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Chapter 29
Let’s turn back time a little, about three days ago.
That is, the very day Cassia barged into Edmund’s bedroom.
The rumors whispered from maid to maid had reached Willes’ ears as well.
“Did you hear about that, Mr. Marco?”
“No… I’ve been too busy…”
Exhausted from cleaning, over and over again, Willes was as worn out as a soaked butterfly.
He didn’t have the energy to entertain the idle gossip of the youngest maid in the villa.
So he was about to cut her off and head back to his quarters when words came from her mouth that made him question his own ears.
“They say the young mistress has openly declared that she’s going to start torturing Master Edmund!”
“What did you say?!”
“Isn’t that too cruel? Even if the duke hired her for that, he’s still such a young boy… The young mistress is just way too harsh.”
The maid subtly bad-mouthed Cassia.
She had a liking for Willes, who was undeniably striking among the staff.
Hearing rumors that Willes admired the young mistress, she wanted to diminish that affection by speaking ill of Cassia.
At the same time, she created an opportunity to speak with Willes.
Regardless of her intention, she had certainly succeeded in catching Willes’ attention.
Sparks flared in Willes’ eyes.
‘Has the villainess finally revealed her true nature?!’
After stalking Cassia and confirming her abilities, Willes had slightly revised his thoughts about her.
Especially, he had genuinely felt it was a waste for such talents to be trapped serving the duke.
‘I was planning to offer her a position at the academy once Edmund was safe and it was clear she wasn’t truly evil!’
But to openly declare that she would torture the poor young viscount!
‘I was far too complacent!’
It seemed Willes had nearly forgotten that ability and character do not always correlate.
The sole loyal servant of Edmund, filled with anger, asked without hesitation.
He could never simply stand by.
“What do you mean by ‘torture’?”
The maid replied with an innocent smile:
“She said she would barge into his bedroom and not let him sleep!”
“…….”
Willes couldn’t help but doubt his own hearing once again.
Slap!
Edmund, slapped across the cheek, shot awake. In his haste, it must have been quite a strong blow, leaving his skin flushed.
Confusion, absurdity, and anger surged over the boy’s face, as though he had been yanked from sleep by the scruff of his neck.
“What are you doing… Cassia?!”
The boy seemed even more shocked upon realizing it was me holding him by the scruff.
But there was no time to explain.
At that moment, the door opened almost without a sound.
A swarm of assassins, clad entirely in black, rushed in!
Edmund’s gaze instantly sharpened. Sleepiness vanished in an instant.
As expected of the future final boss.
His situational awareness was impressive.
Edmund sprang to his feet like a spring and stepped in front of me.
“Who are you guys?!”
“…….”
I was a little surprised at the unforeseen situation.
That the first thing Edmund did upon seeing the assassins was to protect me, stepping in front—it was truly unexpected.
But now was not the time to be startled.
Clang!
As the assassins rushed in, they drew their blades and lunged at Edmund.
“Duck!”
The trajectory of the blade, aimed where Edmund pressed my head down, cut through the air. I felt a few strands of hair being sliced.
‘Eek!’
Edmund rolled to the side, holding me, dodging the incoming blade.
Thunk! The sound of a blade piercing the bedsheet sent chills down my spine.
Without giving us a chance, someone’s kick struck Edmund.
Thud! Edmund groaned low and fell to the side.
I screamed—or tried to scream—loudly enough to be heard around.
“Kyah…ugh!”
But the assassins were too quick, and one of them grabbed my mouth.
‘Damn it! I was trying to call for help!’
Though their mission was primarily to prevent Edmund from escaping, there were also knights in the villa.
And many sturdy male servants.
I had thought that if they ran over, it would be easy to fend them off.
‘Because these assassins weren’t sent by the duke!’
The duke still hadn’t obtained the family seal from Edmund.
He couldn’t afford to kill Edmund yet.
Thus, most assassination attempts were either the duchess’ doing or from her natal family.
This was one of the most dangerous cases, one that actually endangered Edmund.
So if I had screamed out loud, people might have come running.
“Ugh!”
But my attempt ended in vain.
I couldn’t match the movements of trained adult assassins.
‘I refuse!’
A silver blade flashed before my eyes.
The assassin’s blade was aimed at my neck.
When your life is on the line, your mind sharpens instead of panicking.
If I hadn’t already been saved by Edmund twice, I’d be dead.
I needed to stay fully alert.
‘Who dies this pointlessly?!’
I bit the hand covering my mouth with all my strength. The assassin didn’t scream, professionally.
But there was a split-second hesitation, and I seized it.
I struck his groin with my knee with full force!
‘Finisher! Groin smash!’
Thunk!
A technique I had practiced in middle school against a pervert—practical combat experience.
Apparently, the assassin hadn’t trained for that, as I heard him scream for the first time.
“Gghh!!!”
Even so, the professional remained professional, not letting go of me.
But Edmund, noticing my attack, didn’t miss the opening.
“Die!!!”
Fwoosh—!
A sharp gust of wind cut through the air as a hole formed in the assassin’s chest, blood splattering.
The assassin, his heart pierced, collapsed into a lifeless heap.
‘Magic!’
Teaching Edmund basic magic and having Willes nearby paid off big time.
Finally, I could free my mouth and screamed loudly.
“Kyah!!!”
It was my first time facing life-or-death danger.
It was even more my first time seeing someone die right in front of me.
It was no wonder my thoughts froze and my body stiffened like stone.
But there was no time to panic.
I screamed to call for help, just as I had planned.
However, Edmund seemed to have misunderstood my scream.
He thought I was panicking.
He approached, his voice full of concern:
“Are you okay, Cassia?”
Edmund’s silver hair was stained red with blood.
In the meantime, he had not only dealt with the assassin who attacked me but also the one targeting him.
But there was no time to catch our breath.
The intruding assassins weren’t limited to those two.
‘There are still three more!’
They swung their blades at us without hesitation.
Two targeted Edmund, one aimed for me.
Edmund pushed me aside and stepped forward, casting magic.
“Run!”
With a flick of his finger in the air, a magic arrow formed.
Drawing a line in the air fired the arrow.
Whoosh! Whoosh—!
Two magic arrows launched consecutively, targeting two of the three assassins.
Unlike the first two, who had underestimated Edmund not knowing he could use magic, the remaining three dodged the flying magic.
They rolled or leapt to evade the arrows.
“Damn it!”
Edmund looked visibly flustered but quickly readied the next magic arrow.
Light appeared in the air.
But then, I saw one of the assassins in the back lifting something.
A small crossbow. It was obvious who he was aiming for.
‘No!’
My body moved before I could think.
“Edmund!!!”
When I came to my senses, I was already leaping in front of Edmund.
Thud!
The massive impact shook my body.
