The Amorous Mate

Chapter 8: Behind The Blood-Red Eyes

“Y-Your Grace, what must we do?” Vennett asked, shaking. Her face was pale and frightened as she observed the savage-looking men that was walking near them.

Yet, despite the overwhelming feeling bothering the V-maids, still, they were standing before Princess Demeter. Their hands were spread and their bodies were ready to protect the princess no matter what must happen.

Even if it will cause them their death, it was the servant’s duty to protect their master from any forms of risks and dangers. This current situation includes. Their actions, despite their fear, has proven their loyalty to the Princess.

Chelsea was looking straight through the piercing eyes of the bandits. She saw them smiling widely for they were certain that the ladies will no more have the ability to escape. Considering that the bandits has relatively huge number compared to them, they believe that capturing the princess would now be as easy as if they will only pick pebbles on the ground.

Yet, Chelsea was determined to escape from them. She never dreamed being in the lousy arms of those hideous-looking bandits. Angrily, she pursed her lips.

With all the courage remaining in her body, she raised a short, waiving-patterned sword. She pointed it towards the bandits.

Chelsea was able to acquire the sword from the bandits she have fought earlier. Knowing that having a weapon would give them more security while attempting their escape, she grabbed the bandit's sword before they have ran away.

True enough, she was right when she thought that she will be needing such weapon for their defense. As she pointed her sword, she managed to show admirable confidence and courage—even though it only was fraudulent.

However, seeing the princess’ attempt to fight, the bandits simultaneously laughed as if they were watching some peculiar comedic skit.

“What must you be doing, your Grace?” asked one of the bandits. He was smiling—showing his crooked, discolored teeth. He unsheathed a comparatively longer and broader sword compared to what the Princess have. He smirked.

“C-Can’t you see?” asked Princess Demeter. “I . . . I am challenging you guys!”

Even though her hand was shaking while gripping the sword’s handle, she still tried her best to compose herself. She did her best to look as if unafraid while challenging those savage hunters.

“Your Grace! That is entirely foolish!” Venida interrupted. “Never challenge a man to a duel or else you’ll face extreme consequence from your act. You will face shame!”

Chelsea gazed at Venida when she heard her unbelievable claim. Seeing the cold, petrifying eyes of the Princess, Venida unconsciously stepped back.

Chelsea somehow was hurt because of what the servant said.

“What kind of shame do you think I will get, huh, Venida? Do you think I’ll be shamed because I challenged a man—men—to a fight even though I am a mere woman? Is this how people here thinks of women’s capability? You think you will never win against a man? You will never defeat one?” Chelsea reasoned out.

“I . . . uh . . .”

“I am doing this for the sake of you, don’t you know? I badly wanted the both of you to be saved from this savageness because I can see how much you still want to live—just as much as I wanted to as well. And then what, shame? I am shameful for trying to protect our lives?”

Princess Demeter’s articulation became shaky. Her ocean-colored eyes became watery as tears attempted to fall. From the perspective of Venida and Vennett, the Princess was badly hurt. She bled from Venida’s claim of shame.

“Th-That is not what I am meaning, your Grace. I mean—”

“Watch out!”

Again, Venida’s attempt to explain her side was interfered. It was because Princess Demeter hastily pushed her away from where she stood.

Venida fell on the ground. On the other hand, Chelsea gravely blocked the long sword—from the attack of one of the bandits—that made an attempt to kill Venida.

“Goodness gracious!” Venida exclaimed.

“Venida, heaven forbid! Are you alright?” Vennett quickly ran to Venida and escorted her to stand up.

Chelsea unleashed from the blocking stance she was doing when another from the group of bandits attempted to s***h her—but this time, it was she who is the target.

She swiftly moved her body. She effectively deflected the bandit’s attack. Yet then, another bandit charged—then another, and another. She was gracefully moving, and her fascinating decisions in the constricting battlefield made her survive all of the deadly attacks.

“Hey, Venida, Vennett!” she yelled while blocking one of the bandit’s attacks. When she saw an opening, she ran towards them. Intently, she looked straight in their frightened eyes. “Go to the woods. I am the target of the bandits. I can give you enough time to escape.”

“How about you, your Grace?” Vennett worriedly asked.

“I will follow later.”

“But—”

“Go now!”

Chelsea-s***h-Princess Demeter blocked another sword from the bandit’s attack. She fluidly moved her arm, and commit her stout sword passing through the body of the bandit. From that attack, she managed to carve a grave wound to one of those savage men.

“Princess Demeter! W-We will be waiting for you! If it would take eternity, we will never move unless we saw you coming for us!” the V-maids shouted.

“Yeah, whatever,” Chelsea grunted, and managed to s***h a wound to another bandit.

“Ah! Damn this woman!” one of the bandits exclaimed.

Chelsea smirked. “What? You can’t believe you can’t touch me knowing that you’re all men and more numbered than me? that’s a shame, right?”

Chelsea must have aggravated the men’s egos. After claiming those words, she heard raging growls from them.

However, seeing how clumsy these bandits were, compared to her, she confidently smirked and shook her head. She was not afraid of them anymore. Soon, she raised her sword to prepare for another fight.

“You guys haven't learned yet what you need to learn, ‘aight?”

