Episode 14
The assassins and the Imperial Knights both froze, staring at each other in surprise. Presumably, they hadn’t expected that in attempting to kill me, they would come face-to-face with the Emperor. One of the assassins asked their leader nervously:
“What… what should we do?”
Someone shouted angrily in response:
“Ugh! Kill them all!”
At that instant, the sharp sound of drawn swords echoed through the hall as the Imperial Knights prepared to defend. Seeing the assassins draw their weapons from above, Davin quickly pulled me closer to him.
Below us were the intruders who had broken into the reception hall; above, more assassins were advancing from the second floor. Davin and I were trapped in the middle of the staircase.
‘What do we do?’
I glanced at Davin in panic. Unlike me, his expression remained calm as he drew his sword from his waist.
“Stay close to me,” he instructed.
With his sword in hand, Davin began cutting a path through the second-floor left corridor. He seemed to have judged that it was better to push upward than risk being trapped below.
An assassin then threw a dagger at me, which Davin skillfully deflected with his sword. Despite his precise movements, I flinched at the loud clash of metal so close to my head. Until now, none of the assassins had gotten this near me—they had always been neutralized before reaching me. I suddenly realized how carefully Davin had always protected me.
The enemies weren’t just swinging swords—they also hurled shurikens. I had been exposed within their range, and their real target was me, not Davin.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Davin blocked the attacks while calmly instructing me:
“Stay even closer.”
“Okay!”
I nearly panicked at the flying shurikens and knives, but Davin’s calm voice brought me back to focus.
If I stayed close to him, I was safe. He would protect me.
A few Imperial Knights rushed up the stairs to intercept the assassins surrounding us. Instinctively, I pressed my body against Davin to avoid the flying weapons, and he wrapped his arm around my shoulders to shield me.
At that moment, a commanding voice rang out from the first-floor lobby:
“Anis!”
I froze reflexively, startled, and turned toward the Emperor. At that same instant, I felt Davin’s arm slide around my neck and, simultaneously, something sharp and piercing strike me in the throat.
“Ah…”
A cold, burning sensation spread instantly through my neck. Instinctively, I realized I was dying.
That damn Emperor…
Then, everything went black.
As the assassin’s dagger flew toward me, Davin reacted swiftly. He raised his left arm to block it, but it wasn’t a perfect defense. His left arm, not fully saturated with his energy, was pierced by the assassin’s blade.
‘…Damn.’
The worst-case scenario unfolded. Davin gritted his teeth as his arm was pierced, and I suffered a fatal wound to my neck. The blade may have been poisoned—he could feel a searing, tingling heat from the wound.
Davin immediately pressed his hand to my bleeding neck and began channeling his energy into me. Normally, he would avoid showing his energy in front of the Imperial Knights, but my wound was in the neck—there was no choice.
We needed to reach a safe place quickly. Emergency treatment was critical.
Clang! Clang! Thud!
Davin’s movements became noticeably faster as urgency overcame him. The ranks of the enemy ahead crumbled under his sword in an instant, clearing a path.
“An… Anis…?”
The Emperor, witnessing me collapse with blood streaming from my neck, turned pale. It seemed he realized that his summoning had caused me to hesitate and be stabbed.
Ignoring the Emperor, Davin cut down the remaining enemies in his path. Once the way was clear, he scooped me up and ran. His senses extended outward, alert for any hidden threats. Fortunately, there were no enemies nearby.
Arriving at my bedroom, Davin closed the door and drove his sword into it to prevent entry, creating a temporary defensive barrier. He laid me down carefully and began channeling his energy into my neck.
If anyone in the mansion could sense his energy, it could become problematic—but he couldn’t hesitate; I would die otherwise.
As he poured his energy into me, Davin’s anxiety grew. When he had previously tried to restore my memories, his energy had been ineffective. What if it failed again this time…?
The thought was unbearable. He gritted his teeth and began channeling all his energy.
A brilliant light filled the room, so intense it was almost blinding.
Fortunately, after a short time, my faint breaths returned, and my color improved. The poison within me dissipated completely. Feeling my pulse and respiration normalize, Davin finally exhaled in relief.
“Haah…”
His body was drenched in cold sweat. He wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. Had it not been for this power, I would have been lost.
“Phew…”
Though his energy couldn’t restore my memories, it was enough to heal the poison and the wound. Relieved, Davin began planning his next move.
‘What now?’
His gaze lingered on the wound in my neck. Ideally, he wanted to heal it completely without leaving a scar, but many had witnessed me being stabbed. Leaving a mark seemed necessary if we were to remain here.
‘But is it even necessary to stay here?’
He recalled the Emperor’s earlier accusation, asking if I had staged the incident. Anger flared in his eyes.
Until now, he had stopped me from fleeing overseas because I still remembered loving the Emperor. But after nearly being killed due to the Emperor’s actions, he felt fury.
If he had known this would happen, he would have fled with me overseas, just as I had suggested.
Count Miller had prepared multiple safe houses abroad. With me in his arms, Davin could escape without worry.
‘Perhaps we should move to another country and seek asylum, as Anis suggested.’
After healing the wound with his energy, if I wore a wig, the intruders would never recognize me for the time being.
As the battle wound down, the clash of swords gradually subsided, and the mansion grew quiet. Davin extended his senses to monitor the surroundings.
From his perception, it seemed the Imperial Knights had won. After all, trained elite knights couldn’t be defeated by mere assassins.
But then he heard another sound, after the clashing had stopped completely.
“Your Majesty…!”
“Quiet…”
“You must notify the palace and summon a doctor immediately! In the meantime, Your Majesty, take this—an emergency antidote.”
It was Joshua, the Imperial Knight, urgently speaking. Apparently, the Emperor had also been affected by the assassins’ poison.
Davin recalled the searing sensation in his injured arm. The assassins had used a potent poison intended to kill me instantly.
He raised his previously injured left arm, which had been pierced by a sword. Exposed to his energy while healing me, it had already fully recovered.
‘What should I do next?’
From the distance, the Emperor’s groans of pain reached Davin, accompanied by the frantic sounds of the Imperial Knights attempting emergency treatment.
