When Pride Fell At My Toes - Chapter 102



Only Noblemtl

#102. Your Last
2024.04.11.

The flames of the burning fireplace looked similar in color to the blood flowing on the floor. Emilia stared blankly at the fire as if possessed, then lowered her gaze at the sound of a thud.

“Keuk… … .”

She saw Alessandro struggling to get up. As he slammed his fist on the floor and tried to stand up by supporting himself with his other hand, Emilia’s legs took a step back without her knowing it.

“Emilia-!”

“… … .”

“Hold me up right now! Do you think you can run away on your own?!”

“… … Yes.”

Emilia’s eyes, which had opened blankly, flashed with determination.

“What?”

“I think I can. If only you disappear.”

Alessandro opened his mouth, momentarily looking dazed. He was speechless, opening his mouth as if he was flustered, but then he blinked belatedly at the sight of her suddenly walking next to him.

“… … Where are you going?”

He happened to be in front of the fireplace, so she had to go around Alessandro. She quickly headed toward the fireplace, keeping her distance from him. The creaking sound of the wood was mixed with a groan that sounded like gritting her teeth.

“Emilia!”

Alessandro, who was near the fireplace, got up and turned around as soon as he felt her presence. His heart felt like it was going to burst.

His hands were shaking and his breathing was getting faster, perhaps because of the sound of movement behind him, but Emilia tried hard to open her eyes and look around the fireplace.

Then she saw a rag-like brown blanket next to the piled firewood and ran without hesitation.

“Ouch-!”

At that moment, she felt someone grab her hair from behind. Her body bounced back due to the recoil and Emilia was hit by the pain that felt like her hair was being ripped off.

“I asked you where you were going. How dare you… … . How dare you say what I said. Ugh… … .”

Alessandro held her shot leg with one hand and tried to hold onto only her hair. He looked almost staggering, almost like he was hanging on.

He looked that tired, but he never let go of his hand with an evil expression on his face.

“Let go of this!”

“Ugh-.”

Emilia tried to swing the dagger she had been holding in her hand to attack his arm and shake it off. However, even though she was unconscious, Alessandro grabbed her wrist with the hand he had been using to block her wound. Emilia

’s forehead furrowed and her hands trembled. Fortunately, he was not stopped right away because he had lost a lot of strength.

The problem was that he was supporting his center of gravity with one leg, and his ankle was gradually becoming stronger.

Emilia felt that the already throbbing pain was getting worse, and she felt that if she continued like this, she would collapse before Alessandro, so she squeezed out the last of her strength.

“Are you betraying me too? Do you dare think about who I am? You filthy bastards… … .”

“I’m not yours in the first place, so what kind of betrayal is this!”

She pushed Alexandre forward with her whole body. Ugh, seeing him being pushed back with a sound, she thought this was the moment and turned around and ran towards the blanket.

“This fucking bitch, are you going to just cling to my leg! I’m going to kill you! I’m hurt right now, ugh… … . I don’t think I can kill you!”

Alexandre rolled his eyes and ran again as if pouring all his remaining strength.

Emilia quickly grabbed the blanket and swung the hand holding the dagger at him who was blindly running towards her as if he had no eyes. She

felt a creepy sensation in her hand. Then, an eerie silence descended on the cabin.

The moment she stabbed, Emilia’s eyelids, which had closed tightly without her knowing, fluttered and then slowly opened.

“Keuk… … .”

Blood flowed out of Alexandre’s mouth as he came right up to her.

His gaze, which had been frozen with one hand raised in the air as if he was trying to grab Emilia’s hand, turned stiffly downward. Right at the dagger that was stuck in his heart.

Gasp, Emilia took a deep breath and quickly stepped back. She felt the fire from the fireplace right behind her, but she was so surprised that she didn’t even think about avoiding it.

She had decided to kill him, but she couldn’t believe that she had stabbed someone with her own hands. She covered her mouth with her trembling hand and faced Alessandro, who was glaring at her again with bloodshot eyes as if she was shedding tears of blood.

“… … Cough.”

One step, two steps. Alessandro, who was getting closer and closer as if he was going to collapse, was so creepy. Emilia bit the flesh inside her mouth to regain her senses, and then quickly lowered her gaze to the fire she felt at her feet.

