Chapter 158
Seeing him like that, Aiden realized that Siren was not planning to kill him.
If he wanted to kill me, he wouldn’t be talking—he’d swing his sword first.
That meant he needed to understand why this bastard was keeping him alive.
As soon as that thought crossed his mind, Aiden opened his mouth.
“You son of a bitch, your life sure is stubborn. I was wondering why we couldn’t catch you all this time, but looking at you dressed up like that, no wonder we couldn’t find you.”
He laughed mockingly.
It was far too relaxed for someone whose shoulder was shattered and who had been poisoned.
“You should know provoking me is pointless.”
“I’m not provoking you. You’re just disgusting.”
Aiden looked Siren up and down and gagged exaggeratedly.
“You weren’t walking around the capital like that, were you? It’s rude to the ladies, so please stop cross-dressing. Don’t you have a mirror at home?”
Instead of answering, Siren stepped closer and raised his sword. His hand moved—and a horrible sound followed.
“…Ghk.”
“Even with your hand crushed, you only groan once. Seems the reputation of the Imperial Knights isn’t for nothing.”
Siren smiled as he flicked the blood off his blade.
“But you won’t be able to hold a sword ever again, so you can’t really call yourself a knight now. How tragic.”
Despite Siren’s mocking words, Aiden continued glaring at him with a sneer.
“Looks like I pissed you off, huh?”
“……”
Siren stared at Aiden for a moment, then raised his hand.
At that signal, figures hidden in the forest revealed themselves.
Aiden clicked his tongue internally.
If this had been Marquis Ragselve’s territory, they wouldn’t have avoided the guards’ eyes. But since it was land belonging to Count Aradman’s family, hiding had been possible.
Then is Count Aradman an accomplice?
But the overturned carriage carried not only Count Aradman’s daughter, but also Eve.
The count treasured Eve even more than his own daughter. There was no way he’d do something this insane.
Feeling the numb taste still lingering in his mouth, Aiden spat again.
At first, he thought the mint flavor was just too strong. But when he bit into the candy, he noticed an unpleasant taste mixed inside.
It was similar to the poison the knights regularly consumed to build resistance.
The strong mint flavor must have been used to mask it.
They said a man named Noma gave the candy.
Aiden remembered Eve’s confused expression, as if it was impossible that something given by that man could be strange.
Meanwhile, Siren issued orders to his men.
“Kill everyone except this one. Pull the children out.”
The hidden men moved immediately.
Those who had been shot with arrows or had already lost consciousness stopped moving altogether, letting out their final groans.
Seeing his subordinates die, Aiden clenched his teeth and glared at Siren.
Siren grinned.
“Honestly, it doesn’t matter who we spare as long as one lives. But I thought it’d be more fun to leave you alive. How does it feel hearing your men die?”
“……”
Aiden said nothing, only stared at him.
Only then did a satisfied smile return to Siren’s face.
After killing not only the knights but even the coachman, Siren’s men opened the door of the overturned carriage.
The first child they dragged out was Eve.
“Ah—! Hhk! L-let go…!”
Eve trembled violently, completely consumed by fear.
“Lady Eve!”
She was someone he had to protect—Clois’s daughter.
Even though he was bleeding so badly that standing was impossible, Aiden tried to rise. Siren kicked the shoulder that had been pierced by a crossbow.
“Ghk!”
Aiden collapsed, coughing up blood.
The men threw Eve down onto the ground.
Thankfully, aside from her disheveled clothes and hair, she didn’t seem seriously injured.
As Siren approached, Eve trembled and barely managed to speak.
“Why… why… is this… ghk!”
Before she could finish, Siren grabbed her by the neck.
“Shh. Be quiet, Princess. Don’t make this troublesome.”
He tightened his grip. After a few seconds, Eve closed her eyes and lost consciousness.
Siren lifted her limp body and tossed her to a subordinate behind him.
The man threw Eve into the back of a hidden supply wagon nearby.
