TSMT 30

Chapter 30

Wounds

Following Diana’s movements, spheres of wind were indiscriminately fired. The round magical bullets weren’t very large, but they had enough lethality to injure the assassins. Though the assassins were professionals and avoided vital points, they still ended up with wounds on their limbs and other parts of their bodies. Some were struck directly in the bones and collapsed.

At that moment, someone threw a dagger at Diana.

[Danger!]

A small, winged fairy flew in and blocked it. Diana immediately realized why the assassination of Philip had failed—because of that being.

When Diana swung her quill toward it, a scream rang out. “Argh!” One of the assassins fell as a result.

As Diana raised the quill again, the magic stopped. The area where the magic disappeared revealed the fallen assassins, and Diana frowned as she carefully observed them.

She had caused a mess.

Diana looked at her own arms and legs—they were wounded, not in a very good state. Philip, too, had cuts on his shoulder and waist, with blood flowing. Judging by his ability to move, it didn’t seem to be poisoned.

In any case, both were safe. The little princess was safe as well. Just as Diana was about to say something, Philip spoke.

“You.”

“Yes?”

“Give me that quill quickly and run.”

“……”

Philip was thinking the exact same thing as Diana.

“This is a gift from my grandfather, and I’m going to use it. So leave this place, immediately!”

Diana bowed slightly in acknowledgment.

“I’m sorry. I wanted to heal you.”

“It’s alright.”

Before leaving, Diana spoke to the little girl who was watching her.

“Princess, please keep it a secret that I was here.”

“Hey! You saved my life! At least tell me your name!”

“Ask Prince Philip.”

Hastily, Diana made her escape. The Kingdom of Cagliari was likely in civil war due to a rebellion in the remote Od region. It wouldn’t be strange if assassins were sent from Od.

But assassins from Od actually launching an attack inside a foreign royal palace? Preposterous. The assassins were well-versed in royal geography, and there were no knights nearby. This was the perfect moment for an assassination.

Who could have orchestrated this situation?

The Cagliari princess had a motive for assassination. And the only person who could have ensured Philip and the princess were together was the queen.

There was a reason for this. Philip’s maternal grandfather, Count Falkos, was a distinguished knight, and as a border count, he possessed formidable strength.

At least Philip was saved. But if the queen realized it was Diana who saved him, how would she view Diana? She would undoubtedly see her as an enemy.

No, she might even turn the entire Brien family against Diana. The artifact with the protective magic wasn’t something that could just “accidentally” fall into her hands. All that could be said was that her father, Duke Brien, had gone all out to save Philip. To call it a coincidence would be an understatement.

It was unfortunate for Philip, who had to deal with the aftermath, but it couldn’t be helped. Being hated by the queen, and having her family misunderstood as the queen’s enemy, was something Diana must avoid at all costs. Cowardly as it might seem, there was no choice.

“Why does going back in time feel harder?”

Diana bit her lip. Between the Mirva incident and this one, it felt like nothing but dangerous things kept happening.

She used her underskirt to wipe and stop the bleeding. Her shoulder had barely avoided a fatal strike to her neck. Her calf had a shallow cut—if it had been any deeper, she might never have walked again. These were all potentially deadly injuries.

Fortunately, the commotion had drawn the servants and knights over. She pinned her torn clothing with a brooch to make it look decorative and covered her calf with fabric.

Being wounded here meant she had been caught up in the assassination attempt. She had to look as ordinary as possible. After checking her clothing, she called for a maid on her way to the palace.

“I’m feeling unwell and need to leave the palace. Where is the carriage?”

The maid kindly guided Diana, who tried her best not to show her injuries. Boarding the Brien family carriage, Diana let out a sigh of relief.

“I’m sorry, Philip.”

She wanted to help with the aftermath but ended up running away like a coward. Fate cannot be changed, she had said—she hoped this wouldn’t be an exception. She worried, not just for Philip, but also about her own injuries. She needed to send a letter back to Princess Ionia and inform her father of her safe return.

Perhaps from the tension finally easing, she felt her consciousness grow hazy.

Some time later, Diana arrived at the Duke’s residence and saw a familiar face waiting—Giskar.

“What about the other maids?”

“They’re all out. I took advantage of that to organize the annex. I came out after hearing the message that you arrived.”

Strangely, seeing this boy with an unreadable expression somehow reassured her.

“Miss?”

“Help me up.”

When Diana whispered, Giskar nodded.

“Miss! What happened?!”

The head maid had rushed over, surprised by her early return. Diana whispered to her.

“I’m injured. I cannot say why. Please keep it secret from Father.”

“Yes.”

The head maid had been recruited by Diana during the Mirva incident. She had personally sought a physician to heal her sick daughter, and since then, she had pretended to serve Mirva while secretly assisting Diana.

“Shall I bring a physician?”

“No, just bring some medicine for the wounds first.”

“Understood.”

Then the head maid spoke to Giskar.

“Please take care of the lady.”

Giskar nodded. Diana calmly assessed the situation. She decided not to tell her father about saving Philip—sometimes ignorance is a blessing. The assassination attempt could be considered over, for now.

Assassinations are never simple; they target the optimal moment. Missing this opportunity meant no one knew when the next chance might arise.

Supported by Giskar, Diana tried to walk as normally as possible, but she could feel the blood oozing from her calf wound. As she tried to climb the stairs, she realized she couldn’t walk any further.

Yet the moment she attempted, her body collapsed helplessly.

“Miss!”

“Shh.”

Frowning, Giskar looked displeased, about to say something, but then noticed her legs and lifted her effortlessly.

Wait, what? He’s carrying me like this? How? Wasn’t he just a kid? Diana realized Giskar had grown into a strong young man.

As she felt the firmness in his arms, she saw his gaze on her. Diana looked away, and his eyes narrowed slightly.

He successfully carried her to her room and laid her on the bed. The bed pressing against her calf almost made her scream in pain. Then Giskar spoke.

“Miss.”

“……”

“Allow me to see your wounds.”

When she didn’t respond, he furrowed his brows.

“These are not minor scratches, are they?”

“……”

“There’s blood dripping. Even a filthy slave would notice…”

Blood? Diana’s heart raced. The maids mustn’t find out!

“Then clean it up.”

His eyes held a peculiar displeasure as he looked at her. Was he displeased at cleaning blood?

“Understood.”

Giskar stepped back. Diana closed her eyes as the head maid approached, finally confronting her reality. Relief at being alive mixed with unease. The head maid gasped at the sight of the wounds.

“Oh my! What is this?! On the precious lady’s body! I’ll fetch holy water from the priest!”

“No, it must bear the noble’s name. That’s not allowed.”

Following Diana’s instructions, the head maid treated her wounds. Her body ached terribly, but Diana tried not to show it.

This incident would remain a secret between the head maid, Diana, and Giskar.

After changing clothes and letting down her hair, Diana went to bed early. Her injuries throbbed painfully, and she broke into a cold sweat.

“You fool…”

Suddenly, a voice spoke, and something cold moistened her bandages—holy water.

As it touched her wounds, the heat seemed to drain away instantly, and Diana fell asleep peacefully.

The assassination attempt overnight had thrown the palace into chaos. Emil had returned immediately, and fortunately, her father could not rush to the palace due to the attempt. The medicine brought by the head maid seemed effective, and her wounds hadn’t worsened.

“Don’t walk around.”

“It’s impossible.”

Diana sighed, determined to maintain appearances, to look as if this had nothing to do with her.

Luckily, it was a day off, allowing her to recover leisurely. As she sipped tea, she was startled to see a tiny winged girl, no bigger than a hand, in front of her.

It was the same being from the assassination—the noisy, screeching one… why was it here? A hallucination? A fly?

Blinking in disbelief, Diana watched the girl grin.

[Here! Here!]

Before Diana could process this, a maid knocked on the door.

“Miss! There’s a problem!”

“A problem? What happened?”

“A visitor has arrived… th-the Princess of Cagliari is here to see you…”

The tiny winged girl in front of Diana smiled cutely at her.

[Hehe.]

All her efforts to remain unnoticed seemed about to vanish with this single visit. Diana’s face stiffened as she forced a helpless smile.