TEWRIT 74

Chapter 74

Flint led the charge, surrounded by knights, but the swarm of monsters wasn’t easy to defeat. Even Lord Hairin and the retainers had to step in and fight. At last, the Northern forces managed to wipe them all out. A breath of relief swept over the battlefield.

“Check the wounded.”

“Your Highness, you must also—your shoulder…”

“It’s nothing,” Flint said, clutching the bleeding wound on his shoulder. He ordered others to tend to the more seriously injured first.

He had taken a slash to the shoulder while cutting down monsters. Luckily, Oliver had appeared just in time to prevent a worse injury.

“Are all of Rosana’s men dealt with? Where’s Adel?”

Flint’s cold gray eyes scanned the field. Adel had taken a large team to chase down Rosana’s soldiers, but she hadn’t returned yet. Worried, Flint reached for his sword again.

Just then, Oliver approached and saluted.

“Your Highness, allow me to go. You should rest and—”

“First, why are you here, Marquess Himenes? Weren’t you assigned to protect the Duchess?”

Flint’s voice turned low and sharp. In the chaos of the battle, he hadn’t had time to ask. But Oliver shouldn’t be here—his duty was to guard Eliano.

“Her Grace ordered me to go to Your Highness’s side.”

Flint wasn’t the type to overlook disobedience. Even if Oliver had helped, breaking orders was no small matter.

“She told me to leave only three knights with her. I left five. I judged it a necessary choice—Your Highness’s situation was too critical to ignore.”

Flint waved his hand, signaling that he understood. If Oliver had made the decision alone, it would’ve been insubordination—but if it was Eliano’s command, it deserved respect. And it was true—Oliver’s timing had likely saved his life.

Just as Oliver mounted his horse, Adel returned with only a few subordinates. She dismounted, pale-faced, and knelt before Flint.

“Please punish me for failing to protect the Duchess.”

Eliano didn’t know how much time had passed. The outside had grown completely silent. Her entire body was soaked in sweat from hiding under the blanket for so long.

Suddenly, she realized the carriage was moving.

Was she being taken to safety? Or had she missed something while her ears were covered? Had she lost consciousness?

She cautiously pulled back the blanket just enough to see—and nearly screamed. She clamped her hand over her mouth.

There were unfamiliar boots. Someone else was in the carriage with her.

If it were one of Flint’s men, they wouldn’t have stayed hidden like this. If it were Flint, he would have spoken to her. No, this was clearly a kidnapping.

Rosana’s soldiers had taken her carriage.

Eliano felt a wave of nausea. Even knowing she was married and no longer a maiden, her father had decided to dispose of her anyway. Her rage burned.

Should she stab the stranger’s legs with her dagger? But if they were heavily armed, it would be useless. She might be severely punished, or worse, if she tried to escape now. She needed to save her strength for the right moment.

Then, a strong scent hit her nose.

“Sleep incense…”

Eliano immediately covered her nose and held her breath. But it was too late—she had already inhaled too much. She felt the blanket being lifted.

Through her blurry vision, she thought she saw golden and blue light.

And then, everything went black.

Meanwhile…

“Don’t be stupid. Just because Eliano succeeded, you think you can too? She risked everything. Just listen to Father and marry the man he chose for you.”

Isabella bit her lip and ran from the house, holding a small bag.

“Would a father hurt the daughter he loves? Bella, this is for the family. If not for your father, listen to your mother…”

But even her mother had once called Eliano “the beloved daughter.”

Isabella had realized the truth—none of their love was real. She remembered the sound of a whip striking Eliano… and the pain of being whipped herself.

“I don’t want to marry into Zacador…”

Even though they praised the Seventh Prince as the most beautiful man in the empire, she didn’t want to marry a stranger.

She arrived at a small house where she’d planned to meet her lover, Sir Eden. She threw the door open and breathed heavily. Her face lit up when she saw him—but the house was strangely dark.

“Why is it so dark? Don’t worry, I came secretly.”

Her voice trembled with hope.

“Let’s leave for your hometown at dawn. Just the two of us…”

Then, her smile vanished. Her bag fell to the floor. Candles lit up—and she saw familiar faces in Rosana’s uniforms. Knights that shouldn’t have been here.

Furious, she glared at her lover.

“I’m sorry, Bella. I… I can’t go against Duke Rosana. I can’t do it. I thought… if you go back with the knights…”

She slapped him hard, tears falling from her green eyes.

“You coward. So this is your love?”

Her scream filled the room.

Back at the camp, news of Eliano’s missing carriage turned Flint’s face to stone. Oliver and Adel knelt beside each other.

“I’ll judge your failures after we find her,” he said, his voice filled with fury.

“Assemble the tracking teams. It’s late, so they can’t have gone far.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Gilbert—bring my seal. I need to write letters.”

