Chapter 9. Attack

“I truly am sorry.” The director lowered her head again to Asher to apologize, but Asher shook his head.

“It’s fine. Fortunately, no one got hurt… Besides, it’s just a child’s simple prank. You don’t need to apologize for that.” Asher told the director with a smile. The director stared at Asher’s face and deeply lowered her head again. Asher added, “After all, I’m the one who scared him and made him cry…”

Asher glanced at the beastfolk boy named Bryce in the director’s arms, and the moment his eyes met with the boy’s, Bryce buried his face in the director’s chest. His tail stood stiff, but the tip was slightly bent. The director giggled at Bryce’s reaction, bowed to Asher, and gently patted Bryce.

“It looks like I’m hated,” Asher commented to himself.

“It doesn’t seem like that to me,” Theodore quietly muttered beside Asher.

Asher turned to him and asked, “Huh?” but Theodore didn’t say anymore so Asher thought he misheard and looked away from Theodore.

Then, Noah walked over slowly and Jeffrey gently called out to his son, “Noah, did you have fun?”

“Y-yes, Mother.”

Noah ran over to Jeffrey, but the moment he went past Bryce and the director, Bryce, who was still in the director’s arms, said to Noah, “Noah, you liar.”

Noah stopped in place and turned back to Bryce. Byrce repeated, “He isn’t a bad guy. You’re a liar.”

“I’m not a liar!” Noah shouted.

“Are too!”

“Am not! I’m not a liar! You’re only saying that because you don’t know anything!”

Noah continued to shout, and Jeffrey went over to call him back. The other employees looked over at Noah, wondering what was happening this time when Noah pointed right at Asher and shouted, “He’s a devil!”

“Noah!” Jeffrey quickly grabbed Noah’s extended hand and scolded Noah. “What are you saying? Apologize right now.”

“But it’s true! I’m not a liar!”

Noah started crying, and Jeffrey looked troubled and let out a sigh. Asher was hesitant but he decided to talk to Noah. However, he swallowed back anything he was going to say after hearing the next words flying from Noah’s mouth.

“Highclere… the horse Hugo and I took care of since she was born was killed because of him! Highclere is dead! She’s gone!”

After shouting, Noah clung to Jeffrey, desperately muffling his cries against his mother, but the screams that managed to escape were even more heartbreaking. Jeffrey gently stroked Noah’s head and picked him up.

“I apologize for his outburst. I wanted the children to play a bit more, but given Noah’s current state, we’ll be heading back now,” Jeffrey addressed the orphanage employees.

“No, we should be the ones apologizing. We’ve been rude to both Prince Asher and Prince Noah. I’ll be sure to firmly reprimand Bryce,” the director said.

“Prince Asher has already personally scolded the beastfolk boy, and it was just a simple childish argument between Bryce and Noah. The next time we come here, Noah will probably forget all about it.”

After talking with the director, Jeffrey then quickly exchanged an apologetic gaze with Asher. Asher was surprised by this look and returned a small nod to Jeffrey.

Highclere… the name of the horse that was beheaded because of Asher. The two siblings had taken care of it since it was born. That was why Hugo was so angry at Asher. Asher didn’t know anything…

Asher was slammed with guilt seeing Noah bury his face into Jeffrey’s neck and cry his eyes out. Asher clutched his chest with a grimace as he slowly made his way back to the carriage.

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On the way back to the castle, the only sounds were Noah’s sniffles and the rattling of the carriage on the slightly uneven road. Asher instinctively kept his head down as he stared at his hands.

“Noah, you have to stop crying. You’re being rude to Prince Asher,” Jeffrey scolded Noah.

“No, it’s fine. Please don’t mind me,” Asher said.

“In the first place, Prince Asher was the one who got hurt,” Jeffrey said.

“Who cares what happens to a devil?!” Noah shouted.

“Noah!” Jeffrey grew angry. Even Asher flinched at how loud the angry Jeffrey had shouted. The scolded Noah had even more tears in his eyes. He curled up and bawled into his knees. Jeffrey looked troubled by Noah’s reaction and looked directly at Asher. “I am truly sorry, Prince Asher.”

“No… it’s fine… It was… my fault that… the, um… horse died… That’s the truth… I too… am truly sorry to Prince Noah.,” Asher struggled to say.

“…really…” Jeffrey stared straight into Asher’s eyes. “You’ve really changed…”

“Huh?”

Just then, the carriage suddenly jolted. Something must have happened outside as they heard soldiers shout and a loud bang.

“What’s going on?” Asher reached over to look out the window to check the situation. 

Suddenly, Noah grabbed Asher’s hand and glared up at him with his tear-filled eyes. He shouted, “You should’ve been the one to die!”

Asher’s heart stopped from this blatant display of hatred. Then something else overtook Asher’s vision. Something like black smoke covered the area.

“Yeah, all of you, that is,” someone said.

A massive beastfolk with a tiger’s face opened the door without a sound and poked his head inside. The carriage was still moving as Asher, Noah, and Jeffrey froze and stared at the sudden appearance of this beastfolk. The first to move was the beastfolk. He reached his hand out to grab Noah by the neck when Asher suddenly lunged at the beastfolk’s arm. Asher wasn’t thinking about saving Noah but his body happened to move on its own. In this opening provided by Asher, Jeffrey drew the dagger he kept on him for protection and immediately tried to stab the beastfolk in the throat.

“What the hell are you doing to my son?!” Jeffrey shouted.

Unfortunately, the beastfolk easily evaded it. He raised his arm and smacked the clinging Asher on the carriage ceiling, removing the prince from him. “You’re damn annoying. Just die already—”

The tiger beastfolk was interrupted by the burst of blood spewing from his mouth. He froze. A longsword had been stabbed through his chest from behind.

“My apologies! We’ve encountered bandits!” Theodore shouted. His figure appeared behind the tiger beastfolk when the big body fell. Theodore was riding on horseback riding in tandem with them. “Our vision was obstructed by a smokescreen so our reaction was delayed!”

“Any casualties?” Jeffrey asked.

“Several of us! They’re still coming after us! Please stay inside the carriage! Braun and I shall protect you!”

Asher’s consciousness was hazy after being slammed against the ceiling. Theodore and Jeffrey seemed to be shouting things nearby, but the sounds were all muffled to his ears. He looked up, trying to raise himself, when he saw Noah. The boy was shivering and pitiful.

“Are you… okay?” Asher asked. He didn’t know if his hoarse voice reached Noah, but the moment Noah opened his mouth, Asher’s view suddenly shifted at an immense speed. The tiger beastfolk had apparently flung Asher outside the carriage.

“Hehe… serves you… right…” The bandit said before Theodore sent the still-breathing tiger beastfolk’s head flying and dragged the body out of the carriage.

“Prince Asher!” Jeffrey shouted.

Theodore had to push Jeffrey to keep the consort from jumping out of the carriage. After the man was safely inside, Theodore immediately closed the door. He then heard the sound of Ward’s horse approaching the carriage and quickly shouted, “Braun! I leave them to you! Don’t let the bandits get the carriage!”

“Hah?! Wait, hold on!” Ward shouted. But, Theodore didn’t wait as he jumped off his horse and ran in the direction Asher had been thrown in the smokescreen.

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