Ian had ridden a horse across the street to find Laritte.

But when he reached the gate, her carriage had already left the capital.

How long has it been since the wagon of Count Brumayer had passed this area?

A guard at the southern door recognized Ian and hurried to search through the entry and exit documents. A cursive handwriting grazing on the old clumps of the papers was seen.

15..Its been 15 minutes, sire!

Thank you.

They wouldnt have gone that far.

Since the path outside the capital was dark, Ian borrowed a lamp from the gate before galloping away on his horse.

It was still early spring and the night breeze wasnt much comforting. It bit his skin. His cheeks were getting red under the fierce fangs of the wind.

If it wasnt Ian, he wouldnt be able to endure it.

He continued combing through the various paths.

Riding a horse at night with a single source of light in ones hand could be very dangerous.

Something in him once asked why he wanted to give up his life like this.

But all he could think about now was that he needed to find Laritte.

His outstanding horse-riding skills shone in the dark.

Huff.

He could faintly hear the sound of wheels scratching on the stony path somewhere in the distance.

Ian soon blocked the way by turning his horse right in front of it.

The horse that was leading the carriage neighed loudly at the sudden hindrance before coming to a stop.

The horse was scared. If it was trained well, he could have moved according to its masters instructions, but Count Brumayer was too ignorant.

The driver of the carriage got furious.

Hey! Whats wrong with you!

Even when he slashed the reins on the horses back, it was static at its place.

Cursing under his breath, his gaze moved on to the man who stood in front of him.

What do you think youre doing in front of the Earls wagon?!

Because of the darkness, he could only make out the silhouette of his opponent.

This is the wagon of Count Brumayer?

Well, it is! Dont you know? Cant you see the crest of the red bird? Come on, get out of our way!

Ian jumped down from his horse and walked to the carriage. It was not long before he appeared under the light of the carriage.

His gold orbs were dangerously glistening over his dark skin. It could not have been more frightening than a lion appearing in the middle of a mountainous road. A stance intimidating enough to make shivers run down in ones spine.

Someone gasped and uttered without even realizing it.

Haa, its the Swordmaster

Ians eyes were fixed on the carriage behind the two knights the Count had sent.

Laritte was there.

Anger began boiling up in him like lava. A thought occurred to him that they would have treated Laritte in a very different way than Rose.

If even a single person had treated her well, the situation wouldnt have gone this far.

He said, approaching the carriage.

Get lost..Right now.

His glare was threatening enough to put an end to their life, even when he didnt take out his sword.

The knights quickly jumped off their seats and ran off, and got dissolved into the darkness without even thinking about taking the lamp.

All they could see was the very faint light of the moon, guiding them to nowhere. Still, they continued to run even when they stumbled quite a few times along their way.

As soon as they disappeared, Ian walked to the rear of the carriage and stood in front of the door.

He noticed the carriage to be of a very low-quality.

Has he ever seen a carriage like this?

He tried to turn the handle, but it was locked.

Damn it.

He murmured a curse.

He just wanted to see his wife. Why were there so many interruptions?

He took his sword out of its sheath and situated it in the crack.

There wouldnt be any swordmasters who would waste their energy in this way except him.

The black-colored lock clattered and fell to the ground, while the door slowly opened itself.

It revealed the weak figure of Laritte.

Her beauty that was once shining in the dress he gave her was nowhere to be found and instead, she was wearing a worn-out dress.

Cowering in the corner, she looked like a herbivore being driven to a dead end.

Her eyes widened as they spotted Ians structure.

He called out to her.

Laritte!!

A wave of a mixture of feelings of relief and resentment, which she had finally recovered from, passed through her weak stature.

She gasped out.

..Ian?

It was just a few hours ago that she came to know his name.

Ian sighed heavily, lowering his eyes to the ground. But the anger did not leave him.

Where the hell were you going to without your husband..!

No answer. He kept gazing down, waiting for her reply. But, it never came. So, Ian gave up, shifting his eyes back to her again.

Laritte was silent, her ocean blue eyes shining with tears. It wasnt long before they spilled out, flowing along her cheeks.

.

Laritte, who pressed down her lips, only cried with a calm expression on her face.

Paradoxically, it contained desperation, the pain in her finally melting away from her.

This was the largest emotional change she has shown.

He had called her with her name. Her own name.

Not Rose, but her own.

However, it made her desperate to search for more clues.

Was he accepting her as the Duchess?

It somehow saddened her.

Why..

She murmured, weakly blinking at him.

Why are you yelling at me?

It wasnt her fault that she didnt know she would be accepted.

Even the loyal knight Redra thought that Rose was going to be the Duchess. Even when she knew Laritte was her captains savior.

Well, that was normal in the Empire of Iassa.

An illegitimate child, who was even carrying blood from a noble, was as dirty as a commoner. And an illegitimate child was obviously considered ominous to be a bride for an aristocrat. They were a living insult and a sin to nobility. Thats what everyone believed.

Thus, it was strange that Ian had come to rescue Laritte.

She continued, without even wiping away her tears.

Is it my fault that Im a freak..?

A wave of embarrassment swept across Ians face.

What should I do?

His mind went blank.

He knew how to wield a sword and stab his enemies on a battlefield, but he never had comforted people.

It suddenly reminded him of his old nanny.

She had been the maid of honor in his family from the time Ian was a child. She had always served him as a kind-hearted grandmother.

The newly-recruited maids often made mistakes. There were times when theyd cry, afraid of being beaten up by the head maid for their mistakes. But, the nanny always consoled them warmly.

So..did she do it this way?

Stepping into the carriage, he wrapped his arms around Laritte.

I-I didnt want to yell at you.

You did.

Thats because Im pathetic.

He mumbled, wiping her tears with a rough, caring touch of his thumb.

In fact, Ian would have brought Rose beside his seat if he hadnt met Laritte at the villa. He was so ignorant about his marriage that he didnt even know what his real bride looked like in the first place.

But how could Ian let her drift away now?

She who gave up her seat and the warmth of the fireplace only to tend his serious wound.

She who stayed up wiping his face when he had a fever and fed him with her own hands.

..And that one time she smiled.

Ian pressed his head on hers, taking note of her features.

Laritte quickly dropped her gaze, but that innocence did not disappear from her eyes that were now red from crying.

Under those long eyelashes, her eyes were pale blue.

Her cheeks?

They looked more frail, devoid of any flesh.

Ian felt a sudden desire of killing an unspecified number of people before he quickly dampened his rage.

This woman was now his priority.

Please stop crying.

He breathed out, embracing her within his arms.

She flinched and groaned just as his wrist brushed along her injured shoulder.

Whats wrong?

That shoulder..

She mumbled in her distinctive absent-minded voice.

Your shoulder?

He shifted back, his hands still holding her and his anxious eyes searching for the answer.

Are you hurt?

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep