As soon as I felt the skin contact with the sword, I diverted its path. I didn’t want to kill anyone, even if it was the Black Caterpillar.
I couldn’t do it.
Seizing the moment, the Caterpillar elbowed my abdomen. I twisted my body to dodge his attack and thrust the hilt of my sword into his solar plexus. Struck hard, the Caterpillar hunched over, gasping.
Staggering backwards, the Black Caterpillar halted, caught by the balcony railing.
That moment, Arcadia stabbed the Caterpillar’s leg. Blood flowed from the poorly dodged wound.
Then, Arcadia slashed at the Caterpillar’s neck. To avoid the upward strike, the Caterpillar had to lean backward. But behind him was only the dark void.
‘I have to catch him!’
I wanted to apprehend him at the scene, labeling him as the assassin.
I rushed towards the Caterpillar. Our eyes met for a moment, his pupils dilating.
Did he recognize me?
But I had no time to get an answer.
He fell off the balcony. Like me, Arcadia tried to catch him, but the fall was faster than our reach.
Thud
The dull sound of the Black Caterpillar hitting the ground reached my ears.
Simultaneously, I leaped out of Arcadia’s room.
“Knights!!!”
Arcadia shouted.
I rushed back through the secret passage in the fireplace of the empty room I came up. People were entering the room behind me, but I was already sliding down the handhold.
Finally, crouching down in the passage, I carefully made my way out of the well in Rahel Forest.
Arcadia had survived.
And unexpectedly, the Black Caterpillar had fallen. Just like Arcadia in my previous life.
The next day.
As soon as dawn broke, the Northern Knight Order arrived with the Black Caterpillar’s body in front of the main castle. The corpse was carried on a stretcher, with Arcadia beside it, and the Northern Duke on horseback in front.
Emerging from underground, I watched the Duke’s procession from afar.
‘The Black Caterpillar is dead.’
And.
The Duke was safe.
‘Thank you, God.’
I was happier that the Duke was alive than that I had thwarted the assassination.
Covering my half-masked face with white cloth, I blended into the crowd and approached them.
“I seek to hear the Southern Duke’s explanation regarding this second assassination attempt.”
The voice of Northern Duke Zion Belpast echoed. Though he still seemed a bit weak, there was strength in his voice.
‘Perhaps it really was a self-staged act.’
I thought, looking at the Duke.
If it was really Medea’s doing, he couldn’t have appeared perfectly fine in just two days. There’s no such sloppy poison in her repertoire.
Soon, Duke Rahert hurried out of the main castle, having apparently received the report. Seeing the Black Caterpillar’s corpse, his face turned pale, visibly to anyone there.
But Rahert was cunning. His panicked expression soon contorted into a frown.
“Relieved to see you’re well. But what’s all this commotion in the morning, Belpast? What’s with this corpse?”
“I came to ask you that. Last night, this man attempted to assassinate my lieutenant, Sir Arcadia Nugent, in his chamber. Who is he?”
Hearing this, Rahert’s face started to redden with anger.
Then, Medea casually walked out from the castle, pretending to be shocked at the sight of the corpse.
“Oh, Father! A corpse so early in the morning. What’s happening? Why are these people from the North here?”
A flustered Medea was shielded by her father Rahert.
“I don’t know either. Duke Belpast! Explain what this corpse is and why you’ve come to find me!”
I couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh.
Can they really be so brazen?
Then, Duke Zion Belpast’s lips twisted into a sophisticated smile.
“I repeat. Last night, this man attempted to assassinate my lieutenant and deputy commander of the Northern Knight Order, Sir Arcadia Nugent. He failed and fell to his death from the balcony. Both attempts on my lieutenant and my own life occurred inside the Southern Duke’s residence. Would you care to explain?”
Silence followed.
I saw Medea biting her lip.
Then, Rahert sighed deeply and approached the Northern Duke.
“There seems to be some misunderstanding, Duke. But I can’t explain anything. I don’t know this… horribly dead man at all.”
“Is that so?”
The Duke stepped down from his horse and approached Rahert.
Standing face to face, Rahert’s head barely reached the chest of the tall Duke. Belpast looked down at Rahert and said,
“That’s unfortunate. Just yesterday, my lieutenant narrowly escaped death. So did I. All within your residence. It seems I was mistaken to expect a victory celebration rather than assassination threats.”
“Those are harsh words, Duke! To utter such without any evidence! Can’t you see my young daughter trembling in fear?”
Then, Duke Belpast’s blue eyes turned towards Medea. He spoke calmly,
“I’m asking the Duke, not the young lady. Perhaps it’s best to take your daughter inside, given the gruesome scene? Or…”
The Duke offered Medea a smile.
“Do you know the deceased? Is that why you came out to explain to me?”
My Step-brother Is Obsessed With Me (Female-dominant)
A gentle female protagonist vs pitiful in the early stage, and a sick male protagonist in the later stage
Cheng Songer transmigrated into the body of a vicious cannon fodder female supporting character with the same name as her in a female-dominant novel.
In the original story, the cannon fodder female supporting character was inhumane, committing domestic violence, gambling excessively, being lustful, and even wanting to sell her stepbrother to a brothel for money.
As luck would have it, she just happened to transmigrate at this time.
Seeing Cheng Qingzhi biting his lip, enduring the tears in his eyes, looking pitiful, her heart softened.
She stuffed the money back into the Madam’s hand and reached out to him.
“Brother, come home with me.”
