EWGEW 08

Chapter 08

Since Camilla did not answer, the Grand Duke crooked his lips.

“Speak. Are you the mastermind?”

As he spoke, the Grand Duke took one step after another toward Camilla.

Tap. Tap.

The sound of his shoes stepping on the dirt ground echoed loudly in her ears.

She could hear her heartbeat pounding.

“Come to think of it, I don’t even need to ask.”

With those words, the Grand Duke raised his sword high.

‘F-Faster!’

Camilla hurriedly reached into her pocket.

She had not expected to have to use the item she had brought as a bargaining chip for her negotiations with Madam Desti so soon.

But she did not feel reluctant about using it.

That man might kill her right now.

Without hesitation, Camilla pulled the items from her pocket.

The piece of glass and the ruby.

The glass felt sharp against her fingers.

Camilla did not hesitate and pressed her hand against the piece of glass.

‘Ugh!’

She clearly felt the glass cut into her flesh.

Her skin had become cold from the chilly air.

As her flesh tore open, tears nearly sprang to her eyes.

Blood soon seeped heavily from the wound.

Camilla quickly smeared her blood onto the ruby.

The moment the blood touched it, the ruby began to tremble slightly.

Then, before long, it softened and became malleable.

The ruby was gradually absorbed into Camilla’s wound.

A warm, viscous liquid slowly entered her body along with her blood.

Her breath caught.

The sensation of something forcing its way through her wound was anything but pleasant.

But in this situation, this sensation was her only lifeline.

Camilla squeezed her eyes shut.

‘Just a little more….’

All of this happened in an instant.

Unfortunately, the Grand Duke was much faster than Camilla.

With an emotionless gaze, the Grand Duke thrust the sword he was holding toward her.

The sword sliced fiercely through the air.

“Aaargh!”

At that moment—

A man’s scream rang out.

Right behind Camilla.

‘What was that—?’

Camilla opened her tightly shut eyes in surprise.

The blade was visible right beside her eye.

It was the Grand Duke’s sword.

His sword had passed directly beside Camilla’s cheek.

It was a moment that lasted no longer than an instant.

But to Camilla, it felt like an eternity.

Golden eyes, shining like jewels within his cold, sharp gaze, were staring behind Camilla.

When Camilla naturally followed his gaze, the Grand Duke calmly twisted his arm.

At the same time, the smell of blood suddenly rushed over her from behind.

“Ugh—, aaaaaagh—!”

The sound of flesh tearing and bones twisting was horrifying.

When a scream erupted behind her, Camilla’s body stiffened.

“Tell me. Who is the mastermind?”

His voice was languid.

There was not the slightest trace of mercy in his golden eyes.

The Grand Duke pulled away from the body that had been almost pressed against Camilla and passed by her.

Then, as he thrust his sword deeply into the man who was groaning from being impaled, he asked again.

“Come on. Tell me.”

The Grand Duke coldly raised the corner of his lips.

Only then could Camilla understand what had happened.

The man who had been stabbed had been behind her.

And that man might have been targeting her.

‘Then….’

Camilla hesitantly looked up at the man.

The Grand Duke was staring fiercely at the man behind Camilla.

‘Did he save me?’

Why?

He was a man without blood or tears.

That was exactly how he had been described in the original story.

‘No.’

Camilla shook her head inwardly and turned her face away.

Perhaps his interests and her safety had simply happened to coincide.

Considering the terrifying things he had done in the original story, that explanation seemed more appropriate.

Camilla ran her fingers over the ruby.

It seemed to have almost finished being absorbed.

The sensation of her breath being squeezed tight had become even more severe, but Camilla smiled even more brightly.

‘It’s almost done.’

At that moment—

The Grand Duke completely slit the man’s throat.

Thud.

Camilla’s face turned deathly pale as she clutched at her chest as though trying to tear it open.

Her white hand tightened so much that it became even paler.

At that moment, excruciating pain surged through her, nearly making her lose consciousness.

The pain swept over Camilla’s body like a tidal wave, only to recede like the tide.

Then it returned as an even more powerful wave, engulfing her body.

Ahh—.

Camilla painfully parted her lips and hunched over.

But she could not even scream.

She was afraid that if she screamed, the Grand Duke might plunge his sword into her throat as well.

She could only try to calm her ragged breathing.

The sound of her heartbeat rang strangely in her ears.

It felt as though the blood throughout her body was rushing rapidly, yet at the same time, it seemed to be moving incredibly slowly.

Every time she breathed, it felt as though her body was being squeezed tighter.

Camilla blinked.

It was a pain that felt as though her internal organs were being crushed.

Her vision became tangled and dizzy.

“Ugh!”

Suddenly, one of the men lying at her feet grabbed Camilla by the back of the neck.

The man’s unpleasant breathing echoed in her ear.

But Camilla was too out of her senses to pay much attention to it.

A feverish breath escaped from her lips.

The man laughed with a rasping, breathless voice.

“If you don’t want to see this woman’s neck snapped, you’d better drop your sword right now. Even if you are that great Grand Duke.”

‘What is he talking about? There’s no way the Grand Duke would save me.’

Even in this situation, it seemed somewhat absurd.

