Outside the inn, Harvey had tried to stop the whole thing from escalating, but he had to confess that Damian was beginning to piss him off. And as if that was not enough, Ivan appeared, looking nothing like his usual self.
He looked angry, exhausted, and weak, but surprisingly, his voice was still loud and firm as he jumped down from the horse, yelling for Luciana to come out.
From the look on the faces of both parties (Ivan and Damian's group), it was obvious they were not pleased to see each other. Especially when Ivan stood in front of Damian to block their path from going in.
"No one will go in there or do anything until I get my wife out of there." He ordered sternly.
"I apologize, your highness, but we do not have the time to wait for you to fetch your wife first. We are following the Queen's order," Damian said, not bothering to hide his displeasure and impatience.
Ivan looked at him as though Damian had lost it. He didn't blame him. He blamed his mother. If it wasn't because of her, even guards wouldn't dare look down on him like Damian was doing right now.
"If any of you lay a hand on her, I will kill you myself." He threatened Damian quietly before marching forward to storm into the inn, but Harvey blocked his path.
"I think it's best you return, your highness," Harvey said before looking at Damian.
"And you too. We were about to leave for the palace anyway. Don't try to make us angrier than we already are. There was a clear instruction that no one should leave the palace." Harvey reminded the two groups with annoyance.
He was trying to be civil, but it seemed they did not appreciate it.
Ivan gave off an "I can't believe this" laugh as he wielded his sword. "Get out of my way," he warned Harvey, who gave him a condescending look before he also drew out his sword.
"I'm sorry, but I can't do that."
"Do you realize who I am? Are you disobeying my instruction knowing who I am? Is your family aware of this?" Ivan asked, his eyes blazing with anger.
"With all due respect, your highness, if you didn't want to be treated this way, you shouldn't have left the palace," Harvey said, even though he understood what Ivan was talking about.
It was probably strange and annoying to him that he had given his loyalty to Prince Harold and Alicia when his only sister was betrothed to him.
"What did Harold promise you to make you betray even your sister? Or were you bewitched by his witch too?" Ivan asked, but Harvey merely stared at him blankly.
"You should watch your words, your highness," Harvey cautioned, annoying Ivan.
Enraged, Ivan raised his sword, and with a growl, he struck at Harvey, who quickly took on a fighting stance and used his sword to block it.
"You must have a death wish!" Ivan said this in anger as the fight intensified. And at the same time, Alvin stepped out just as Damian's group was about to storm in.
The fight would have been between Damian and Alvin if Ivan hadn't suddenly thought it was best to attack his enemy with this opportunity.
Without so much as a word, Ivan roughly pushed Harvey to the side and swung his sword at Alvin.
Alvin was able to deflect the blow with his own sword before kicking him in the gut. Yet, that didn't stop Ivan from coming back at him with full force while Harvey took on Damian's group, with Damian standing by the side and watching with an unreadable expression.
"Today is the day I finally kill you," Ivan said with a crazy laugh as he continued to charge at Alvin, who wasn't even putting so much effort into the fight.
"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?!" Luciana yelled in panic when she arrived outside with Susan, Williams, and Lance behind her.
That seemed to halt the fight on his part temporarily as Ivan hurried to her but stopped and looked at her, his face almost showing disgust.
"Why are you wearing this? Who forced you to dress in these unbefitting clothes?" He asked as he looked her up and down and then looked at Susan, who was dressed the same way, with disapproval.
"Nobody forced me. I wore it because I wanted to. What are you doing here?" Luciana asked in annoyance.
Ivan decided to focus on the reason he had come. He was going to settle the issue of her clothes later. For now, he had more important things to fix.
"Are you okay? Did they hurt you? Why did you leave the palace without my permission? Don't you know you could have gotten hurt?" He asked with a mixture of concern and relief as he looked her over.
Outside the inn, things were rather chaotic, and some villagers were already gathering around and watching what was happening. Meanwhile, Harvey and Alvin were still busy fighting with Damian's soldiers, who were trying to force their way inside.
Seeing how he was acting like he cared, Luciana looked at him in confusion while Susan scoffed, and Williams gave her a pointed look to keep her mouth shut and not interfere in the conversation between the couple.
"Let's go back. I came to take you back with me. Do not stay with that witch and that monster. I know they are planning to hurt you to get back at me. You should be grateful I came to get you now before their plan worked." Ivan said without waiting for her response as he tried to drag her away, but she planted her feet on the ground and shook her head.
He turned to look at her in confusion and raised a questioning brow.
******
A/N
Hello sweethearts.
I know most of you are pissed at me. If I could, I'd write every day. But writing isn't easy.
With that being said, we're currently having a mass release of 10 chapters!
Don't be shocked. You deserve it for your patience and votes.
In addition, open the comment box. You'll find a picture of Miss_B and her hubby.
Cheers!