I carefully supported Richard, feeling him lean slightly on . The wound was not fatal, but it noticeably weakened his movents.
"We have to get out of here as soon as possible," he said.
"Yes," I replied quietly, nodding, although I wasn’t sure where exactly we should go.
The forest around us was growing darker. It seed as if the darkness between the trees was thickening, hiding every movent.
The forest was dense and dark, and every sound seed louder than it actually was. We walked quietly, trying not to make a single unnecessary sound, and every step was cautious.
Sotis I turned around involuntarily — it seed as if soone was still following us. But every ti there were only shadows and branches swaying in the wind.
When we finally got away from the place where the fight had just taken place and found ourselves in a small clearing, I was able to relax a little.
"You’re... wounded," I said, barely containing my anxiety as I gently touched his shoulder.
I felt the wetness and warmth of blood under my fingers, and I had to press my lips together to keep from betraying my excessive excitent.
"It’s nothing," replied the prince with a slight smile, hiding his pain. "The main thing is that we made it out of there."
It was true. I understood that, but I still couldn’t fully comprehend what had just happened. Everything inside was still trembling — as if I were still standing in that place, surrounded by rcenaries, with the clang of steel and the cries still echoing in my head.
The thought that I had just barely escaped death pierced my consciousness like an icy shard. Death had been close, closer than ever before. Its breath seed to brush against my skin, and now I couldn’t shake that feeling.
I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself. But it was still difficult to do. My thoughts were jumbled, turning into chaos that was impossible to untangle.
However, now was not the ti for that. Panic would only get in the way, and I knew it. So I forced myself to focus on the main thing: how to get out of here alive.
I glanced briefly at Richard. He was walking, clutching his wounded shoulder, but showing no sign of weakness. His gaze remained focused, although his pale skin and tense lips clearly showed that he was in pain.
"We need to get as far away as possible," he said quietly. "They may co back."
I just nodded. There was no point in talking at that mont — words seed superfluous.
Since we were both left without our horses, we had to walk through the forest on foot.
I carefully supported the prince, helping him move.
The forest was gradually growing darker. The dim light of the sun filtering through the branches was getting weaker by the hour.
We had been walking for more than two hours, and the further we went, the harder it was to make out the road. Darkness seed to thicken around us, turning every rustle into a potential threat.
Finally, behind the thick bushes, I noticed sothing that looked like the entrance to a cave.
"There," I said, pointing ahead. "We can take shelter inside."
Richard nodded, and we headed there. Inside, it was cool and damp. The cave walls glistened with moisture in the dim light that filtered through the narrow opening.
The cave was larger than I had expected.
I helped the guy sit down against the stone wall and cautiously peered outside to make sure no one was following us.
Finally, I was able to breathe a deep sigh of relief.
"I’ll go get help," I said, turning to him.
Richard shook his head.
"You can’t. The rcenaries are still nearby. If you go out, you risk being caught by them."
"But we can’t just wait!" I stepped closer, unable to hide my anxiety. "You’re wounded, and if you start bleeding... we need to get help as soon as possible!"
Richard de Stone straightened up, albeit with so effort, and his voice sounded calr than one would expect from a man who had just been through a deadly battle.
"I know," he said. "I have another option."
With these words, the prince lifted himself slightly, grimacing in pain, and took a small tal object from his belt — a cylinder engraved with the imperial coat of arms. At first glance, it looked like a trinket, but in his hands, it was clearly sothing important.
He held it out to .
"Use this."
I took the strange object from his hands, feeling the cold tal in my palm.
"What is it?" I asked, puzzled, looking at him.
"A signal fire," the guy replied. "If you light it, the guards at the camp will see the flash and co to your aid."
I carefully turned the cylinder in my hands, examining the engraved symbols, not fully understanding how it worked.
"Okay," I finally nodded. "But are you sure it’s safe?"
"It’s safer than if you went into the forest alone," he replied calmly, without a hint of doubt in his voice. "Don’t worry, they’ll definitely be able to find us."
