Chapter 2 – The Princess and the Savage

Blair’s eyes shook with anger. Slowly he lowered his hand and strode close.

“Don’t you ever think that this marriage can let you run away from me.” A hair breath distance between them, a contemptuous whisper pierced into Leah’s ear as though it was of a snake. “The day I ascend the throne… I’ll be the first one to bring you back here in the capital.”

It was a threat, but Leah felt no fear. Instead, a soft laugh slipped from her lips, which stabbed the prince deep in his gut. She wanted to answer back but realized that exchanging words with a senseless person would be a dire waste of her time. Without a farewell bid, she got on the carriage, completely ignoring him.

When the carriage door was closed, Blair shouted and pounded against the door with his fists. But Leah couldn’t hear his long-winded curses and insults anymore— she chose not to listen rather. Whatever the prince said, his words were futile—a wooden spear aimed at steel.

The carriage moved and with the turn of its wheels, a tear rolled from Leah’s eyes.  She pulled the curtain slightly apart and looked out of the window. The palace of Estia was rapidly moving away from her sight, from her grasp…

It is a place where she lived her whole life, but she felt no regret or sorrow. Leah never belonged there from the start.

However, there were lingering feelings that bothered her.

“…”

She bit her lower lip and closed the curtain with a sigh. She didn’t know why she kept on thinking of him. a cocky, unruly, inscrutable man.

From what she heard, the brute left the palace a day ago. Ah! She scolded herself internally. It was foolish of her to miss an already broken relationship. But while cursing herself for being stupid, she still couldn’t shake off the onslaught of thoughts.

While lost in her musings, the carriage left the capital and reached the outskirts of the capital. Gone were the houses; what greeted them was an open plain full of grass. It was a beautiful scene, but it didn’t endear her one bit. Instead, Leah just lounged down on her seat miserably.

She wished time would pass quickly so that her boring and useless life ends sooner. With nothing else to do, she fluttered her eyes to a close, when suddenly, she felt a shift in the wind.

A trumpet sounded amidst the tranquility that reigned. Its ear-splitting sound made Leah sit straight immediately, her hair standing on end. Following the roar of the first trumpet, horns went off one after another. Her heartbeat ran haywire at the chaotic noises that spread over the once peaceful plains.

Leah drew the curtains and looked out of the window. With the sight that greeted her, she swallowed hard. Dozens of men on horseback were trailing towards their direction. The royal knights guarding her carriage shouted hurriedly.

“It’s an ambush!”

From this point, the carriage began to run rough. But the pursuers’ movements were surprisingly agile. They simply caught up with the procession and surrounded the perimeter. The piercing sounds of instruments and shouts mingled in the air. Iron swords unsheathed rang out everywhere.

Out of nowhere, a rope flew which wrapped around the throat of the knight who guarded Leah from outside of the running carriage. He then pitifully fell out of his horse, his head hitting the ground grotesquely.

Arrows rained down, cutting the wind in succession. Frantic horses kicked and went wild.

As she looked out the window, she saw the carriage’s horseman fell to the ground. Leah closed her eyes tightly. The carriage, with only the horse dragging it, terribly shook. In no time, her whole world turned upside down.

“….”

She gasped. The carriage was horribly overturned, its wheels broke, its door torn open. Aside from the scratches that marred her skin, it was fortunate that she survived the accident unscathed. Only, she felt dizzy, and when she finally came to her senses, Leah pushed the broken carriage door out of her way.

Crawling out of the wrecked vehicle, she met the cold wind which already smelled of blood. Her head was tingled as she looked around. Royal knights were battling their pursuers on a pool of blood. But it was a meaningless battle. The royal knights were swept away in vain as if they were only nothing. One knight roared in a bloody voice.

“How dare you, savages– “

He was unable to speak to the end. A sharp curved blade penetrated his neck. From his throat, blood streamed to the grass. At the horrible sight, Leah covered her mouth with her hands, suppressing a shout.

The images of the raiders were embedded in her vision. High-chromatic eyes, dark hairs, and tattoos on tanned skin.

The men who attacked the royal procession were savages, the Kurkans.

Among the beastly men, a prominent figure emerged. The tall man riding a giant horse drove up to Leah.

Under the disheveled dark brown hair, a hot golden eye pierced Leah. The moment their gazes met, Leah felt the air snatched from her. Breathlessly, she opened her lips.

“Why…”

Her whisper, barely uttered in a split voice, was quickly drowned by the man’s laughter.

“Don’t you remember?”

Stretching his hand, he fetched Leah from the ground and maneuvered her to be atop his horse, fronting him. In resistance, Leah twisted her body but was simply overpowered by the man’s strength. A large hand clasped her waist firmly, that she could only wriggle to no effect.

With a smirk, the man behind her mumbled against the top of her head. His words sending shivers up her spine.

“I told you, I will ruin your life.”

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