Free Web NovelChapter 8: 08: A Curse (2)
The knight wore damaged armor and held a long sword with both hands. It was the kind of sword that needed strength and training to wield properly. Blood ran down from his shoulder and thigh, and one side of his armor was cracked. Even so, he still stood between the young lady, the boy, and the enemies. His breathing was rough, but his hands did not shake. This man was already injured badly, but his stance still had discipline.
Opposite them stood five people.
Four of them looked like hired killers. Their clothes and armor did not match each other. One had a curved blade. One carried a short spear. One held two axes. The last one wore a mage’s long coat and had a half broken staff in his hand. The fifth person was different. He wore the clothes of a noble house manager, though the clothes were dirty from running and fighting. His hair was combed back, and his face had the ugly confidence of a servant who had betrayed his master and now believed himself important.
The knight with the long sword spoke first.
"Why did you betray us, Manager Jeff?" he asked, his voice full of anger and pain. "You were raised by the family since childhood. You were fed by House Vardros. You were trusted. The old baron treated you better than your own blood would have treated you. Why?"
Manager Jeff laughed.
It was not a loud laugh at first. It was a small, ugly sound that came from his throat like he had been waiting years to make it.
"Treated me like family?" Jeff said. "What will I do with that? Can I buy land with family? Can I command nobles with family? Can I sit at a high table with family? No, Peter. What I need is money and status. House Vardros was already falling. I only chose the winning side before the roof crushed me with the rest of you."
The knight captain Peter tightened his grip on the sword.
"You killed the lord who raised you."
Jeff shrugged. "The old baron was kind. Kind men make very soft corpses."
The young lady’s face twisted with disgust.
"You snake."
Jeff looked at her, and his smile became worse.
"Young Miss Jenny, please do not look at me like that. Soon you will have to look at me as your husband. You are still beautiful, even after all this smoke and crying. I was worried you would be ruined during the escape, but lucky me, you are only a little dirty. Nothing a bath cannot fix."
The boy behind her stepped forward in anger, but Jenny immediately pushed him back with her hand.
"Stay behind me, Jake." freёwebnovel.com
Lucard’s eyes narrowed slightly from behind the broken tree.
The memories of the previous owner reacted at once.
Jenny Vardros. The older sister. Twenty two years old. Proud, strict, and one of the only people who had protected the weak Lucard when others mocked him. She had not been warm in a soft way, but she had given him medicine, food, and sometimes sharp words that hid worry under them.
Jake Vardros. The younger brother. Ten years old. The legitimate male heir of House Vardros. The old Lucard had loved him with a sad, helpless kind of love. The boy had always called him brother without hesitation, even when others told him not to.
Lucard’s expression did not change, but the body reacted.
His chest tightened a little.
He ignored it.
Manager Jeff pointed at Jake.
"The little master must be delivered alive. That is the order I received. As for you, Young Miss Jenny, the deal allows me to keep you. A fallen noble daughter is still a noble daughter. If I marry you, I will have a cleaner road to status. Of course, you may refuse, but then I will have to be less gentle. I hope you are not foolish enough to choose that path."
Jenny’s face became pale, but she did not step back. She looked at Knight Captain Peter and spoke in a cold voice.
"Captain Peter, we do not need to talk with a traitor. You are injured. You cannot win against all four of them and Jeff. Kill us."
Peter’s expression changed.
"My lady."
"It is an order," Jenny said. Her voice shook only once, then became firm again. "I will not be defiled by that traitor. They already killed our father and mother. Lucard stayed behind to buy us time. If he is dead too, then I refuse to let House Vardros end with me in that man’s bed and Jake in the hands of our enemies."
Jake’s eyes widened.
"Big sister," he said, his voice breaking. "Did Brother Lucard die too?"
Jenny’s lips pressed together. She did not answer.
That silence was enough.
Jake’s small face twisted with grief and rage. He stepped out from behind Jenny, tears in his eyes, but his chin raised.
"Give me a blade," he said. "I will fight until my death. As the last male of the family, it is my duty to protect you. Knight Captain Peter, take my sister and run. I will buy you time, just like Brother Lucard."
For a few seconds, nobody spoke.
Then Jeff and the four hired men laughed.
The man with two axes slapped his knee like this was the funniest joke he had heard all year. The short spear wielder shook his head with a grin. The mage in the long coat smiled with tired cruelty. Jeff laughed the loudest because traitors always laughed loudly after betrayal. Maybe they believed laughter washed blood from their hands. It did not. It only made them look cheaper.
"Look at this," Jeff mocked. "A weak puppy wants to fight. Little Master Jake, you can barely hold a dinner knife. Do not act like a hero. Heroes die quickly, and children who pretend to be heroes die even faster."
Jake glared at him.
"I would rather die than kneel to you."
Jeff’s smile faded a little.
Peter moved his sword slightly, preparing for the next attack.
Lucard watched everything from behind the broken tree trunk.
