A Perilous Embrace and a Glimmer of Dawn

Cold rock pressed against her back, while rough moss brought a damp chill. Lumina huddled deep within a narrow crevice, barely concealed by weeds and vines, each breath a suppressed tremor.

Outside, the assassins’ fierce shouts and chaotic footsteps drew nearer.

“Over there!”

“Search carefully! Don’t miss an inch!”

“They must be hiding in this rubble!”

Torchlight flickered between thorny bushes and rock crevices. The heavy thud of leather boots crushing gravel was distinctly audible, drawing ever closer to the fissure where Rachel and Lumina lay hidden. Lumina could even hear the rustle of blades slicing through shrubbery!

Fear instantly overwhelmed her, and she instinctively tried to curl tighter, yet her body remained rigidly frozen. Her pale violet eyes, peering through a gap in the vines, fixed desperately on the flickering figures outside, as despair slowly gnawed at her sanity.

Discovery was only a matter of time!

Just then, Rachel, who had been pressed tightly beside her, equally holding her breath, suddenly moved!

Without warning or explanation, Rachel’s arm abruptly wrapped around Lumina’s shoulders, drawing her forcefully into an embrace with an undeniable strength.

“Mmph!”

Caught off guard, Lumina let out a muffled gasp, instantly colliding into an embrace that smelled of dust and saltpeter. A thick, dark gray cloak fell like a curtain, completely enveloping most of her body, along with her conspicuous deep blue velvet cloak.

The action was too sudden, too intimate!

Lumina’s mind went blank. From childhood, she had never experienced such close contact with someone of the opposite s*x! The unfamiliar body warmth emanating from Rachel, her slightly hurried heartbeat, and the peculiar scent of metal and saltpeter all pierced her nerves like an electric current.

An indescribable rush of heat surged to Lumina’s cheeks. She felt as though an invisible hand had clamped tightly around her heart, making it pound even more wildly, more erratically, than when she was being chased.

Lumina instinctively tried to struggle, but her body was stiff as a puppet. Rachel’s suppressed yet steady breathing was close by, almost in her ear. Lumina could even feel the rise and fall of her chest, and the faint warmth of her body through the fabric.

“Don’t move.”

Rachel’s voice was barely a whisper, almost brushing Lumina’s earlobe. Her gaze, through the gap in the vines, was fixed intently on the approaching footsteps and flickering torchlight outside.

Lumina froze for a moment, then understood Rachel’s intention—her own clothes were too conspicuous, easily spotted even in the darkness, and Rachel’s actions had been purely a matter of expediency.

Yet, rational understanding could not immediately quell her body’s instinctive reactions. Lumina’s cheeks remained astonishingly hot, her heartbeat thrumming like a drum in the confined space, making her wonder if Rachel could hear it too.

Amidst this suffocating proximity and awkwardness, the footsteps outside suddenly halted right before the crevice where they were hidden!

“Here!”

“Look inside!”

The torchlight nearly pierced through the gaps in the vines. Lumina’s heart abruptly stopped, and she forgot to breathe. Rachel’s hand, pressed against the inside of her cloak, seemed to grip something, poised for action.

At that critical moment!

“Crash—!”

“Thud!”

A sudden sound of rocks tumbling down a cliff echoed from the other side of the slope, dozens of meters from their hiding spot! This was immediately followed by the sharp crack of branches snapping under great force!

“Over there!”

“Quick! There’s movement over there!”

“Chase them! Don’t let them escape!”

The footsteps and torchlight before the rock crevice instantly shifted! The assassins’ attention had been completely diverted by the sudden commotion. Their chaotic footsteps and shouts rapidly moved in the direction of the sound, growing fainter with each passing moment.

Only when the outside fell completely silent did Rachel’s taut body slowly relax. She exhaled a long, silent breath, and the hand she had kept pressed inside her cloak quietly loosened its grip.

Rachel gently released her arm from around Lumina.

“We’re safe for now.”

Rachel’s voice returned to its previous calm as she carefully pushed aside the vines, vigilantly observing the situation outside.

“It must have been my companion who drew them away.”

The dark gray cloak slipped away from her, and cold air once again enveloped Lumina. She instinctively recoiled, widening the distance between them.

The heat on her cheeks had not entirely receded, and her heart still hammered irregularly. The sensation and scent of being embraced by a stranger moments ago lingered vividly in her senses, like a brand. Lumina struggled to steady her breathing, attempting to regain the composure befitting a princess, yet her gaze wavered, unable to meet Rachel’s eyes, so close before her.

“Th-thank you.”

Lumina’s voice held a barely perceptible tremor, though she strove to maintain her composure.

“There’s no need for thanks.”

Rachel’s gaze remained vigilant, sweeping across their surroundings.

“However, to be safe, we should wait a little longer, until they are truly gone.”

Lumina nodded, saying nothing further.

In the confined space, the atmosphere grew subtly tense. Lumina leaned against the cold rock, her gaze resting on the folds of Rachel’s dark gray cloak, yet her thoughts drifted back to that previous moment. That firm arm, that steady heartbeat, and the calm reaction in the face of danger… who exactly was this person who had suddenly appeared to save her?

