Chapter 132

“What happened?”

Elena frowned as pain still lingered in her throat.

Kennard looked down at her quietly for a moment, then gently guided her back down onto the bed. His touch was careful and soft, as though he were handling something so fragile it might shatter at the slightest pressure.

Even so, Elena flinched as pain rippled through her body.

“Do you not remember?” Kennard asked as he pulled the sheet up, tucking it carefully over her shoulders.

She tried to follow his question back through her memories, but only fragmented images surfaced, disjointed and unclear. A woman with red hair that resembled her own. A silver-haired man striking her with a whip. Kennard himself, looking younger than he did now.

The scenes seemed as though they might connect into something whole, yet just as suddenly, her mind went blank, as if every memory had been erased.

Then came the sensation of sinking, of being pulled beneath deep, dark water while unable to see anything at all. Fear surged through her entire body.

“Ah…”

A chill ran down Elena’s spine, and cold sweat soaked the back of her neck. Her body stiffened completely, frozen with tension. Unable to control herself, she clenched her fists tightly.

“It’s all right. You’re safe now,” Kennard said gently. “You don’t have to force yourself to remember.”

He took her hand and pressed a kiss to the back of it. His fingers brushed softly across her damp forehead and cheek, his gaze filled with deep affection as he looked down at her.

“All that matters is that you’re safe.”

Elena could not bring herself to respond.

Despite his reassurance, images continued to surface in her mind without pause. Each time they appeared, the scattered fragments took on clearer shape.

But the clearer they became, the more confused she felt, until dizziness washed over her and the room seemed to spin.

Elena squeezed her eyes shut and focused on steadying her breathing. If she did not, she felt as though she would retch at any moment.

She did not know how long she remained like that.

Keeping her eyes closed heightened her awareness of every small sound. Without needing to look, she could tell through their pheromones that three people besides Kennard were in the room.

They remained completely still, as though afraid to move. Even their breathing was restrained, and the tension in the room pressed down heavily on her.

Witch… execution… treason…

The words crept into her ears, and Elena slowly opened her eyes. She turned her head with difficulty and saw Kennard looking toward something beyond her view.

The others, who had remained motionless until then, also shifted, their attention drawn in the same direction.

Elena turned her head a little farther, peering past Kennard’s shoulder.

Serin and Duke Benzef were standing near the window, looking outside. Only a few lamps were lit in the room, leaving it dim, and she could see only the sides of their faces. Their expressions were hard to read.

Light from outside flickered unsteadily through the window, briefly illuminating them. In those moments, Elena caught sight of Serin’s rigid jaw.

That alone was enough to tell her something was wrong.

“What is it?” Kennard asked.

Serin turned his head, and for an instant his eyes met Elena’s. His tightly furrowed brow relaxed slightly before he shifted his gaze back to Kennard.

“I believe you should come and see this for yourself,” Serin said.

Kennard exhaled slowly, then looked back at Elena. He offered her a gentle smile, patting the back of her hand, and rose to his feet.

Elena watched his back as he moved away from her. His physique was solid and powerful, the strength of his muscles evident even beneath his clothes.

Kennard was a man who possessed the strongest and most intense pheromones of all.

And yet, as she watched him walk away, an inexplicable sense of unease crept up from her toes and along her spine.

It felt as though she had once watched his back retreat from her in just this way before.

She had been unable to call out to him. Unable to follow him.

All she could feel was a memory of overwhelming sorrow, so deep that her heart felt constricted, making it hard to breathe.

Elena pressed her palm firmly against her chest, her heart threatening to stop. Even that small movement took effort, and the instant her hand touched her chest, pain shot through her entire body, forcing a ragged breath from her lips.

At that moment, she remembered Azis driving a sword into her body in full view of the emperor.

She remembered her blood flowing down the blade and being collected in a vessel. She remembered being covered with cloth and taken somewhere while unconscious. She remembered hearing people speak of witches through her fading awareness. She remembered being bound to a chair and thrown into deep water.

That was when it began.

All the moments she had lived through, as though moving backward through time, started to return to her.

She understood why the White Fox Tribe had called her and her mother witches.

I only wanted to escape reality… If I hadn’t erased my memories, would Kennard and I have returned like this at all…?

Despair twisted through Elena’s body, wrenching her from the inside.

“Hand over the witch immediately.”

“To defy His Majesty’s command and smuggle away a witch is treason. Execute the traitors.”

“Execute the witch.”

“Are you planning to curse us? Hand over the witch at once.”

The shouts that had sounded faint and distant before now rang clearly through the air outside.

Startled, Elena turned her head toward the window.

Benzef and Serin had moved to opposite sides of it, while Kennard stood at the center, staring outside. His back was rigid, both fists clenched tightly.

A murderous intent radiated from him.

“They appear to be acting in collective madness,” Serin said quietly. “Otherwise, how would they dare to gather at Your Grace’s estate?”

Elena could hear him clearly.

“What about the knights?” Kennard asked.

“They have been stationed around the estate in case of emergency,” Serin replied without hesitation.

“My private soldiers have also arrived near the capital,” Benzef added, glancing outside before straightening. “Some are already embedded near the imperial palace. If you give the order, they will move immediately.”

“Do you intend to harm innocent citizens as well?”

A voice spoke from deep within the room. The speaker stepped forward slowly, approaching Kennard.

It was Argon, the High Priest, emerging from the darkness.

Kennard’s golden eyes flashed with fury as he turned to face him.

“Anyone who seeks to harm Elena is not innocent in my eyes.”

“As Serin just said, they appear to be consumed by madness,” Argon replied calmly, as though trying to reason with him. “There must be a cause behind their behavior.”

“Our true enemy is Emperor Ruys,” Argon continued. “If you wish to depose him and ascend the throne, you must not provoke the resentment of the people. Otherwise, how would you be any different from him?”

“I believe I already told you in Montefiano,” Kennard said coldly. “The greatest reason I seek the throne is to protect my mate, Elena. To protect her, I will cut down anyone.”

In the darkness, their sharp gazes collided. Neither blinked. Neither yielded an inch.

“Aaah!”

“Fire!”

The sound of something breaking echoed from outside, followed by screams. Kennard snapped his head toward the window.

Argon hurried to stand beside him.

“They’ve lost their minds,” Benzef muttered through clenched teeth. “Setting fire to the Grand Duke’s estate of all places.”

Anger vibrated through his voice.

“In war, innocent lives are inevitably lost,” Benzef continued. “This is no different from war now. Your Grace, are you truly going to stand by and watch?”

“Duke Benzef,” Argon said calmly, as if trying to temper his fury.

Elena’s heart began to race violently. She could not fully grasp what was happening, but the voices and sounds outside were enough. She smelled something burning and heard shouts demanding water.

“What will you do?” Serin asked carefully.

Unlike the others, he offered no opinion. Whatever his thoughts, he would follow Kennard’s command alone.

Elena turned onto her side, gripping the bed with both hands. Pain tore through her body as though she were being hacked apart. She pressed her face into the mattress, gasping for breath.

I have to get up. Please… move.

She forced strength into her limbs and pushed herself upright. She bit down hard on her lower lip, tasting blood.

Her entire body trembled, her elbows threatening to buckle beneath her weight.

But she had to move.

She could not allow Kennard to kill people because of her again.

“Your Grace… you mustn’t.”

At Elena’s trembling voice, Kennard turned around in an instant, as fast as a flash of light.