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My body, which had been rolling down the bumpy slope for so long, finally stopped.
When I finally opened my eyes, I was on flat ground.
“I-I'm alive!”
I groaned as I straightened my aching body.
Even a quick glance up revealed that we had fallen into an abyss.
I looked miserable, and every joint in my body hurt, but now I am grateful to be alive and able to move.
But the real problem was the Archduke.
"Archduke?
Are you okay?"
I shook the Archduke, who was lying beside me, with an urgent hand.
He was unconscious, his eyes closed.
My heart sank for a moment.
“You... aren't dead, are you?”
With trembling fingers, I felt for his pulse in his neck, and fortunately, I felt a faint pulse.
I gave a fleeting sigh of relief, but it was too soon.
A terrifying sound echoed from the top of the hill.
“Find an alternative route!”
Were the shouts of our pursuers, whom we managed to escape from their sight.
Fortunately, they didn't dare to throw themselves off the cliff to chase us.
'They'll catch up with us soon anyway.'
I bit my lip.
If the Archduke had been conscious, I would have somehow managed to escape this place in the time it took the pursuers to get down.
But if I carried this huge man on my back, it would only be a matter of time before I would be surrounded.
'I have to find a place to hide, at least until the Archduke wakes up.'
I quickly looked around and saw a small cave hidden among the dense grass.
It was quite deep inside, but high enough that the Archduke could sit in it if he got up.
"Yes-."
First, I put my hands between the Archduke's armpits and pulled him with all my strength.
I felt pain in every muscle, but I didn't have time to pay attention.
I mustered all my strength to push him into the hole, then I collected the fallen leaves and surrounding grasses, and scattered them where our trail was.
Finally, I managed to squeeze myself into the burrow in which the Archduke lay, and covered the entrance with the remaining herbs and leaves.
“Ah...”
I finally regained my breath, but excruciating pain swept through my entire body.
The Archduke, lying beside me, looked more miserable than I.
It was natural, it served as a cushion to support my body as I rolled across the stone floor.
Somehow, a deep pain overwhelmed me.
“I feel more regret now...”
The sight of the man passed out because of me left a trail of pain, suggesting that I still had a conscience.
I abandoned these considerations a long time ago, and began to live only for money.
I promised myself that when he woke up, I would apologize for putting him through this.
If he wanted, I could even reduce the payment fees.
It was the greatest apology of my life, one that I couldn't give without risking my life.
At that moment, a noise rang out outside the cave.
“Did he fall here?”
“لا بد أن إصابته بالغة، لذا لم يكن ليتمكّن من الابتعاد عن هنا!”
I was terrified, so I leaned over the Archduke's body more.
I covered my mouth with my hand for fear that any sound would come out.
As the footsteps approached, I trembled in fear that they would discover the cave.
Pat, Pat-
Suddenly, I smelled moisture and heard the sound of falling water.
At that moment, it seemed like heavy rain was pouring down outside the cave.
“آه، لقد بدأت تمطر!”
The men's annoyed voices faded away, fading as they walked away.
Only then did I calmly raise my head.
I looked at the Archduke's face again, and found his beautiful features disheveled, covered in blood and dirt.
I crawled out of the cave and soaked my handkerchief in the rain.
"What should I do?
There shouldn't be any serious injuries."
With a tearful face, I carefully wiped the Archduke's face with the wet handkerchief.
Seeing him, who always seemed like a solid rock, lying helpless and unconscious, filled me with anxiety and fear, and made my eyes fill with tears.
Just as I was about to rub my burning eyes with the back of my hand, two red eyes fluttered before my eyes.
“Where... where are we...”
“...!”
At the moment when my body froze from the severity of the shock, the tears that had gathered at the corners of my eyes streamed down my cheeks.
When the Duke opened his eyes, an expression of bewilderment and confusion appeared on his face.
“You…are you crying?”
His voice was soft and hoarse, but as soon as I heard it, the tension in my body went away.
At the same time, like a river flowing from a broken dam, I burst into tears without being able to stop.
“I'm crying.
Why, why did you only open your eyes now?
I was so scared!”
My desire to apologize first faded when he opened his eyes, and before I knew it, I was clinging to him and bursting into tears.
After a moment.
Whoosh!
In contrast to the silence of the cave, the rain was pouring down hard outside.
Before I knew it, we were sitting side by side in the narrow cave.
“I-I'm sorry.”
He fidgeted while I was crying, then he hesitantly opened his mouth to me, while I was still gasping for breath.
In the end, ridiculously, he was the first to apologize.
This was for the most ridiculous reason, because he fainted and was delayed until he regained consciousness.
Honestly, I felt a little embarrassed because I burst into tears like a child in front of him, so I complained in a hoarse voice.
“It's not your fault at all, Archduke.
It's me who should apologise...because I infiltrated the Bardi region and that's what happened in the end.”
I fiddled with my fingers for no reason as I continued talking.
"Are you well?"
He laughed again at my cautious question.
"Ha!
Of course.
I've been through dozens of fierce battles, life-and-death battles.
This is nothing compared to being hit with a cotton ball for me..."
“In fact, you were unconscious for more than 30 minutes.”
“….”
There was an awkward silence between us again.
I felt embarrassed, so I raised my knees and hugged them, turning my gaze to the heavy rain.
"And you…"
The Grand Duke frowned as he stared at me.
My clothes were half wet in the rainwater, covered in mud, and torn.
Moreover, my hands were red and bruised, and my wrists and shoulders, exposed from the strain of carrying the unconscious man, were swollen and bruised.
“Haa...”
He sighed softly, bit his lip and murmured softly.
“I'm sorry.
This is all my fault.”
"Don't say that.
I know it's my fault.
I was caught wandering around the Marchioness of Bardi, and was chased away."
I furrowed my eyebrows as I said this.
I knew I was acting rashly.
I messed it up by interfering.
But suddenly, the Archduke shook his head coldly.
“Do you really think those who chased us were the Pardee family?”
“What… do you mean?”
I stared at him with wide eyes, and he clenched his fists.
“Even the most vigilant kingdoms will not unleash armed assassins just because a little woman digs up old rumours.”
“Okay then...”
I blinked, lost in thought.
The Archduke answered in a low voice.
“The arrows they used.
They were being distributed in the capital.
It was most likely that those behind them were not Bardi, but the imperial family.
Or perhaps it was a noble from the capital who held a grudge against me.
In any case, I was their target.
There were always a lot of people chasing me.”
I always believed that what I was doing was nothing more than defending someone as a lawyer, as I had always done.
So I never thought deeply about the Archduke's situation here.
But suddenly I realized that I had become so involved with him that I was being attacked just because I was his wife, and a cold shudder shook my back.
Then his calm gaze stopped at my hand, which turned pale from panic.
Moments later, his hand suddenly reached out to grab mine.
“……!”
I gasped in horror, followed by a long tearing sound.
The Archduke tore his shirt, stretching it between his teeth.
“The world I live in is not a world for someone like you.”
He carefully bandaged my hand, which was now bruised from collecting weeds and fallen leaves, with the edge of his torn shirt and continued quietly.
“The person you are trying to confront to prove my innocence is a murderer, and may even be a member of the imperial family.
They have threatened my life for a long time, but in the end, you are a third party in this matter.”
“……”
I left my hand in his, and blinked silently.
His body heat warmed my cold hands.
After the Archduke stared at me for a long moment, he seemed to have finally made up his mind, his expression heavy as he muttered softly.
“It's not too late.
Divorce me now and go back to your normal life.”