The Reason Why She Can’t Get Married - Chapter 95

Schedule: Thurs and Sun

Chapter 95

The hall erupted into chaos. Maximilian paused midway down the stairs, his brow furrowed. “What’s this about a wolf escaping?”

“The wolves, a celebratory gift from the Kingdom of Gusta, they’ve escaped their magical enclosure! Everyone, flee!”

Crash! Before Jerome could finish, the right-side window shattered. Wolves, standing on two legs, stepped through the broken glass. Saliva dripped from their jaws, their eyes gleaming with predatory hunger.

“Ahhh!”

“Wolves! There are wolves here!”

Nobles near the window screamed and scattered. The hall descended into uncontrollable pandemonium.

“Grrrr.”

“Awooo!”

The wolves’ howls intensified, fueled by the terrified screams of the fleeing crowd.

“Everyone, calm down! Damn it, what are you all doing?! Protect His Majesty! Kill the wolves!” Having failed to quell the panic, Maximilian drew his sword and barked orders at the knights.

Four wolves had breached the hall. With most of the knights surrounding the emperor, these intelligent creatures, far surpassing ordinary wolves in cunning, dispersed to attack the other guests.

“Aagh! Help me!”

“Get away!”

“Everyone, run!”

Both humans and beasts had lost all reason. Selena, making for the exit, suddenly noticed Courtney, cowering and trembling.

“Lady Raven!”

“L-L-Lady Irving… I…I…” Courtney stammered, her body shaking violently, much like Gabriella during the kidnapping. Unable to ignore her, Selena ran towards Courtney, against the flow of the fleeing crowd.

“Are you alright? Take my hand!”

“Th-Thank…you…”

Selena hurriedly helped Courtney up, but as they turned to flee—

“Grrrr.”

A wolf leaped in front of them, blocking their path. Selena froze, staring into the beast’s menacing yellow eyes. Any sudden movement, she felt, would result in being torn to shreds.

What do I do? The wolf pawed the ground, preparing to pounce, and Selena’s mind went blank. Courtney, clinging to her arm, was near tears.

“Awooo!”

Just as the wolf lunged,

“Fireball!”

Someone launched a magical attack. The wolf yelped, struck by the fireball, and flew backward. As far as Selena knew, there was only one mage present. Raymond, the Tower Lord. Shock rippled through Selena, but not because the Tower Lord had saved them.

“Flee at once!” he shouted, holding back the wolf. His voice was so familiar.

“Ugh!” Dodging the wolf’s attack, Raymond’s iron mask was knocked off. The delicate face beneath wasn’t the one Selena knew, with its light brown hair and eyes. Yet the features themselves were so strikingly similar that a realization dawned on her. Isabella and Belle. Raymond and Lemon. The connection between these pairs was—

…Nicknames. Selena was momentarily lost in thought. Courtney tugged urgently at her arm.

“Lady Irving, let’s go!”

“Yes? Oh, yes.” Though her mind reeled, escape was paramount. She joined the throng of people rushing outside.

As Selena disappeared from sight, Raymond breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness she’s safe. He suspected his identity had been compromised, but he had no regrets. Had he not intervened, Selena would have been seriously injured. Pushing aside the image of the shock in her vibrant green eyes, he focused on the wolf before him.

Three individuals remained, actively fighting: Maximilian, Noel, and Raymond. The other knights were preoccupied with protecting the emperor. Fortunately, the three were skilled combatants, slowly but surely taking down the wolves one by one.

Swish!

“Gah!” Noel, having slain a wolf, wiped the blood from his cheek and approached Jerome, who was trembling in a corner.

“How many wolves escaped in total?”

“S-Six.”

Noel paused. Four had entered the hall. That meant two were still…

…Outside. Most of the guests had fled outdoors. Two wolves roaming loose out there made the situation far more dangerous.

Lady Irving… He had seen her slender figure escaping with another lady. He’d felt relieved then.

“Damn it.” Noel muttered, gripping his sword and rushing outside. Raymond followed close behind.

Meanwhile, those who had escaped were scattered.

“Lady Irving…!”

“Oh…!”

Swept along by the panicked crowd, Selena and Courtney lost each other. Finally, Selena broke free from the crush of people and moved to the side.

“Ha…” She stumbled towards the temple’s inner garden and sighed deeply. The suffocating pressure in her chest eased. As she caught her breath, a question surfaced.

How many wolves escaped?