Was the man who had attacked the Grand Duke now holding her by the neck?

Was he really taking her hostage and telling the Grand Duke to drop his sword?

‘Is he insane?’

Camilla narrowed her eyes at those words.

As far as the Grand Duke was concerned, she should have no value whatsoever.

As expected, the Grand Duke did not move despite the man’s threat.

He simply looked at Camilla calmly, his expression unchanged.

The rough hand against her neck made her skin crawl.

The back of her neck prickled with tension.

‘What should I do?’

The Grand Duke was completely unmoved.

He merely looked at Camilla and the man with an indifferent gaze.

Her head began to throb more and more.

She felt nauseous.

The man who had grabbed Camilla looked somewhat triumphant.

But that expression gradually hardened.

Seeing that the Grand Duke remained standing as though rooted to the spot, the man became slightly flustered and furrowed his brow before shouting again.

“Drop your sword right now!”

“Ugh….”

The man grew angry and tightened his grip around Camilla’s neck.

But the Grand Duke still did not move.

Apparently growing more desperate, the man pulled something out that he had been hiding in his hand.

The moment the man revealed it, the Grand Duke’s previously calm expression showed the first hint of agitation.

What the man had pulled out was a small dagger.

The man shouted furiously and pressed the dagger firmly against Camilla’s throat.

Perhaps it had cut her slightly, because Camilla felt metal sink into her skin.

Her mind suddenly cleared as though cold water had been poured over her head.

Even amid her confusion, the cold object touching her throat sent chills down her spine.

Her heart dropped.

A cold feeling settled over her.

Through the skin touching the man holding the knife, Camilla could feel his sticky blood.

The man seemed to have lost a considerable amount of blood, as his clothes were almost completely soaked in it.

Yet despite that, he chuckled happily, delighted that he had gained the upper hand.

The Grand Duke had killed his own companion for this woman just moments ago.

That Grand Duke, who never moved for matters that had nothing to do with him, was now showing agitation.

‘If I capture this woman, that Grand Duke will have no choice but to move.’

The man had been afraid that he would lose his life without completing the job.

Now that he had found new hope, his mood improved considerably.

The man pushed the dagger even deeper into Camilla’s throat.

She could feel her delicate flesh splitting apart.

The sensation itself seemed to please him, and he chuckled.

He could feel Camilla squirming.

It was probably because the sensation of metal moving against her throat frightened her.

He had thought she was composed, but in the end, she was still a woman who had never experienced hardship growing up in a noble family.

The man whispered into Camilla’s ear.

“Let’s see if that bastard saves you, Miss.”

The man snickered.

Blood was pouring from Camilla’s throat.

She had already lost enough blood to make her consciousness fade.

The man laughed even more happily.

Watching those noble aristocrats become helpless in the face of his demands was an amusing sight.

Besides, the dagger was coated with poison.

Even if this woman survived and made it out of here alive, she would not emerge unscathed.

Perhaps because of that, Camilla’s body gradually went limp.

“Grand Duke, put down your sword right now—!”

At that moment, the Grand Duke’s eyes curved slightly.

His golden eyes flashed for an instant.

Something was strange.

At that moment, a warning bell rang inside the man’s head.

Overcome by an inexplicable sense of unease, the man roughly grabbed Camilla’s body.

Camilla’s head drooped.

Her limp body, like soaked cotton, simply swayed whenever the man shook her.

Like a corpse.

“You’d better let her go.”

The Grand Duke spoke coldly as he took one step forward.

At the Grand Duke’s movement, the man shouted furiously while holding onto Camilla.

“D-Don’t move! If you move, I’ll slit this woman’s throat right now, so don’t come any closer!”

But the Grand Duke merely shrugged.

His lips curled slightly, coldly.

His red lips curved upward.

His eyes had become even colder as he tilted his head slightly.

“…I think that’s something you should be worried about.”

At the same time, the man’s throat was pierced.

The shadow extending from Camilla’s body had transformed into something as sharp as a spear and pierced straight through the man’s throat.

Even at the moment his throat was pierced, the man wore an expression that showed he had no idea what had happened to him.

His body collapsed.

Camilla let out a faint groan as she fell toward the ground.

“My.”

The Grand Duke quickly approached and caught her body.

She looked up at the Grand Duke with a weak expression.

“Interesting.”

‘Why is the Grand Duke holding me?’

Even as her consciousness was fading, Camilla thought that.

The Grand Duke held Camilla and met her gaze.

The moment their eyes met, the Grand Duke’s eyes curved elegantly.

His sharp eyes softened into a curve, creating a strange atmosphere.

Combined with the slight redness around his eyes, it gave him an almost sensual appearance.

The Grand Duke’s golden eyes held a look of interest as he stared at Camilla.

At that moment, his red lips curved upward.

‘Wow. He’s really handsome.’

Camilla thought that even as she was losing consciousness.

‘As expected, his face is the justification for the plot….’

From now on, he was her new favorite.

There was no need for a second favorite or a third favorite anymore.

When it came to his face, no one could possibly beat the Grand Duke.

With that thought, Camilla completely lost consciousness.

Beneath Camilla, her shadow continued to ripple as though it were trying to protect its master.

The awakening of her supernatural ability.