"Princess!"
Her purple-black hair scattered in waves through the air. A startled hand reached out urgently. His large hand firmly supported her back.
His gaze naturally fell on her collapsed face and neck.
Her nightgown dress was stained red, soaked with blood from the nosebleed and the long gash on her neck.
The scent of blood filled the air, leaving a fishy taste in his mouth.
"Princess..."
His breath caught in his throat. The thought that the woman might die made his whole body feel cold.
The woman in his arms was so frail that she seemed like she would disappear if he squeezed her with one hand.
"Sister!"
The child's scream-like cry snapped him back to his senses.
"Kid, heal her right now."
"Hic, I can't! Not now. We need to get out of the forest."
Rodrick's face crumpled mercilessly. He laid Diana down and called for his aide.
"Daren!"
"Yes, Commander."
Noel, unable to stay still, used his sleeve to stop the still-flowing nosebleed.
"First aid kit. Bring the medical supplies."
The vice-commander's body was in a mess from Rodrick's attack. Despite the deeply embedded wounds in his shattered armor, he was still alive.
If it weren't for Diana, everyone here would have died.
Feeling deep relief and gratitude, he brought out the supplies with his injured body.
"I'll do it."
"I'll do it myself."
It was the first time Rodrick had become so emotional. Daren looked at his lord with unfamiliarity.
Stopping the bleeding, wrapping the bandages. Rodrick did all the treatment himself. Although the bleeding had stopped, she lay with her eyes closed as if dead.
[This is the timeline separator]
After coming down from the tree, Pelice blankly watched as Noel broke free from his arms and ran forward.
Beep- A ringing sound echoed in his ears.
Pelice slumped down and reached for his bag.
The stones that had been glowing and emitting light were now colorless and shattered.
Quickly grasping the correlation with the current situation, Pelice clenched his trembling hands.
'I... I almost killed my brother.'
He had only wanted to break the curse, to research it. The realization that he had nearly lost everything due to his mistake made his body shake uncontrollably.
Who would be most panicked by Diana's collapse?
Though he appeared the most composed on the outside, Rodrick's condition was far from normal.
"Commander."
"Take care of the child and follow immediately."
"Pardon?"
"We're leaving first."
Rodrick carefully wrapped Diana in a robe and blanket, then gently lifted her into his arms.
"I want to go too!"
"You'll be in the way."
"Me too! I want to go with sister!"
"Brother, I'll tidy up here and bring him."
Pelice tightly gripped Noel's small hand. Pelice's expression was dark, but no one paid attention.
"Alright."
Watching Diana being taken away, Pelice made an unspoken farewell. He gritted his teeth, feeling like he might burst into tears.
"Thank you. For saving my brother. Thank you."
Pelice vowed to repay this debt no matter what.
While Pelice was lost in his thoughts, Noel was staring at the trail of blood Diana had left with angry eyes.
"I won't let this slide. If anything happens to sister, I won't let it go."
As the knights slowly got up and tended to their injured bodies, Noel muttered, but no one heard his ominous words.
[This is the timeline separator]
"We apologize, Commander."
"Are you trying to cover up your incompetence with apologies?"
The fierce voice cut like a blade. The priests trembled but continued to move their lips diligently.
"We've treated the wound on her neck and the internal injuries, but we don't know why she's not waking up..."
Rodrick roughly pushed back the hair falling in front of his face.
He couldn't remember how he had managed to break through the Black Forest.
They had met up with the waiting attendants outside the Black Forest and arrived at the village closest to the forest.
The priests he had called first were in this state. Incompetent humans who couldn't even recognize a curse.
"Get out."
He tossed a heavy pouch of gold coins without even looking at it. His gaze was fixed on Diana.
"Is there anything else we can do to help..."
A priest who had seen the money blurted out nonsense. The attendant nearby cautioned them not to upset his master's mood.
"Come now, if you've finished your work, would you please leave? The Schwartz family will be making a large donation to the temple soon. So please leave now."
The attendant closed the door after pushing the priests out.
The attendant cautiously observed his master's condition. Usually, his emotions were so unreadable, but now he seemed extremely unstable.
Is he going to get angry? In the precarious silence, Rodrick opened his mouth.
"The carriage?"
"It takes too long to bring one from the north, so we're requisitioning one nearby. It will be here soon."
"Leave."
At that brief command, the attendant, who had been bowing his head, couldn't help but open his mouth out of curiosity.
"Who is that young lady?"
Oops. He had spoken without thinking again. He remembered his grandfather's curse that he wouldn't live out his natural life because of that curiosity.
Contrary to the expectation of a thunderbolt falling, Rodrick's voice was only calm.
"Diana Beatus."
Diana. Beatus? Gasp. The attendant inhaled sharply. The Beatus family was one of the top three most powerful families in central politics.
"D-did you kidnap her?!"
"..."
"No, you went to find Young Master Pelice, but you came out with a bloodied central noble! It's strange, isn't it? The young lady's condition looks serious too. Has your madness flared up again?!"
"One more word."
"Yes?"
"One more word and you'll live the rest of your life with your mouth torn."
"Hup. I-I'm sorry."
"Get out."
The attendant, pale-faced, bowed deeply and quickly left the room.
It was a shabby inn room with poor soundproofing. Various noises of busy movement seeped through the gaps in the door.
Rodrick and Diana. Only the air surrounding the two seemed to flow slowly, as if stagnant.
Search "seduce" at redcatty [.] com to read ahead up to chap 70.