Meanwhile, the others tried to pull the remaining children out of the carriage.
Just as they reached toward Arcel and Luska, who were higher up—
“Aaagh!”
One of the men screamed, clutching his hand.
“…!”
Both Siren and Aiden turned in shock.
“What is it?!”
“The children are awake!”
“What? That’s impossible—”
As Siren panicked, Luska popped his head out through the open top of the carriage.
He forcefully blew a small whistle hanging from his neck.
Though no sound could be heard, birds all across the dark forest suddenly took flight.
“Damn it!”
Siren’s expression hardened.
“As expected of Ragselve’s brat.”
“If my dad… heard that, he’d say… thanks for the compliment…”
Luska tried desperately to act fine, but his words kept breaking.
Luska spat, trembling from the numb taste still lingering in his mouth.
Good thing I didn’t swallow it.
The candy Ibi bought had made him and Arcel compete over who’d eat more, but the candy Eve handed out felt wrong.
While wondering what to do, he noticed Arcel pretending to eat it while actually just holding it in his mouth.
That sly fox.
When they were younger, Marquis Ragselve had taught them how to keep something in their mouth without swallowing or showing it.
Luska had done the same. But when Aiden’s voice rang out, the carriage overturned.
They immediately spat out the candy and shielded the unconscious girls.
Arcel protected Ibi. Luska protected Irene.
Their bodies ached from the impact, but both boys held the girls tighter, more worried about them getting hurt.
This poison is strong.
Even holding it briefly made his head spin.
Ibi and Irene had tasted it without suspicion. There was no way they were conscious.
Once the carriage stopped shaking, Arcel muttered softly.
“Luska, give me the dagger.”
Even though it was their own territory and they were only heading to a nearby village, Luska always carried a dagger for self-defense outside the Academy.
Arcel remembered that.
Just as Luska was about to complain, Arcel added,
“I saw you bring… another one.”
Arcel himself wasn’t in good condition either—his speech kept breaking.
“Tch.”
On the way back, Luska had planned to score chestnuts so they wouldn’t burst in the fire later. That was why he had brought an extra dagger.
“Luska. The whistle.”
“I know.”
Luska handed over the dagger he’d prepared and grabbed the whistle around his neck.
In the Ragselve family, carrying weapons and whistles for emergencies was a strict rule.
He remembered asking his father why, and what he’d said.
“Danger always comes when you think you’re safest.”
Even so, Luska used to complain about it.
I’ll listen to Father better from now on.
With that thought, Luska blew the whistle with all his strength.
Sound wouldn’t travel well inside the carriage, so this was his only chance.
Humans couldn’t hear it, but animals could. The sharp sound echoed through the forest.
The birds raised at the estate would respond.
That meant his siblings and the knights would notice something was wrong and start searching.
At that moment, Siren rushed in, punched Luska in the face, ripped away the whistle, and grabbed his throat.
“Did you think that was praise, Ragselve brat?”
“Ghk—!”
“The marquis has plenty of children. Losing one wouldn’t matter much. It’s a shame I can’t kill you all.”
As Siren tightened his grip, Arcel lunged out and struck his hand.
Siren’s grip loosened.
Arcel pulled the coughing Luska back inside.
“Don’t go out. Staying inside is more… advantageous.”
“Like I… don’t know… ghk!”
Still coughing, Luska looked up.
Arcel tightened his grip on the sword.
I say that, but…
He knew they wouldn’t last long.
Even if help came from the estate, it would take time.
Siren’s target is probably Eve—and us.
Eve was Clois’s daughter. And they were the enemy’s sons.
Then…
Arcel looked at Ibi and Irene, lying unconscious in the corner.
Izriella was there too, but he didn’t care much.
If they resisted fiercely and caused chaos, Siren wouldn’t have time to deal with the others.
That meant they had to fight desperately and buy time.
Normally, going quietly means fewer injuries…
But right now, even if he got hurt—
Evie and Irene had to survive.
