A Guide to Raising a Villainess Chapter 107: Imperial Hunt (3)

The forest was filled with silence until suddenly everything changed.

The air seed to beco heavier and denser. The branches stopped rustling, and even the birds, which had been fluttering invisibly sowhere above, fell silent.

I barely had ti to exhale when strange rustling sounds ca from the shadows deep in the forest — quiet but persistent, getting closer.

"Who’s there?" I said cautiously, feeling my voice betray .

My fingers tightened on the reins, and the horse sensed my unease — it snorted and shifted from foot to foot, nervously shaking its head.

There was no answer. Only a shadow moving to the side made turn around sharply.

And then, as if on an invisible signal, several dark silhouettes burst out from behind the tree trunks. They moved quickly and confidently, surrounding on all sides. One of them darted forward, another went around to the left, and the third ended up behind , completely blocking my retreat.

I froze, not believing my eyes. Their faces were hidden under dark hoods, their clothes were simple, without crests or decorations, but every movent they made felt rehearsed. There was no doubt about it — they were rcenaries.

A chill ran down my spine.

I didn’t know how they got here, because the reserve was guarded by the imperial guard. It all seed impossible. But the fact remained — they were here, right in front of .

I felt my heart pound loudly in my chest, and my breathing beca uneven.

The forest, which had seed peaceful to just a mont ago, had suddenly turned into a trap.

I was completely stunned by this turn of events. It all happened too quickly.

I tried to steer the horse to the side, hoping to increase the distance between myself and the attackers, but the animal, sensing the tension, snorted anxiously. Its ears pressed against its head, its muscles tensed, and a wild fear flashed in its eyes.

"Quiet... calm down," I whispered, trying to keep my voice steady, even though my own heart was pounding as if it wanted to burst out of my chest.

But it was too late. The horse shuddered and reared up sharply. Its piercing neigh cut through the air — desperate and hollow, echoing throughout the forest. I clung to the reins, but my strength was not enough: the animal jerked its head, and in an instant I felt my world turn upside down.

The fall was sharp. The ground t rcilessly — I hit my side, and a hoarse gasp escaped from my chest.

I lay there for a few seconds, stunned, feeling a sharp pain creeping up my arm and my ears ringing from the impact.

The horse, panicked, galloped away, disappearing among the trees.

I tried to get up, but my legs were shaking.

And then I saw them — rcenaries slowly approaching . Their eyes, barely visible under their hoods, glead with a predatory glint. One of them gripped the hilt of his sword, another took a step forward, tilting his head as if assessing his prey.

"No..." I whispered, feeling a shiver run through my body. "No!"

My voice sounded hollow, barely audible, but it contained everything — fear, despair, and incomprehension as to how I had ended up in such a situation.

Fear paralyzed , and I realized that I couldn’t handle this on my own.

My heart was pounding, blood was throbbing in my temples, and my fingers were shaking so badly that I could barely keep my balance, pressing my palm against the damp ground.

I couldn’t believe that I could really die here — in this place, at the hands of so unknown killers! It all seed so absurd, so impossible, that my mind refused to accept it.

Who would have thought that a routine imperial hunt, intended as a solemn and noble pasti, could turn into a deadly trap for ?

How the hell could this have happened?!...

Hundreds of thoughts raced through my head, each one crazier than the last. I tried to understand how rcenaries could have gotten into the guarded royal reserve in the first place.

Maybe it was an assassination attempt? But on whom? ? Or had soone from the nobility decided to use the hunt as a cover for much darker deeds?

In any case, it seed that it no longer mattered.

Now that I found myself in this hopeless situation, I realized that my chances of survival were probably zero.

I felt the coldness of fear rising from my chest to my throat, preventing from breathing. Everything inside tightened, and my body felt numb.

I closed my eyes, anticipating imminent pain and knowing that it was inevitable...

But just at that mont, when I had already resigned myself to my fate, there was a sharp sound.

A horse’s neigh, a loud and commanding shout, and then the clang of steel.

"Lady Weinstein, be careful!"

I opened my eyes wide.

From the depths of the forest, as if erging from the shadows themselves, a horseman rode out into the illuminated clearing. His silhouette was unclear at first due to the sun’s glare shining through the treetops, but with each passing mont, his features beca clearer.

A white horse, a gleaming white uniform, golden locks shimring in the sun.

Prince Richard de Stone.

He appeared so suddenly that for a mont I thought it was just an illusion. But no, it was him — the real thing.

He held a sword, its blade reflecting the sunlight, and his gaze was focused and cold.

The sa man I had first t this morning during the preparations for the imperial hunt now appeared before like salvation incarnate in a single mont.

I didn’t know how Richard had gotten here, but at that mont it seed to that the forest itself had receded before him, letting him pass through its shadows.

Leaping from his horse with the agility of an experienced fighter, Richard de Stone instantly drew his sword and rushed forward — right into the thick of the enemy. His movents were quick and precise.

The forest around us was filled with the sounds of tal and falling bodies, the cries of rcenaries interspersed with the prince’s ragged breathing.

I stood motionless, feeling my heart beating wildly in my chest, as if trying to break free. I couldn’t breathe, and my breathing was uneven.

I had no idea where Richard could have co from. Wasn’t he supposed to stay with the main group of hunters? Why was he here, at this very mont?

Barely managing to get to my feet, I froze, unable to move. Everything that was happening seed almost unreal.

I watched as Richard knocked one of the rcenaries down with a single blow, then turned and delivered a precise and rciless strike to another.

His cloak fluttered in the air, and his face remained calm and focused, as if there was no fear in his eyes — only cold determination.

"Lady Weinstein, run!" he shouted without turning around.

But I couldn’t move.

My feet seed to be glued to the ground, my body wouldn’t obey . Fear held in a death grip, like an invisible chain, and even the prince’s voice couldn’t break this paralysis.

I just stood there and watched as he fought alone against everyone, protecting at the cost of his own safety.

"Run!" the prince shouted again, parrying a blow and colliding with another rcenary.

His voice sounded sharp, almost commanding, as if giving an order that could not be disobeyed.

I blinked in confusion and seed to co to my senses.

This ti I really tried to do sothing and step back, but I didn’t have ti to do so.

One of the attackers, noticing my movent, abruptly changed direction and lunged toward . A short blade flashed in his hands.

I didn’t even have ti to scream. All I could do was instinctively recoil, but it was too late.

Prince Richard rushed forward, intercepting the blow intended for .

There was a short, sharp sound. For a split second, everything around froze.

I saw the enemy’s blade graze him, the fabric of his snow-white uniform tear, and scarlet blood imdiately appear on it.

My heart skipped a beat.

"Damn it!" Richard hissed through clenched teeth, grabbing the sword with both hands and throwing the attacker aside with a powerful blow.

I saw his shoulder jerk with pain, but he didn’t allow himself a mont of weakness. His eyes remained cold and focused, as if the wound were nothing more than an annoying nuisance.

Despite the blood running down his sleeve, the prince continued to fight.

His movents beca slightly slower, but remained precise and confident.

Steel clanged, and the air was thick with the sll of blood. A few monts later, it was finally over.

Richard had finally managed to knock all of his attackers to the ground. They lay there — so moaning, so barely moving, and a few showing no signs of life.

This was our only chance to escape.

Richard instantly seized the mont. He turned to , grabbed my hand, and pulled away from the scene of the fight. His grip was strong, almost painful, but at that mont I didn’t feel it at all.

"Hurry!" he ordered, his breathing uneven. "We have to get out of here before they recover."

I blinked, as if waking from a stupor, and only then realized how much my hands were shaking. Nodding, I hurried after him, trying not to fall behind.