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“Then, let’s go up to a high place and see if there’s a way out.”
Saying so, Holly took Cahill’s hand and crept right down the stairs.
“They haven’t left the building yet. Search all over!”
All of a sudden, an angry voice came from above her head.
It was Ahmed. He seemed to have noticed that Holly and Cahill didn’t go to the walls while they were doing something in the warehouse.
“What to do?”
While Holly bit her nails in nervousness, Cahill, who stood close behind her, shoved his finger over her lips.
“You are dressed in red, so you will stand out.”
Looking down at her clothes, which she had been reluctant to put on, it was so bright red that it hurt her eyes as he said. That meant that she could be seen clearly from afar.
“I can’t take this off…”
If she took off the red cloak, there was the red skirt, and if she took off the red skirt, there would be a red underskirt.
“Take off your clothes.”
“What?”
Holly, who had been swearing at Ahmed inside, turned around, startled at the resolute tone that was not like Cahill’s. Meanwhile, Cahill had taken off all his clothes he was wearing.
“What are you doing now? Why are you taking off your clothes here?”
She glanced up the stairs, with a face in shock in case anyone would see it, before picking up his clothes that had fallen on the floor and pushing them in a small voice. However, he didn’t even want to take his clothes.
This time he was taking off Holly’s clothes.
“Cahill…!”
“I will divert their attention, so go back to the banquet hall in the meantime and wait for me. There’s a window, so you can climb out the wall.”
It seemed that he was going to bait Ahmed and the soldiers while wearing the red clothes. Holly couldn’t complain at all about his blunt attitude.
“…Will you be okay?”
Cahill smiled, asking if she meant it. Of course, he was quicker than her and had special abilities. Nonetheless, she wasn’t comfortable with the idea of him taking her place.
“Here.”
The next moment, he pulled the tiara out of Holly’s hair and handed it to her. She then put the tiara over his head with a stiff face.
He looked like a new bride except a little big.
‘Rather, it hurts my self-esteem a little because he’s so pretty.’
Holly’s face twisted.
Cahill tilted his head as he looked at her distressed face, and he straightened his waist that had been bent for Holly to put the tiara in.
Riip—
Then, there was the sound of a thread being torn from somewhere in the clothes.
‘…Will it be okay?’
She only hoped that the clothes wouldn’t rip open while Cahill was running, revealing himself.
“I’ll be coming soon.”
He kissed Holly’s lips in a quick gesture and ran up the stairs.
“There! The bride is over there!”
Holly, who was down the stairs, could also hear a fierce cry clearly. As she carefully climbed the steps, she saw the men chasing him in the bridal gown. The soldiers screamed at the bride, who was quicker than expected.
Cahill ran while covering his face with the veil on the tiara. Soldiers from all over the place on the way to the second floor came out and reached out to catch him. He got out of their hands and climbed up to the third floor in an instant.
Cahill, not knowing the way, just ran. But, after a while, he had to stop because it was a dead-end road.
“I got you!”
Suddenly, rough grips grabbed his arm.
It was Ahmed.
Ahmed clenched Cahill’s arm and with his other hand, brushed his hair ruffled from running. He had a dirty smile like a catcher holding a trap.
“Now the tag is over, Miss Holly.”
Hearing the triumphant voice, Cahill straightened his bent back, and he looked back. At that moment, Ahmed could not hide his embarrassment at the upward gaze.
“…What is it, you?”
Cahill lifted the veil that was covering his face. A mischievous smile hung on his lips. Ahmed’s face was horribly distorted when he recognized Cahill.
“You again? Who the hell are you to interrupt everything?”
“Me?”
He shook off Ahmed’s arm, which got weak in surprise. Even if he wasn’t running away, the heat felt through his clothes was unpleasant.
Cahill chuckled and stepped back.
“I’m an Ice God.”
Cahill smirked in front of the confused Ahmed, spitting out the nickname Holly had given him before he flew through the open window. The soldiers who chased after him looked out the window. However, Cahill was no longer visible.
