Chapter 8

On the way back, Nicola stopped Arissa while Louis was not around.

She ran her fingers across the diamond hairpin on her forehead and smiled coyly and smugly. "Arissa, so what if you're the Crown Princess? His Highness only loves me. Those who aren't loved are always the most pitiful."

She leaned close to Arissa's ear. "I think you haven't understood lately, so I specially arranged a show for you to see how much His Highness loves me today."

Arissa suddenly had a bad feeling. She had thought Nicola would attack her, so she had secretly hidden a dagger in her sleeve, thinking they could go down together if all else failed.

Unexpectedly, as the carriage continued its journey, Nicola remained obediently seated and made no movement.

It was not until halfway through the journey that a commotion broke out outside the carriage.

A cold arrow whooshed through the curtain and pierced the wooden frame by Arissa's ear. Immediately afterward, the guards shouted, "Assassins. Guard them."

Arissa lifted the curtain and saw flashes of steel around the last carriage, where the guards were locked in combat with the men in black.

Louis stood out in the crowd. He wielded a long sword that gleamed like snow. Assassins fell one after another in his wake.

However, just as he was about to finish off the assassins, Arissa saw Nicola rush toward a man in black, almost intentionally allowing herself to be taken hostage.

As the curved blade pressed against her neck, she even gave Arissa a triumphant smile.

Louis froze. His sword tip drooped while his eyes widened with fury. "Let her go."

He was a highly skilled fighter, yet his opponent held his weakness, making him afraid to move.

The assassin sneered. "Let her go? Sure."

He grabbed Nicola's hair and forced her to look up. "But you'll pay a price."

Nicola had tearful eyes as she cried out tremblingly, "Louis... save me..."

Veins bulged on Louis' hand as he gripped the sword, yet he dared not move.

The assassin stared at him and slowly said, "I heard this is the person Your Highness loves most."

Louis remained silent. His gaze stayed fixed on Nicola.

The assassin laughed loudly. "Very well, I want one of your fingers."

Arissa stood not far away. Her fingertips trembled as she watched the scene.

Louis did not hesitate. He slowly raised his left hand and spread his fingers. His gaze was frigid. "Which one do you want?"

The assassin narrowed his eyes. "The little finger."

Louis sneered. His right hand abruptly turned the long sword.

There was a cold glint.

Splat.

Blood splattered.

A severed little finger fell to the ground, splashing a blinding red across the snow.

The assassin was stunned. He was about to speak when a group of shadow guards pounced and seized him.

Nicola staggered over and broke down in tears. "Louis. How could you be so foolish?"

Pale as a ghost, Louis still managed to answer softly, "All that matters... is that you're alright."

Then he fainted.

Arissa stood there and watched the trail of blood winding through the snow. She watched Louis clutch Nicola's clothes in his unconscious state and watched the imperial physicians frantically try to stop his bleeding.

She suddenly smiled.

It turned out this was the show Nicola wanted her to see, and Louis had not disappointed anyone.

Arissa thought, "Louis, you love Nicola so much. You're absolutely obsessed with her."

The Crown Prince's residence was in a frenzy for days. Imperial physicians entered and exited constantly.

Helen returned with red eyes. "Miss, His Highness's finger is finally set."

She sobbed. "But the first thing he did when he woke up was wipe Miss Mullery's tears. I feel so sorry for you. You haven't even married His Highness. What kind of torment will you endure if you really marry him..."

Arissa smiled, took a package from the cabinet, and handed it to Helen. "Helen, I'm not marrying the Crown Prince."