Chapter 26

“Knox!”

I pulled Knox towards me on reflex. I looked up to see the sun setting just beyond the man’s shoulder. Unfortunately, it looked like it was still a long way till sunset.

Why is it slowly setting right at such a crucial time?! 1

I covered Knox’s face and grabbed his hand.

“… Amy, you can’t!”

Like a pot lid, the scabbard flew as Knox grabbed on to the hilt of the sword tightly.

In the end, he decided to break the fence. Knox ran speedily towards an area where the vegetation was thickest. The speed at which he was running was too fast for the numerous knights who were unfamiliar with the forest to catch up to.

“…Is there anywhere in the forest we can avoid the fire from?”

“Ah…”

I stared blankly at him in astonishment at the superiority of his physical abilities. He was like a beast as he sped through the forest. I looked behind us to check if anyone was chasing. After coming to my senses, I said.

“We have to look for a Chakov tree. That tree… does not burn.”

“Which way do I have to go? Do you know the general direction?”

“It’s west from the house. I’ve been there with my sister before!”

She was extremely cautious when it comes to taking me out of the house. But on very rare occasions, she would bring me out.

At that time, we went to a relatively safe place with a few low-level monsters. A bunch of Chakov trees were there.

Knox heard me and changed direction in the nick of time. Just like that we ran through the forest. After running for a long time, I pulled at his clothes.

I asked him to stop here.

“Are these crevices natural?”

“Yes. Within the Chakov trees, there are large openings. If you go inside one of them, you’ll find yourself in a damp humid space. Since the trees are full of water, they won’t burn.” 1

“… Which means that it’s safe.”

Only then did Knox put me down, letting out a short breath. Sweat was dripping from his face, but he looked no different from his usual self. I could tell he was tired. He not only carried me but also wielded his sword and ran for a long time.

Looking around the tranquil forest, I covered my mouth with the back of my hand.

‘…What about Diana?’

In the novel, the knights who came and ambushed Knox at home were amongst the most elite Knights of the Crown Prince’s Order.

‘What if my sister meets them in the forest? No. That can’t happen!’

They even tried to kill me a little while ago. When I thought of my sister who was caught in the middle of the battle against the Grand Duke’s Knights including Gray, I grabbed his clothes.

T/N: KNOX IS WEARING CLOTHES?!?!?! 8

“What will happen to Diana? My sister…”

“…”

“My sister can’t die. She can’t… S-she can’t…”

While all this is going on, where were you? Where are you!

I bit my lips and clenched my fist. But there was nothing I could do.

“Amy.”

He grabbed me. With my head on his shoulder, I could feel his hand on my head. I forced my mouth shut.

“Your sister will be fine. She’s not weak.”

“…”

“I believe in her.”

The trembling of my hands that in turn seemed to shake my entire body stopped when I looked into his unshakable eyes in this still forest.

…That’s right. I can’t do anything here if I am this nervous. Looking into his usual cold and heartless eyes, I gradually recalled the moment my sister died in the novel.

‘How did my sister die?’

The novel did not go into details about how the male lead interacted with his first love but the moment his first love died was described in great detail.

Soon, I remembered that my sister did not die in the middle of the forest. 1

My sister died in the garden in front of my house at around dawn.

“I don’t think anyone followed us… at least not yet.”

“Wait, where are you going?”

As he was about to leave, I grabbed his hand.

“… It’s dangerous outside.” 2

“Amy. It’s not safe yet.”

Before I knew it, it was already evening. Night comes early in the Night Forest. Because once light disappears from this place, it quickly becomes dark.

I knew that the sun was already setting while we were running. So, Knox will be able to remain in his Grand Duke form. But I still couldn’t let go of his hand easily.

“Where are you going?”

I might still be scared.

“This place is not far from your house. I haven’t cleared our tracks yet so I’ll be right back.”

“No. The Night Forest is difficult to navigate especially for those who do not know it well. Besides, there’s a lot of holes in this area. You can see them right? If we go into one of these trees’ holes and hide in the holes, they will pass us by without even noticing us in the holes. W-where are you going?”

Knox, seeing me repeating the same words over and over again, reached his hand out and wiped the tears rolling down my cheeks.

“… Don’t cry.”

I didn’t even realise I was crying.

