Leven Oneson suddenly fell silent.
He felt a warm current trickling through his heart. Suddenly, he took his little maid's hand and squeezed it tightly.
"I will see a long darkness, Edsa. That way, you can stay by my side forever and become my eyes."
"Your Highness..."
The carriage was filled for a moment with silent tenderness, along with plans and hopes for the future. But beautiful moments were always so short-lived. Suddenly, the carriage came to a stop.
"Your Highness, there has been a minor accident up ahead." The Knight Captain's voice came from outside the carriage.
"What happened?"
"It seems a nobleman's carriage has broken down. Should we stop and wait for them to deal with it first?"
A trace of unease suddenly flashed through Leven Oneson's heart.
"No, don't stop, Knight Captain. Have the convoy keep moving—"
"Yes, Your Highness."
In the darkness, the knight's voice suddenly turned into a sharp shriek. Then the First Prince felt the entire carriage jolt violently, as though heaven and earth had been overturned. Amid the chaos, he heard people's screams, Edsa's panicked cries, the soldiers' roars, and the clash of weapons.
But those sounds seemed to drift farther and farther away. Leven Oneson felt stabbing pain in his chest, and a scorching sensation instantly spread through him.
In the end, all that remained beside his ears was Edsa's frightened, faint sobbing.
In the darkness, he weakly groped toward that direction and held out his hand, grasping his maid's hand. "Hold my hand, Edsa. It hurts so much that I can hardly breathe..."
"Your Highness, I'm here. Edsa is here," Edsa cried in panic.
Leven suddenly smiled.
He actually saw a sliver of light in the darkness. Amid the hazy shadows, he saw Edsa's blood-covered face.
His mother had not lied