For the One Who Hates Me - Chapter 68

Chapter 68

Ruan quickly counted the number of monsters.

“Three… five… eight… eleven! Aura, it’s dangerous, hide behind the rock.”

“I can fight, too, Ruan.”

“The monsters in the North are strong. Hurry!”

“I’ll be fine.”

Click.

Aura loaded the crossbow’s lever. Perhaps because she was already prepared to die, Aura felt strangely unafraid.

Swoosh!

An arrow flew and hit one of the charging monsters in the belly.

Screech!

The monster fell to the ground and rolled over. Without a moment to celebrate, Aura kept shooting arrows. The arrows took down the monsters one by one.

Meanwhile, Ruan was also relentlessly cutting down the monsters. The eleventh and final monster had its throat slit by his sword.

“Phew… Aura, are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

“We need to leave this place. More monsters will come, attracted by the smell of blood.”

Aura looked at the blood-stained wasteland. Everything about this place was awful, and she wanted to leave as soon as possible.

“Okay, let’s go.”

Just as Aura was about to get on her horse.

Screech!

One of the monsters that had been lying on the ground, hit by an arrow, charged toward Aura.

“!”

Aura tried to aim her crossbow at the monster, but the distance was too close. The monster leaped at her.

“Ugh!” Aura fell to the ground. The monster’s claws were raised high in the air. At that moment, Aura shouted without realizing it, “…Karl!”

Slash!

With a sharp sound, the monster’s back was cut open. The owner of the sword threw the dead monster far away.

“Ruan…”

“Aura! Are you okay?”

“Yeah… I’m fine.” Ruan helped the startled Aura to her feet. Thick blood was dripping from Ruan’s sword. His face was also splattered with blood from the attack. Aura took out a handkerchief and wiped the blood from his face.

“You’re amazing, Ruan. I can’t believe you mastered swordsmanship to this extent. It must not have been easy.”

But Ruan just panted and stared at Aura. Just as Aura finished wiping his face, Ruan grabbed her wrist.

“What’s wrong?”

“Aura, you…”

Just as he was about to say something, “Is that Her Majesty Empress Aura?!” A voice startled them both, and they turned around. A group of knights in winter armor was standing there. Their banner had a snowflake on it.

“Yes. Are you soldiers of Archduke Ryan?”

At Aura’s words, the knights all dismounted their horses. They knelt before Aura.

A man who looked like the knight commander stepped forward. “It’s an honor to meet you. We are soldiers of His Grace the Archduke, and we are in charge of guarding the monster region.”

“So this was a monster region. No wonder…”

“It is a dangerous area. Please, come with us to see His Grace the Archduke.”

Meeting Sutra’s knights. Aura felt a sense of relief.

“Alright. Let’s go, Emile.” Aura said, mindful of the Sutra knights.

Ruan silently got on his horse.

In truth, Ruan had wanted to ask her one more time if she truly loved Karl. If she said yes, he wanted her to return to the palace right away. If there were no more pieces of Finn in the palace, he and the Vigilance Guard could take care of the rest. Even though it would hurt his heart, Aura’s happiness was more important to him than anything else.

Ruan sighed, looking at the knights. Why did they have to show up right now? It seemed he had missed his chance to ask that important question.

Sutra was not far from the monster region. Aura and Ruan passed through a glacial area and entered Sutra. The city was quiet and calm.

Aura asked the knight commander, “By the way, how did you know who I was?”

They had asked if she was ‘Empress Aura’ the moment they saw her. No one knew that Aura was coming here. And yet, they seemed to have been waiting for her.

“His Grace had given us a strict order a long time ago. He told us that if we found a woman near Sutra, especially on the road connected to the capital, we were to protect her immediately. He said he didn’t know when Her Majesty the Empress would arrive.”

My goodness. He went that far? Ryan had a relentless side to him. His words to Ruan in Ansena were proof of that.

‘I have everything she wants, so she should come and find me right away. Tell her that I’m so desperate, I’m going crazy.’

That obsession, or something that wasn’t quite an obsession, made Aura uncomfortable.

But she couldn’t back down now. Aura’s goal was clear, and she was willing to risk everything for it.

Sutra Castle was in the center of the city. The castle was as big as the Imperial Palace. On top of that, it was covered in snow and ice, giving it a fantastical feel.

It’s definitely a charming city, but the harsh environment makes it difficult to develop.

