Sword of Salvation-Chapter 90: - Fourth Princess (2)

The carriage ride proceeded without obstacles, even as the sun had completely set. The grand house that was their destination had already come into view. There were no signs of anything suspicious. Athenia thought that perhaps Vincent had been serious about his words.

"Your Highness, isn’t this Marquis Sergey’s residence?" Rea asked as soon as they stepped out of the carriage and entered the vast courtyard.

Seeing the flag that Rea had noticed, Athenia realized that this was indeed the nobleman’s residence. She had never dealt with the man before, so she had never visited his home. That was why she had not known which noble’s house she was heading to.

Worry immediately filled the princess.

Various wild assumptions entered Athenia’s mind one by one. Marquis Sergey did not have a good reputation. And recalling the most prominent side of the nobleman, all the assumptions crowding her thoughts narrowed into one.

"Your Highness, we should leave immediately."

Rea had reached the same conclusion as Athenia. There was only one reason why the Marquis would be willing to offer his support—he wanted to bind the princess through marriage. More precisely, he wanted Athenia’s body. There was no other conclusion. Marquis Sergey was infamous for his obsession with women—he was obsessed with their bodies.

Athenia indeed wanted to do whatever she could to prevent the looming war, but offering her body was not a choice she would make. She was different from Linea, who proudly sold herself to the nobles. Athenia would never degrade herself in such a way.

However, before the princess could agree to Rea’s suggestion, two male servants approached them.

"Welcome, Your Highness. Madam Quinos has been expecting you inside."

That was a surprising statement. Athenia had not considered that the person she was meeting would not be Marquis Sergey. It had never crossed her mind that it was his wife who had requested to see her.

"Please, come in, Your Highness. My colleague will ensure that your carriage and guards wait out front."

Athenia looked at Rea. The woman still showed concern, but she eventually nodded in agreement. Athenia offered a faint smile, and the two of them stepped forward together into the open doorway.

The house’s interior was not as grand as her villa’s, but it could not be considered too inferior either. However, comparing their residences was not why Athenia was here. She ignored that and focused on following the servant’s lead.

"Is it just me, or are there too few workers in this house?" Athenia asked, realizing the oddity.

At that moment, Rea grabbed her hand, making her stop abruptly.

Athenia had no chance to ask what was wrong. From the corner of her eye, she saw two other men dressed in ragged clothing, grinning. When she turned to Rea, two more men stood several meters behind her, holding daggers.

Athenia immediately understood the situation. What she and Rea had feared had come true. Vincent wanted her dead. He planned to frame Marquis Sergey for the crime. And knowing her stepbrother, he would squeeze every last coin out of the Marquis to ensure he escaped the death penalty.

"How much do I have to pay for you to let us go?" Athenia asked—she knew there was no other solution here. Like it or not, she had to outbid Vincent.

"Ohoho." The man dressed as a servant turned and looked at Athenia with amusement. "I doubt you can offer us a fortune, Your Highness. How about you pay with your body? I’ve always wanted to see a princess like you kneel before me. If you agree, we’ll let you and your maid live. We won’t even touch her."

The man’s words instantly angered Rea. However, Athenia immediately stopped the woman from cursing and lashing out at the criminals surrounding them. Things would only worsen if that happened. Athenia could not allow that. She did not want Rea to die.

"Oh, look at you, so calm, Your Highness. Do you think I’m joking?" The criminal then laughed. "Prince Vincent paid us to kill you. He said you’d stand in the way of him getting the throne."

Athenia said nothing. There was nothing surprising about that. If anything shocked her, it was only the fact that she was too calm. Athenia knew they were in danger, yet for some reason, she felt everything would be fine. It was an instinct she could not comprehend.

"But I think," the criminal continued, "it would be a waste to kill a woman as beautiful as you. Letting your gorgeous body rot as a corpse would be a shame. So, I figured we don’t have to kill you. We’ll just take you far away from here. You’ll live as our slave. How about that?"

"If I agree, can I trust your words? Will you really let Rea live without touching her?" Athenia asked with a calm face and a serious gaze. There was not a trace of fear in her.

