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Chapter 8 : The First Step to Escape (3)
*****
Regina looked at the distant sky with her pupils shaking at the sight of Arsene looking down at her.
Arsene, standing in front of her as if to block her, twisted his mouth and smiled. He wasn't comfortable with her running away the whole time.
But luckily for him, she hasn't quite gotten used to horseback riding yet. It means she was still taking classes.
Of course, today was the day, but she forgot about it because she was distracted.
Regina, who fell asleep in the aftermath of the dawn, was awakened from her bed this morning by the hands of her maids. In the midst of her drowsiness, she was washed and dressed as usual, and when she came to her senses, she was in front of him.
She rolled her eyes around, caught his uncomfortable gaze, and quickly walked to her horse.
"Class! Let's start!"
She jumped on the horse, shouting more boldly on purpose. Arsene still stood there and spat out a laugh. He didn't know she would avoid it so blatantly even after facing it in front of him.
After seeing her back, he jumped on the horse and followed after her.
Meanwhile, Regina, who avoided him without realizing it, was surprised that she had committed it.
'Am I allowed to be like this?'
Seeing his face reminded her of the bloody hallway that night, and she unconsciously avoided it. She said she didn't avoid it, but she felt like she would become a liar.
"Regina."
She rode her horse with a serious expression, but the man followed her. Regina almost avoided it by reflexively speeding up again, but managed to hold it in by clenching her fists.
Seeing her flinch, he spoke slowly, as if to soothe her.
"Let's talk for a minute. It's because there seems to be a misunderstanding."
She narrowed her brows, trying to balance the horse, which was walking a little faster.
'Misunderstanding? What misunderstanding are you talking about?'
She didn't even know that there was a misunderstanding between her and him. After thinking for a while, she fell for the curiosity of the word.
She nodded her head as if to say something, and he softly began to explain himself in a gentle tone.
“Assassins come to the mansion all the time. Those who hate me are trying to get rid of me somehow. Of course, recently there have been more people with other intentions.”
Regina vaguely noticed that what he called 'those with different intentions' were the people on the Empress dowager side who were aiming for her. She felt like she was getting goosebumps on the back of her neck.
After examining her reaction, Arsene continued.
"It's hard to send all those guests back safely. Sometimes the same case happens like yesterday. Unintentionally."
He said that there are not many cases where people are killed like yesterday. Like an accident.
Maybe he was lying to soothe her frightened. Or maybe he's trying to hide his ferocity somehow.
Unfortunately, however, there was one thing he didn't know, she had read the story of this place in a novel.
In the book, Arsene cuts down not only the assassins who break into the mansion, but also those who disobey his wishes. Instead of cutting one place and sending it back, it means that everything was neatly sent to Rastain.
If there were any obstacles in his way, it was Arsene way to kill them all and get rid of them.
In the dim memory, there was a scene where he killed even his subordinates. It was because the subordinate stopped him from pursuing a plan.
After several warnings, Arsene finally cleared the blocker and proceeded as he wished.
What did he say then.
[Those who don't trust me don't deserve to be my hands and feet]
She thinks it was like that
But would she believe him if he said that it happens 'sometimes' as if yesterday was an accident?
No matter how polite and sophisticated the person in front of her now seemed, she couldn't believe it. Even when he put eye drops in his eyes, he only looked like a wolf in sheep's clothing.
But she nodded her head as if believing him. That way he won't come looking for her anymore.
"I don't blame you or hate you. They're here to kill us, too. Just, I've never seen you like that before. I just needed a little time to calm down."
Actually yesterday, she couldn't bear to look at him because she imagined her head rolling at his feet.
Unlike looking over the alley with only the hands, that scene was devastating. Even now, she thought she could think of it with her eyes closed.
Arsene nodded understandingly when he heard her answer.
"That's my mistake. I'm sorry. I didn't expect you to come out, so I didn't see you."
"No, I didn't know I would wake up at dawn either."
Regina was surprised to see Arsene apologize and waved her hand. His apology was a combination that really didn't suit him.
He deliberately drooped his eyebrows and put on a pitiful expression. It was because he knew she was weak against his beauty. Even the long eyelashes trembled.
"So you're not going to run away now?"
"That......"
His question sounded quite ambiguous, as if he knew she would run away.
It was time for her to figure out how to answer a mysterious question.
Neeeiighh!
Dusk suddenly raised his front foot and cried. It was because he was surprised by the animals that jumped out of the grass.
Her defenseless body jerked backwards. If she stayed like this, she would fall off the horse.
"Ugh!"
"Regina!"
Regina was surprised when she felt her body fall behind in an instant and grabbed the horse's neck tightly. As she leaned forward so as not to fall, and Dusk, whose weight leaned forward, jumped out quickly.
"–!"
She knew that it was difficult to stop the horse when the center of gravity was focused on the front leg, but she had never dealt with such a situation. The horse was also young, so he easily panicked.
