I Married the Mad Duke Who Killed My Husband - Chapter 85
“I hate to say this, but!”
Thwack-
“After being attacked several times, it’s not that scary anymore.”
“Don’t get used to that sort of thing!”
Maxey cut down the assassins, but some were still stubbornly trying to grab my feet even after falling, so I struck their heads with my dagger handle.
It felt better than when I had to strike my brother and when I hit the attackers while searching for Lorang.
I guess this is something you get better at with practice. I should really learn swordsmanship from Cassion later.
“This way! There’s a door behind the food storage!”
“Oh……”
I thought a small, musty storage room would appear when the sturdy wooden door opened, but the mansion’s food storage was surprisingly spacious.
“Come to think of it, I’m grateful to the Duke’s servants and chef. This must be hard to manage.”
“Usually, we’re grateful for our kind and generous Madam, but not at this particular moment. Could you please focus on escaping?”
“Well, it doesn’t seem that urgent?”
Just as I was about to compliment the knights’ competence, we heard the intruders coming through the passage we had just used.
Unlike the one or two who had sneaked in when we passed through earlier, there seemed to be quite a number of them now, with footsteps and voices searching for me that weren’t ordinary. The assassins who had been hiding throughout the mansion seemed to be gathering at the sound of Maxey’s horn.
Of course, most of them would have met their end at the hands of our mansion’s knights, but it might be a bit too much for Maxey alone to handle the number currently converging here.
“……I take that back.”
Without hesitation, I acknowledged my foolish words and ran to the back door of the vast storage room. The sounds of the intruders were getting closer by the second.
“Madam, this way!”
Bang-
The back door was, literally, honestly just a back door. There was a small door in the corner of the large storage room, and Maxey, who had discovered it, hurriedly pushed me out.
“Ah…!”
But as soon as we got outside, all I could see was a single horse so small it could have been mistaken for a pony.
Yes, a pony. I’d heard it was a small horse, but.
“Where are the other horses…!”
“We only have one because it’s only used for urgent trips to the village for supplies.”
Turning around, I saw Maxey coming out of the door and pushing my back again. Urged by him, I found myself on the horse before I knew it.
“I know your riding skills are lacking, Madam, but this small horse should be fine!”
“Wait a moment…!”
“I’ll follow you soon!”
“Maxey!”
Now the sound of the approaching intruders was really close. They seemed to have heard our voices too, as they were constantly shouting something.
“For now, go to the Imperial Palace! His Highness the Second Prince or His Majesty the Emperor will receive you!”
“Wait…!”
I hurriedly reached out with one hand, but Maxey was quicker in slapping the horse’s rear to get it started. The horse galloped away so fast that I didn’t even have time to feel scared of riding. I caught a glimpse of Maxey drawing his sword before he disappeared from view.
“Ah, damn it!”
The curse came out reflexively, but the horse had already left, and I couldn’t turn back. I knew well my own importance in this situation.
What other reason could there be for attacking the Duke’s mansion, even splitting forces that didn’t include the First Prince’s group?
They came to kidnap me to suppress Cassion, who had taken the lead, knowing the Second Prince wouldn’t step up. After all, they could never defeat Cassion by force alone.
“Knowing Cassion, he might even agree to exchange me for the Second Prince.”
I could tell from the look in his eyes. And such looks aren’t easily hidden from others.
I thought the First Prince’s mental state had collapsed after the trial, but I never imagined he’d scheme so despicably.
“Whoa- Not that way! Stop for a moment! Stop!”
As the horse left the short forest path behind the Duke’s mansion and habitually tried to head towards the capital market in front of the Imperial Palace, I awkwardly pulled the reins to stop it.
Far away, beyond the trees, I could see the Duke’s mansion brightly lit up at an unusual hour. I could wait here and return once it seems all the assassins at the mansion have been caught, or if I’m worried about encountering escaped assassins, I could go to the Imperial Palace as Maxey suggested. However.
“The letter definitely said it was where they traced the First Prince’s trail…”
I muttered to myself, racking my brain, even though there was no one around to hear. I’m so confused that I need to speak out loud to organize my thoughts.