Messages were quickly dispatched to neighboring lords, asking for support. Additional knights joined the search.

“They used sleep and paralysis incense. Then covered the carriage in black cloth to hide the Howard crest. Well-planned.”

“All the attackers wore Rosana’s uniform and masks…”

“We should have captured at least one alive…”

Letters were sealed with Flint’s crest. The sound of stamping was unusually loud and heavy. Flint finally threw his seal aside.

“We need fast riders—immediately.”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

Messengers raced toward checkpoints along every possible route to the capital. One letter, addressed to the imperial palace, carried proof: the arrow and a Rosana uniform.

Flint stepped outside, where the bodies of the attackers lay. They wore Rosana’s armor—but their skills were far beyond ordinary knights.

“These weren’t just knights. Mercenaries and assassins,” he muttered.

It was a declaration of war—Rosana had dressed hired killers in official uniforms to provoke Howard.

“They’ll be heading to the capital. With checkpoints in place, we’ll catch them soon.”

“How could Duke Rosana do such a thing? The marriage is official, recognized by the emperor himself!”

“We must appeal to His Majesty. This is treason—kidnapping the rightful Duchess of Howard!”

“Eliano is no longer Rosana’s daughter—she’s Howard’s! This is a crime against the North!”

Flint silenced them.

“First, we rescue her. We can deal with Duke Rosana afterward. Strengthen the search party immediately.”

Time was critical. Normally, a day was all you had to save a kidnapped person. But in this case, it was worse.

Eliano was officially married. There was no legal reason for her to be sent to Zacador now. If Rosana got her back… she could be killed.

Flint would never forget the day her father tried to beat her to death.

He had to find her—before it was too late.

Just then, a knight ran toward them, shouting.

“Your Highness! We found carriage tracks! The wheel marks end this way!”

***

When Flint heard that Eliano’s carriage had disappeared, his expression turned cold and terrifying. Oliver also knelt beside Adel in silence.

In the heavy, frozen air, Flint finally spoke.

“I’ll deal with your failures after the Duchess is found.”

His voice carried sharp anger. The tension was so thick that several people visibly flinched.

“Organize a pursuit team immediately. It’s already late—they couldn’t have gone far.”

“Yes, Your Grace!”

“Gilbert, bring my seal. I need to write letters.”

Following Flint’s orders, the Northern knights moved swiftly. A tracking team was quickly formed, and reinforcements were secured through nearby lords.

“They scattered sleep and paralysis incense everywhere and covered the Duchess’s carriage with black cloth to hide the Howard crest. It was all carefully planned.”

Hearing the report, Flint clenched his teeth.

“They all wore masks and Rosana knight uniforms.”

“We should have captured at least one of them alive… I apologize.”

With each letter Oliver and Gilbert wrote, Flint stamped his seal—each thud sounding heavier than the last. He finally threw the seal down with force.

“I need the fastest riders—now.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

Messengers carrying letters were immediately dispatched to key checkpoints. Most were lands that one must pass through on the way to the capital.

Flint wrote the letter to the Imperial Palace himself. It stated that Duke Rosana had kidnapped the Duchess of Howard, and included proof—a Rosana knight uniform and one of the arrows.

Flint stood and left the tent. No reports had come in yet. The search party seemed to be empty-handed so far.

Outside the tent, corpses were laid out. They were all wearing Rosana uniforms, their masks removed.

“They were no ordinary knights… their swordsmanship and fighting style were too advanced.”

Adel reported, and Flint nodded.

“Rosana must have hired mercenaries and assassins.”

Wearing Rosana knight uniforms was clearly meant to provoke Flint and the North. It was a declaration of war.

“Their destination is likely the capital. With checkpoints in place, they’ll be caught soon.”

Lord Hairin shouted in disbelief.

“This marriage was blessed by the Divine Sun and approved by the Emperor! Has Duke Rosana lost his mind, kidnapping the Duchess of Howard?!”

Other retainers also raised their voices in outrage.

“We must petition His Majesty to severely punish Rosana! Even if he disapproves of the marriage, how could he do something so disgraceful to the ruler of the North?!”

“The Duchess is no longer Rosana’s daughter—she is a Howard! They must pay the price for touching one of ours!”

Flint silenced them with a firm voice.

“Finding the Duchess is the priority. I’ve already sent word to the palace—Rosana’s punishment can come later. Focus all our manpower on the search.”

In most kidnappings, the golden window to act was within a day. But this case was more complicated because Duke Rosana had orchestrated it himself.

Eliano was now officially married. As a noblewoman with a husband, she couldn’t be sent to Zacador’s royal court. If she was returned to Rosana, her life might truly be in danger.

Flint would never forget the day Rosana tried to beat Eliano to death.

He had to find her—before she reached the capital.

Just then, a knight came running and shouted:

“Your Grace! We’ve found tracks from the carriage. The wheel marks disappear over there!”