The hem of the blanket shaking precariously came into view.

“You, can’t, go… .”

Alessandro stretched out his blood-soaked hand.

“No.”

Emilia’s eyes darkened and she opened her mouth calmly. Rather than avoiding him as he approached, she reached out her hand.

“You can’t go.”

There was a blanket in his hand. It looked like it had caught fire.

“Boo… … . Fire, aaaah-!”

As he got closer, the fire spread to him on its own. A desperate scream echoed everywhere.

Emilia quickly moved aside and distanced herself from him. She could hear him stammering his pleas for help, but she saw Alessandro, who had been struggling with the heat, slowly collapse in place. Alessandro,

who had been staggering around, caught fire, and a stronger fire broke out from the kerosene that had soaked the floor of the cabin.

‘… … Is it over?’

It was an unrealistic sight. Despite the burning sensation on her face, Emilia watched Alessandro’s end for a while.

It seemed like he would soon become one with fire and disappear without a trace. The screams she didn’t want to hear, the unpleasant gazes, everything disappeared from the world in an instant.

Gulp, the fire and smoke filling the interior made it increasingly difficult to breathe. Emilia quickly turned her gaze away without hesitation and fortunately ran towards the door where the fire was spreading the latest.

Despite the fire, Christina, who was covered in black cloth, did not move at all. Now, Alessandro was the same.

Perhaps because of the dry weather, the fire on the tree quickly spread and quickly surrounded the cabin. And soon, a crackling sound followed by a bang echoed through the forest.

Emilia, who had hidden herself between the trees some distance from the cabin, heard a commotion from afar but didn’t pay any attention to anything else. She

only stared at the cabin as if she was someone who could only feel reassured by watching the cabin’s end.

For a moment, she felt as if her name was being called from afar. Not caring about anything, she closed her eyes tightly as if imprinting the shape of the cabin, which was becoming increasingly unrecognizable, on her retina and turned her back.

The fire that lit up the pitch-black night sky continued to burn without stopping. It maintained its flame for a longer time than expected, as if it was helping Emilia to safely escape the forest and go far away.

***

“Oh, there seems to be a fire!”

“Get water!”

“Put the fire out first and then go in!”

The knight who was entering the forest discovered a light in the distance and reported it to his superior right away. The people who had been wondering with faces like it was impossible belatedly started to follow the knight who was running ahead in surprise.

“… … Fire?”

And Enrico, who was standing in the middle, turned pale. His body, which had been moving one step, two steps, with eyes entangled in confusion and shock, gradually became faster. His chest swelled as he

took deep breaths and blood slowly seeped into the bandages wrapped around his arms, but his speed actually became faster. The throbbing pain in his head was buried in his dazed mind and he had no thoughts.

The acrid smoke that stung his nose was rising into the sky. In an instant, the crowd split into knights heading toward the nearby river and knights surrounding the hut.

“Your Highness! It’s dangerous to continue this way!”

“Let go.”

“Ugh, no. I’m sorry.”

“Damn it, get out

of the way!” Enrico stared straight ahead as if he could only see the burning hut. As he pushed away the knights blocking his way, Fabio, who had followed behind him, shouted at the knights.

“Don’t let go!”

Fabio held Enrico’s back without hesitation and held him back from going any further.

“Your Highness, wait a moment! Please wait a moment.”

“We have to go. Emilia is in there. We have to get her out quickly!”

“We’ll check it out. So Your Highness, please step back for now.”

Fabio motioned to the knights to grab Enrico’s arms. Given the situation, the knights also grabbed Enrico without hesitation and tried to keep him as far away from the hut as possible.

But at that moment, the hut that had already been burning terribly and was collapsing as if it would not give him even the slightest chance. Enrico’s body, which had been making a fuss as if he would run out right away, suddenly stopped.

“… …!”

Enrico didn’t even blink, as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. His whole body felt stiff.

His heart was pounding wildly and his breathing became rapid, and all he could think of was to jump into that fire right away and check.

“I will check… … . No… … . No! Emilia!”

His low voice trembled. Fabio, who had been holding him from behind, was so surprised by Enrico’s reaction, his limbs shaking, that the strength in his hands suddenly disappeared.