Athenia did not know what made her so composed. She could imagine how dark her future would be, yet strangely, she was not worried. She was more concerned about Rea. The woman beside her was utterly loyal. If becoming their slave meant Rea would be safe, Athenia felt that was enough.

"Your Highness, you can’t be—"

Athenia covered Rea’s mouth, her eyes staring intensely at the criminal. "Can I really trust your words?" she asked again, this time more firmly than before.

"Hahahahaha." The criminal laughed as if he had lost his sanity. "Do you realize what will happen to you?" he asked after his laughter subsided, his expression filled with disbelief. "They will rape you. You’ll become a slave. We’ll even sell you. Do you understand that?"

Athenia simply nodded.

"Hahahaha. No wonder you’re popular among commoners. You’re an idiot. I despise people like you. You make me want to vomit. Tell me, why are you willing to accept this?"

"Rather than both Rea and I dying, it’s better to accept your offer. I simply think it’s the best choice. Rea has done nothing wrong; I don’t want her to suffer because of my problems."

Hearing Athenia’s answer, the criminal let out a long sigh. "This is the first time I think I might feel guilty," he admitted. "I didn’t think someone like you could exist in this rotten world. But a job is a job. Ron, knock the maid unconscious and lay her on that sofa."

Right after hearing the criminal’s order, a man instantly rushed toward them. Rea broke free from the princess, trying to fight back. However, Rea was not a fighter. The man struck the back of her neck, knocking her unconscious in an instant.

Now, Athenia was alone. The boss started walking toward her. He came closer and closer. Yet, even when the man stopped right in front of Athenia, she did not feel afraid at all.

"You’re still calm. But will you remain calm after I’m done with you?"

As he spoke, the criminal lifted his hand toward Athenia’s chest. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

His hand moved slowly, getting closer and closer. Athenia did not understand why she was not afraid, but it no longer mattered. She steeled her resolve, preparing to endure the disgusting touch.

However, the touch never came. Instead, what hit her body was a splatter of blood from the criminal’s head, which had been split in two. Athenia’s eyes widened. She collapsed to the ground, shocked and unable to comprehend what had happened.

At the same moment the lifeless body of the criminal hit the floor, screams erupted from the other criminals. But the screams did not last long. They all died with wind spears piercing their heads. No one survived. Even the criminal dressed as a servant, who had just entered, was killed as well.

Silence engulfed the entire room, with only the princess’s heartbeat filling the void.

But the silence did not last. Footsteps echoed behind Athenia. The sound grew louder, closer. The princess had not felt fear earlier, but the splattered blood and lifeless bodies scattered around her brought fear crashing down on her.

The footsteps came closer and closer.

Athenia forced herself to turn around.

However, before she could fully process what was happening, the man who had just been standing in front of her was suddenly there behind her. Athenia did not understand what had happened, but she could feel someone’s presence directly in front of her. If she looked forward again, she would see them.

Summoning her courage, Athenia turned her gaze forward.

Blood-red eyes were what greeted her. A handsome young man with dark blue hair. He wore a pair of double-helix earrings. What stood out the most was the necklace around his neck. He was a member of Ultores, the world’s most renowned mercenary organization.

"You’re the second bravest woman I’ve ever met, Princess Athenia. But what are you doing here?"

"You... were you paid to kill me too?"

Realizing the young man before her was a member of Ultores, Athenia wondered if one of her other siblings had figured out Vincent’s plan and seized the opportunity to eliminate both her and Vincent.

"You’d already be dead if I was paid for that, wouldn’t you?" the young man asked with a warm, charming smile. "My target is Marquis Sergey. I’ve been watching his residence for the past three days. I thought that luxurious carriage earlier belonged to him, so I came here."

"You... you’re not lying, are you?"

The young man’s smile widened. Seeing it eased Athenia’s worries slightly.

"Do I look like a liar?" he asked, brushing some blood off the princess’s cheek with his thumb. "More importantly, are you alright? What are you doing here? I’ve heard many good things about you, so I was quite surprised to see you visiting a depraved noble like Sergey."

For a moment, Athenia hesitated, but after a few seconds, she finally opened her mouth to explain.