Ingrid froze, a beautifully sculpted statue, her face as white as a sheet. It felt like everything she'd eaten that morning was clawing its way up her throat. Fear, however, glued her on the spot. Her dilated pupils, as though held hostage by the scene before her, were unable to look away.

Haunting shrieks echoed within the bounds of the barrier that trapped them. Torn limbs and flesh of the black-clad figures flew everywhere, their blood forming puddles on the uneven ground.

Fear and despair awash the black-clad figures. But it was already too late for regret. The monster in front of them isn't exactly forgiving. Like a beast starved for several years, he claimed their lives—each death crueler than the previous.

It's safe to say none of them died in peace.

As the monster claimed the last of the black-clad figures, his unfocused eyes shifted in Ingrid's direction. He casually threw the lifeless body of his last victim and walked like a stalking prey towards her.

Ingrid's heart pounded in a heavy rhythm. Her mind was screaming for her to flee, but her body felt like it was tied to the tree root she was sitting on and wouldn't budge.

"Y-your highness?" She called, her voice trembling in fear.

But the man in front of her seemed to have lost all reason. She couldn't see any trace of the arrogant prince in him anymore. What was left is a beast covered with the blood and flesh of his victims and driven by instinct.

"Aleric!!!" Ingrid screamed with what was left of her strength. Beads of tears trickled down her cheeks, her body shaking. "I'm scared..." she sobbed in a tiny, inaudible voice.

Perhaps his desperate plea reached the last thread of sanity left in him. As though awakened from a long dream, the fog in Prince Aleric's eyes began to clear.

He stood at the center of the carnage he caused, like still water.

An eerie silence engulfed the entire forest. Even the wind stopped blowing, as though every living being ceased breathing. The only sound that remained was the loud beating of Ingrid's heart.

Prince Aleric's gaze fell upon Ingrid. A myriad of complicated emotions flashed within his purple orbs. He opened his mouth in an attempt to speak only to close it again.

They stayed like that for minutes until Vernon's arrival broke the silence.

"Your highness!" He called. But the moment he saw Prince Aleric's condition, his first reaction was to stand in front of him, shielding Ingrid from his view.

Vernon was chasing a moose that strayed into the back forest alongside Prince Aleric when they noticed a magical fluctuation in the air. They instantly went to investigate and found the soldiers of the grand duke attempting to break a giant dome to no avail.

Prince Aleric recognized them as Ingrid's guard knights and decided to check what was happening inside. However, Vernon isn't as capable as Prince Aleric in manipulating darkness and couldn't join him. He was only able to enter after the barrier was weakened due to the death of its caster.

Vernon's mind raced to find a solution. First, he needs to reinforce the barrier. It would be detrimental to their plan if Prince Aleric's sickness is discovered. Not to mention the amount of people that will most likely die if the prince went on a rampage.

He will have to hold himself against the prince until reinforcements arrive. Hopefully, the men they currently have with them will be enough to subdue him, although he doubts they will. Now he truly regrets not taking Prince Aleric's sickness into account when he chose the men that came with them.

"Vernon, let's go."

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Vernon turned rigid. His eyelids blinked rapidly as he tried to make sense of what he just heard. Then slowly, his eyes popped in shock. The generals in Prince Aleric's Army would have paid a bucket to see the dumb look on Vernon's face at the moment.

"You... you're you?"

Prince Aleric did not respond and grabbed Vernon by the collar instead. Both of them vanished in a blink, leaving the trembling lady behind.

"Ingrid!"

Ingrid looked towards the direction of the voice and found her father running towards her.

"Papa!"

Ingrid turned into a sobbing mess in her father's arms. "I was scared! I was really scared!"

Grand Duke Rasmus wrapped his trembling daughter tightly in his arms, his eyes scanning the surroundings like a hawk. His gaze lingered on the scattered body on the ground, and his expression instantly turned grim.

