Nobles cared most about their dignity. If a person's carriage was no good, if they couldn't even drive it up before others and had people pointing fingers at them, it was more than a loss of face—their very substance would be gone too.
Seeing the surrounding patrols all give chase, Bondi relaxed. He shook his head hard to sober himself up and slowly made his way home.
He had only gone out to eat and drink. Who would have thought this kind of thing would happen? What rotten luck.
In a shadowy corner, Dole watched the scene unfold in the darkness, somewhat surprised. Lily had pulled off a fine move—everything had gone exactly according to plan.
The two of them had split up, one at the end of the road and one in the middle. Everything had been anticipated from the start.
He had indeed jumped from the carriage.
Dole lay in ambush in the middle of the road, dressed in gray. In the darkness, he was invisible unless one looked closely. He hid in the roadside ditch, and now slowly raised his head. In the night, cold light gleamed from his eyes.
Bondi was still some distance away and would need to walk over slowly. Dole was in no hurry.
Dole remained quietly in ambush, inching forward.
After a short while, Bondi slowly reached the center of the road. He staggered as he walked, seemingly having injured his leg in the fall.
Just then, Dole arrived not far behind Bondi, only a dozen or so meters away. He let out a breath, quietly drew a crossbow from behind his back, took aim, and pulled the trigger.
In the darkness, a faint, nearly inaudible sound rang out. Bondi ahead suddenly paused, then collapsed to the ground, never to rise