Logan, who escorted Evelyn’s carriage, bowed his head as Evelyn said that she wanted to meet the Emperor. However, Fabian already knew this would happen as soon as she requested for a duel.
Logan led Evelyn into the shade of a nearby tree. A simple chair and table were placed there for the Emperor to rest.
“Your Majesty.”
Evelyn briefly gave an example. With a glance, Fabian offered Evelyn a seat beside him.
“Did you change your mind?”
“……No.”
“Why did you find me, then?”
The wind blew between the two who sat across from each other, shaking the leaves. Today’s night sky would have been clear if it weren’t for this situation.
“To tell you about my decision.”
“I’ve heard it all before.”
“No, Your Majesty still doesn’t know what I mean.”
Fabian lowered his eyebrows. He didn’t seem to like it when Evelyn judged him.
“After this conversation, I won’t say anything to your Majesty.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“It means that my decision is final, and all other choices are yours. I mean, I won’t change my mind until the end, so Your Majesty doesn’t have to give me a chance to change my mind anymore.”
Fabian watched Evelyn coolly. He understood what she meant inside his brain. Yet, he couldn’t help it because his heart had already broken. He hated Evelyn for pushing him away every time he reached out over and over again.
“But if Your Majesty still wants to prove that absurd suspicion, I will risk my life and ask for a duel of truth. No matter what the result. Your Majesty and I, one of us, will lose their life and honour. And that fact…….the Elder will know.”
Fabian had previously felt this rage. It felt similar to the time when he found that Evelyn had asked the Vatican to help her divorce.
“You’re still a coward.”
Always. It was a two-person problem, but Evelyn always pushed Fabian away and got others to interfere.
Evelyn’s badness was that she couldn’t stick to something she loved, regardless of what she did. And Fabian considered her attitude, which always took advantage of the fact that he was the Emperor, was worse than anything.
“I have no power, unlike Your Majesty, so I can’t help it.”
Evelyn knew that, but she didn’t regret it. Fabian was an Emperor, a daunting foe to face. Regardless of the means and methods, the Emperor’s authority was overwhelming.
“So, Your Majesty has to make the final decision. By all means, you have to…” Evelyn looked straight through his eyes. But Fabian turned his gaze before her words were over.
“Fine.”
It was a quick and unexpected answer. Evelyn couldn’t catch what was he said with a confused look. But it seemed that Fabian had no intention of listening to her any further.
“I don’t care if it’s a threat or a gamble. If you want it, I’ll do it.” Fabian said coldly, “Pfft…no way, were you surprised to know this ‘thing’ will continue?”
Evelyn even forgot to say something. At least, she thought that he would be worried, but it turned out that Fabian’s attitude was very different from what she had expected.
“Don’t test my love anymore.”
It was a very unimagined word.
Fabian was as calm as usual, but he couldn’t hide the wounds in his black eyes.
“I have a heart, too. Everyone in this world dares to hurt me, but you’re different. Only you……who shouldn’t do that.”
She loved him at one time. Although Fabian didn’t know why Evelyn hated him so much now, it was real.
If Adrian was the fruit of their love, then Fabian couldn’t stand back. She might have asked him for forgiveness or vice versa, he might have said he would forgive everything, but it was out of the question to beg for more love.
“At that time. You asked the Vatican for help in divorcing me without a word. As if you already knew that I would issue an edict on the one-sided notice.”
Fabian accepted the divorce in anger. And there’s no way Evelyn didn’t know his personality.
“I won’t get hit twice.”
He would instead refuse a divorce and be disgraced by the Vatican. Sometimes, there was something more important than pride. It was none other than Evelyn in front of his eyes who taught it.
“Now, I don’t care about my honour. If someone speaks, then I just need to slap his throat. That’s all. Do you think I can’t kill them just because they’re elders?”
Evelyn’s face hardened, and she looked pale, feeling angry at Fabian. “But, you promised to return Adrian and me to the Kingdom….”
“A promise? Does that have any meaning between us? You’re the one who broke the most important promise first.”
“Your Majesty!” Evelyn rose from her seat and glared at Fabian.
However, the knights around her were Emperor’s aide. Felice’s royal knights, which were few, would be defeated quickly. Besides, she was currently in the middle of a haunted- Black Veil forest.
“Don’t even think to run away. If you meet demons tonight, you won’t be able to convince them by words.”
Evelyn bit her lips tightly, “You’re a coward, Your Majesty.”
“Is that so?”
There was no guarantee that Fabian would keep his promises. But she didn’t know it was going to turn out like this.
“Your Majesty, I know you as a man who wouldn’t use this kind of trick. That’s why I followed you.”
“Then you, as I know you, weren’t a person who will take my heart hostage and use a trick like this.”
It seemed that the conversation between the two was already enough. Nothing would change when they listened to each other with hateful looks.
Only the cold night breeze that drifted away.
“I won’t go as Your Majesty’s wish.”
“Well, you’ll see”, Fabian said and stood up. He no longer wanted to argue and hear hurtful words.
But suddenly, a big wind hovered again when she tried to say something.
Evelyn, who was clueless, could even sense something unpleasant and dubious. At that time, without a second thought, Fabian pulled Evelyn quickly.
“Your Majesty!!!!”
“Back.” Fabian caught hold of Evelyn’s arm and leaned her next to him, looking around with cautious eyes.
Without orders, the knights were already on alert and paying attention to their surroundings.
Once again, there was another strong wind. Evelyn frowned at the fishy, unpleasant smell. It didn’t take her long to recall the same experience in memory.
‘This smell, at that time…..the scent of Wyverns blood that attacked the festival day!
It was a distinctively fishy smell that wafted from the demons. And when she realized it, Evelyn’s heart started beating fast.
