The Survival Strategy of the Contract Duchess - Chapter 60

“This place looks beautiful from here, but can we walk a little? I want to follow the stream and see where it leads.”

“The path isn’t rough, so it’s fine. Come on.”

Sasha, who had been sitting quietly enjoying the scenery, stood up with a burst of energy. As if ready to follow her wherever she wanted, Kyler reached out his hand.

The golden sunlight filtered gently through the trees as they walked along the stream together. Sometimes they stopped to gaze into the water, and sometimes Sasha picked up a small stone and tossed it with curiosity.

“I thought this forest would be dark and gloomy, just from the outside.”

“Most forests are like that, but this one has many conifers. Sunlight comes through easily, which makes it feel brighter.”

Whenever Sasha spoke, Kyler always answered. Whether he walked ahead or followed behind, their hands stayed linked. Their conversation flowed like the water beside them, pausing and picking up again with ease.

As they walked farther, the stream began to feel more like a mountain valley. The place had its own quiet charm and many little surprises.

“Should we head back? I think we’ve come too far.”

When she turned to look back, the forest path seemed endless, like the same trail repeating over and over. The stream had changed its shape gradually as it continued, and Sasha, who had been enchanted by it, finally realized how far they had gone. She squeezed Kyler’s hand gently.

“You like the water this much. Should I build a lake next to the house for you?”

Kyler turned to her and replied with a calm voice, making her laugh out loud. They had shared many silent smiles before, but laughing like this was rare. Kyler raised his brow slightly in response to the sound.

“You really know how to joke now. A lake? How would you even build that?”

Sasha tugged on his arm and started walking ahead of him, leading the way back along the path they had taken. Even though she felt a little anxious about the distance, she did not rush. She walked at a steady pace.

“I know how to joke. But that wasn’t a joke. I could build a lake. I could even arrange for water to flow through it like this stream.”

“You can’t be serious.”

She tried to brush it off, but her voice wavered slightly. He was a duke, after all. She didn’t know the full extent of his power, but she began to wonder if he could actually do something like that. The thought made her quiet.

“You don’t need to do something like that. Just walk with me like this sometimes. That’s more than enough. Can you promise me that?”

“Even if you asked me to build a lake, I would do it. Watching the water with you would make me happy.”

Her voice had been hesitant, but his answer was steady. His quiet but sincere kindness filled her chest with warmth. She tried to hide her smile and continued walking.

This was enough to make her feel truly happy. Just the way he treated her made her forget the sadness of what she had missed before.

Receiving love was one way to fill the heart, but when it came from the person she loved, it felt even more powerful.

The past was no longer important. It was enough to know that he, too, seemed to carry a past that he did not easily reveal. That shared understanding was all they needed. If they could strengthen and protect this feeling, their future could become something completely different from the one they had expected.

A sudden, sharp cry echoed from the distance.

Sasha had never heard a sound like it. It was not something she could have imagined. Her body jumped, and she instinctively covered her ears. The sound was so piercing that it made her arms shiver with goosebumps.

She turned quickly toward the direction of the sound. Kyler stood frozen, staring in silence.

While Sasha’s gaze drifted toward the empty space behind him, the strange sound rang out again. It was sharp and unpleasant, like something tearing through the air. Her eyes trembled as she searched for Kyler, trying to understand what was happening.

The sound was getting closer.

“Run.”

“What?”

“Run now.”

Kyler rushed toward her and wrapped his arm tightly around her waist. Sasha could not run. Even though she was wearing more comfortable shoes, she was still in a dress, and they had already walked a long distance.

Without hesitation, he lifted her close to his side and started running at full speed.

“What is that sound? What’s happening?”

She bounced slightly in his arms with every stride. The way he held her and ran without stopping was so urgent that she could not stay silent.

“It’s a monster.”

Sasha gasped, struggling to breathe. The sound of the monster, which even Kyler had once found difficult to deal with, was coming closer from all directions.

“I let my guard down. I thought this area was safe and didn’t want to let go of your hand. I should not have done that.”

Even while running, Kyler spoke clearly. But his words felt distant and hard to process.

