The Grand Duchess Escape

The sound of a distant voice echoed in Asella’s ears. The words were all over the place and difficult to understand.

‘I want to sleep…’

Her mind sank into a hazy stupor. An invisible force kept pulling her deeper and deeper. Down, down…

The voices in her ears grew fainter and fainter. The warmth that enveloped her body was so comforting and cozy that it brought tears to her eyes. If she could just close her eyes like this… she didn’t want to wake up ever again.

“Asella!”

Suddenly, a desperate voice pierced her ears.

“Wake up, Asella! Breathe!”

Her mind, which had been submerged, was pulled to the surface by someone’s grasp, and just like a fish that had been swimming peacefully in the water and was pulled to the surface, Asella wriggled and started gasping for air.

“Cough, cough…!”

After a momentary shock, her breathing began to stabilize. Her hazy mind and blurry vision gradually cleared.

After a while, a familiar face formed in her eyes.

“Your Highness…”

“Can you recognize me?”

She couldn’t quite remember what had happened. Asella blinked her eyelids slowly and pursed her lips.

“What happened… to me?”

“You fell off your horse.”

Only then did she remember what had happened earlier.

Anthony’s voice that had been eating away at her mind, her sudden outburst, the terror she felt while on the back of a charging horse…

When she lost control of the reins and her body was lifted into the air, she thought it was all over.

‘But how…’

Asella’s eyes slowly scanned her body. There didn’t seem to be any major injuries. There were no signs of bleeding anywhere and no broken bones.

If she had to point out something that was different from before…

“…!”

Her body was leaning towards someone’s embrace.

Startled, Asella reflexively jerked her body back, causing her to sway along with the sound of the horse’s hooves.

“Stay still.”

Calix pulled the reins, stopping the horse from moving. At the same time, he tightened his grip on the other arm that was wrapped around Asella’s upper body, pulling her toward him.

“What if you fall off again?”

Asella was helplessly pulled into Calix’s arms and buried in his embrace. Unlike earlier, where there was some room to move, she was now sticking to him as if glued together.

Asella couldn’t help but sway against the man’s body, which felt seamless from his broad back to his shoulders.

‘That scent…’