Death is inevitable

  “I’m waiting,” he said in a grave tone. I began to sweat profusely, gncing left and right, searching for an escape.

  An idea sparked in my mind, and I chuckled quietly.

  “I don’t find anything funny,” he replied.

  With a swift motion, my left elbow nudged his head, causing him to groan in pain.

  As he was distracted, I quickly turned toward him, grabbing his left forearm where he was gripping his sword.

  I drove my right knee into his stomach, making him drop the sword.

  As it fell, I caught it and tossed it aside.

  He rolled on the ground but managed to regain his footing.

  Wiping his face with his forearm, he clenched his fists, preparing for what was to come.

  I furrowed my brow.

  “Your Highness?” My voice sputtered.

  “You know me?” His tone was solemn.

  What is Aedeide doing here? This wasn’t part of the book. Strange, I thought.

  He was still supposed to be at the Grand Duke’s pace. My heart began to thump heavily.

  What went wrong?

  We remained in our positions, yet his defense did not waver, and his gaze remained locked on me.

  I cleared my throat.

  “Well, who wouldn’t recognize the promising Prince Charming of the Imperial?” I responded sarcastically, trying to py it off.

  “What?” His tone was tinged with embarrassment. As he was momentarily distracted, I dashed past him.

  Despite my efforts to outrun him, he quickly caught up. I ran in zigzags to disorient him, hoping to throw him off.

  As he grew increasingly agitated and confused, I swiftly climbed a tree and hid among the dense foliage.

  I blended into the dark branches, breathing quietly as if I were wheezing, trying to regain my composure.

  The rustling around me ceased.

  “Come out!” Aedeide shouted. Any moment now, he would realize where I was hiding.

  I gnced around and spotted the carriage from earlier.

  The battle had ended in a bloodbath.

  The knights were covered with daggers, their swords scattered around the ground, and a pool of their blood beside them.

  All the knights had been wiped out, and only the assassins remained, still mighty and high.

  I looked around to make sure Aedeide was not in sight.

  When the coast seemed clear, I quickly jumped down from the tall tree and darted past the dark shrubs, hiding behind them.

  “Hmm? I think I heard something,” one of the assassins in a bck coat said.

  His companion cackled.

  “I think you’re just hearing things again, Rovert,” he said, still chuckling.

  Rovert gred at him, prompting his companion to stop ughing and clear his throat.

  “Stop dilly-dallying, you two!” the third assassin yelled angrily.

  Both assassins sighed in response.

  Rovert, quickly jumped onto the carriage and smashed the door.

  He dragged a woman out.

  “Let go of me!” she yelled.

  The other assassin sneered, yanked her long hair, and a loud sp echoed through the area.

  She gasped in pain as her red cheek began to swell, and she id her hand on it.

  “Would you mind?”

  The assassins flinched at the sound of a voice behind them.

  They pulled out their short daggers, signaling that they were not to be trifled with.

  “Who are you?” Rovert asked, his voice tinged with aggression.

  I leaned against a tree, scoffing, and then stood up straight.

  I pulled out a gold insignia from my bck pocket and waved it at them.

  “A gold insignia! What is an exterminator doing here?” Rovert’s companion asked, his voice filled with fear.

  There are more assassins than meets the eye. They aren’t merely rogue agents, they work for an organization called the ‘Midnight Specters’.

  The organization is led by a renowned assassin known as ‘Jurist,’ who procims as the head of the Midnight Specters.

  To manage the various activities of the assassins, they are divided into different divisions: one for kidnapping, one for murder, and another for spying.

  Each division is marked by a distinctive insignia: bronze for moles (spies), silver for abductors (kidnappers), and gold, which I possess, for exterminators (assassinators).

  But what happens if an assassin doesn't have their insignia?

  You would get your throat sshed by Jurist himself and your body would be hung alongside the corpses of those who perished by his hand, dispyed atop their graves.

  I slowly walked out from the darkness, face-to-face with Rovert.

  I looked him up-and-down.

  I smirked as I noticed that he was sweating profusely.

  The exterminator division is known for its danger and ruthlessness, akin to executives who are just below Jurist in rank.

  Assassins who hold these insignias are exceptionally strong. They show no fear and will go to great lengths to achieve their objectives.

  “I apologize for my colleague,” one of the assassins said.

  He was quite different from the other two, his long bck robe accented with dark purple linens.

  He gently pushed Rovert aside.

