The Abandoned Princess, Yet She Is Loved - Chapter 45

Water from a towering waterfall cascaded down the sheer cliff face. The sunlight reflecting off the falls sparkled dazzlingly.

 

“…Wow.”

 

Grace stared at the falling water, mesmerized. The spray breaking into fine droplets was breathtakingly beautiful. The lush greenery surrounding the waterfall added to the majestic scene.

 

“Lisetta.”

 

“Yes, my lady?”

 

“Just for a moment… would you sit over there on that rock?”

 

As she admired the scenery of the valley, Grace pointed to a rock at the shallower part of the stream. It wasn’t too far from the base of the waterfall.

 

“Over there?”

 

“Yes. Just for a little while.”

 

“Of course, my lady.”

 

Although slightly puzzled, Lisetta did as Grace asked and sat on the rock.

 

Grace placed the fox down beside her and set up her drawing tools. She began sketching Lisetta sitting on the rock, filling in the backdrop with the waterfall cascading behind her. While Grace worked, Lisetta quietly took in the view of the valley.

 

“Okay, it’s done. Would you like to see it?”

 

About an hour later, Grace showed the finished sketch to Lisetta.

 

“What do you think?”

 

“Oh…”

 

Lisetta was speechless for a moment, staring at the drawing of herself. It looked so much like her that it was uncanny. Yet, the way her figure blended into the natural landscape gave it a mystical quality.

 

“It’s beautiful… You’re incredibly talented, my lady. I didn’t realize until now.”

 

“Once I finish coloring it… I’ll give it to you, Lisetta.”

 

“To me?”

 

Lisetta’s eyes widened in surprise.

 

“Yes. You modeled for me, after all. It’s just a small token of appreciation.”

 

“A piece drawn by your hand… It would be an honor beyond words.”

 

“Lisetta, you’re so lovely. You make a wonderful model.”

 

A faint blush spread across Lisetta’s cheeks. This wasn’t the first time she had been complimented, but hearing Grace call her beautiful again made her feel oddly tingly inside.

 

“If you keep saying things like that, I’ll be embarrassed. You’re the one who’s truly beautiful, my lady.”

 

“Haha… Hm?”

 

Grace looked down at her legs, where she felt a tickling sensation. The fox had come over and was clinging to her feet, looking up at her with round eyes. It was clearly trying to get her attention.

 

“Alright, alright. I’m done drawing now.”

 

She scooped the fox into her arms and gently stroked it. It was impressive how well-behaved it had been during the whole sketching session.

 

“Hey.”

 

Just as she was petting the fox, an unfamiliar voice called out.

 

Startled, Grace and Lisetta turned toward the source of the voice. Two strangers stood there, both wearing dark hooded cloaks.

 

“Who are you? If you don’t back away immediately, I will attack.”

 

Sensing danger, Lisetta drew her sword from her waist and stepped protectively in front of Grace.

 

The two men pulled back their hoods. Both appeared to be middle-aged.

 

“Whoa, whoa. Easy there, knight. We don’t mean you any harm,” said one of them with ash-gray hair and eyes, grinning lazily.

 

“We’re only here for the fox.”

 

The man’s gaze settled on the fox in Grace’s arms.

 

“Hand over the fox, and we’ll be on our way without a fight.”

 

“That’s absurd…”

 

Grace hugged the fox tightly to her chest. There was no way she’d hand over her companion to some strangers out of the blue.

 

“If you don’t back off immediately, I will attack,” Lisetta warned again, glaring sharply at them.

 

“We’re giving you a peaceful way out—why make this harder than it needs to be?”

 

“You have no options unless you disappear right now.”

 

“Guess we don’t have a choice, then.”

 

Both men drew their swords in unison. Lisetta tightened her grip on her weapon and charged toward them.

 

Her sword clashed with the one wielded by the gray-haired man.

 

“…Ugh.”

 

After several exchanges, he stumbled back with a grunt. Just as Lisetta was about to land a finishing blow, the other man charged in with his blade. She quickly turned and blocked his strike.

