50
Kaiden was about to rush out right away and smash the group, but Marion barely stopped him.
She hugged his waist from behind and whispered.
“Your Highness the Grand Duke, please endure just a little longer!”
“Aren’t you angry?”
“I’m angry too, but there must be someone behind this. Let’s at least find out who that is and finish them off.”
Only then did Kaiden calm down. Marion tightly grasped Kaiden’s hand and turned her ears once more to what the ruffians were saying.
Kaiden looked down at their joined hands.
Even in the middle of this, his chest tickled. Feeling the warmth from Marion’s hand, he focused on the ruffians.
“That person wants the wastrel’s reputation to hit rock bottom.”
“But the wastrel’s fans aren’t easy either. Among the newspaper owner’s sons, there’s a fan of that woman, and he regularly publishes articles with good content.”
“Tsk. What’s so good about a wastrel like that.”
Marion quietly muttered.
“Hoo. I’d like to see that face at least once later.”
Kaiden glanced at Marion for a moment. He didn’t like that Marion was showing interest in the newspaper owner’s son.
But that wasn’t the important part. Kaiden quietly asked.
“Who do you think ‘that person’ is?”
“Well… It doesn’t seem like the Crown Prince.”
While the two were guessing, the egg guy spoke in a vile voice.
“How about drawing some erotic pictures of the wastrel and spreading them around?”
“What? Kick, that’s good!”
The ruffians giggled and laughed, and Kaiden, unable to hold back any longer, rushed out.
Marion also had no reason to endure anymore and rushed out with him. They couldn’t just listen when they were talking about spreading erotic pictures.
Thwack!
“Wh-what?!”
“Who the hell are you!”
When the two suddenly dropped from the sky, the ruffians were startled and stumbled backward. Marion answered confidently.
“If you’re curious, come to Silver.”
“What?!”
The potato guy got angry at the silly remark, but Kaiden and Marion didn’t hesitate. The two quickly beat the ruffians.
Thud thud!
“Argh!”
In no time, the three ruffians were on their knees with battered faces, and the two children were trembling, clinging tightly to each other.
“W-who are you people to do this to us?!”
The ruffians couldn’t recognize Kaiden and Marion, who had their hoods pulled low. The sunset had almost completely faded, making the surroundings dim. Soon the magic streetlights would illuminate the area.
Marion opened her mouth.
“You don’t need to know. Who hired you?”
“W-what are you talking about!”
Thud.
Marion roughly hit the egg guy’s head. The egg guy let out an “Ugh!” and toppled forward.
“I didn’t even hit you that hard, so stop whining. I asked who ordered you?”
“Urgh…!”
The ruffians exchanged glances and kept silent.
Meanwhile, Kaiden felt complicated seeing Marion acting even more thuggish than the ruffians.
The way she casually cracked her knuckles while talking was exactly like a back-alley delinquent.
‘…The fact that I find that appearance cute means I’m seriously ill too.’
Kaiden spoke.
“If you don’t talk, shall we take you away for interrogation?”
Marion replied.
“Would that be okay?”
Kaiden noticed it was a question mindful of public opinion.
“Well… Now that we know there’s someone behind it, we can’t just let it go.”
Marion and Kaiden briefly discussed among themselves. Marion wanted to beat them here and now, while Kaiden wanted to take them and interrogate professionally, their opinions were evenly split.
While the two were busy talking, the egg guy suddenly lunged and grabbed one of the nearby children.
“If you don’t let us go, I’ll kill this kid!”
“Eek!”
In an instant, the guy’s dagger was pressed against the child’s throat.
Marion panicked.
“…Taking a child hostage?”
Then the other ruffians also rose confidently and took the remaining child hostage.
“Y-yeah! We’ll kill this one too!”
Marion and Kaiden frowned.
The two had only beaten the ruffians and hadn’t separately checked their belongings.
Since they thought the children were part of the same group, they hadn’t expected this.
The children began trembling in terror as blades touched their necks.
“Ha, they really do everything.”
