Chapter 112

Chapter 112

“No. You have to lose everything… it’s your role to cry out in despair!”

“You’re foolish. That’s why you must have grabbed the rotten rope.”

Declan laughed at Salihan, who literally lost everything.

“Take him out.”

Salihan struggled to endure until the end, but he was eventually dragged away by the knights’ force. In the meanwhile, Duke Otien, the last one left, angrily threw the knights off when they tried to grab him.

“Don’t touch me.”

The way he behaved nobly until the end was really brazen and disgusting.

“My biggest mistake was not to kill you on the spot with your sister.”

The Duke turned to Declan and uttered in a voice choked with anger as he continued his words, “You’d think you’d won now… It won’t last long.”

Hearing his curse, Declan laughed amusedly.

“You won’t be able to protect that position and all the people you love. You will lose it.”

Even at this moment of losing everything, his eyes were filled with contempt for Declan as words still flowed from his mouth. Even though the knights approached him again as he walked forward, he stubbornly refused.

“I will go with my own feet.”

When the troubled knights looked at Declan, he raised his hand and ordered them to leave.

In the end, the knights had no choice but to keep some distance from the Duke and walk while keeping an eye on him.

The moment of relief thinking that everything was over now.

Duke Otien suddenly turned around, creating a great uproar in the conference room as he took out the dagger he had hidden and ran towards Declan. On the other hand, Declan picked up the sword that had been lying beside him.

And it was almost at the same time that I came in between them…

“Ugh.”

For a moment, I reflexively leaned down from the pressure on my chest and felt Declan’s arms tremble as he embraced me.

“Erica!”

The sound of him calling me and the shouts around me tangled together, making my ears ring in a daze. It was an instant that the Duke collapsed as he swung his sword, and at the same time, he embraced me.

“Erica…!”

Declan couldn’t move a single fingertip, terrified that he might lose me. Seeing him like that, I woke up as if I had been covered with ice water.

“Your Majesty, I’m fine.”

I quickly grabbed his hand and placed it on my chest to let him know I wasn’t hurt. However, his ice-cold hands trembled, but he couldn’t bear to touch me to see if I was okay.

“Did you forget that God blessed me?”

“…But, you must have been moaning in pain.”

It was only that I felt the pressure because I was hit so hard with the dagger that the Duke was pushing with all his might.

“It’s because he hit it too hard. I’m not hurt.”

Only then did he manage to lower his head and inspect the area where the duke had stabbed him.

“…Ha.”

A deep breath of relief flowed from his mouth when he saw that I was fine without a single blood stain. Even so, he carefully touched the area with his hands for a long time.

“Are you okay now?”

“I feel better because of Your Majesty’s touch.”

Gazing at me, he gently hugged me. I could feel his heartbeat still beating against his chest. As he slowly caressed my back while holding each other, he buried his face in my shoulder and hugged me tighter.

“I couldn’t breathe. It was so awful.”

The words he vomited out were tinged with pain. My heart was devastated by that sight, so I continued to caress him and convey my warmth. After a while, as he eventually lifted his head with a furious face, my body naturally tightened.

“Erica, don’t do this again.”

“No, I don’t want to.”

“Erica.”

Declan called me, scolding me, but this was an issue I couldn’t back down from.

“I will protect Your Majesty even if this happens again.”

“Erica… please.”

He pleaded and clung to me.

“I am blessed by God, but not Your Majesty.”

God’s protection couldn’t be given without permission except to those who were permitted by God. Therefore, all I could do for him was God’s blessing. While it kept his body healthy and free from disease, it did not ward off poisons or damaging attacks on the body.

Because of that, when something like this happened, it was the safest thing for me to step out.

“I am a sword master, so there is no one who can hurt me. I was able to block it just enough.”

“Still, there is one thing in ten thousand. I hate to see Your Majesty get hurt. If anything goes wrong…”

Even though I only imagined it for a moment, my emotions came up, and I shed tears without knowing it. Surprised by my tears, he carefully wiped my eyes with his eyebrows drooping.

“Shhh, it’s okay. Where am I going to leave you? It’s never going to happen.”

“You don’t know what people do. Just a moment ago, if I were a little late, you would have been in big trouble.”

The fear of losing him belatedly set in, and tears welled up in my eyes.

“Don’t cry. It’s difficult for me.”

“I’m here because of Your Majesty, but if something goes wrong with Your Majesty, what should I do?”

