I Don’t Need the Grand Duke’s Regret - Chapter 140

“Huh, huhk…”

Ricardo, having created a small mountain of beast corpses, breathed heavily. Mirabel covered her mouth as she watched him.

Most of the beasts were dead, but a few remained.

They were noticeably larger creatures.

Mirabel anxiously looked at Ricardo. Unless reinforcements arrived, escaping this situation seemed nearly impossible.

‘This is going to be tough.’

However, Ricardo appeared to have a different mindset. Although there was desperation on his face, there was no hint of anxiety or unease.

“It’s time to finish this.”

Ricardo lightly swung his sword in a circle before driving it into the ground. Mirabel gasped at his actions.

‘No way, again?’

Was he really planning to unleash his sword energy once more?

Indeed, in this situation, it was the most effective solution.

But if he did that, then…

‘No!’

Mirabel sprang to her feet, still holding Charles.

“Grand Duke!”

But it was too late. Before Mirabel could stop him, his sword energy began to spread.

The violet energy flowed across the ground, taking down the remaining beasts in a single blow.

Mirabel was left speechless as she witnessed the scene, which looked like lightning erupting from the earth.

No matter how many times she saw the display of sword energy, it was awe-inspiring. But as beautiful as it was, it was also brutal.

It drained the life of the wielder.

“Kiiing!”

“Grrr!”

The remaining beasts writhed in pain.

As they struggled against the tightening grip of the energy, they simultaneously charged toward Ricardo.

More specifically, they charged toward Mirabel.

The beasts seemed to be driven by an instinct to hunt the fragile human rather than seek revenge against Ricardo, who had slain hundreds of their kind.

However, not a single beast reached Mirabel.

Ricardo, squeezing out every last ounce of strength, cut down the beasts approaching her.

Even as he coughed up blood after unleashing his sword energy, Ricardo refused to give up.

Although the knights supporting him fell one by one, Ricardo continued to wield his sword with determination. Mirabel watched in shock as blood splattered around them.

“Kkiing…!”

How much time passed?

Eventually, the last beast took its final breath. Right after that, Ricardo dropped his sword and collapsed forward in exhaustion.

“Grand Duke!”

Mirabel handed Charles over to Sophie and ran to Ricardo.

She struggled to lift him, laying him across her knees. Mirabel’s face was filled with horror as she faced him.

She hadn’t realized, having only seen his back.

Ricardo’s upper body was covered in wounds.

“What, what…”

Mirabel struggled to find words, her lips trembling. Ricardo, who had been keeping his eyes closed, slowly lifted his eyelids with great effort.

He squinted and breathed heavily.

With a mountain of beast corpses behind him, he raised his hand slowly.

“Are you… okay?”

Ricardo checked her condition and gently stroked her cheek. His blood-soaked hand left a red mark on Mirabel’s face.

It seemed as if he was trying to wipe away that mark. However, with every touch, the blood only spread further. With unfocused eyes, he continued to caress her cheek.

“When… did you get hurt?”

“You don’t need to worry about me. This isn’t my wound.”

At her explanation, Ricardo finally showed a look of relief. He seemed to want to say something but soon broke into a cough.

“Cough!”

Along with the cough, red blood spilled from Ricardo’s mouth. Mirabel’s face paled as her dress turned red.

Even unleashing sword energy once would leave someone unable to move for a while due to the internal injuries. Yet Ricardo had done it twice.

It was almost miraculous that he was still conscious now.

With trembling hands, Mirabel wiped the blood away.

“Don’t speak. Both Charles and I are fine.”

“I… prot…”

“I understand. Let’s talk later, please. I’ll listen to everything then.”

“Don’t go…”

Ricardo grasped Mirabel’s hand with his bloodied grip.

He looked up at her, gasping for breath. His desperate gaze was fixed on her, and he trembled as he spoke again.

“Don’t… leave.”

Mirabel’s eyes burned hot at Ricardo’s plea. A surge of feelings welled up inside her, overwhelming her.

Tears that had been held back began to flow freely. As her chin trembled, Ricardo grimaced.

“Do, don’t… cry…”

“Grand Duke. Later, please. Huhh. We’ll talk later. I’ll hear everything then.”

“Cough! This time… I pro…tected… you.”

“I understand. Yes, you protected me. You saved me, so please, huuh… rest.”

Mirabel replied to Ricardo frantically with tears spilling out.

With every effort he made to speak, blood trickled from his mouth. It would have been better if he didn’t speak at all, but no matter how much Mirabel urged him to stop, he wouldn’t.

Mirabel felt like she was losing her mind. She spoke urgently, pleading with him.

“I’m right here. I won’t go anywhere. So, please stop…”

“Don’t, abandon… me.”

With Mirabel’s pleas hanging in the air, Ricardo made one last request before closing his eyes. At the same moment, the hand that had been holding her fell limply to the ground.

“Grand Duke…?”

Mirabel whispered as she saw Ricardo blur in her vision. She tried to focus, her eyes straining to take in his face.

“Grand Duke…”

Her voice trembled as she looked at Ricardo, who lay motionless before her.

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