#102
Enrique, breathing heavily, looked with blurry eyes at the child being held by the doctor. The baby was so small, wrinkled, and red-faced, with jet-black hair and dark eyes.
A sweet smile unconsciously spread across Enrique’s face. It felt like the child from his past dreams had returned to him. But the sweet feeling was short-lived. Shouts and screams were getting closer.
“Pol,” Enrique called urgently. Pol quickly approached and wrapped the baby snugly in a thick, clean blanket.
“Your Highness?” the doctor called out in confusion. Enrique slipped his hand under the pillow and pulled out a cold metal object.
Shing-
As he drew out the sharply honed dagger and pointed it at the doctor’s neck, the doctor’s face turned pale. Enrique glared at the doctor with fierce eyes before withdrawing the dagger.
“Hide with Pol and the baby. There’s water and food, so you can hold out for a long time. Protect the child as best you can. If anything happens to the child, your family in Shamier won’t be safe either. Of course, if you keep the child safe, you’ll be rewarded accordingly.”
“Y-yes, yes, Your Highness,” the doctor nodded vigorously.
Enrique gestured for his attendants to come in. He instructed them to open the secret space that had been covertly built after the castle was captured.
The secret space was right under the bed. When they pulled away the heavy bed along with the carpet, a wooden entrance appeared. Enrique ordered it to be opened. As they lifted the wooden panel, a small space barely big enough for two or three people was revealed. It was stocked with bread and water.
“Your Highness,” Pol called out with tears in his eyes.
“I entrust the child to you,” Enrique said, gripping Pol’s shoulder tightly. Pol nodded with a determined face. Then, carefully holding the child, he descended into the secret space.
After Pol and the doctor went down, the attendants closed the entrance. They pulled the bed back to its original position, carpet and all. Thanks to the thick carpet, there was no trace of the bed having been moved.
“Help me change clothes. And burn all the blood-soaked towels and sheets,” Enrique said, trying to put strength into his trembling legs. The attendants, fighting back tears, changed Enrique’s clothes and threw all the bloodied cloths from the childbirth into the fireplace.
Blood was still flowing between his legs. Thanks to the black clothes, it wasn’t visible, but the smell of blood was strong, and the fabric was sticking to his legs due to the blood. If someone looked closely, they would quickly realize something was amiss. He needed to leave this place as soon as possible.
After the preparations were complete, Enrique left the bedroom supported by his attendants. In front of the bedroom, Shamier’s knights were gathered with tense expressions. Fortunately, the enemy troops hadn’t invaded this far yet.
“We’re going to the tower. The passage is narrow and the stairs are treacherous, so they won’t be able to rush in all at once. We’ll hold out there as long as possible,” Enrique ordered quickly and started walking in the lead. The blood running down his legs had soaked through to his shoes. Bloody footprints marked each step. This would reveal his whereabouts to the enemy, but it was bound to be discovered anyway. It was just a matter of sooner or later. The important thing now was to hold out away from the child. Enrique headed towards the tower, trying to steady his swaying vision.
The tower stairs were very narrow and small, designed for this kind of defensive battle. They were just wide enough for one person to pass through. Enrique climbed the tower, almost crawling, supported by attendants in front and behind. When he finally reached the top of the tower, he collapsed into a seat, nearly falling over.
The knights filled the stairs. The enemy wouldn’t be able to reach this place without killing them all first. Enrique closed his eyes, feeling the hands of the attendants wiping away his cold sweat. Judging by the constant wetness between his legs, it seemed the bleeding hadn’t stopped.
He had made a foolish choice.
Enrique berated himself even in his dizzy state.
It was truly a foolish choice. He could have had another child. Shamier desperately needed a crown prince, not just an heir. Yet he had chosen the child first. Sacrificing himself was not at all like Enrique Shamier. But strangely, he didn’t feel regret. It was truly odd.
