Chapter 22

Ca.s.sions footsteps stopped.

This was already the third time.

No matter who it was that walked near him within the span of ten steps, his heart seemed to drop to the ground, so he would naturally stop walking.

His anxiety stopped him from taking any more steps.

The planned carriage accident

He was a victim who survived.

It was the first time that he clearly felt death, so everyone pa.s.sing by him looked suspicious in his eyes.

He was afraid that there would be people on his trail because he disappeared from the scene of the accident.

Pus.h.i.+ng the carriage he was riding off a cliff was incomparable to just pus.h.i.+ng him off the stairs like back then.

Thats why he was feeling incredibly anxious that someone was chasing after him to finish the deed.

If he returned home safely, he might be able to save himself for a while.

Once Leo and his mother had done something, they usually took some time to execute their next plan.

Knowing that they had received help from the Valentine Duchys Princess this time, they would feel more complacent for the time being.

However, if he would meet the person who would finish him off before he arrived home

Ill be dead on the spot.

Ca.s.sion, who had thought until this point, weighed this on his mind.

It felt like his heart was going to stop because it kept pounding out of his chest.

Fear, angerfeelings that filled him that seemed to strangle him.

Just hiding underneath the hood of his cloak had its limits.

Huu. With a deep sigh, Ca.s.sion turned to the alley without any hesitation.

Lets give up walking by the main road.

The alley that was shrouded with the darkness that he wished for.

He already knew which direction he must go, so he thought that it would be better if he went down the alley where there werent any people.

If anyone looked towards that place, they would naturally think that the quiet alley without any light was leagues more dangerous.

Unfortunately, his pounding heart was truly affected by the planned accident.

He was afraid of running into people, so he decided to avoid them.

What would be so different from playing hide-and-seek with your eyes covered?

And yet Ca.s.sion belatedly realized that he had misjudged the situation.

He realized this when people popped out of the dark as he walked along the alleyway.

There were two people on the winding road.

They were both men, and their faces were red, seeming as though they were very drunk.

As he suddenly saw people on the path he needed to take, Ca.s.sion reflexively fixed the hood over his head.

He tried to hold his breath and blend into the shadows.

But just because he tried didnt mean that he was successful.

The drunken men noticed Ca.s.sion.

He didnt make eye contact with the men, but Ca.s.sion felt that one of them was looking at him.

Hiccup. The sound of the mans hiccups echoed along the narrow alley.

Huh? Ive never seen your face before. No, wait, I cant even see your face.

Even though he was a few steps away, the stench of alcohol wafted through the mans open mouth.

Ca.s.sion pretended not to hear anything and continued walking.

Hey! Where are you going? Youre ignoring me?

He heard the indignant voice behind him, but he continued his strides as though there was no one there.

And yet because he was only limping, he couldnt move as fast as he wanted.

Thats why even as the drunkards were stumbling over their own feet, they were able to catch up to him in no time.

Tak.

A thick hand weighed heavily over the black cloak.

Hey, are you really ignoring me? Do you know who I am, huh?!

The indignant voice shouted even louder, echoing several times in that narrow alley.

The man, who yelled and expressed his anger, gripped Ca.s.sions shoulder and turned him around roughly.

The legs that barely kept him up faltered at once.

Ca.s.sion had barely managed to get this far, so he tucked face even deeper under the hood and bowed his head so that he wouldnt be recognized.

Judging by the scent of alcohol, I dont think theyve been sent by Leo.

Leo was a cool-headed schemer.

He was cruel and thorough.

Even if it was his own person who made a mistake, he would kick them out without hesitation. Either that, or he would severely punish them.

In short, it was impossible that a person who moved under his orders would drink alcohol during a mission.

As soon as Ca.s.sion realized that these men werent sent by Leo, he felt relieved.

Immediately after that relief, misery soon followed as he reflected on these thoughts.

But this wasnt the time to do that.

These men were just looking for someone to pick a fight with.

There were people of this kind in any alleyway.

Fools who thought that the dark alleys were their territory.

While Ca.s.sion was lost in thought, one of the drunk men continued to talk to him.

Hey. If a person has a question, ya have to answer. Right now, Im askin ya if you ignored me just now.

Hey, hey. Take it easy. This kid will get scared.

The man who turned Ca.s.sion around was the one who kept yelling at him, and the man next to him kept giggling.

No, this punkhiccuphes ignoring mehiccup.

For a moment, Ca.s.sion thought of what he could say to get out of this situation, then he opened his lips and spoke with a polite tone.

Im not ignoring you. Im just in a bit of a hurry because theres somewhere I have to be, so Id appreciate it if you could let me off.

If anyone saw him like this now, they would point their fingers at him while asking him where his pride as a n.o.ble went, but Ca.s.sion was a realistic rather than prideful man.

There was no need to get swept into a fight when his body was already so injured.