Pebbles flew beneath his feet, and branches brushed against her face. He ran without slowing down, but the monster’s cries were now terrifyingly close.

At this speed, it almost felt like they were flying instead of running.

Suddenly, a shrieking noise burst from above. It sounded like something was slicing through the sky.

As soon as the noise hit, Sasha felt Kyler’s arm around her waist tighten with a sharp jolt.

“Cover your head and curl your body as much as you can.”

“What?”

Even as she responded clumsily, her body moved instinctively. She wrapped her arms around her head and locked her hands together. As soon as she did, a sudden pressure surrounded her.

She couldn’t understand it at first. Then she realized she no longer felt his arm around her.

Did he throw me?

The moment she curled her legs mid-air, she crashed into a thick patch of underbrush. The thin branches and leaves helped cushion the fall, but when she hit the ground, pain exploded through her entire body.

“Hide between the rocks.”

A piercing screech rang out.

At the same moment Sasha hit the ground, Kyler shouted, and the sound of the monster came from straight ahead. She lifted her head and, in the distance, saw Kyler holding back the monster’s gaping jaws with his blade.

She could hardly believe what she was seeing. A monster had appeared so suddenly that Sasha felt like her mind was about to go blank.

Even though he had clearly shouted at her to hide between the rocks, Sasha was frozen in place. After getting a look at the creature, she couldn’t move. Her entire body had gone stiff.

It had a strange appearance, as if a dragon and a pterosaur had been combined. Its wings were not especially large, and its size was just a little bigger than Kyler. But it was pushing against him with nearly equal strength.

“This can’t be happening.”

Sasha felt helpless. Even though she could move now, she couldn’t think straight enough to get to the rocks like he had told her. She just stood there.

Kyler’s massive sword, nearly as long as his own legs, moved smoothly through the air. At first, it looked like their strength was evenly matched, but the difference quickly became clear.

Her heart pounded so hard it hurt. The battle unfolded faster than her eyes could keep up, and the gap between them was revealed with every strike.

A shriek tore through the forest.

Kyler let out a sharp breath and drove his sword into one of the monster’s wings. The wing twisted violently as the blade struck. With a swift movement, he sliced through the leathery surface of the wing, drawing a deep gash.

The monster thrashed harder. Its mouth lunged forward as if trying to swallow Kyler whole, but he dodged by pulling back the sword and ducking. Then, in one fluid motion, he drove the blade upward into the monster’s chest.

She suddenly remembered something he had said. A single strike would never be enough to kill one.

Kyler kept moving, stabbing, slashing, and striking again whenever an opening appeared. Blood from the monster sprayed across the forest floor as its screams echoed all around.

In the middle of all that noise, no one heard the other sound approaching.

With a shout, Kyler gripped his sword with both hands and dragged it downward in one final stroke. The monster let out a last shriek and collapsed backward, its wings twitching weakly.

He climbed onto the creature’s body and slashed its neck cleanly to be sure it was dead. Then he took a deep breath and turned around.

“Sasha.”

“Ky… Kyler.”

From where he had thrown her, Sasha lifted her head and called out his name. Seeing her speak made Kyler exhale in relief. She had landed in a patch of bushes. He had thrown her far enough. She had done as he said and protected her head, curled up as tightly as she could. Even if she was hurt, it didn’t seem too serious.

“Are you alright? I’m sorry… I threw you…”

Another screech rang out.

Sasha feared the monster from before had come back to life. Kyler’s face turned pale.

The sound came from nearby.

Something sliced through the air again, louder and closer than before. Kyler clenched his teeth and began to run. Sasha’s eyes were filled with the sight of him rushing toward her. But just outside her vision, something dark was moving even faster, heading straight for her.

A heavy crash shook the ground.

“Sasha!”

Something slammed down right next to her. The ground trembled violently as dirt and debris exploded into the air. Dust clouded everything, and Sasha instinctively covered her face with both arms.

When the dust began to settle, she slowly lowered her arms.

Kyler was still running toward her.

But to her left…

A new monster stood there, facing her directly, its eyes locked on hers.

“No!”

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