May Every Wound Be Fatal - Chapter 35.2
“Elizer. You must survive.”
“Your Highness, wait…”
“Survive and protect Priscilla.”
Cassian pulled the dagger from his own abdomen. The cold, sharp sensation traveled vividly to Elizer’s fingertips.
He was sorry. His final words could not form a sound.
Cassian’s head fell onto Elizer’s shoulder. Hot blood gushed from his abdomen, soaking his white tunic and Elizer’s knees.
“Your Highness.”
There was no time to do anything.
“Cassian.”
No matter how long Elizer waited, he did not hear Cassian’s voice calling his name one last time. He realized that his lord’s breath had ended.
Even after his life left him, the blood would not stop flowing. Elizer could do nothing but become drenched in it.
He sensed that he would never forget this moment.
This moment would haunt him for the rest of his life.
***
The once loud Percy household had fallen silent.
Maiel and Maria still bickered occasionally, but after Marius, Martin, and Elizer became knights and left Briere’s lands, the house was quiet.
Maria struggled to adjust to the stillness.
When even her father left for Elmaril with Count Briere, the house felt utterly empty.
Though her mother and Maiel were present, Maria felt alone and lonely. She missed the childhood days when everyone ran and played together.
The new knights, Martin and Elizer, who could not rest freely, would likely not even attend her wedding.
“You are very beautiful, Maria.”
Even though she had a new dress made for the wedding, Maria was not particularly happy.
“…Thank you, Mother.”
She tried to act indifferent, but her mischievous youngest brother, Maiel, managed to upset her again.
“Then why not confess? Do you not know how popular Elizer is with women?”
Of course, she knew. He had never confessed because it was obvious he would be rejected. He simply tried to continue caring for his beloved little sister quietly.
Still, Maria did not expect another young lady to take him away so quickly.
And it was a lady of the Dazbel house. Even without considering the complex affairs of the adults, the name alone was intimidating.
‘She must be very refined and charming, unlike me. Any man would fall for a lady like that.’
Maria, having never confessed and losing her first love, impulsively accepted a proposal from a local young man and hastened her wedding. Her heart was naturally unsettled.
Helena noticed her feelings and silently held her. Maria, crying uncontrollably, clung to her mother and finally slept in her arms.
Suddenly, a noise pierced through her rest.
It was early morning.
The sun had just begun to rise, casting pale light. The sound of fighting grew clearer, and in the distance came the crack and crash of something breaking.
“Too loud…”
Maria pulled herself from Helena’s arms and opened the window, her face still sleepy.
A strange scent of burning reached her nose.
“What is that smell….”
Only then did she realize something was terribly wrong. She blinked in disbelief.
Armed soldiers were breaking down doors with axes, dragging out the half-awake villagers and killing them.
“Why….”
Maria’s lips parted in shock at the impossible scene.
“Ahhh!”
A sharp scream echoed through the village, signaling the start of a brutal massacre.
Maria stepped backward.
Helena, awakened by the screams, jumped up and searched for Maria.
“Maria, what on earth is happening?”
“Mother…”
Before she could answer, the sound of doors breaking downstairs reached them.
It was too late to escape. Maria’s hazel eyes trembled with fear and despair.
At the same time, Diegor Dazbel reached the southern city of Ibella.
His dark green eyes surveyed the peaceful coastal town calmly.
He ordered in a flat, emotionless voice,
“Kill all the old men, children, and women. If even one escapes, I will cut off your hand.”
His voice was utterly cold. There was no hesitation, no trace of guilt.
“Prince Cassian’s bride must not escape. Bring her body before me without fail.”
It took less than half a day for the entire city to be engulfed in flames.
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