“I’m not. I wasn’t crying. It’s all because we were running… Don’t change the subject.”

My hands did not let go of his clothes.

“Where are you going?”

“I’ll only be gone for a short while. Soon, the pursuers will catch up to us.”

“Is Knox trying to lure them away? With that body?”

“That’s right.”

How could he come up with such an idea? It had been difficult for him to break through their siege by himself, without any memories while carrying a woman.

I bit my lips when I saw that he had injured his leg. I was wondering if a miracle could happen like last time and I could cure Reynok’s body but I calmed down.

I was nervous. I grabbed on to his hand tightly, not wanting to let it go. I told him firmly.

“Don’t do it. Knox, you need to rest. You can wait here till it’s dawn. Yes?”

Knox stared at me before his gaze lowered and fell on our intertwined hands.

“…What about your sister?”

I froze. I needed to find my sister who was god knows where now. But soon, I thought of the numerous men waiting at our house.

The moon was still high in the sky and Knox had already transformed. I tried to smile casually.

“… My sister will be fine.” 1

“Then why do you look like you’re going to cry?”

…Actually, was it alright to send Knox to the place filled with those men in black hoods? I don’t know whether I should believe that going to the house is dangerous just like how it was depicted in the book or not. I don’t know what was right anymore.

I shook my head, thinking that not going to the house was the right answer. But I had a feeling that my sister had headed for the house.

He pried his hand out of my hold and bent down towards me.

“Will you stop crying if I protect your sister?”

The forest was shrouded in darkness. At this close distance that forced me to hold my breath, only his gaze seemed to be bright and coloured.

“You cherish your sister.”

With my head lowered, I swallowed my breath.

“Yes. My sister is very precious to me. She’s as important as my life! But, how will I find her in the forest at night? I might be able to find her. But the strength to deal with those men,…I don’t have it.”

The hand I had been using to grab Reynok’s slowly loosened. There was nothing I could do to help at this moment so I couldn’t resent myself either.

“Amy.”

Then I jerked back when I felt something on my cheek.

It felt like we’ve held hands many times before but why did it feel strange when he touched my cheeks?

“… Don’t tremble anymore.”

His hand, which had held a sword almost his entire life, felt rough. Whenever I exhaled, my skin would brush against his coarse one sending trillions of tingles down my spine. Naturally shortening his breath, his face came close to mine.

I subconsciously closed my eyes.

“I’m strong enough to protect you.”

“…”

“I can protect your sister.”

But even as time passed his face did not get closer. When I opened my eyes again, he was already a distance away.

“Am I right to say that your sister is more important than anything else for you?”

When I realised that he was going to leave me here, I instinctively grabbed his wrist. Suddenly, I felt that I shouldn’t just let him go like this.

“You’re right. My sister is important to me. But… that doesn’t mean that Knox isn’t important to me.” 2

“…What?”

Unable to see his expression, I covered my face.

In this dark—in this forest, what will happen to him? As I imagined of torment-filled things, I closed my eyes tightly and swallowed my breath.

“So, I hope that you won’t get hurt! Nobody likes pain anyways…”

I could hear him walking over before the back of my neck was pushed forward with a big hand. I opened my eyes wide. Immediately, I saw his face inches away from mine.

…I thought he was going to kiss me. 10

When he rested his head on my shoulders, I blinked.

“…Everyday, I think of you. I think of you as often as I breathe. Sometimes I feel like it would be nice to convey how I feel even if I didn’t use words.”

With his head buried in my shoulder, he hugged me tightly and whispered.

“I also doubted myself whether I was thinking straight. I wanted to erase all those thoughts but… It was finished. I couldn’t erase them.”

I tried to think about anything else. To ignore the hot breaths grazing my nape. Was there a scene like this in the novel? I tried to think about it but my attention was fixed on the top of this black head.

“…”

“I hate it when you cry.”

Like an excited beast, whenever his lips brushed against my skin, he would tighten his grip on my waist. The sturdy arms wrapped around my waist were now holding me even closer.

“Amy. I am strong enough to protect you.”

Still hugging me, he raised his head. After wiping away the tears he hadn’t managed to before, he tilted his head before saying.

“I’ll go save your sister.”

The moment I saw my reflection in his purple eyes, I got goosebumps.

“So, when I come back, can I ask you why you called me Reynok?”

What?