Liz closed her eyes tightly. Her body was being pulled quickly to the ground as if drawn by a magnet.

That’s when it happened.

Someone appeared like a falcon folding its wings and swooped down to embrace Liz.
Her body was so large and robust that it completely concealed her. Thanks to this, Liz didn’t feel much shock even when she collided with something, creating a clanging sound on the ground and rolling with someone during the process.

Eventually, the body, rolling like a log, came to a stop.

The eyes, which had been spinning dizzyingly, slowly regained focus. The dozens of trees seemed compressed into a few, and the sunlight sparkled through the branches they extended.

Although the positions changed slightly with the wind, it was a brilliant sunlight.

It was a beautiful afternoon scenery in the middle of the forest. Liz couldn’t have expected to face such a view without any pain…

“Ah…!”

Suddenly, Liz, who was bewildered by the unexpected miracle, finally regained her senses. She planted her feet on the ground and slowly raised her body.

The hand that had tightly embraced her until then weakly let go and fell to the ground. In Liz’s now-clear eyes, the face of her savior was revealed.

Large amethyst eyes gleamed brightly.

With a face that couldn’t hide her astonishment, Liz called out to him.

“Her!”

However, for some reason, Hershise didn’t open his eyes.

“He… Her?”

Liz’s voice, calling him again, was cautious. There was an inexplicable sense of unease.

Hershise still didn’t react.

Ignoring the fact that she was pregnant, Liz, who had completely forgotten about it, cautiously brought her ear to Hershise’s chest with an incautious move.

Thump-thump .

Fortunately, the heartbeat was normal.

Liz raised her body and looked down at him quietly. It was a peaceful face, as if he had fallen into a deep sleep. Liz had never seen him sleep so deeply in the past ten years. It was the first time in over twenty years for Hershise himself.

If he had just fainted for a moment… Then maybe she didn’t need to wake him up. It might be fine to leave him like this and call someone to transport him after he wakes up.

However, at that moment, Liz, who had been feeling a dampness in her hand since earlier, turned her hand over to check. And she realized how oblivious she had been to the situation.

“This… How…”

The hand that had become a mess in front of her eyes was trembling. Only then did Liz notice the gradually widening puddle of blood on Hershise’s head.

“No… No way!”

Liz grabbed Hershise’s forehead. She had to wake him up.

“Her… Please open your eyes. Please… Open your eyes, Her!”

But Hershise stubbornly kept his eyes closed, as if trying to compensate for the sleepless nights he had had.

Realizing that waking him up was futile, Liz shouted towards the other side of the forest.

“Is anyone there? His Majesty is injured! Please come!”

But all that echoed back were the cries of birds, the echoes of her own voice, and one more thing.

The sound of a horse’s hooves!
Hershise, who was riding the white-spotted horse, sighed sadly, considering the owner’s accident, as it snorted.

Liz thought she had to go call for help on that horse, even though she didn’t want to. Reluctantly, that seemed to be the only option.

“Hers, just wait here for a moment…”

But as she tried to speak, tears welled up. Leaving him alone, an unconscious man, here felt like her chest was being pounded.

Unable to leave, thinking he might go wrong in the brief moment she left. She couldn’t leave him now.

“Anyone, please, just show up.”

If that much was done, Liz felt she could forgive and treat the person as an ally, even if they were an enemy like an archenemy.

Then it happened.

The horse turned its head with pricked ears.

A bit later, Liz also heard the rhythmic sound of hooves hitting the dirt. She turned her head towards the direction of the sound.

A large and majestic chestnut-colored horse was approaching.

“…Your Majesty?”

“Lord Ishar!”

It was the most welcoming moment she had ever experienced with him. At this moment, she could only think about him.

Ishar’s expression, checking on Hershise, was dismayed. He recognized at a glance that Hershise was injured. So he didn’t get off the horse. He knew he couldn’t delay even a little.

His brain was trained to make rational judgments in any situation at any time.

“I will call for people. Please wait a moment.”

“Please, Lord.”

Liz pleaded earnestly. As Ishar pulled one side of the reins, the horse turned its head towards the direction it came from in no time. However, just as the horse was about to start moving, Ishar turned around to look at Liz over his shoulder.

“Your Majesty, are you okay?”

“…Huh?”

Not understanding immediately, Liz asked, and Ishar, not answering directly, hesitated a bit before saying.

“I’m asking if the Queen is hurt.”

“Ah… No. Nowhere.”

“Thank goodness.”

With that, Ishar turned around and hurried back the way he came.

Liz didn’t attach any particular meaning to Ishar’s somewhat unfamiliar behavior. The only important things to her were Hershise and… Hershise.

The baby in her belly wasn’t anything important at this moment.