The Abduction
Cayena had never been kidnapped before. In her previous life, Henverton had been unusually clingy even then, but the other men around her had been the same. That was why she only learned what a deranged lunatic he truly was after marrying him.
Still, she had never imagined he was insane enough to attempt a kidnapping even before their fates became properly entangled.
‘Why would he resort to something so extreme? Did someone push him into it?’
Henverton looked as if he were drugged, completely out of his right mind.
“Beautiful Cayena.”
He staggered toward her, where she lay bound. His grip was crude and uncontrolled as he seized her face.
“You’re finally in my hands.”
It was revolting. The sensation of his touch made her skin crawl, as though insects were crawling over her.
“As expected, you truly are my finest collectible.”
He let out a low, wet chuckle and tilted her chin upward.
“But your behavior is far too insolent. I’ll have to break that habit of yours thoroughly.”
Cayena trembled violently. Insolent behavior? Break her habit? Those were the exact words she had heard every single day while locked inside his bedroom.
‘I felt a slight hesitation about getting rid of him since he hadn’t harmed me yet.’
Horrible memories surged up with vivid clarity. All the vile recollections she had tried so hard to bury came flooding back, threatening to drown her. Yet none of those things had happened in this life, where time had been turned back.
In truth, Cayena had already decided to bring Henverton down. Even if he hadn’t touched her yet, the crimes he had already committed were more than enough.
She knew about the secret social club he ran with his friends. She knew exactly what kind of filthy acts took place there. Her plan had been to expose that secret and ruin him.
Yes, that much would suffice. Once the protection of the Gillian viscountcy was stripped away, Henverton would be of little concern. She had thought she could be satisfied with that and simply erase the past.
How naive she had been. Cayena realized she had been far too lenient with herself in her desire to atone for the many years she had lived as a villainess.
She was, after all, a villainess by nature.
“I suppose I should thank you for giving me such a perfect excuse.”
Cayena let out a low laugh. Her bound body ached fiercely, but the pain barely registered. Instead, she felt exhilarated.
“How fortunate that I get to see the true depths of your depravity, Henverton Gillian.”
Her icy gaze crushed him. Henverton, meeting that stare head-on, wore a dazed expression. He had never imagined seeing such a look on the princess’s face.
A shiver ran down his spine. The Cayena who had always seemed like a beautiful doll was different now. Those eyes, burning with a hatred so vivid it was almost chilling—how exquisite!
“Hahaha!”
He burst into manic laughter.
“This is how it should be! This is what makes breaking you so satisfying!”
At that moment, one of the men who had been watching the window spoke up.
“We should get moving soon. The sun’s almost completely set.”
At his words, another man shoved a gag into Cayena’s mouth. They couldn’t risk her screaming while they carried her outside.
“Don’t we have any more sleeping incense? Wouldn’t it be better to knock her out?”
“That other bastard took it earlier and hasn’t shown up. Who knew dealing with one maid would take this long?”
‘Olivia!’
Cayena prayed desperately that her maid had managed to shake off the thugs.
Henverton giggled as he pointed at Cayena.
“Move her to my carriage.”
Rough hands hauled her to her feet.
Clank.
The fetters around her ankles produced a chilling sound. The men tidied up the room and extinguished the lamps. That was when it happened.
“Aaaagh!”
The man holding Cayena suddenly screamed.
“What the hell!”
Another man hurriedly hoisted Cayena onto his shoulder. In the chaos, blows were exchanged and more screams erupted.
“It’s a betrayal!”
Henverton realized that Zenon Evans had stabbed him in the back. He flailed wildly in the pitch-dark room, shouting.
“You idiots! Bring me the princess right now! Kill them all!”
Cayena thrashed with all her strength. She intended to use the confusion to escape. If the priest in charge of this place still had his sanity, he wouldn’t stand by quietly after seeing her.
‘Please!’
“Ack! You crazy—!”
The man she had kicked lost his grip on her. She slammed into the floor, but there was no time to feel the pain. She crawled frantically. The door was right there.
“Ugh—!”
Someone grabbed a fistful of her hair.
“I’ve got the princess! Kill the traitors, quickly!”
“Gaaah!”
A horrific sound rang in her ears. Cayena squeezed her eyes shut. The memory of the moment she had been stabbed flashed through her mind, and she felt as if she might faint.
The man dragged her along by the hair.
“Damn it! You worthless bastards!”
Henverton kicked at the corpses in a rage. The man threw Cayena down beside one of the bodies.
“Hey, this isn’t what you promised. At this rate, the pay we agreed on won’t cut it!”