She had looked closely at the city as she came in. There were more soldiers and mercenaries than ordinary citizens. The few citizens she saw were probably their families.

They soon arrived in front of the castle gates.

Creak…

The huge castle gates opened, and a group of people appeared. At the center of them was, of course, Ryan.

“Your Majesty the Empress!” Ryan strode toward them. Aura dismounted her horse and extended her hand to him.

“It’s been a while, Your Grace.”

“It feels like a dream.” He lightly kissed the back of Aura’s hand. Sutra, where everything was a bluish color. All of it suited the Archduke well. Even the mysterious look in his eyes.

“I hope I’m not too late.”

Ryan smiled. “You are not late. Everything you desire is still in this castle.”

‘Still,’ he said… The words were loaded with meaning. He quickly added, “You must be cold. Let’s go inside.”

“Yes. Thank you, Your Grace.”

They went into the castle.

Thud.

The castle gates closed behind them.

“Do you always keep the gates closed like this?”

“This is the North. We never know when monsters will appear.” Ryan then looked at Ruan. Ruan slightly lowered his head. “Your friend is with you, too. The Empress’s knight.”

“The two of you met in Ansena, right?”

“Yes. He seems to be a very loyal friend.”

Ryan chuckled softly. Ruan’s face remained blank.

They went into the castle. It was surprisingly warm, as if all their efforts were put into insulation.

“Let’s have dinner first.”

At Ryan’s words, Aura nodded. “That sounds good. Will you be joining me, Your Grace?”

“Of course. But…” Ryan smiled. “We’ll prepare a separate meal for your loyal knight.”

Aura immediately understood what he meant. He wants to talk to me alone.

Ryan treated Aura with the utmost care. After taking a bath with hot water and expensive bath salts, she changed her clothes. The winter dress he had prepared was a bit heavy, but it was warm and cozy.

Ruan was worried about Aura meeting Ryan alone. But a royal was a royal, and a knight was a knight. Aura ended up sitting across from Ryan in the dining room.

The dining room was warm but quiet and dim. Maids in white hoods moved around like ghosts, placing food on the table.

This is a place that makes you feel intimidated just by its atmosphere.

Ryan, meanwhile, seemed to be in a good mood, as a constant smile was on his face.

“It feels like a dream to have you in my castle.”

“I am grateful for the invitation. But do you live here alone?” Ryan was unmarried. It was strange for a man of his standing to live in this huge castle alone.

“Yes.”

“Do you have no female acquaintances?”

“None.”

Ryan is 27 this year. He should be married by now. Why isn’t he?

But that was just a simple curiosity, and it wasn’t something Aura needed to care about. Especially now that she had run away from the Imperial Palace.

“How did you manage to leave the Imperial Palace? There’s no way His Majesty would let you go, let alone with a single knight.” Ryan asked as he poured wine into a glass. He was already convinced that Aura had run away. And Aura had no intention of hiding it.

“I managed to find a way.”

“Haha… I see you don’t want to talk about it.” Ryan snapped his fingers and pointed to the wine glass. A maid brought the wine to Aura. “Please drink.”

But Aura didn’t.

“By the way, it seems you hurt your foot. Are you alright?”

“I sprained it a little. I’ll be fine.” Ryan propped his chin on his hand and looked down at the table, more specifically at Aura’s foot under the table. The bandage was gone from her bath, but the swelling remained.

“I saw that the bandage was wrapped very well earlier. Did your knight do it?”

“…”

“Or was it His Majesty the Emperor?”

“Yes, it was.”

“Oh, dear. His Majesty must be so worried right now. To have his beloved wife run away.”

“Your Grace.” Ryan tilted his head as if to tell her to continue. “I came all the way from the capital to Sutra because I trusted you. I don’t want to play mind games.”

“…”

“Give me Finn. Otherwise, there will be no more conversation or action.”

“What if I don’t?” Ryan said, sounding amused. “What will happen if I don’t give it to you?”

Aura smiled. “If you don’t give me Finn, I won’t participate in this conversation.”

Aura had no intention of falling for Ryan’s games. Ryan thought, She’s impressive. She doesn’t show any sign of urgency, even though she’s in a very desperate situation.

Ryan liked that about Aura. She would listen to him but then defy his expectations at the most important moments.

“I apologize. I was being too playful. Of course, I’ll give it to you. You came all the way here, after all.”

Ryan took something out of his pocket. Aura knew what it was at a glance.

It was clearly the second piece of Finn.

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