The Reason Why She Can’t Get Married - Chapter 52

Schedule: Thurs and Sun

Chapter 52

Noel complied, dropping his sword and raising his hands.

“Alright? Now, release Lady Irving.”

“Hah, as if I’d believe you wouldn’t kill me if I let her go! If you touch me, she dies!” Dominique pressed the knife harder against Selena’s throat.

“Ngh…” Selena winced, a thin line of blood appearing. Her face was ashen, her body trembling. Noel’s gaze flicked between Selena and Dominique. His lips twisted into a grim line.

“You have a real talent for making the worst possible choices.”

“Don’t you dare mock me! I refuse to die alone! If I die, Selena Irving dies with me! So…!” In his frenzy, Dominique momentarily shifted the knife away from Selena’s throat to gesture at Noel. In that split second, Noel lunged forward. His long legs propelled him towards Dominique, his foot connecting squarely with Dominique’s wrist.

“Aagh!” Dominique shrieked, dropping the knife. As he stumbled, Noel retrieved the weapon. Selena shoved Dominique away. The moment a gap opened between them, Noel swung his sword, slicing through Dominique.

Dominique’s eyes widened in shock as his body crumpled to the ground without a sound. Blood spurted from the wound.

“Your…”

Splat— The blood sprayed across Selena, who had been standing directly in front of Dominique. Warm liquid splattered her cheek and clothes, freezing her in place. The coppery tang of blood filled the air. Noel stepped over Dominique’s body and approached Selena. His eyes gleamed, cold and menacing. Selena’s green eyes darted nervously between the corpses, the blood-soaked sword in Noel’s hand, and Dominique Dixon’s lifeless form. She squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them again.

Despite her resilience throughout the ordeal, she could no longer hold on. Overwhelmed by the horror, Selena’s fragile body collapsed. “Lady Irving—!” Gabriella’s cry echoed behind her as Selena lost consciousness once more.

* * *

The first thing she saw when she awoke was Lucy. “My lady, are you awake?!” Lucy, who had been anxiously watching over her, sprang to her feet. “Lucy…”

“Yes, my lady. It’s Lucy.”

Lucy, who rarely showed strong emotion, had tears in her eyes as she clasped Selena’s hand. “What happened… to me?”

“Sob… Yesterday, Duke Ratliffe rescued you and Her Highness. He carried you back himself.”

“Oh…” Lucy’s words triggered Selena’s memories of the horrific scene—the blood, the bodies, the death. “My lady, are you alright? Wait, I’ll get a doctor!”

Seeing Selena’s already pale face drain of color further, Lucy quickly moved to leave. Selena caught her hand, shaking her head. “No, Lucy. Tell me what happened while I was kidnapped. What happened after I fainted?”

More concerned about the missing pieces of her memory than her physical state, Selena’s voice was earnest. After a moment of hesitation, Lucy decided to postpone fetching the doctor and began to speak.

“Well, actually…” Not long after Selena had left for the hunt, a letter arrived for her. It was from Lemon, and its contents were shocking. Dominique Dixon had unofficially commissioned Lemon’s guild to orchestrate the princess’s kidnapping. Upon reading the letter, Lucy, pale with shock, raced to the hunting grounds.

“Lady Selena! Lady Selena!” Someone called out, their voice ringing through the forest as they approached the wandering Selena.

“Lady Irving’s maid? What are you doing here?”

“Duke Ratliffe…” It was Noel, returning from a hunt along the southern path. Lucy, who had been desperately searching the vast hunting grounds for Selena, had finally confided in Noel.
After listening patiently to Lucy’s uninterrupted account, Noel’s face hardened. “I’ll help you look.”

But by then, Selena and Gabriella had already been abducted. Noel discovered Selena’s bow lying discarded near a rock and held it out to Lucy. “This belongs to Lady Irving, doesn’t it?”

“Yes, it is. If it’s here…”

“It means we’re too late.” Noel surveyed the area, lost in thought. Lucy fidgeted nervously beside him. “For now, say nothing about Dominique Dixon.”

“What? But…”

“A hasty reveal could provoke them into doing something reckless. It’s best to remain silent until we’ve secured their safety.”

Lucy couldn’t argue with that. Noel picked up the Princess’s bow as well. “I’ll take it from here. You should return and wait.”

Powerless, Lucy had no choice but to comply. Noel descended the mountain and immediately presented both bows to the Emperor, revealing the abduction. This was where Dominique Dixon’s plan began to unravel. Noel’s announcement preempted Dixon’s intended proclamation, wresting control of the situation from his grasp.

The Emperor dispatched the Crown Prince to assemble a search party to find his only daughter. Noel eagerly joined the search, and, surprisingly, so did Raymond, the Lord of the Magic Tower.

“I will lead the search party.”

“I will assist.”

This effectively silenced Dominique Dixon, preventing him from volunteering for the leadership role. Noel deliberately conducted the search at a measured pace, keeping a watchful eye on Dixon while allowing him a degree of freedom.

He suspected Dixon would eventually need to meet with his accomplices, given the unexpected turn of events. Raymond, who, for reasons unknown, was also aware of Dixon’s involvement, cooperated with Noel’s strategy. As Noel anticipated, Dixon, needing to appease his anxious accomplices, slipped away to meet them. Noel, who had been closely observing him, quietly followed.