For the second time, the bandits started attacking her again. Because she has been fighting—for about a minute—with them, Chelsea has already managed to read the way how those men would do their attacks. She have read the pattern. That is why she was confident that she could defeat them without breaking a sweat.

However, she was petrified when from one quick grazing attack from a bandit, she instantly knew that it was not their pattern anymore. Mysteriously, the bandits were moving faster. Their attacks were sharper than before.

Chelsea was taken a back. She managed to block and defend herself from the men’s quick attacks, but her planned counters for them were now ruined.

Until, when she was encased from disorientation, one of the savage men’s attack successfully connected. It wounded her and made her falling on the ground.

“Bullshit!” she cursed.

Witnessing how the Princess fell on the ground, the bandits smiled, satisfied. They flexed and relaxed their muscles for a short period of time while they were watching the demise of the princess.

“Ah, finally, we were able to hit you badly hard, your Grace.”

The group of bandits laughed from one of their member’s remark. Along with those demeaning laughs, they also mockingly stared at the miserable Princess on the ground.

Chelsea grunted because of frustration. She was distracted when she could not read the moves of the bandits. Angered, she sharply looked at them while they were still laughing.

However, the moment she saw the men’s hideous curves of smiles, her face turned pale. Her hands started to shake and her breathing became rapid.

Her gaze turned blur and chaotic. The only thing she could hear was the muffled laughs of chaos from the bandits standing in her front.

She wanted to scream and cry. Seeing the position she was in, a traumatic event has flashed back in her mind.

As she looked at the smiles and laughs of the bandits, she accidentally recalled her past—on how the group of men mockingly looked at her as she was slowly dying. She recalled how her best friend stared at her, no emotion, as she lied on the floor, bloodied and weak. She recalled the exact moment when she was stabbed—when she helplessly died in her real body as Chelsea Grace.

Because of that, her composure went shambling. Uncontrolled, she was heavily shaking her head. Along with that were her sharp whispers of, “no, please no.”

“What is that, Princess? Perhaps are you pleading?”

Chelsea’s whispers of plead became louder. “No, please no. No. No!”

The trauma she had acquired from her previous death has taken a toll on her. There were miserable tears that escaped at her eyes while she plead. Then, she crawled on the ground, hoping that she could escape from the bandits.

“Hey, what is that, your Grace? Are you trying to escape?” one of the bandits asked. The other bandits laughed.

Chelsea managed to stand up. But on her face, the bandits could see draws of fear and panic.

Chelsea was gasping and panting as she looked at the bandits while tremulously shaking her head. What she was seeing was the group of men that has killed her—not the laughing bandits.

Traumatized, she sobbed and then tried to run away from them.

“Oh! The Princess is attempting to escape!” again, one of the bandits mocked. After that, demeaning laughs boomed.

“I don’t think the Princess is running, mate. I believe she wants to play with us.”

“What kind of play then?”

“Hide and seek.”

The bandits roared joyously.

The weak Chelsea, on the other hand, tried to run as fast as she can even though her knees were weak and trembling.

“Get away from me!” she pleaded.

Now her best has lead her to the middle of the woods. Still, she was shaking and crying because of fear.

Chelsea could not calm herself because she was still hearing the bandits at the far back of the woods. They were laughing and screaming her name, as if they were savage hunters following their prey. She knew that they were playing; that they only allowed her a few distance just for the sake of the pesky hide and seek game they were trying to enjoy.

“H-Help me,” she pleaded with her broken voice. “Help me! Venida! Vennett!”

She was gasping and panting, trying to chase her escaping breaths.

Until, one snap, the joyous laughters of the bandits mysteriously shifted to screams of pain and agony.

“AHHHH!” The bandits were screaming from afar.

Hearing that, Chelsea was confused—and a bit more terrified too.

When the bandits' laughs-turned-screams were stolen by the still silence, Chelsea covered her mouth, suppressing the cry wanting to escape.

She could hear nothing but the silent howl of the moving wind. It added more intensity to the situation. There was nothing . . . nothing . . .

Until she heard rapid, sharp sound of footsteps. What was more alerting was that, the steps were towards her place. It was coming for her. From that, she panicked.

Sooner, the woods revealed the owner of the hasty footsteps.

It belonged to one of the bandits that are trying to chase her.

However, the man’s face was now as pale and frightened as Chelsea’s. When the bandit saw the Princess, he quickly ran to her, fell on his knees, and begged.

“H-Help me Princess! Lend me your grace!”

Chelsea was confused. Why was this savage man, who was just laughing earlier as he and his friends were mocking her, now was pale, and frightened, and begging for her help? What kind of monster could possibly make this man turn this kind of frightened?

The answer came at Chelsea’s front right away.

In a split second, the man was already lying on the ground—lifeless. And then, another man was standing in her front.

Chelsea has seen the man’s blood-colored eyes before he was able turn his back to her. She was sure that she saw it right and vivid. He has a blood-red eyes.

“L-Lord Matthew, is that you?” Chelsea nervously asked. Secretly, she swallowed the lump forming on her throat.

Then, the man turned to her front once again. Chelsea has now confirmed that it was the Lord who have visited her yesterday at the house of Saxton.

What confuses Chelsea is that when she checked the color of his eyes again, she did not see its redness anymore. Instead, it was now a shade of still-black.

“Are you hurt, your Grace?”