Since it was a matter of getting out of this situation unscathed, it was simple for him to just bow his head. His pride wouldnt be wounded.

However, the two men just wouldnt let him go easily.

Rather, they seemed to have gotten more incensed because of his polite tone.

Haha, whats up with that? With the way you speak, it sounds to me like youre a n.o.ble. Why did our oh so n.o.ble blue-blooded fella come to the back alleys alone?

Ahh, I know I know. Didja come to a place like this to find somethin fun? Because yer fancy banquet got a bit boring? But what should we do? If ya wanna have fun over here, its kinda a rule that ya gotta give money to poor people like us fellows.

With a cheerful tone, his threatening hands jutted out to Ca.s.sion as if to peel off the hood over his head and reach into the pockets of a nave, weak n.o.bleman.

In a situation where he was suddenly threatened, Ca.s.sion bit his lower lip.

Huu.

The breath that came through his lips expressed his frustration.

About two people is still fine.

His condition wasnt the best, but that didnt mean that he wouldnt stand a chance against them. Especially since they were drunk.

They were right in a.s.sessing that Ca.s.sion was a mentally, physically weak n.o.bleman.

As far as even his family, he was weak not just against other people.

It wasnt easy to live on the edge of his seat every single second.

And it wasnt just a coincidence that he survived thus far after learning how to sense the threats that reached him.

Get your hand off me.

Ca.s.sion warned the man whose hand was still on his cloak.

What the

The mans words stopped there.

Because Ca.s.sion grabbed the mans arm and twisted it.

Argh!

As soon as his arm was twisted, the man screamed.

At the unexpected turn of events, the other man looked at them blankly, fl.u.s.tered.

But tension and anger quickly tinted their drunken eyes.

Hey, let go of his arm!

The previously stunned man rushed in with his fist heading towards Ca.s.sion, who let go of the arm he held and evaded the fist.

The bear-like man couldnt beat his speed and instead rushed into the wall.

With a huge bang as he collided, the man lost consciousness.

The man who had his arm twisted was also rolling on the floor.

After looking at the two men, Ca.s.sion tried to leave this place in a hurry. But.

Whats that.

Surprised by the loud noise, the alley was blocked by other men.

As if they were on the same side as the first two men, they alternately looked at the faces of the drunkards lying on the floor, then at Ca.s.sion. Then, they shouted loudly.

That punk!

Catch him!

People began to chase after him one after another.

Two were easy enough, but it was impossible for Ca.s.sion to deal with more people in his current state.

Ca.s.sion was forced to turn around and run.

It felt as though his back was going to split in half, and it felt like his legs were being twisted, but it couldnt be helped.

And so, back in the present.

He somehow escaped them and managed to hide himself, but that was all.

As he sat on the cold stone floor, he stared blankly at the night sky.

He aint here.

Look harder. He was limping, so he couldnt have gotten far. Once hes caught, make it so that its impossible for him to walk at all.

He continued to hear the voices of the persistent men who searched every corner.

He had to hold back even his breath.

How long had it been? He couldnt hear their voices anymore.

They might have given up.

Thanks to the clouds covering the moon, he couldnt guess just how long had pa.s.sed.

Ca.s.sion silently struggled to his feet.

His body was stiff, so he had to hold onto the wall next to him for support.

However, the old walls wouldnt withstand the weight of Ca.s.sion.

Rubble that fell from the wall bounced to the ground. The sound echoed.

d.a.m.n it.

At the unexpected noise, Ca.s.sion forced himself even more to his feet faster, to leave this place somehow.

The sound of numb legs dragging across the floor could be heard.

And at the same time

Found im.

The mans voice was louder than the sound of Ca.s.sions limping footsteps.

Ah, sh*t.

Seriously. All he could do now was laugh.

The threatening group of men slowly approached him. Ca.s.sion limped and took a few steps back.

Now, on his fifth step, Ca.s.sions back touched the wall behind him.

Now lets take a look at that face. How precious could that face be, huh?

The man who fainted after hitting his own face against a wall smiled threateningly and prowled across the narrow alley.

There was no chance for Ca.s.sion to escape anymore, so he closed his eyes tightly.

Even if his body would become mangled, they wouldnt be able to see the color of his eyes at all.

However, his resolve didnt last long.

What? After you ran away like that, youre being hara.s.sed by these guys here?

Because the familiar voice of that woman resonated in his ears.

His eyes widened and followed the sound of her voice.

Forward

And, upward.

Underneath the hood over her head, her cascading silver hair could be seen fluttering against the wind.

Even in the dark, her golden eyes flashed clearly amidst her porcelain face.

His red lips were curled up as if amused.

Rosetta Valentine.

Sitting atop of an old building, she was strangely relaxed, an atmosphere that was out of place here.

What do you think?

A beautiful voice and mesmerizing face that would captivate people and take their hearts away

This time as well, will you ask me to save you?

Monster

Just like the one from the legends.