CH:41
The gates of the Harlant Duchy, which had opened to let them leave, were now visibly closing again.
“We’re finally out of the duchy…!”
Eugenia’s heart stirred—not from fear, but from something else entirely.
She looked at Selmia and Joshua seated across from her.
“Could this be the start of a new future for these children?”
She prayed earnestly that this stroke of luck would continue—at least until she delivered the children safely to House Heraiz.
The carriage carrying her and the twins did not stop, pushing forward relentlessly.
They had to switch drivers without being seen, as the watchtower in Harlant Duchy would surely be monitoring the outer perimeter.
After another thirty minutes or so, the carriage finally began to slow down.
“Whoa, whoa!”
The horses responded obediently to the command.
There was a light clattering sound, followed by a soft thud—likely Enrique and Albury dismounting from their horses.
But Eugenia and the twins made no move to get off.
Albury was handing over his horse to the driver, as he was now planning to drive the carriage to the Empire himself.
“Our agreement ends here. Get off now.”
The voices of Enrique and Albury, speaking to the driver, could be heard nearby.
However, the driver fidgeted nervously on the seat.
“Th-the thing is…”
He looked extremely uneasy.
“Is something wrong?”
Albury moved toward the driver, sensing something strange.
“Ugh!”
Suddenly, the driver yanked the reins tight and lashed the horses with a fierce strike of the whip.
“Neigh!”
The horses, screaming from the pain, bolted forward.
“Ahhh!”
The carriage jolted violently from the sudden acceleration.
Eugenia quickly stood up and pulled the children sitting across from her into her arms.
“Sis! Waaah!”
“Joshua! Selmia! Are you okay?”
“I’m okay, but… Sherry—damn it, what’s going on all of a sudden?!”
Eugenia looked Selmia over.
The child was visibly shaken, her face flushed with sudden heat, and her crying didn’t stop once it had begun.
“Waaah!”
“Selmia, Sherry! It’s okay. Look at me. Everything will be okay.”
But the carriage showed no signs of stopping. If anything, it picked up speed.
“Why all of a sudden?!”
Eugenia held the children tightly, not loosening her grip for a second in fear they might get hurt.
“Ugh!”
Because of that, she couldn’t protect herself. Her shoulders, head, and back repeatedly slammed against the walls of the carriage.
“If I were alone, I’d have opened the door and jumped out.”
But protecting the children was the priority. That option wasn’t even on the table.
Then how could they escape?
She began to think rapidly.
Meanwhile, chaos erupted outside.
“Ah! Lord Enrique!”
Albury raised his voice at the driver’s sudden outburst.
He was so speechless that he just pointed helplessly at the fast-receding carriage.
“Damn it…”
Enrique cursed under his breath.
He instinctively reached for the weapon strapped to his belt—but stopped.
He couldn’t fire a gun.
This was a kind of demilitarized zone.
If a gunshot rang out here, both nations would react swiftly.
It could very well lead to war.
His jaw clenched tightly as he ground his teeth in frustration.
Clicking his tongue in irritation, Enrique quickly mounted his horse again.
“Neigh!”
The horse reared its head and let out a loud cry.
“Hyah!”
Enrique expertly gripped the reins and charged after the carriage.
“Lord Enrique!”
Albury’s voice faded behind him, but Enrique didn’t have the luxury of turning back.
He leaned low over the horse’s neck and spurred its side with his heel.
The horse galloped forward with incredible speed.
Though the wind whipped into his face, Enrique didn’t close his eyes—he only squinted slightly.
As if even a momentary blink might make him lose sight of his target.
He rode with practiced ease and began closing the distance between them.
The carriage was pulled by a single horse.
And with four passengers, there was only so much speed it could manage, no matter how hard the whip came down.
“Good.”
Catching up was just a matter of time.
Just as Enrique was about to urge his horse faster, the carriage door swung open.
Eugenia.
“That woman…!”
Enrique clenched his teeth again.
She was gripping the carriage roof with her slender arms, inching carefully toward the driver’s seat on tiptoes.
Her dress billowed wildly in the fierce wind.
Fortunately, the driver hadn’t noticed her yet.
But Eugenia looked like she might fall at any moment.
She even stumbled once, nearly losing her balance.
Falling from a moving carriage at that speed would mean at least broken bones.
“Damn it!”
Enrique spurred his horse again.
As if sensing his urgency, the horse surged forward, and soon he was riding side by side with the carriage.
“Eugenia!”
He called her name angrily.
Eugenia turned and looked, her eyes widening in surprise.
“Huh…? L-Lord Enrique?”
“Get back inside!”
“But—!”
“Now!”
Her eyes, which had been wavering with uncertainty, suddenly hardened with resolve.
She nodded briefly and carefully climbed back into the carriage.
The driver, unaware she had stepped out, turned his head at the noise behind him—and froze.
He had expected Enrique might follow, but not at such close range.
“Hyah! Faster, damn you!”
He lashed the horse viciously again, but the exhausted beast couldn’t go any faster.
Enrique was now riding right beside him.
With one hand on the reins, his other hand slipped into his coat and gripped the hilt of his dagger.
A strike to the driver’s neck would kill him instantly.
It was the fastest way to regain control of the carriage, and Enrique was confident he could do it from this distance.
But he hesitated.
“Strange.”
The driver did nothing but run.
“This isn’t the work of a professional.”
That likely meant he wasn’t acting of his own volition.
Enrique recalled the driver’s overly anxious expression before the runaway started.
“Where did the leak happen?”
Was the target him—or Eugenia?
Even as he whipped the reins, Enrique’s mind spun rapidly.
“For now, I need to catch him and make him talk.”
Killing the driver was no longer an option.
He needed him alive to trace the people behind this.
By now, Eugenia had gotten back inside and shut the carriage door.
Enrique glanced at the interior.
Eugenia was holding the children close.
“Haa…”
He exhaled heavily and slightly eased the horse’s pace.
Although he was deliberately slowing down, the driver thought he had lost Enrique.
Enrique’s horse drew level with the rear wheels.
He gripped the dagger tightly in his hand.
Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t hesitate—but the people inside were far too vulnerable to risk a reckless move.
“Still, this is the only way.”
With determination, he threw the dagger between the spokes of the rear wheel.
It sliced through the air and embedded perfectly.
The wheel jammed and cracked.
Crash!
The carriage lost balance as the wheel broke.
The speed dropped instantly, causing the horse to stagger and collapse under the strain of the increased drag.
Thud!
The carriage tipped over.
Thankfully, it didn’t flip all at once but slowly tilted before falling, which softened the impact.
Enrique quickly reined in his horse and jumped down.
He ran to the overturned carriage and leapt up, flinging the door open.
“Are you okay?”
“Ugh… I-I’m okay.”
Eugenia responded weakly, groaning from the impact.
“The children?”
“I have to check outside. Please, take them first.”
She handed Selmia and Joshua up to Enrique one at a time, and he lifted them out gently.
Lastly, Eugenia climbed out with his help, grunting as she did.
“Wait here for a moment.”
Seeing Albury approaching in the distance, Enrique led Eugenia and the twins to a spot far from the driver’s seat.
Then he approached the driver’s seat silently, watching his step.
He assumed the driver would be incapacitated after such a crash…
“Damn it.”
Enrique cursed quietly after checking the man’s condition.
The driver was dead—blood spilling from his mouth.
In his hand was a small glass vial, likely containing some kind of black poison.
