Why was she laughing like that? Brody felt a twinge of discomfort at Teddy’s laughter, but considering how well he had performed in the past, she quickly dispelled her uneasy feeling and turned her thoughts elsewhere.

Brody looked at the majestic fortress.

‘I can’t believe I’m back here.’

Just as she hadn’t anticipated leaving, Brody hadn’t expected what awaited both of them upon their return.

No. It wasn’t even ‘beyond.’

Thwack!

“Scream!”

The ambush happened suddenly.

On the plains, just in front of the fortress, an arrow flew from somewhere.

Brody lost her balance as her horse Creambrony abruptly lifted its front legs. The reins slipped from her hands, and she was thrown off the horse.

In an instant, the sky and earth flipped, and her vision spun.

‘What do I do? Should I curl my body? Roll to avoid the horse’s hooves? No, first make sure my neck doesn’t break…!’

Many thoughts flashed through her mind, but Brody realized she could do nothing beyond her instinctual reactions.

She clenched her eyes shut, bracing for the impending impact.

“Huh!”

Thud. The impact was lighter than she had expected.

Brody’s body rolled, wrapped in something both firm and soft.

“Brody!”

Soon, a familiar voice rang out, and the familiar breath enveloped her.

It was Ian.

He had been running ahead of her, hadn’t he? Somehow, he had caught Brody mid-fall and rolled with her in his arms.

Is that even possible?

Teddy looked at the situation with incredulous eyes, but there was no time for leisurely observation.

More arrows were flying towards them from behind.

“Damn it!”

Ian shouted and rolled again, still holding Brody.

In Brody’s shaky vision, she saw her frantic horse Creambrony. She noticed a long arrow shaft protruding through its beautiful fur.

“Creambrony!”

Brody reflexively yelled the horse’s name.

“Brody, are you hurt?”

“No, I’m fine. I’m alright. I…”

Seeing Brody answer clearly, Ian nodded and began running, holding her.

Teddy provided cover, and the clever Kais quickly realized the situation and ran towards Ian.

With one arm holding Brody, Ian leapt agilely and landed on Kais.

Mounting his master, Kais let out a courageous neigh and accelerated.

Drawing his massive sword, Ian swung.

Whoosh.

A cold sword aura spread out in a circle from Ian’s sweeping motion.

The dry grass could no longer cling to the ground and got lifted by the sword aura.

Amidst the dizzying cloud of grass, a group stopping their horses in the distance caught Ian’s eyes.

Ian tightened his embrace around Brody as he glared at them with sharp eyes.

Growl, a growling sound suddenly broke the tension between them.

“Jax.”

Jax? Brody suppressed her racing heart and turned her head.

Beyond Kais’s dark horse head, she could only see tiny figures.

It wasn’t easy to discern, but Jax was not alone.

There was no time for further verification as Ian quickly turned the horse’s head.

“Teddy! Go back to the fortress and call for reinforcements!”

Teddy looked puzzled.

“What? Leave your highness? And my lady is…”

Though Brody would have liked to send Teddy ahead first, she couldn’t.

Jax had come. Which meant it would be more dangerous if Brody wasn’t sticking close to Ian.

“Just run!”

Ian pushed Creambrony toward the fortress with a gust of cold wind. Despite being struck by an arrow, Creambrony started running frantically towards the fortress, pushed by the wind Ian generated.
Teddy and Kais also sprinted closely behind.

The next moment another arrow flew. Aiden swung his sword to block it and yelled at Teddy, who hesitated and looked back.

“Don’t look back, keep going! We have to get into the fortress quickly!”

A breath-taking chase began.

Though Aiden occasionally stopped to provide cover, thanks to Kais, who was as swift as the wind, they were able to closely follow Teddy without falling too far behind.

The shape of the fortress gate became increasingly distinct as they drew near.

“……!”

However, Aiden had to slow down his horse due to a sudden pain.

It was not an unbearable pain.

How painful could the claws digging into his arm be when he had been through battles that severed limbs?

“Your…Your Highness……”

Brody was visibly shaken.

From her fingertips, a sensation began to take over her body, as if bugs were crawling through her veins.

He clenched his teeth at the sound of Brody’s increasingly rapid breathing.

Then, he gathered the cold aura protecting his surroundings.

Soon, the chilly aura spread throughout Brody’s body.

The strength in her hand, which had been gripping Aiden’s arm, suddenly loosened.

Brody leaned against Aiden, seemingly without strength, and a tear unknowingly fell.

“I’m sorry, Your Highness……”

“Don’t worry, Brody. Nothing will happen.”

Their pursuers rapidly closed the gap.

Aiden swiftly turned his horse to face them.

The group of pursuers was about thirty strong, and when one raised his hand, they all came to a halt.

Then, two individuals emerged from the group and began to approach Aiden.