CH 5

'Oh, no.'

While hesitating at Anna's sudden appearance, the assassin quickly opened the door and took Anna as hostage.

It was said that superhuman strength came out just before death, and it was an agile speed.

"Don't come any closer. Then this girl will die."

The assassin hugging Anna from behind and thrust a knife around her neck.

'Oh, that's annoying.'

Instead of backing away, I stared at Anna.

"I'm sorry."

Anna furrowed her brows, drooping the tips of her eyebrows. The assassin, unable to check her expression, shouted with his triumphant face.

"Can't you hear me, back away, Duchess."

"What should I do?" Anna asked.

Her tranquil voice faltered, as if the assassin had sensed something strange. I didn't give him time to check Anna's face.

"I'm tired today, so let's take care of it quickly."

"What are you going to do... Ahhh!"

The assassin's body collapsed. It was because Anna lifted her leg and kicked the man's knee in the same position she was captured.

"Did you let your guard down?"

The man reflexively knelt after the kick, Anna stepped behind the man's back and kicked the knife that had fallen to the floor.

I grinned as I approached the assassin.

“Keuhk, wa, what……”

“There are so many stupid people who think that maids can’t do anything."

Anna untied the ribbon tied around her neck as if it was stuffy.

"Don't underestimate the maids who work next to me."

Not all the maids working in the castle were like Anna.

However, there were a few maids like Anna, who were accustomed to doing 'this kind of thing'.

'They are the maids raised by the previous Duke.'

Even with knights, the castle is so wide that there are days when an assassin crawls in like today.

Eloise's father, the Duke of Wayana, picked people with unusual backgrounds, like Anna, as maids to protect Eloise and raised them as escort.

'They are only loyal to Eloise.'

Standing behind the man's back with a quiet movement, Anna slowly bent one knee.

She then wraps her arm around the man's neck to keep the assassin from moving.

"Keuhk, keu..."

The assassin late to notice the presence of an arm around his neck.

"Your Highness. What shall we do?"

"Well..."

I don't think I'll get any meaningful information, because there are a lot of people who want to kill me.

*****

*****

I wandered through the woods with Anna to find the intruder.

I wanted to go alone, but it was obvious that if I sent Anna back, she would bring in the Knights.

"Your Highness. Leave this to us and go back to rest."

"Alright. I'll find it before the knights arrive."

Above all, the forest was bound to be noisy when the knights came forward.

'Those who broke into my forest should be dealt with quietly.'

I was thinking about how to catch and kill him, but something caught my sight.

"........?"

As I stared intently at one place, Anna also turned her head towards it.

It was obscured by the thick leaves, so it was impossible to identify it, but something shimmered inside the Black Forest.

As Anna waved her sword, the thick branches were cut cleanly.

"That....."

Someone was sitting leaning against an old tree. There were no other trees around, so the moonlight fell alone on it.

I breathed lightly after stopping for a while.

"What should we do?"

It was at the moment I was thinking about whether to wake up and interrogate him or take him to the castle.

"Ugh...."

The long lashes fluttered and the intruder slowly raised his head. The movement felt strangely slow.

For a moment, our eyes met.

'Oh my!'

The moment I looked at his face, my heart started racing like crazy.

"El...Eloise...?"

A still immature voice called my name.

'Crown prince!'

Why is the male lead here?