“Alright. Let’s go to Cassion, not the Imperial Palace.”
I’ll have to ride through the night, but my instinct is telling me to go there.
“Giddy up! Let’s go! No, no, the other way…!”
Changing direction is difficult, but I’m not afraid of the horse anymore. My only thought is to get to Cassion quickly.
Going to the Imperial Palace would be shorter and less risky, but it would take quite some time to meet the Second Prince or the Emperor and then send word to Cassion that I’m safely at the palace.
During that time, I don’t know what decisions a wavering Cassion might make, and the tide of war can be determined by even the smallest weakness, so there’s no time to hesitate.
“I wonder if there’s a way to sneak into where Cassion’s troops are.”
I’m a bit nervous even as I ride without a plan.
I thought protecting myself was the most important thing, but here I am choosing such a dangerous path not long after.
“I shouldn’t have criticized the protagonists in books for being stupid.”
I used to wonder why they would jump into fire-like situations and voluntarily face difficulties, but now that I’m in that situation myself, I understand there’s no other choice.
I didn’t want Cassion to create any situation that could be seen as even a slight flaw after the civil war, and I hoped he wouldn’t worry about me.
Since Cassion always informed me of detailed circumstances and locations in his letters, to the point where I worried about military information leaks, I knew where his troops were. If only they hadn’t moved camp in the past few days, if only I don’t encounter enemy troops on the way.
“Let’s go faster!”
Fear of the night road and horseback riding couldn’t be obstacles anymore.
With fairly stable movements, I whipped the small horse’s reins and drove it in the opposite direction of the Imperial Palace.
“…But will Lorang be alright?”
After sorting out my urgent thoughts, I remembered someone I had forgotten. Lorang should still be at the Duke’s mansion.
Of course, even if they take Lorang hostage, he has no value to Cassion.
Also, since the court trial was already over, his presence or absence wasn’t of great necessity to us as a couple.
To put it coldly, even if he were to die from the attack, we wouldn’t lose anything. But as a matter of human decency, and because we had spent time building a relationship, even if it was a love-hate one, I started to worry belatedly.
“Will the knights protect him…?”
Lorang wasn’t very welcome by the people at the Duke’s mansion to begin with. He was like a layabout, always talking nonsense and sticking around the mansion. But he had become an important witness in the trial, and it was obvious that people were tolerating him because we, the couple, were looking after him.
I worry whether the knights will prioritize protecting Lorang over defending the Duke’s mansion.
“I should have checked before leaving.”
No, but even if we had escaped together, we would have ended up leaving him behind because there was only one horse. We fled from the corridor leading back to the rooms, so we couldn’t have even gone to Lorang’s room.
The First Prince’s knights surely wouldn’t have good feelings towards Lorang… I can only hope he’s safe.
“Let’s go a little faster!”
I urged the horse, whipping the reins as I rode with my clumsy riding skills on the unfamiliar night road leading out of the capital. The Imperial Palace and the Duke’s mansion were getting farther away, and I felt increasingly anxious.
“Ouch. Ah.”
Fortunately, I’m not directionally challenged. I thought there wouldn’t be any problem finding the place mentioned in Cassion’s letter, but as I started to ride out of the forest path and into the outskirts, I kept getting hit by branches I couldn’t see in the dark, making various parts of my body sting.
“Ow! Everything’s such a bother, really!”
In the end, I took out my dagger again and swung it around haphazardly as I moved forward.
To think that I’m riding a horse with one hand and swinging a dagger with the other as I gallop through the night. At this point, shouldn’t I be able to shed my beginner rider label? I’ll have to brag about this when I meet Cassion.
“Just wait a little longer!”
Cassion must absolutely not give in to underhanded tactics or release the First Prince! I don’t want him to have any more negative labels that don’t suit him anymore.
“I’m coming!”
Shouting aloud dispelled my worries about the night journey and this choice. It might sound strange, but my intuition is usually not bad.
Going to Cassion instead of the Imperial Palace must be the right choice. The power of love always wins, after all!
I rode hard towards him, even indulging in some rather embarrassing thoughts. By now, the Imperial Palace and the Duke’s mansion were completely out of sight.