“Your Majesty, this scent is like the smell of a Wyvern at that time.”
Fabian nodded and put his index finger to his mouth, telling her not to make a sound.
The cold wind that continued to blow without stopping had created a tense atmosphere in the darkness. Ever since the first wind blew, Fabian seemed to have realized the demon’s presence.
“Go to the carriage”, Fabian whispered low. In the event of a battle, staying in a closed place was relatively much safer.
Evelyn nodded. And fortunately, Adrian was still inside the carriage, as it was the only safe place right now.
“Don’t worry. The demons won’t attack you in this forest.” Fabian’s outspoken voice sounded like he was trying to reassure Evelyn.
“My knights and I aren’t weak.”
Evelyn had been comforted by his words. For the first time, Evelyn felt grateful that Fabian and the Black Eagle Knights were so strong.
“Now, slow down.”
Fabian tried to open the way for her, but a gale blew again. Evelyn suddenly stopped unconsciously, and Fabian held her arm again. Before long, a knight’s scream could be heard from a distance.
“That’s……… It’s a knight’s voice of the Felice Kingdom!!” Evelyn was frightened out of the blue and shouted out loud.
“They’re guarding the carriage, Adrian’s carriage!!!”
Fabian held firmly to Evelyn, who was about to run, and he whistled.
“Looks like the knights guarding the carriage must have been attacked by a demon. But the carriage is safe”.
Evelyn could barely breathe when Serus reported the situation.
“How many monsters are there?” asked Fabian.
“I can’t see it……seems to be flying.”
Fabian swallowed up his curses. It was bad luck to meet a flying demon on the dead of night. However, there was no room to blame the current situation. Fabian should be able to choose his priorities after seeing Evelyn shuddered beside him.
“Go to the carriage quietly and stay still with the Prince.”
But Evelyn didn’t answer. Even for trained knights, the demon was a terrifying terror. So there was no way Evelyn, who was an ordinary woman, could be calm in these circumstances.
“I will be standing here, so in the meantime, go to the carriage. Don’t be afraid, go straight.”
“Yes…..?”
Evelyn was puzzled. Did Fabian, the Emperor want to use himself as bait so she could escape?
“The demon only target me.”
The unbelievable idea was right, and Fabian appeared as calm as usual.
“You want to protect the Prince, don’t you?” said Fabian after he saw Evelyn’s hesitation.
“That’s what I see…”
Just as Evelyn wished to protect Adrian, Fabian also wanted to protect Evelyn as well. Although she was a woman who hated him so much until a while ago, he couldn’t give her to the demon.
“Why…… to me.” Her throat was choked up. A mix of emotions filled Evelyn’s heart, not knowing whether it was sadness, regret, or affectionate.
“Don’t you hate me?”
“Only when you’re alive you can hate me.”
Feeling confused, Evelyn bit her lip in a fright. The fishy scent that carried by the wind had gotten stronger than before. She couldn’t afford to hesitate. Same like Fabian’s heart, it was true that she wanted to protect Adrian too.
“Your Majesty! It’s Devil Eye! Their flock is coming!”
“······Damn it!” Fabian couldn’t help but swear this time after hearing Serus’s cry.
The Devil Eye was a troublesome demon with bat wings and eyeballs as big as a human head. Fabian thought they were extinct now, but they weren’t.
“They have poison, so don’t touch them as much as possible!”
Fabian took off his robe and put it over Evelyn’s head, “Individually, they are weak demons, so if you’re on the carriage, you won’t get hurt.”
Almost at the same time, a crowd of black creatures scattered in the gust of wind. Evelyn fastened her robe and ran to the carriage.
‘Kiik!”Kiik!”Kiik!’
Her ear was pierced painfully by a barbaric sound.
She was terrified. The sound of the leaves blowing in the wind felt like a demon’s cry. And the bat’s wings flapping noise fueled the horror even more.
‘Kiak!’
In front of Evelyn’s eyes, a large eyeball-shaped Devil Eye flew straight to her. They said that if people were too afraid, they couldn’t even hear a single word. And now, it happened to her.
“Go!”
Logan, the Black Hawk knight, struck the eyeball with his sword.
Despite her confusion in the middle of chaos, Evelyn didn’t forget to head for Adrian.
“Ah!”
But from the opposite direction that Evelyn was heading, a larger group of Devil Eye was coming. The sound of flapping wings overshadowed the whole sense like a huge storm.
“Ca-carriage, the carriage….!”
They were still far away, but quite close. The howling horse’s voice which was startled by the Devil Eye and the roaring screams of the monsters that were continuously vomiting, aroused Evelyn worried.
When Evelyn’s gaze managed to find the carriage, she made eye contact with the clumsy coachman who couldn’t move the horse. But suddenly, when the demons rushed in, he held the whip in his hand in fear.
“No, wait!!!”
Evelyn’s voice was hidden by the hordes of demons and couldn’t be heard. The coachman lost his mind and whipped the horse in panic. And with a loud sound, the carriage started to dash as if it would break anytime soon.
“Wait, don’t go! Stop!”
Evelyn forgot about her fear.
Only
She took off her cloak and shouted. But the carriage was getting farther away.
“Please! Don’t go, ····!” Evelyn ran in tears, chasing after the carriage before she tripped and fell.
Fabian, who came running late, approached Evelyn and raised her body.
“Your Majesty, the carriage,….. Adrian……” Evelyn, who seemed would be fainting at any moment, murmured.
Strangely, the sound of flapping wings also sounded away. When Fabian turned his head at Serus, he nodded his head firmly.
Evelyn panicked and didn’t realize it, but the flock of Devil Eyes chased after Adrian’s carriage. That’s why this place was quiet now.
“Adrian……”
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