Marion watched the scene with an annoyed face. Kaiden simply looked tired. When Kaiden approached them, the egg guy shouted.
“If you come closer, I’ll kill him!”
“I don’t understand why you’re asking for trouble.”
“You’re right.”
The ruffians tensed at the two’s muttering.
They knew the two people with hoods pulled low were strong, but they hadn’t hit the children. That’s when the ruffians realized—these unidentified people were probably not back-alley thugs.
So they thought taking the children hostage would create an opening to escape.
“D-don’t move, or this guy’s throat will be cut!”
The egg guy shouted and put more strength into his hand. Without realizing it, he pulled the knife closer.
“Ouch!”
Blood began to well up and drip from the child’s neck. Marion’s gaze unconsciously followed the child’s scream.
“Ugh!”
Marion staggered back greatly and stumbled.
Kaiden was startled by the sound and turned around, but it was already too late.
Splash!
“Marion!”
Kaiden shouted loudly and immediately reached out. But right behind Marion was the river. It happened in an instant.
“Run!”
The ruffians, thinking this was their chance, scrambled away. Kaiden jumped into the river without hesitation.
* * *
The moment I saw blood, I fainted, but as soon as I fell into the water, I regained consciousness.
You know, in old historical dramas, they splash water on people who fainted from torture to wake them up.
By the same principle, I snapped awake immediately.
But there was a problem.
“Blegh! S-save me!”
I had a severe fear of water.
Near the Grand Duke of Baltstein’s castle was a large lake. Ever since I fell in once while playing nearby as a child, I would go into panic the moment I entered water.
Just like now.
“Gasp, gasp! Blegh!”
[Marion! Get a hold of yourself!]
Somewhere, Blade’s urgent shout rang out. But I had no idea where it was coming from.
I couldn’t breathe properly. My vision blurred, and I couldn’t see anything. In order to live, I flailed my limbs wildly. Only splashing sounds echoed in my ears.
I don’t want to die, someone please…!
“Marion!”
Kaiden’s voice pierced through the darkness.
“Y-Your Highness!”
I desperately called for him, but I didn’t know where Kaiden was. I just thrashed my arms and legs like mad.
Then I felt someone grab me.
“Marion, calm down…!”
“No! Save me!”
There is one thing you absolutely must not do when rescuing someone drowning.
“Ugh, just a moment. Marion, calm…!”
“Gasp! S-save me!”
Trying to rescue them before their strength runs out.
I clung desperately to the person holding me. To survive, I clawed at him and struggled to climb on top.
If he were an ordinary person, Kaiden could have easily subdued me and pulled me out of the water.
The problem was that I was a sword master.
“Heogh, blegh, heogh! Heogh!”
“Marion! Breathe properly and stay still… ugh…!”
River water slapped my face. I clung to him with all my strength.
How many minutes passed? Only after a considerable amount of time did my strength finally give out. Only then could Kaiden drag me up onto the riverbank.
“Haa…. Marion, are you okay?”
I still couldn’t breathe properly. My head spun, and consciousness kept fading.
“Marion? Marion!”
Kaiden’s calling voice grew farther and farther away.
“Kaiden-nim! The lake is really big!”
A huge lake spread out before my eyes. I ran around like a colt and entered the water.
“You must not go in deep.”
Kaiden’s admonishing voice came. When I turned around, I saw Kaiden looking younger than now.
Younger…?
A strange sense of discomfort hit me. I looked around. The large lake near the Grand Duke’s castle.
Only then did I realize this was a memory from childhood.
I was thirteen. Before I started calling Kaiden “Your Highness.”
Summer in the north was extremely short, so if not now, I couldn’t dip my feet in the lake.
Just for a moment in the lake?
The moment I recognized it, I realized the water had risen to my chin.
“Marion!”
Kaiden’s sharp shout. The sound of splashing water. My sinking body.
Between the flying water droplets, I briefly glimpsed Kaiden’s desperate expression. A large hand cut through the current toward me.
Of all dreams, why dream of the day I drowned….
My consciousness gradually faded away.
☆▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎☆
