We're Married, After All - Chapter 71
Suddenly, my body lurched violently. I clenched my legs, barely managing to regain my balance just as the horse lowered its hind legs to the ground. In that brief moment, it must have kicked something with its back hooves.
I turned around and saw a dark figure sprawled on the ground—a large, brown-furred dog.
Another hunting dog leaped out from the shadows. In desperation, I hurled the sugar bowl I’d been clutching straight at it. With a sharp sound, the dog was struck and fell back.
“Phew…”
I exhaled a shaky breath.
There were no signs of a broken collar or shattered chain fragments on the dogs’ necks. Someone had deliberately set them loose.
I hadn’t brought any weapons with me—truthfully, I had nothing at all. In the end, I chose to lash the reins fiercely. The horse surged forward, quickly accelerating like the trained warhorse it was.
The air whistled harshly past my ears as the wind roared around me. The horse’s mane and my hair whipped wildly. Between the gusts of wind, I could hear the snarling and panting of the enraged beasts pursuing me—large dogs, each the size of a wolf.
One of the hunting dogs sprang up and sank its teeth into the horse’s hindquarters. However, it couldn’t withstand the momentum and was flung off by the horse’s speed.
But that single attack was enough to terrify the horse.
I frantically stroked its neck, though it was of little use—the horse was already paralyzed with fear.
I pulled hard on the reins to slow it down, but the panicked animal refused to listen, tossing its head wildly.
It’s hopeless to calm it now.
Clutching the horse’s neck, I glanced behind me. A pack of hunting dogs was chasing us relentlessly, their eerie eyes glinting in the dark.
And then, beyond the dogs, my gaze caught something far more alarming—the estate. Every window in the manor was lit. They must have realized by now that I was gone.
Despite my worst fear coming true, my mind remained cold and clear, sharper than ever. I immediately calculated my next move.
I pressed my foot into the stirrup and kicked the horse’s side. It didn’t produce a whip-like crack, but it was enough to spur the horse into a frenzied gallop.
Danel must know by now that I escaped on horseback. He would also know that I’d fled somewhere I couldn’t reach on foot… and he might have even guessed my destination.
The next move would be to close the castle gates. With those hunting dogs tracking me, it was only a matter of time before they discovered my location.
Once I fully cleared the forest path, I turned the horse’s head toward the castle’s main gate. The terrified horse instinctively charged straight ahead—toward the last place I wanted to go.
The main gate had the heaviest guard presence, making it the first route I had dismissed when planning my escape. But it also took the longest to close. Even if they started shutting it now, it wouldn’t be fully closed by the time I arrived.
Still, the situation was far from favorable.
The hunting dogs lunged repeatedly, aiming for the horse’s legs. Most missed, but occasionally, I heard the sickening crunch of tearing flesh. Fortunately, the horse didn’t seem too disturbed—likely too paralyzed by fear to feel the pain.
But my nerves were stretched to the breaking point.
Thud-thud-thud-thud…
I heard a familiar, urgent rhythm—hoofbeats pounding against the earth. Someone was chasing me.
Distracted by the sound, I suddenly felt a piercing gaze bore into my back. My body tensed instinctively. I kicked the horse’s side, trying to change direction—but it was already too late.
A hunting dog sank its teeth into the horse’s thigh, tearing deep into the muscle.
The horse stumbled violently, nearly losing its balance. Clinging desperately to its neck, I managed to stay on—but the dog couldn’t. A bloody chunk of flesh ripped away with its brown-furred body. Warm blood sprayed into the air.
The horse let out a gut-wrenching scream of agony. No beast gripped by the instinct to survive could run properly in such a state. Before long, another dog bit into its haunch.
The horse thrashed wildly, kicking and bucking in sheer panic. Enraged hunting dogs lunged at it like arrows, driven mad by the scent of blood and the cries of wounded prey.
I fought desperately to stay on, knowing that falling would be fatal—not just for me, but for the child growing inside me.
Then, something suddenly burst out of the forest—a pitch-black horse, as dark as the surrounding shadows.
The rider atop it was dressed entirely in black, blending into the night like a specter spit out by darkness itself.
For a fleeting moment, our eyes met—violet irises glowing like an unearthly flame.
“Ha…”
A hollow laugh escaped my lips before I could stop it. He must have cut through the forest to catch up with me—on terrain impossible for any normal horse to navigate at such speed.
The dark rider’s horse silently closed in on me like a living shadow.
At the same time, my vision wavered ominously—the horse’s front legs faltered, stumbling dangerously. It must have lost its footing, startled by the sudden appearance of the dark figure.