The scenery quickly passed by. Regina opened and closed her eyes, and clenched her teeth because she was scared no matter what. She couldn't even ask for help because she was afraid of chewing her tongue. She didn't even have the mind to figure out where this place was.
Regina didn't know a horse could run this fast. The sense of speed was so scary. She couldn't even think properly because of the sudden situation.
"Regina!"
She was holding the horse's neck tightly as if it were a lifeline, she heard Arsene's voice right next to her. As she opened her eyes through her frantically waving hair, she saw him driving his horse fast and catching up.
"Jump!"
"What?"
Regina freaked out when she heard Arsene voice telling her to jump off her horse. He cried out once more time as he looked at her tired face.
"I'll catch you. So don't worry and jump!"
If she fell from here, it was clear that she would be in great pain.
She doesn't know where one might be broken. But when he said he would catch her, she felt like she would have to jump for some reason.
As she stuck her head out next to Dusk's neck, she could see the trees running through the thick forest.
It's a situation where it's obvious that she'll get hurt anyway, but perhaps she wouldn't die because she had healing powers?
Taking a deep breath, Regina closed her eyes and threw herself to the side.
"......!"
His arms seemed to wrap around her body, and then a dull shock came. She couldn't tell because her eyes were closed, but the sky and the ground seemed to have been reversed a few times. But it didn't hurt as much as she thought.
She rolled on the ground and stopped, and after a while she barely touched the ground and raised her upper body.
'I think we've been rolling a lot lately.....'
It was rather awkward to stop because he had been running at such a high speed until just a moment ago. As she straightened her messy hair and raised her head, she caught sight of Arsene lying beneath her.
"Ah."
Her black hair spilled over him. The messy platinum blonde hair on the grass blended with hers.
The purple eyes in front of her quickly scanned her appearance as if examining her condition. Regina then realized that she was still lying on top of him.
She, who had been tangled in one place, quickly pulled herself away, and he also got up.
"Are you hurt anywhere?"
"No... Thank you, what about Arsene?"
Perhaps thanks to his support, she was not scratched anywhere. There was a shock when she rolled, but she didn't think she was hurt.
Arsene combed her disheveled black hair and tidied up. Meanwhile, Dusk ran out of sight.
"It's a relief. I... I think I'm fine."
"But you don't look fine. Where are you hurt?"
As she was about to take a look, the knights and servants who ran after them arrived.
"Your Highness! Lady! Are you all right?"
Some of them went looking for Dusk, and some took Arsene's horse. Others supported Arsene and Regina who were lying on the ground.
"I'm fine. More than that, Arsene–"
"Ugh."
He groaned quietly as he stood up just in time. He must have injured his leg, judging by the strange way he stepped.
Regina was a little shocked by the sight.
She had never imagined that Arsene would be injured. If someone tried to harm him, it was common for they to be killed instead.
But he hurt himself protecting her.
A little frown caught her eye so clearly under the morning sun.
While she was absent-minded, they were led back to the mansion.
“I think it would be good for the lady to be examined together. You may have been injured without knowing.”
"No, I'm fine."
Severo, the butler, called a physician he hadn't called before and asked her to see the physician with him, but she refused.
If you have a healing ability, you will be healed without realizing it even if you get hurt somewhere. She was more worried about Arsene than that.
"Regina."
She looked back at him as he entered the room for examination and treatment. His strange gaze seemed to want her to follow.
However, Regina, who hesitated in front of the door, turned away.
She felt very guilty and uncomfortable, but she did not change her choice.
"I....I have an appointment, so I'll go."
It was today that she was supposed to meet Isota and Kai. She had to prepare from now on to solve the mess and go.
He will be well taken care of by the physician. To the point where she didn't even have to use her powers.
She hesitated for a moment, then moved on. Her dark hair left the door.
Arsene stared at Regina's back, seen through a gap in the closing door.
*****
After clearing up her disheveled appearance, she left the mansion and arrived at the meeting place on time.
"So... what's going on all of a sudden?"
Isota, whom she met at the cafe, immediately met her eyes and asked.
Her blue eyes looked into Regina as if she could see through the truth.
"There's no way you're sending me a letter saying you want to see me soon."
"Is there a problem?"
Kai, who was sitting across from her, also put on a serious expression and bent his upper body, a gesture that signaled that he was listening.
One part of her heart was still heavy because she felt like she was putting a burden on her friends. She wanted to find a way to leave without bothering as much as possible.
"Why, what's the problem?"
Sensing that something was wrong with her hesitant appearance, the two of them followed her.
Suddenly, Arsene's face, which she saw for the last time before leaving the mansion, came to mind.
She wasn't comfortable leaving him hurt because of her. His purple eyes, which only looked at her, kept bothering her.
Had he calculated all of that? Her heart kept getting weaker.
"That's...."
But now she really had to make up her mind and leave this place before it's too late.
Regina, who alternately looked into Isota and Kai's eyes, brought out the words she had been holding back.
"I'm leaving the Duke."
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