“That’s called boasting…”
Ahmed muttered absurdly as he looked out the window from which Cahill had jumped. As a member of the Royal Family, he learned the ancient writing of the desert from an early age, and he had just made a fool of himself.
* * *
Holly moved on after the soldiers filled the hall, and Ahmed disappeared after chasing Cahill. The door to the banquet hall was heavy, but she wasn’t a weak girl. When she clenched her teeth and pressed her arm, the door opened with a loud noise.
Holly slipped through the gap and saw the person inside.
“Mona…”
“I didn’t know you would come back here.”
Her eyes widened to the limit as if she was surprised. Holly soon came to her senses and backed away from the approaching Mona. She did not forget to look around in search of a weapon.
“Stop the tiring resistance, Miss.”
“Then, you mean I should accept marriage with a man I don’t even want?”
Mona’s expression was distorted, hearing Holly’s sharp tone for the first time.
“The Prince was infinitely kind to the Miss. He will be a good spouse.”
“If you think that marriage is that good, then Mona do it instead.”
Holly responded harshly to the warm tone as if to appease a child. Mona looked at her with a surprised face, and then she smiled.
It was a sad smile.
Holly looked at her with squinted eyes. As it turned out, her attitude toward Ahmed was different from that of the other maids.
Recalling Mona’s actions, she seemed to have known from the beginning that Ahmed considered Holly to be his wife. Not only that, she treated Holly with sincerity, even though Mona had a special heart for him.
Ahmed, who was particularly cold to Mona, may have known that heart.
‘…I shouldn’t have said that.’
Holly bit her lip, feeling sorry that she didn’t know Mona’s heart and said those words nonchalantly. Looking at her face, Mona’s eyes changed. She had found a corner to dig into Holly.
Then, a strange sound came from the window.
“Should I kill her?”
Cahill, who came through the window in an instant, approached her and stared at Mona. His tone of voice was light, which made it even more creepy. Seeing that, Holly shook her head and stepped back behind him.
Mona looked hesitant about whether to catch Holly or not.
“Cahill. Can you do that?”
“That?”
Cahill rubbed his groin against Holly’s rear, asking if this was ‘that.’ The astonished Mona’s reaction made Holly’s face burn hot.
“Not that. Strike her in the back of the neck to stun her.”
Holly hurried away from him and pretended to strike him with the edge of her hand. The quick-witted Mona’s eyes widened as if she knew why Holly had said that.
“If you’re fine, you’ll be suspected of helping me.”
Hearing those words, Cahill knew what she meant. He grabbed Mona’s arm as she was about to run away and hit her on the back of the neck.
Holly flinched at the louder-than-expected sound.
“You didn’t kill her, did you?”
Mona lost consciousness as Cahill let go of his grip on her, and she collapsed to the floor with a clatter.
Unlike Holly, who was worried about Mona, Cahill looked nonchalant. He walked over to Holly and hugged her close to his chest. He lifted her legs, wrapped them around his waist, and leaned out the window. Soon, he climbed up the wall as fast as a beast on a tree.
‘Cra, crazy…!’
Even with the sharply rising eye level, she couldn’t help but scream.
She just turned white and shoved her face into his arms. As soon as she climbed onto the roof, Holly got up with trembling legs. Her staggering body was held by Cahill, who was right next to her.
“Did you change clothes?”
He had taken off the bridal gown and put on his own clothes.
“It’s uncomfortable.”
Holly felt a bit sad and glanced at him.
He gazed at her with a strange look and then moved his gaze to the other side. The front of the castle gate, which was also the only way out, was full of soldiers. They looked around with sharp eyes, pulling their bowstrings, ready to shoot at any time.
“If we go near there, we’ll be rained on by arrows.”
Holly shook her head, exhausted, and looked around the other side. The west was the sea, and the north was the sea. To the east, the sea and forest were half and half.