“Why did you stop earlier? You missed a beautiful scene. But it doesn’t matter. I get to be the one to finish that masterpiece.”

“….”

“You’ll be going to Lomfield soon. Because you’ve killed your lover. And brutally, at that.”

“Madness.”

“I will be the jailer of Lomfield. Then you’ll be mine.”

He slowly moved his hand from Ines’s elbow up to her shoulder. When she strongly shoved him, Zemuren slapped her across the face.

Ines staggered but didn’t fall. She had been hit hundreds of times before. A barrage of attacks would start the moment she fell. So, she resisted instinctively.

For a moment, Zemuren furrowed his brow. No woman had ever remained standing after being hit by him.

All the women who had fallen were equally powerless. They all shook in fear, and that was when Zemuren felt the utmost satisfaction. Everything was too easy after that.

In that brief moment of his confusion, Ines began to run. Zemuren, snapping back to reality, quickly caught her by the shoulder and knocked her down. Ines, now on the ground, spat out saliva mixed with blood. Then he climbed on top of her.
Looking down from above, Zemuren’s mood soared. Below the tempting golden hair, a white neck fanned the flames of his sadism. And those deep green eyes, reminiscent of his mother.

“You’re mine. Somehow, I knew from the start you would be mine.”

“……”

“You felt the same, didn’t you? That’s why the expression you wore when you first saw me was what it was. I thought I’d die, suppressing the overwhelming sensation.”

Ines knew better than anyone what Zemuren’s next move would be. Seizing the opportunity while he was looking at her face, she lifted one side of her skirt.

And she loosened one end of the gusset tied well around her thigh.

As Carson had said, Ines had fastened a dagger for piercing armor to one end of the gusset. She had not removed it for even a single day since he had draped it on her.

Without hesitation, Ines drew the dagger, raising her arm as high as possible. She then thrust the blade right above his collarbone.

“Aaaaaaah!”

Zemuren screamed and moved away from her. Seizing the opportunity, Ines pushed him off and broke free completely.

“It’s not your turn yet, Zemuren.”

But his frenzy didn’t stop there. Picking himself up, he pulled the dagger from his shoulder himself.

Blood spurted from the removed spot, but he didn’t care and readjusted his grip on the knife. His limping walk seemed akin to the Grim Reaper.

However, she was determined never to die by Zemuren’s hand. If he stabbed her, she would strangle him with the gusset’s string.

Just as she steeled herself, Zemuren started to charge at her.

Right then, unbelievably, two men in knight’s attire appeared. One kicked the sword out of Zemuren’s hand while the other restrained him.

Familiar horse motifs were embroidered on the knights’ clothes.

“Are you alright?”

Recognizing Carson’s coat of arms, Ines sank down in place. He had come to rescue her once more.

The sound of Zemuren yelling resonated, resonated in her ears. The knight’s face asking if she was alright blurred and focused alternately.

Seeing him fully restrained and kneeling on the ground, Ines slowly began to rise. But her legs wouldn’t support her, and she sank down again.

Far away, Joseph lay as white as chalk.

With no other option, she crawled slowly toward him on the floor. She then hugged his clearly lifeless body.