Time slowly elapsed in tension and silence. In the distance, the assassins’ search grew sparse, eventually vanishing entirely into the darkness. On the horizon, a faint sliver of grayish-white began to permeate the heavy night sky.

Rachel listened intently once more, and after a moment, she finally murmured, “It’s clear, let’s go.”

She was the first to slip out of the crevice, scanning her surroundings cautiously. Only after confirming their safety did she extend a hand to pull Lumina out.

Standing once more in the cold night wind, Lumina took a deep breath, attempting to dispel the inexplicable flutter in her heart and the daze of her recent survival. She straightened her disheveled dress and cloak, then cast her gaze towards the hollow below, which had so recently been a battlefield.

“Your Excellency…”

Lumina’s voice carried a note of relief at having survived, and she solemnely performed a standard court bow, gazing at the blurred profile beneath “Gray Goose’s” hood.

“I thank you for saving my life. Had you and your companion not intervened in time, I fear I would have…”

She paused, leaving the unspoken implication clear. Her pale violet eyes were filled with sincere gratitude and a hint of inquiry.

“May I know your esteemed name? This kindness, I, Lumina Loganis, shall never forget.”

Rachel tilted her head slightly, the shadow of her hood deepening over her face. Her voice remained the same deliberately lowered, youthful tone, utterly calm.

“Your Highness overstates the matter. My name is ‘Gray Goose,’ merely a passing merchant.”

“I merely happened to be passing by and witnessed your convoy under attack. It was simply a matter of lending a hand where I could, seeing injustice. Your Highness need not dwell on it.”

“Gray Goose…”

Lumina softly repeated the unfamiliar name.

“Regardless, I have taken note of this kindness.”

Lumina reiterated solemnly.

Rachel merely nodded slightly, offering no reply, her gaze falling upon the ravaged hollow below.

“Let’s go down and take a look, carefully.”

The two of them cautiously followed their previous path, avoiding any lingering assassins, and returned to the blood-soaked hollow.

The sight before her made Lumina gasp, her recently calmed heart once again seized by immense grief.

The fiercely burning carriage was now nothing more than a charred skeleton, emitting wisps of smoke. Bodies lay scattered across the ground, most of them her guards. Blood had soaked the cold earth, congealing into dark red ice crystals.

The air was thick with the stench of charring, blood, and death.

Lumina’s captain of the guards, that steady and dependable man, lay not far from the main carriage, pierced by multiple blades, his eyes wide with fury, as if articulating his final rage and indignation. Other familiar faces to Lumina were also frozen forever in their last moments of life.

Tears welled uncontrollably in her eyes, and Lumina bit down hard on her lower lip, preventing any sobs from escaping her throat.

These were all people who had sacrificed themselves to protect her! Lumina helplessly closed her eyes, her body swaying slightly.

Just then—

“Your—Your Highness?”

A faint, trembling voice, laced with disbelief, emanated from behind a pile of guard corpses.

Lumina’s eyes snapped open, and she looked towards the sound!

Through a gap in the pile of bodies, a figure covered in bloodstains and dirt was slowly and laboriously shifting out.

The person’s chestnut curly hair was disheveled, their face streaked with tears and grime, their eyes wide with terror—it was Gina, Lumina’s personal maid!

“Gina!”

Lumina gasped aloud, immense joy instantly eclipsing her sorrow! She rushed forward recklessly, helping Gina out from among the corpses.

“Your Highness… sob… it’s truly wonderful that you’re safe…”

Lumina tightly embraced Gina’s trembling form, and her own tears finally fell.

“It’s alright, Gina, it’s alright…”

She whispered comforting words, her voice choked with emotion.

Just then, a figure appeared silently, like a phantom, beside a large boulder at the edge of the hollow.

Rachel and Lumina simultaneously looked up, alert.

The newcomer was tall and clad in dark, practical attire, their face concealed by a thick black cloth that only revealed a pair of sharp eyes. Their long red hair was simply tied back, with a few strands falling across the mask.

Gina shrieked, startled by the sudden appearance of the masked person, and instantly cowered behind Lumina, trembling.

Rachel, however, breathed a sigh of relief and nodded to the masked person.

“Well done.”

The masked person—Ruby—merely grunted coldly, her gaze sweeping over the ravaged hollow and the embracing mistress and maid, before settling on Rachel. She appeared to have some dust on her, but her movements remained clean and precise, showing no signs of injury.

Lumina observed the suddenly appearing masked woman, then looked at Rachel beside her, and her mind cleared. This was the “companion” Rachel had spoken of, who had drawn the assassins away. Although the woman’s appearance was indeed peculiar, it was her timely arrival that had granted them a chance at survival.

“Thank you for your assistance, Your Excellency.”

Lumina forced herself to remain composed as she thanked Ruby.

Ruby offered no response, merely shifting her gaze, as if the princess’s gratitude held no importance to her.

On the horizon, the grayish-white grew brighter, gradually spreading to dispel the heavy darkness. A faint, pearlescent glow appeared at the edge of the deep blue night sky.

The biting cold wind seemed to have lessened somewhat, and the lingering scents of gunpowder and blood in the air were particularly acrid in the faint light of dawn.

This long and bloody night had finally come to an end.