When the sudden sadness came over me for no reason, I couldn’t stand it anymore and cried out loud. Declan didn’t know what to do at my sudden burst of tears.

“I’m sorry. It’s all my fault. I was wrong.”

“Don’t tell me not to protect Your Majesty. Don’t scold me for stepping out.”

As I mumbled with my face buried in his arms, he felt sorry for me. With a long sigh, he then pulled his body away from me and faced me.

“No matter how blessed you are, I am worried about you. Didn’t your chest hurt earlier?”

Asking that, he gently caressed the chest area where I was hit. My face twisted in pain seeing him like that.

“It was just a brief moment of pressure. I’m not hurt.”

“I hate even that. I don’t want anyone to touch even the tip of the hair on your body.”

So, look at me.

He said to me as if begging.

“It’s over, so this won’t happen anymore.”

Just as he wanted to protect me, so did I, so I couldn’t say that I wouldn’t do it in the future. By all accounts, my stepping out was the best chance for both of us to survive.

Declan understood my meaning and sighed again.

“Your Majesty, are you okay?”

Soon, Liam came over and asked cautiously.

‘…Oh, this was the conference room.’

As I made eye contact with the people around me, who were looking at me anxiously, my face naturally turned red.

“Savior, are you okay? Are you injured?”

Nikki, who was fidgeting right next to me, came over and examined me closely.

“It’s okay. I can’t get hurt.”

“I am still concerned. So if possible, don’t step out and leave it to us.”

Hearing her words, I couldn’t help but laugh awkwardly because it was the same request as Declan’s.

Meanwhile, Declan got up.

“I am fine.”

“Are you really okay? Really, really? You’re not hiding your injuries, are you? If so, please tell me at least.”

The next moment, Noah rushed over and looked at him.

“Noah, you saw it too. Erica was stabbed instead of me.”

After confirming that Declan and I were fine, Noah slumped down.

“I can’t live up to my name because of you two.”

“There will be no such thing in the future. I caught all the bad guys today.”

When I smiled a little, Noah finally found stability and smiled.

Moments after, Duke Otien came into sight. Surrounded by the knights, he was gasping for breath, bleeding across his chest and abdomen. As Declan approached him, the crowd backed away.

“Call the doctor and get him treated. I can’t let him die that easily.”

His eyes were burning with rage as if he would tear the Duke to pieces at any moment. With his order, the knights lifted the duke and went outside.

“Crown Prince.”

When the surroundings were cleared to some extent, Declan approached Seian, who was standing quietly on one side. He must have been quite surprised by this situation, so he responded late to his call.

“Ah, Your Majesty… Are you all right?”

“I’m fine. Rather than that, I think I should say thank you.”

“I just wanted to help.”

“I know that it was not an easy decision to join hands with me, who destroyed your country.”

Seian looked at Declan blankly. It was difficult to read his thoughts in the swaying eyes.

“…I joined hands with the Savior, not with Your Majesty.”

Hearing that, Declan laughed.

“Anyway, isn’t it about helping me and the Empire? I appreciate it.”

Seian made a complicated expression at Declan’s sincere greeting. After choosing his words for a moment, he spoke again.

“Thank you for saving our Gemina people during the doll abduction incident, and protecting their families.”

Seian bowed his head politely.

“Please think of it as repaying the favor.”

Declan stared at him with a thoughtful face.

“I apologize for causing pain to your country.”

Declan slowly bowed his head to Seian, his eyes widening.

“Your, Your Majesty…”

Even though the bewildered nobles called him, no one dared to step in.

“As of today, I will approve the independence of Gemina. I will also pay reparations for the war.”

When Declan shouted loudly at the nobles gathered in the meeting room the next moment, all of them were taken aback by the unexpected announcement.

“All Geminas currently imprisoned will be released, and the Crown Prince here is also freed from being a hostage and returned to his country.”

“Your Majesty.”

“Anyone who opposes this will be regarded as a co-conspirator to Duke Otien, who wanted to take advantage of the Geminas.”

Some of the nobles who opened their mouths to oppose were immediately silenced by Declan’s threats.

“Congratulations, Your Highness.”

I approached Seian, who was standing there blankly, and greeted him. He still couldn’t answer right away, finding the situation appalling. Instead, a single tear ran down his cheek.

I felt relieved that all of the issues that needed to be addressed had now been dealt with.

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