When Grand Duke Rasmus heard of what happened from one of the Shadow Knights, he almost flattened the entire forest in fury. The magicians working under their family were quickly summoned, but all of them were useless against the barrier.

He was truly grateful to whoever it was that saved his daughter. Although he still had some complaints in his heart. He could have at least killed them in a less gruesome manner as to not frighten his daughter.

Moments later, Emperor Cecil arrived with several soldiers. He was informed of the situation at the same time as Grand Duke Rasmus. But his plump body isn't exactly meant to run long distances. In the end, he was carried by two soldiers halfway through as he almost fainted in exhaustion.

"Empress!" Emperor Cecil exclaimed when he saw the empress being escorted out of the tree hole she was hiding in.

Empress Verandi was half-carried by the soldiers out of the hole. Her face was as white as a sheet. Her ruined dress was filled with her own vomit. She kept muttering something under her breath like an insane person, but her voice was too inaudible for them to understand.

Grand Duke Rasmus's heart sank when Ingrid suddenly went limp in his arms.

"Ingrid? Sunshine?" He shook her gently, fear gradually clawing his mind. "Elias!"

Upon hearing the panic in the Grand Duke's voice, Elias, who was giving instructions to their men, immediately ran to his side. Only one person in the world could elicit such a reaction from the Grand Duke.

"Ingrid, wake up, child. Don't scare me like this," Grand Duke Rasmus pleaded in a shaking voice.

Without wasting time, Elias checked Ingrid's pulse.

"It seems that the incident took a toll on the young lady, causing her to lose consciousness," Elias informed the grand duke with a sigh of relief.

With a solemn expression, Grand Duke Rasmus carefully lifted Ingrid off the ground. However, when he saw the barely conscious empress being carried by the imperial soldier from a distance, flames of fury rose from his heart. He was more than certain that the empress had a hand in the incident. It was no coincidence that she, always envious of his child's beauty, happened to be there.

"I've warned you, Verandi!!!" He bellowed angrily. Had he not been holding his precious child in his arms, he would have rushed towards the empress and sliced her in half.

The already terrified empress was further frightened by Grand Duke Rasmus' voice and pushed the soldiers helping her away in an attempt to run. But her legs, which had long lost their strength, failed her, and she ended up falling to the ground with a thud.

"Aaaah! I'm innocent! I'm innocent! Get away! Aaaah!" She screamed and flailed, delirious with fear. Her ladies-in-waiting tried to contain the empress, but they were all pushed away.

"Empress!...Rasmus! You dare treat the empress this way!" The emperor's face turned beet red in anger as he pointed at the grand duke.

"My Lord, the young lady..." Elias didn't have to say much. The mere mention of his daughter was enough to abate Grand Duke Rasmus's rage.

A sharp pain shot through him as he looked at his daughter's ghastly countenance. He glared at the empress once more before leaving the forest with his men.

The emperor was left speechless as he watched the grand duke's retreating back. His jaw hung open in disbelief at his blatant disregard of his authority and presence.

Meanwhile on Grand Duke's Rasmus side, two men appeared before him with their heads hung low. They were the captains of the Light and Dark Knights whose job is to protect Ingrid.

"We will accept whatever punishment you decide, my lord," said Oscar, the captain of the Light Knights.

The faces of both the Knight's captains were weighted down by guilt and self-blame. They were deemed to be the best amongst the captains in the duke's army. Over the years they've managed to deter any and every possible threat towards the young lady. And perhaps that made them complacent. They trusted so much in their ability that they threw caution into the wind, thinking they were more than capable of protecting their lady.

But the incident today was like a bucket of ice-cold water that jolted them awake.

"No, I too was at fault. I thought it would be too lowly to stump at mere insects. It never occurred to me that insects are bold enough to bite someone a thousand times bigger than their size."

The knight's captains swallowed, sensing the density of the grand duke's anger in his every word. This time, the grand duke has been truly enraged.

Elias sighed. It seems that a wave of turmoil will present itself in the coming days.