I looked at Richard, at his calm, confident face, and for a mont I felt sothing inside stir. His eyes, cold and focused, seed to instill confidence in .
"Okay..." I exhaled, feeling my palms sweat a little. "Let’s try it."
Richard nodded to , and I went outside, where the ground was level and nothing prevented from lighting a fire. I carefully turned the tal cylinder, and at that mont a bright scarlet flash of light burst out of it.
The sky above the forest lit up with a red glow for a mont. The trees seed to freeze in this unusual light, and the forest air was filled with the sll of burning gunpowder.
Then the light went out, and silence returned.
Now all that remained was to wait.
We were silent for a while. Only the wind howled softly outside the cave.
Outside, twilight was gradually thickening, and the cold wind seeping in through the narrow entrance brought with it the sll of damp earth and pine needles.
Richard sat leaning against the stone wall and seed almost calm, although I could see his fingers clenching from ti to ti in pain.
The wound on his shoulder was still bleeding, and I did what I could — bandaged it with my scarf, trying to be careful.
"You need to rest," I said quietly. "If you lose more blood..."
"It’s okay," he replied, a slight weariness in his voice. "It’s just a small wound. I can handle it."
I frowned, unable to hide the anxiety that still gripped my chest.
"I’m sorry..." I finally said. "This is all my fault. If I hadn’t fallen behind, you wouldn’t have had to intervene and get hurt..."
"Don’t say that," Richard replied. "It’s not your fault. Sotis trouble finds us, even when we do nothing to invite it."
I lowered my gaze, feeling sha and gratitude intertwine within .
"Still... I must thank you. You saved my life."
"Don’t ntion it," Richard replied with a slight smile, but his eyes were serious. "Protecting my subjects is my duty as prince of this country."
For a mont, I just froze, stunned by his response. His words seed both simple and deeply aningful. It wasn’t just a polite display of nobility — I felt that he truly ant what he said.
The prince smiled slightly again, but this ti his gaze was directed sowhere deep into the cave, as if he were thinking about sothing.
"You know," he said after a mont, "we’ve t before."
I looked up in surprise.
"What?"
"That day in the city, when my carriage nearly knocked you down."
For a few seconds, I just stared at him, not believing my ears.
"So it was you?"
"Yes," he smiled slightly, and his gaze lingered on my face for a mont. "I’m sorry, I want to apologize to you again for that incident."
I blinked in confusion, rembering that mont: golden hair, a confident but calm voice coming from the carriage. It all suddenly ca together, and now the situation looked completely different.
Still, who would have thought that on that day I would et the emperor’s nephew, the very Richard de Stone who was the heroine’s love interest? Do such coincidences really happen? The thought seed almost unbelievable to .
Nevertheless...
"Now I understand why you seed a little familiar to ..." I muttered, thinking about it.
"Yes, I didn’t expect to et you here either," Richard replied, and his smile widened slightly. "What a coincidence, isn’t it?"
I froze slightly and, unable to find the words, just nodded awkwardly.
For a while, we just sat in silence, each lost in our own thoughts. Outside, it was gradually getting colder, a light breeze was blowing into the cave through the cracks, and the dampness of the walls left a feeling of dampness. I could only hope that we wouldn’t have to spend the whole night here.
But what about Ruby? I couldn’t help thinking about my niece and felt my heart sink with worry. She must be terribly worried right now, wondering where I am and what has happened to . The thought alone caused a painful tightness in my chest.
anwhile, in the silence of the cave, Richard’s calm, steady voice reached again. He seed to sense my inner turmoil and decided to reassure .
"Don’t worry," he said, looking straight at , his eyes full of confidence. "I think they’ll find us soon. We just need to wait a little longer."
I sighed, trying to calm down. His words were simple, but they sounded confident, which seed to rub off on . I felt my slight anxiety gradually begin to subside.
"I hope so..." I muttered quietly. "I hope you’re right."
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