Chapter 44: Highly predatory

(Roxanne's POV)

I was looking at the moon with teary eyes while resting my arm on the windowsill. Although I didn't know the exact day, something inside me told me that this cursed day was tonight. No matter how much I warned Ethan...what if he doesn't listen to what I said?

Honestly... it's so painful to do nothing while I have the chance and know what's going to happen. I haven't been sleeping for days, or rather I can't sleep... How can I sleep knowing that the only love of my life is suffering? If a flower knew the forest was burning, would it still bloom?

My heart is hurting so much...

"You've told him too much already, and you're still sad? Nya~" Pipkin said while licking her paws.

"What? I couldn't tell him anything! I just told him to be careful, and that doesn't change anything! He will still suffer, and it's all your fault!"

"Calm down, child... After everything that's happened, he might think you know something when the day comes and blame you for not saying anything. That's why you should actually say nothing.~Nya"

"Why should I act this way when I could tell him everything? Why won't you let me tell him? At least tell me the reason."

As my inner anger began to rise, sleeplessness was clearly starting to affect my emotions more.

"Because 'he' might notice us, or rather me! You don't know anything about existence! Do you know how much risk I took while bringing you back to the past?! And now, instead of being grateful to me, you're yelling at me! I could kill you immediately and all my problems would end!"

Pipkin's harsh words echoed inside me, but I couldn't resist her. Silently, with my eyes full of tears, I turned back to the window and took a deep breath. I focused my eyes on the sky and the soothing light of the moon. No matter how painful it was, I had to find a way to save Ethan.

Pipkin's threats were not empty. I didn't know much about her, but I was aware that she was dangerous. Still, doing nothing hurt more than doing something wrong.

Taking a deep breath, I turned to Pipkin. "I'm sorry... I can't control my emotions because I'm sleepless" I said, my voice trembling. "I will follow your rules. But please, help me a little. There must be a way to save him from that situation."

"Absolutely not! Just think about the second life and the future with Ethan that I told you about. If you do something stupid again, you won't have any future with Ethan. Now go to sleep and leave things to the best guide - time. ~Nya" Pipkin said, stretching every part of her cat body, heading to her bed.

Oh Ethan! My sweet cookie... I'm sorry, but forgive me for being selfish just once. I don't want to die! I want to be with you and lie in a bed that smells only of us... I want you!

Please forgive me... forgive me for my selfishness and for not being able to do anything, even though I know you will suffer...

Now I need to sleep... I think the last time I slept was two hours two days ago. There was a saying that the skin of a woman who doesn't sleep enough dries up... You told me this before going to battle in the future or rather in my past life... I really need to sleep.

Maybe if I fantasize about making babies with my sweet cookie again in my head, I can sleep. No, definitely if I do that, I won't be able to sleep until morning...

----

(Ethan's POV)

"Here I am, there I am. Whoever catches me gets candy for free!"

The damn jester's voice seemed to come from all directions, and it was almost impossible to pinpoint his location, but I could feel he was close. Emilia, who was beside me, had already drawn her sword and didn't seem to care about the power of this monster that was keeping up with us despite our fast pace on horseback.

I kept my eyes on the road ahead and struck the horse's sides hard with my feet to make it go faster. Fortunately, the horse given to me as a prince was extremely durable and strong, so it easily increased its speed.

"Damn it!"

When I suddenly noticed a barely visible rope on the road ahead, I regretted speeding up the horse. I pulled the reins as hard as I could and tried to stop the horse, but... to no avail. Stopping a horse this fast at such a short distance was against the laws of physics.

When the horse fell hard, I fell to the ground with it. Emilia, coming from behind, didn't fare much better as her horse also crashed into mine. But unlike me, Emilia managed to move her feet perfectly before falling, minimizing the damage from the fall.

When I looked at my hands, I saw that my skin was peeled, but I felt no pain because of the high adrenaline. I stood up and noticed my sword lying at the base of a distant tree.

I rushed to the base of the tree and grabbed my sword, but when I turned around and saw the mist already rising, my eyes widened with worry. The mist was so dense that I couldn't even see a meter ahead.

"Emilia? Where are you, Emilia?!"

"Y-Your Excellency?!-Agghh!"

When Emilia's pained voice reached my ears, I ran helplessly in an uncertain direction within the mist.

