Challe sprang after him and swung his sword to the side as he landed. But Lafalle jumped back even farther and dodged the attack. Flexing the razor-sharp threads in his hand, he mowed down the small trees surrounding them.
Challe vaulted away, dodging the shower of branches. He quickly glanced at his surroundings, but Lafalle was nowhere to be seen.
“I will have that girl.”
Challe swung his sword in the direction of the voice, but he merely sent shreds of ivy flying. He clicked his tongue and heard a chuckling laugh in his ear.
“You are meant to be with me.”
The voice sounded like a far-off echo. Then Lafalle’s presence and voice vanished, as if dissolving into the air.
This is bad!
Challe immediately took off running.
Anne!
She should be with Noah at the moment. Challe left the woods, cut across the garden, and ran up to her room on the second floor of the west wing, all in a single dash. Bright sunlight was shining into the building, and it was much too quiet.
He opened the door.
Anne was there, sitting beside Noah’s bed. She was asleep, her upper body resting face down on top of the covers.
Challe rushed over to her, knelt, and, without thinking, embraced her with his left arm, the one that was not holding a sword.
“…Huh…Challe?”
He felt incredibly relieved to hear Anne’s voice, though she still sounded half-asleep. He pressed his face into the nape of her neck. She smelled sweet. Without a doubt, this was Anne.
Anne was caught by surprise and squirmed in his embrace. So as not to let her get away, he hugged her even tighter, holding her head with one hand. His face was close against her neck, and he could see her turning red.
“Challe? What’s the matter?”
“I won’t give you away.”
Squeezed against her, he could feel her heart pounding in her chest.
Lafalle wanted a Silver Sugar Master. And Anne was someone very special to Challe. Lafalle had obviously realized that.
There were no signs of Lafalle’s presence around them. But now that he had regained his strength, he was sure to come after Anne before long. That might be in a few hours, the next day, or the day after that.
Just try and take her, Lafalle.
Challe couldn’t let his guard down, even for an instant. He would keep his fighting senses sharp.
I swore to be by her side, always. To protect her. I won’t hand her over to anyone.
That’s when it happened. A shriek pierced the air and echoed through the interior of the castle. Outside the window, a startled flock of songbirds took flight all at once.
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