp jealousy, sharpened like an awl.
He thought she was the perfect woman for a political marriage, but that was also a complete misjudgment.
'Miss...'
'Is that her?'
The question made Grojean's heart sink. At least the identity of 'that woman' had not been completely revealed. He felt relieved, but at the same time, his chest felt heavy to the point of nausea.
What on earth made you fall in love with a man like Hardius Meyer?
A man who is crazy about his woman right now and is running wild without being able to tell the difference between heaven and earth.
A man who is agonizing over whether or not to put 'Bianca Leichnen' on his blacklist...
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