Enraged by Zenon’s betrayal, Henverton spat out a string of curses.
“I’ll give you as much money as you want, so shut up and do as you’re told!”
The metallic stench of blood made Cayena want to vomit, but she forced it down. If she lost consciousness here, it would truly be over.
‘There’s no way the Grand Duke Heinrich wouldn’t have done something.’
Anxiety gripped her. Please, someone—anyone—come. Anyone at all…
“Someone’s coming outside?”
At those words, the entire room froze. Was there anyone else who could be coming here? Henverton dragged Cayena backward, knife in hand, and threw a blanket over her. His eyes gleamed with warning.
“Make a sound and you’re dead.”
He handed the knife to the man beside him, ordering him to kill her if necessary.
Breathing was becoming increasingly difficult for Cayena. Especially after she felt the cold blade pressed against her throat.
Click.
Yellow lamplight flooded the room.
The men Henverton had brought instantly moved to block the entrance. The intruder who had entered the annex walked in with steady steps.
When Henverton recognized who it was, he spat out the name as if it left a foul taste in his mouth.
“Sir Kidray.”
Cayena couldn’t hide her shock at the unexpected figure.
‘Why is Raphael here…?’
The person who had entered the room was Raphael.
“What is the meaning of this? This annex is a place I donated to the temple and rented for my own use.”
Henverton bared his teeth at him, radiating hostility.
“Bringing knights into a temple that is supposed to be a sanctuary of non-interference?”
Raphael listened quietly to his words before speaking.
“There are two errors in what you just said.”
Henverton’s eyebrows twitched. Raphael had spoken to him with complete and utter disrespect.
“First, you should be addressing me as ‘Your Grace,’ not ‘Sir Kidray.’”
“…What?”
While Henverton was still confused, Raphael continued in a calm tone.
“Second, I am the one who rented this temple.”
“What kind of bullshit is that! I rented this place!”
Raphael looked down at the shouting Henverton.
“Did you not know that if someone pays more, the annex can be reassigned to another party?”
“…This is nonsense! This is a sanctuary!”
Raphael’s mood was exceptionally foul. No, it was downright filthy. His feelings had been plummeting uncontrollably ever since Cayena was kidnapped, and seeing Henverton’s face had driven them to their absolute worst.
“I really should have killed you.”
Raphael grabbed Henverton by the head and slammed him into the wall.
Crunch!
“Aaaagh—!”
He tossed the screaming Henverton, whose forehead was split open, onto the floor. He wanted to tear the man limb from limb, but Cayena was right there. He didn’t want her to see such brutality. He gave an order to his knights.
“Arrest them.”
Clank! Clank! Clank!
The fully armed knights were overwhelmingly intimidating simply by their presence.
At that moment, the man holding Cayena hostage shouted.
“Stop right there!”
Raphael caught sight of Cayena—gagged, disheveled, and bound. For a moment, an uncontrollable fury surged through him so fiercely it nearly made him dizzy.
“If you don’t back off, the princess dies. You don’t want that, do you!”
He should have dealt with this the moment he received Jeremy’s report. He had only made things worse by watching. It seemed best to eliminate disgusting vermin like this in advance from now on.
For the time being, however, cleaning up the situation before him took priority. Raphael hid his emotions and spoke.
“Stand down.”
When he obediently withdrew, the faces of the scoundrels in the room brightened. The moment the knights cleared the way, there was a metallic click followed by a terrifying whoosh.
Thud!
The man holding Cayena collapsed to the floor, an arrow piercing straight through his skull. A knight stationed outside the door had been holding a loaded crossbow, prepared for any contingency.
As soon as Raphael confirmed the man had fallen, he rushed to Cayena and pulled her into his arms. Up close, her face was pale, but there were no visible signs of violence.
He commanded, “Arrest them all!”
The knights moved as if they had been waiting for the order, binding every kidnapper and dragging them outside.
Raphael removed the gag from her mouth and untied her bonds. Cayena remained strangely silent.
To remove the fetters around her ankles, they would need to find the key. There were no subordinates in the room to search for it. He hesitated for a moment, then asked.
“Your Highness, I need to carry you outside. Would that be acceptable?”
“…Why. Why… did you come?”
Cayena lifted her gaze.
“Why would you… for me…”
Her words trailed off. Raphael had gently pulled her into his embrace. Even as her body shook uncontrollably, she seemed unaware of it. He soothed her with quiet words.
“It’s all right now.”
Cayena closed her mouth.
“You’re safe now.”
The moment she heard those words, the tension that had been holding her together snapped. Ah, I can’t hold on any longer. The world went dark in an instant.