Chapter 67
Witness of Betrayal
Ansi straightened her back. Damion immediately hid himself out of her sight. As soon as she left the hallway, he strode toward the spot she had just vacated.
What Ansi had hidden was a slip of paper.
He quickly retrieved it and unfolded it.
11 o’clock, capture the Silver Lion.
Damion’s brow arched.
“Capture the Silver Lion”? It was a loaded phrase.
But it didn’t take much imagination for anyone to associate that term with the silver-haired, beautiful Emperor.
What on earth?
Confusion filled Damion’s head. He had no idea what his wife was up to.
He hurried outside and scanned his surroundings. Ansi was heading toward the annex. He began trailing her at a distance.
A shadowed path through the woods led to the annex.
The very path he had once abandoned everything to walk with her—Ansi was now treading alone.
Damion left a trail of footprints as he followed her. His heart began to race in time with her hurried steps.
But Ansi’s destination wasn’t the annex.
It was the armory hidden behind it—Cardian’s armory, a place even Damion had never been inside.
Ansi stopped in front of the armory. Damion watched her from behind a tree.
The door and windows should be locked, he thought.
But then she began to lift her skirt, the hem trailing to her toes, revealing neatly tailored hunting pants underneath. Around her neck, she slipped on something—
A dog tag?
Like it was the most natural thing in the world, Ansi entered through an open window and emerged with a rifle. It was a stunning model that had made headlines the previous year for its beautiful design.
She took the rifle and disappeared down a narrow path.
Damion followed, frantically trying to rationalize the situation in his mind.
Maybe… even though Ansi said she was fine, she actually wanted to join the hunting event. Maybe she knew it was only for men and decided to sneak there instead. Maybe “Silver Lion” is a code name for a bird…
He came up with one ridiculous excuse after another to defend her.
But once inside the forest, Ansi showed zero interest in the birds. Birds chirping as if begging to be caught didn’t even register in her vision.
Then Ansi suddenly reacted to something she spotted.
Damion crept closer. As he neared, the object of her gaze became clear.
The Emperor—Rudkaos.
Ansi raised the rifle and aimed at him.
“Ansi!”
Damion rushed forward and snatched the rifle from her hands. Her eyes widened in shock.
“Damion…?”
At that moment, the Emperor—perhaps sensing something—turned his head in their direction.
Damion immediately pulled Ansi down and pressed her against the ground.
Their bodies disappeared into the underbrush.
Ansi’s face went blank in shock at the unexpected appearance of a man.
Meanwhile, Rudkaos turned his head back and continued on his way.
Realizing this, Ansi began thrashing in Damion’s grip. She had to shoot the Emperor before he got away.
Her shirt was stained green from grass, and her cheek had been scratched by a small branch. But she didn’t care. As she struggled harder, Damion pinned her down between his arms.
“Let go…!”
Ansi twisted and kicked, but she couldn’t overpower him.
“What are you doing, Ansi?”
His voice was trembling—shaken and filled with disbelief.
He was utterly confused and devastated. Why was Ansi trying to shoot the Emperor?
Whatever the reason, the outcome was obvious.
If she shot him here, there was no way she’d escape capture.
Tea left untouched. Clothes abandoned at the armory. She had practically left a trail begging to be found guilty.
Regardless of the reason, Damion had to stop her.
But Ansi glared back at him with wild fury as she writhed beneath him.
“Let go.”
“I asked what you’re doing.”
“I’m getting revenge.”
“What…?”
“Don’t you get it? I used you. I married you to gain the name Orphe. And I’m going to drag Orphe down with me!”
Her large eyes burned with rage. A wave of emotion crashed over Damion, leaving his face stunned and hollow. His strength faltered for just a moment.
Ansi seized the opening and slipped free.
She grabbed the fallen rifle and bolted.
The Emperor was still in the distance, aiming at a bird.
Ansi raised the rifle and took aim at him.
“If you shoot now, you’ll die too.”
Damion tried to stop her with words.
“That’s exactly what I want.”
She pulled the trigger.
Bang!
Her pupils shook.
At the same time she pulled the trigger, Damion had deflected the rifle’s aim. The bullet hit him instead. His face twisted in pain as he gasped.
“Ah…”
Ansi let out a breathless moan. The shock paralyzed her thoughts. Her ears rang with silence. Time seemed to freeze.
“I’m okay. Just a graze,”
Damion said, stepping back after seeing her stricken expression. Ansi’s gaze slowly dropped to his black vest.
A terrible feeling washed over her.
She reached toward the vest. Damion caught her hand.
His neatly composed brows crumpled in pain.
Ansi yanked her hand free and touched his vest.
“…!”
Sticky. Wet.
“No…”
She shook her head slowly.
Damion let out a pained breath and leaned against a tree, sliding down to the ground. Ansi placed the rifle down and pressed on the wound.
She had to stop the bleeding.
“Someone! Help! Over here!”
Ansi screamed frantically. Her voice trembled uncontrollably. But she didn’t care. She kept shouting like a madwoman.
Panting, Damion picked up the rifle from the ground.
“…Remember this, Ansi. This was my mistake.”
His voice had lost its strength. That terrified her more than anything. Ansi shook her head wildly as she looked at the blood seeping from his wound.
“Don’t… don’t say anything.”
“Look at me, Ansi.”
He raised a hand and cupped her cheek. His eyes were resolute.
“You have to say it. Tell them I was trying to teach you how to shoot, and the gun discharged by accident. You must.”
“What are you talking about…”
“Are you alright?!”
“…!”
Servants came running from a distance. Ansi turned and shouted at them.
“Here! Someone’s been shot!”
They rushed over, faces frozen in horror at the scene. Damion gave them a faint smile.
“…It was my mistake. The gun misfired.”
He gripped the rifle tightly, as if it had never left his hands.
“Let’s move quickly.”
Several servants supported him as he stood. Ansi’s voice trembled.
“Damion, just hang on… Damion?”
He slowly blinked. Her pale, terrified face filled his vision. He wanted to reach out and smooth the fear from her face—but no words came. His eyes kept closing.
“Damion!”
Her voice was the last thing he heard before he lost consciousness.
* * *
“We need to operate immediately.”
As they rushed Damion’s stretcher down the hallway, the doctor spoke. Ansi could only nod stiffly.
“There’s severe bleeding. It’s going to be a long surgery.”
Damion lay pale and lifeless on the stretcher. It was even more terrifying than before—he looked like he couldn’t even feel pain anymore.
He was wheeled into the operating room.
The doors closed in front of her. Ansi stood frozen, staring at the sealed door without blinking.
Suddenly, it hit her.
This—this was the moment she saw in her dream.
The wound, the emergency—all exactly like the prophetic dream.
Now she understood why the dream had only shown what happened afterward.
Because she had pulled the trigger. Because she had caused it.
Ansi lowered her gaze.
Damion’s blood stained her white shirt, soaked into her pants. Over her father’s dog tag, new blood had been splashed.
“Ah…”
Ansi began to tremble uncontrollably.
It wasn’t just her shirt and pants—her hands, her face, her entire body felt drenched in his blood.
The very blood he needed to live—she had taken it and poured it over herself.
“No, no…”
It was horrifying. She had to strip the blood from her body. Right there, she began unbuttoning her shirt.
“My goodness!”
“My lady!”
Her maidservants, who had followed her, quickly tried to stop her. They shielded her from view as she frantically tried to undress.
“Let go!”
“Please, calm down, my lady!”
Ansi flailed, not even understanding what she was doing.
Her head throbbed as if squeezed in a vice.
Her vision turned yellow.
Then she collapsed on the spot.