  “Well, at least one of you has manners,” I replied coldly.

  He nervously chuckled and cleared his throat.

  “I am the leader of this party. Might I inquire as to the purpose of your visit?” he inquired.

  I paused for a moment, not answering immediately. After a brief silence, I replied.

  “I extend my sincerest apologies for any disruption I may have caused to your mission, but it appears this woman must be… rather, she must be exterminated.”

  The assassins exchanged puzzled gnces.

  “I’m sorry, but I haven’t received the signal to terminate this mission.” the leader said.

  I let out a heavy breath.

  “Must I repeat myself?” I asked harshly, advancing with deliberate slowness, my hand resting on the hilt of my katana, poised to strike.

  The leader noticed my intention and began to tremble.

  “Certainly not! We are all assassins here, merely performing our duties, are we not? We shall be departing at once..!” he said, trying to pcate me.

  He signaled his companions to follow him. I turned my back and noticed the frightened woman sitting on the ground.

  As I approached her, she gritted her teeth, drew a small silver dagger, and pointed it at me.

  “Are you here to kill me too?” she asked, her voice quivering and her eyes swollen from crying.

  I quickly raised my hands in a gesture of peace.

  “Don't make this any more difficult.” I said.

  I flinched at the sound of a loud gasp behind me and gnced over my shoulder.

  Both the assassins were in shock, as their leader’s head started to roll on the ground.

  I bit my lip.

  “Our cover is blown!” The other assassin yelled.

  As both Rovert and the assassin sprinted away, they quickly met their end as their hearts were pierced.

  “So you were one of them. Damn Sinners.” His voice harsh, staring at me with his cold gaze, attempting to intimidate me with his blooded long sword.

  “Kind of bad timing, isn’t it?” I smirked.

  “I disagree,” he replied.

  “Your Royal Highness?” The woman called out.

  Aedeide turned his head toward the voice.

  His eyes softened as his dark blue gaze fell upon the woman.

  “Lady Josephina?-”

  I lunged at him as I swiftly unsheathed my katana.

  He was taken by surprise, but a sudden, loud CLANG rang out as he quickly parried my ssh.

  “You should pay attention,” I grinned.

  As we both backed away, I prepared to execute the same attack.

  While his eyes were focused on my head, I sidestepped to his left, aiming for his lower leg.

  However, he swiftly pulled his leg back, avoiding my strike.

  As he was about to ssh my arm with his sword, I redirected my bde to block his counterattack, causing our bdes to vibrate upon impact.

  The sun intensified the duel, and we both began to sweat and breathe heavily.

  I tightened my grip, trying to overpower his defense.

  I slid my bde upward against his, forcing me to duck as he swung his sword with great force.

  Seizing the opportunity, I grinned and sshed at his right leg.

  He groaned in pain, losing his bance. Just as I was about to ssh his throat, he pulled back, causing my bde to graze his throat instead.

  I gritted my teeth.

  Another miss?

  Despite the pain, Aedeide struggled to stand.

  I quickly swung my sword diagonally from above, targeting his right side.

  The impact caused him to kneel.

  As he fought to rise, I pressed my sword down to keep him from getting up.

  Sliding my katana along the bde to the ricasso, I gripped the ricasso firmly with my left hand, allowing me to pull my sword free as my forearm struck his arm, disarming him.

  I threw his sword out of reach and pointed my katana directly at his throat.

  “You’re still unpolished.” I smirked.

  He raised his gaze to meet mine, his eyes filled with piercing gre.

  A brief silence followed. He suddenly let out a heavy breath.

  “You can’t kill me” He broke the silence.

  “Oh? Why is that?” There was a hint of curiosity in my voice.

  He averted his gaze and his response made me flinch.

  “The Will.” He replied, lifting his head to look at me.

  I stared into his blue eyes, which were filled with bitterness.

  “For how long have you known?” I asked coldly.

  “Since the duel.” He replied without hesitation. I let out a quick breath.

  As I began to lower my katana, Josephina’s voice echoed.

  “Prince Barren?”

  There was no time to react. It happened all too quickly.

  Blood welled from my chest, and I began to cough violently.

  My vision blurred and grew dim, and I felt myself succumbing to unconsciousness.

  Aedeide’s bde? I cast a fleeting gnce at my opponent, who seemed taken aback by the turn of events, standing frozen in pce.

  A figure whispered into my ear, though his words were lost in the darkness that quickly enveloped me.

  ...I hope this is but a dream.