"Emilia?! Emilia! Damn it! Wasn't I your target, you damned jester?! Come to-"

Before I could finish these words, a dark hand reached out from the mist and cut my shoulder with a dagger at an incredible speed.

"Argh!"

As blood oozed from my wounded shoulder, the jester's mocking laughter echoed in my ears. This cruel laughter, coming from the darkness, further frayed my nerves. The mist was thickening with every passing second, making it hard to breathe. When Emilia's pained voice was heard no more, a fear sprouted inside me.

Desperately, I swung my long sword around me, but the jester seemed to have disappeared again.

Gripping my sword tightly, I took cautious steps. I listened carefully to figure out where the jester might be. I knew that if I was careless for even a moment, I would fall into his trap.

"Emilia... please hang on," I muttered. "I will find you."

But when I felt another hand reaching out from the mist, this time I was ready. I shifted my sword's axis 30 degrees to the right, blocking the small dagger. Since I had received rigorous sword training as a prince since childhood, I had never complained, and now was the time to reap the rewards of my hard training.

"Prince, prince! Why won't you let me be? Why do you take everything so seriously... Prince, prince, let's see where I am! If you find me, I have a gift for you." The disgusting, high-pitched voice made my skin crawl.

Undoubtedly, I was now the prey and had come across the worst possible hunter. For the first time, I was experiencing what it felt like to have the perspective of a deer. After all, since the day I was born into this world, I had always been the hunter. Always looking down...

"Arghhhh!"

This time, I didn't stop the dagger coming from behind to my other shoulder. Right now... right now, my life is in danger! Yes, my second life is in danger. I won't have a third life! Damn it!

Have I really taken this life seriously until now? Did I become immune to the fear of death because I died once before? Or maybe do I still think this world is a stupid novel and that I am the main character?

Pull yourself together, Ethan, pull yourself together!

I need to survive...

Damn it, I'm scared and did I think I was some kind of main character? There's no lie, it was something I thought after getting this second life, but which stupid writer leaves their main character in such a hopeless and painful situation?

"Arghhhh! Damn it!"

This time I took a dagger to my right foot, and it really hurt. Yes, I need to pull myself together! This is real! This pain I'm feeling is real!

I took a slow, deep breath and tried to focus on not feeling the pain, listening to my surroundings. The mist had thickened, and every step I took had become a mystery. The jester's laughter still echoed in my ears, but this time I was more cautious...

A hand, moving at lightning speed, came towards my left leg from the mist, and I decided to make a risky move. I held my sword straight and struck downward at the approaching hand, but... the jester's hand defied the laws of physics. In fact, his existence was a challenge to the entire world.

"Ahggg!"

As blood flowed from my knees and arms, my body began to tremble. The high adrenaline was gradually fading, and the pain sensors were starting to activate. I could still use magic, but in this mist, where was I supposed to cast it? Besides, I could hit Emilia.

But the jester didn't care about my dire situation and attacked again. I swung my sword, thinking I had blocked him, but even though I blocked the jester's hand, it was too late.

"Arghhhh!"

This time, the dagger that pierced my abdomen remained lodged there because I hit the jester's hand. Normally, the jester would wait for a while after an attack, but since I had exposed myself so much, he attacked again quickly. As a dagger pierced my back, I struggled to maintain my stance. Right now, I understood how useful the body-strengthening feature I gained from Kaizer Stage 2 was.

Even though my body was covered in blood, there was still strength inside me.

The jester attacked again and again from within the mist, but this time I managed to block his strikes. However, stopping many attacks within a second was impossible. Each dagger embedded in my body increased my fear.

I lost my balance again because of a dagger hitting my leg, and taking advantage of this, the jester laughed and kicked me from behind, causing me to fall to the ground. I tried to get up quickly, but the jester's relentless attacks prevented me from rising.

"No...uhhhg"

"Hihihiha" Sёarch* The Nôvel(F)ire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

As I began to taste the disgusting metallic flavor in my mouth, the jester continued to make holes in my body with his dagger, as if he were a machine.

But...

However, another dark hand appeared in the mist, and when a needle-like slender sword targeted the jester, a tear fell from my eye. Not because of the pain or fear... but because I knew that the woman I loved was alive.