Gisela's POV:
Time seemed to grind to a complete halt.
At Leopold's sharp command, the royal knights lying in ambush all around surged forward, cutting down every last remaining black-cloaked assassin in an instant.
In mere moments, the stony ground of the clifftop was strewn with corpses, and the surrounding area finally fell completely, deathly silent. He didn't have eyes for anyone else. His gaze locked hard on my lifeless body, but I would never open my eyes to look at him again.
My eyes stayed shut, the color draining slowly from my lips, leaving only the blood trickling from the corner of my mouth, bright and stinging to look at.
The clean-through wound in my chest still leaked warm, thick blood in a steady, unstopping flow.
Leopold's eyes were bloodshot, his hands shaking so h
