So the Duchess Disappeared

23. Threat

The Crown Prince, who had staggered as if about to fall, quickly regained his footing and strength in his legs.

The Duke’s face was incredibly fierce. He seemed to be harboring intense emotions, as if he might kill Rachel on the spot. With a liveliness that no one had ever felt from him, the Crown Prince urgently ordered,

“What are you doing! Stop the Duke right now!”

The Crown Prince knew that the guards did not want to confront the Duke, so he quickly yelled.

Only then did the hesitant guards who were wavering act as one, raising their spears towards the Duke. Perhaps it was due to their nerves, but the tips of the spears seemed to tremble slightly. The scared knights haphazardly formed a line.

But Clint didn’t bat an eye, focusing his attention on Rachel as if he intended to kill her.

“…”

The Duke had drawn his sword despite knowing that the Crown Prince was in the palace, and it was a situation that could be considered a threat to the Crown Prince. The situation was on the brink of explosion.

The guards surrounded the Duke at a certain distance, pointing their spears at him. But they kept their bodies as far back as possible.

Between Rachel and Clint, the Crown Prince stood, and the Duke, with his sword aimed at Rachel, was getting closer and closer.

As he moved, the knights maintained their encirclement, awkwardly following him with uncertain steps.

There was no one willing to attack the Duke first, as it was clear that he was not in his right mind.

Clint casually walked, seemingly unaware that many knights were surrounding him, and he finally approached Rachel. He held the tip of his sword under her chin, as if he was about to kill her.

Rachel looked quite startled by his actions.

She hadn’t expected Clint to come out so strongly.

The Duke had no way to hold back his movements, as it was clear that Rachel had confessed to knowing about his presence in the palace, and his drawn sword could be interpreted as a threat to the Crown Prince. It was a situation that could explode at any moment.

The guards aimed their spears at the Duke, who had approached Rachel, but their bodies were kept as far back as possible.

Clint seemed to be focused on Rachel to the point where he could kill her any moment.

“Unbelievable.”

Clint unintentionally muttered.

He was perplexed by the unbelievable situation.

He didn’t seem to have anticipated that Rachel would confess so readily.

Surrounded by the guards, Alejandro drew his sword without hesitation. The sharp sound of the blade resonated in the tense atmosphere.

Approaching the Duke with the intention to protect him, Alejandro tried to defuse the situation. 

“What are you doing? This is the palace where His Majesty resides. It would be wise not to engage in frivolous actions.”

The Crown Prince, Layton, chimed in to warn the Duke, emphasizing the presence of the Emperor.

However, Clint, who was already in an altered state, paid no heed to words like “Emperor” or “His Majesty.”

“Rachel.”

Clint called Rachel in a low voice, his grip on the sword tightening.

Clint believed that if he could kill her right here, he might be able to find out if Rachel was really behind everything. It was his best consideration, or rather, his last bit of patience.

“Your Grace! Can’t you hear what I’m saying?”

When Layton shouted again, Clint finally turned around. He gave a brief reply to Alejandro and quickly passed through the guards to exit the room. He had no doubt that protecting Psiche was of utmost importance to the Duke.

The fate of Clint’s life was not a significant concern, and he was more worried about the guards and the Crown Prince.

There was nothing Alejandro could do to stop Clint. He was well aware that there was no one capable of halting the Duke. Alejandro quickly left to bring Psiche in front of his master. 

“Please stay safe, my lady!”

He was confident that Psiche would resolve the situation for everyone’s benefit.

However, he couldn’t be sure if it would end peacefully, but Alejandro knew that this was the best chance they had.

“Please stay safe, my lady!”

With that, Alejandro quickly moved away. 

“Seems like you’ll die here…”

Clint muttered under his breath.

Rachel, overwhelmed by fear, had not opened her mouth. Clint had drawn his sword with more force, ready to kill her right here.

As he swung his sword, a distant memory, a scene he wanted to forget, suddenly swept through his mind.

When was it? 

It was the day when the moonlight shattered into ripples on the surface of the pitch-black lake, falling tumultuously.

Simultaneously, he plunged into the deep abyss of the lake.

He felt an oppressive sensation around his neck, as if death was imminent, as if this was the abyss.

But almost immediately, he emerged from the water, as if this wasn’t the time for death.

“Ugh, cough, cough!”

Before him, a girl stood on the edge of the lake, with her arms crossed as if nothing had happened.

Due to the darkness, the red-haired girl looked as if her clothes were soaked in blood.

Clint made a struggle to resurface, even if a small boy, around seven years old, tried his best to pull him down. The water’s current was relentless, and no matter how much he struggled, Clint could not overcome the pull of the lake.

Even if he attempted to fight against death, Rachel just laughed faintly. With a relaxed smile, Rachel watched Clint struggle in the water.

Rachel watched Clint for a few more moments as he desperately fought to stay afloat, and when he gave up, her lips finally parted.

“Will you do as I say?”

“Gack!”

To avoid death, Clint grit his teeth. Although he could faintly taste the metallic tang of blood, he couldn’t regain his composure due to the lake water filling his mouth. He clenched his teeth harder.

The girl’s face, who was only eleven years old, seemed more like a demon at that moment.

“If you want to survive here, it’s best to do as I say.”

“Gack! Cough!”

Now drained of strength, Clint was left with nothing but coughs. It was possible that if Rachel reached out and saved him, he could easily escape from this place, but he wanted to live on his terms, without her assistance.

However, leaving the lake without someone’s help seemed unfavorable.

Above all, it was Rachel who had pushed him into the lake.

The girl’s eleven-year-old face appeared demonic.

“If you want to survive here, you’d better do as I say.”

“Gack! Ugh!”

Now, Clint had lost all his strength, alternately sinking beneath the water and then rising to the surface. The world was quiet, but it repeatedly turned turbulent. At that moment, he thought that perhaps it would be better to die.

“All right. I’ll save you. But you have to do what I say. Understand?”

As if Rachel had heard a response, she made a gesture, and one of the men who had been observing the situation behind her stepped forward. With a tall and well-built physique, he effortlessly jumped into the lake to pull Clint out.

“Cough, cough.”

As Clint forcibly expelled the water, Rachel whispered from nearby.

“From today on, you are my fiancé. Got it?”

A shiver ran down his spine, and at the same time, Clint lost consciousness. When he woke up, he was already engaged to Rachel.

Young Clint was tormented by the fear that if he defied her, he might die again, and it took quite a long time for him to muster the resolve to break free from her and end this fateful connection.

Clint shook off the lingering hesitation on his finger.

He should have done this from the beginning.

“No!”

Now, the much smaller Rachel no longer frightened him.

Whether Rachel realized that Clint genuinely intended to kill her, she screamed in fear with her terrified eyes and shrank back.

“It should have been done a long time ago!”

If he had any regrets, that was the only one he held.

The raised blade glinted coldly as it caught the light. He lowered the blade.

“No!”

The Crown Prince intervened in front of Rachel. Though Clint had managed to slightly change the direction of his strike with his keen reflexes, the distance between Rachel and him was too close, and Layton’s action was incredibly sudden.

“Your Highness!”

Startled guards shouted.

Clint’s blade was aimed at the Crown Prince’s throat.

“Your Highness!”

Rachel was equally surprised.

The guards rushed toward Clint with their spears raised.

In an instant, chaos erupted.