Enrique felt for the dagger hidden in his bosom. At this point, if the crown prince of Shamier were to be captured as a prisoner, not only would Ruben suffer great losses, but Shamier would truly lose everything. It would be more beneficial for the country if such a crown prince were to die and disappear altogether. If he were to die here, Anture would be greatly angered. And he would feel guilty. With that anger, he would conquer Baron and Monta, and with that guilt, he would give sufficient compensation to Shamier. Dying was certainly better than being captured alive.
Enrique took a shallow breath.
‘I never thought I’d die like this here.’
Enrique closed his eyes to rest briefly, thinking gloomy thoughts.
He couldn’t tell if he had fallen asleep or lost consciousness.
He opened his eyes due to the loud noise.
“Your Highness! Your Highness!”
When he opened his eyes, he saw attendants almost covering him with their bodies. There was no need to ask what was happening. The sound of metal, shouts, and screams were mixing just below the tower.
“Are you conscious, Your Highness?” one attendant asked in a choked voice. Enrique reached into his bosom and drew out the dagger.
“Your Highness?!” an attendant cried out in shock. Enrique gestured for them to be quiet while taking a deep breath. Then, in a voice so low that those below couldn’t hear, he said:
“If I’m captured by the enemy and become a prisoner, it will cause enormous damage to Shamier. The enemy won’t be able to capture me alive. However, you all…”
“Your Highness…”
“You will probably be interrogated. When they examine my body, they’ll discover that there’s no child in my womb. So you must testify that I miscarried while fleeing. They’ll probably believe it given the state of my body. No matter what, I miscarried while fleeing in shock. Do you understand?”
Enrique made eye contact with each attendant, urging them to answer.
Seeming to agree that it would cause enormous damage to Shamier, the attendants’ eyes soon hardened.
“Yes, Your Highness. We will testify exactly so. Even if our bodies are broken, we will testify as such.”
“If anyone feels uncertain, follow me and take your own life. It’s a death for your homeland, Shamier. Consider it an honor and end your life.”
Enrique repeatedly disciplined the attendants. They all nodded resolutely.
The screams and groans of the knights guarding the tower stairs grew closer and closer. Enrique suddenly felt the desire to drink a glass of strong wine.
“Kill them all!” came a roaring voice from below. The groans, screams, and metallic sounds drew ever nearer.
“Your Highness, please…” The last knight guarding the tower entrance trailed off, facing Enrique, before closing the final wooden door. Soon, the sound of him running down the stairs was heard. One attendant locked the crude wooden door and stood firmly blocking it with his body.
Enrique held the tip of the dagger to his neck and held his breath.
He thought he should resent Anture for starting this war to possess him forever, but strangely, he didn’t feel that way. The only regret was dying without seeing the glory Anture had envisioned for Shamier.
Boom-!
The small, crude door of the tower shook violently. The attendants’ eyes widened in fear.
Boom-! Boom-!
The door shook greatly as if someone was ramming it with their shoulder. Just as Enrique thought it would break open, with a thud, the door and the attendant blocking it fell away.
Enrique closed his eyes tightly and tried to stab his neck with the dagger in one swift motion. Or at least, he tried to.
“Enrique-!”
An all too familiar voice stopped the dagger that was about to pierce his neck. Enrique’s eyes flew open. He saw a man with black hair, completely covered in blood.
“An… ture?”
Enrique couldn’t distinguish whether the scene before his eyes was a hallucination born from his desperate desire or reality.
“What are you doing?!”
Anture strode over and snatched away the dagger that was slightly embedded in Enrique’s neck, throwing it far away.
Clang-
The dagger fell to the stone floor with a sharp sound. Feeling the large, firm hand cupping his cheek, Enrique finally realized that this was indeed reality.
“Anture.”
His voice trembled slightly as he called Anture’s name. At the same time, his body began to shake uncontrollably. Without a moment’s pause, tears welled up. Hot tears pooled in his eyes before streaming down his face.