 

When she took him down, the gray-haired man got back up and lunged at her again.

 

Though the men were clearly less skilled than Lisetta, there were two of them. That made it difficult for her to finish the fight quickly—whenever she knocked one back, the other would immediately attack.

 

“This isn’t working. Kill her,” one of the men ordered.

 

The longer the fight dragged on, the more frustrated they looked. Because of Lisetta’s tight defense, they hadn’t even gotten close to Grace.

 

At the order, the second man nodded and pulled a dagger from his coat. He aimed it at Grace and threw it.

 

At that moment, Lisetta lashed out with a kick, knocking the man off balance. The dagger veered slightly off course.

 

With a slicing sound, the dagger plunged into Grace’s arms—specifically, into the fox cradled in her embrace.

 

Grace looked down.

 

Blood was pouring out of the wound in the fox’s belly.

 

“No! No!”

 

She screamed, overwhelmed with panic.

 

“Damn it! You hit the divine beast? Are you crazy?!”

 

“Oh, no… I didn’t mean to…”

 

“What the hell are we going to do now?!”

 

While the two men shouted at each other, Lisetta’s sword sliced through one of their necks.

 

“Aah…”

 

Grace clutched the fox, sobbing uncontrollably. Her hands and chest were soaked in blood. The fox’s once-bright eyes were wide open, now devoid of life.

 

“No… No…”

 

She shook her head, pressing her face into the fox’s neck. She didn’t care if blood got on her face or into her mouth. All that mattered was the horrible truth: the fox was dead.

 

“Foxie… You can’t… No…”

 

She held the limp body and cried. So much blood. This wasn’t right. She had to save it.

 

Couldn’t she take it somewhere, get it treated?

 

The blood wouldn’t stop. It was cruel.

 

Then, the fox’s body began to emit a white light.

 

“Ah…?”

 

Still sobbing, Grace squinted against the intense glow. The light quickly expanded, enveloping her entirely.

 

“Ugh…”

 

Where the fox’s blood had touched her skin, a burning sensation spread. Heat coursed through her, inside and out, like she was being set ablaze. Grace collapsed to her knees, her body curling in agony.

 

“Huff…”

 

Lisetta let out a breath as she withdrew her sword from the neck of the gray-haired man. The other lay lifeless beside him.

 

They were finally dealt with. Confirming both were dead, Lisetta turned to check on Grace.

 

“My lady…?”

 

“Ugh…!”

 

Lisetta gasped at the sight of Grace, collapsed on the ground with the fox still in her arms, soaked in blood and moaning in pain.

 

“My lady! Are you alright?”

 

No response. When Lisetta touched her, her body was burning hot.

 

“My lady! I’ll take you back to the estate right away!”

 

In a rush, Lisetta lifted Grace and carried her to the horse.

 

 

When news reached Frederick that Grace had collapsed in the forest, he rushed to her room.

 

Outside the closed door, Lisetta stood with a tense expression.

 

“Explain, Lisetta.”

 

“I have no excuse, Your Grace.”

 

She bowed her head deeply, her voice heavy with guilt.

 

“We were at the valley when we were suddenly attacked by unknown assailants. I fought them off and brought the lady back, but… her condition is not good.”

 

“Who were they? Do you know why they attacked?”

 

“I don’t know. But they kept demanding that she hand over the fox.”

 

Frederick’s brows furrowed in disbelief.

 

“They wanted the fox? Did they say why?”

 

“No. We couldn’t find out. There was no time for interrogation. The only option was to kill them.”

 

Still, there was no trace of falsehood in Lisetta’s account. The motive behind targeting the fox was strange, but that was all.

 

“How is Grace now?”

 

“She has a high fever and is unconscious. The physician is treating her as we speak.”

 

“Was she injured?”

 

“The attack was aimed at the fox, so fortunately she has no external wounds. But she was covered in the fox’s blood, so we had to clean her.”

 

Lisetta continued her report.

 

“I believe she’s suffering from the shock of the incident.”

 

“…Haa.”

 

Frederick let out a long sigh.