One particularly well-dressed man and three brawny looking lackeys had dragged a red-haired young woman into an isolated corner of the aristocratic quarter. The men exuded haughty arrogance as they glared down at the young woman.
“I never thought that we’d be reunited like this,” the apparent leader said. “Come on, let’s continue our conversation from last time.”
The young woman had her back against a wall, and though she was terrified of the men, she didn’t let it show on her face. She bravely glared back as she unleashed her anger.
“I have absolutely nothing to say to an arrogant, stubborn, and selfish man like you!!! Regarding this conversation you speak of, I believe I have formally declined through my father! If you are behaving like this because you do not like my response, then you are no different from any other thug! You should be ashamed of yourself!!!”
Not only were the men undaunted by her insults, but their faces twisted into vulgar grins of amusement. They began leering at the young woman, ogling her from head to toe. The young woman felt a chill and began trembling in fear. This only seemed to please the most well-dressed man in the group.
“That’s good. That’s what I wanted to see—that scared look on your face. Do you know how much shame I’d had to face because of nobles? I think I should be paid damages for all the shame I’ve been forced to endure.”
“Wh-What are you talking about?!”
There was nowhere for the young woman to go, but every instinct in her was telling her to run, so she desperately continued pressing her back against the wall behind her. The mask of strength she’d initially worn was beginning to crack, and her fear was becoming apparent. The men all looked at each other, then their eyes filled with something dark.
“I’ve heard that you turned down every proposal you got,” the man said. “In that case, no one will want to give you the time of day anymore. I’m generously offering to give you some attention. Our ride will be here soon... Let’s have some fun together.”
Our ride? Fun together? The young woman thought about the man’s words, and once she realized what he’d meant, all the color drained from her face.
This unjustified resentment toward her was already more than excessive, but the men had proven themselves to be even more horrible than she’d initially thought, though there was no use in pointing that out since she was in a dire situation. The men had likely separated her from the servants she’d been traveling with, and they had targeted her when she was alone, which was when she’d been dragged to this isolated area.
At this rate, she would be facing a horrendous fate. She still fought to get away, swinging the bag she’d been carrying, but her desperate attempts to resist the men only seemed to amuse them.
She swung her right arm at the leader of the group, who grabbed it and forcibly pulled her closer, he then turned her around and grabbed her from behind, wrapping his arm around her throat to restrain her. He squeezed a little, and she tried to fight back by grabbing his arm with her left hand. She was struggling but still desperately tried to remain brave.
“If you’re going to violate me, you might as well kill me!!!”
All her words did was further please the men. The man restraining her flashed a vulgar smile in response to her valiant efforts to resist him, and he leaned in to whisper his intentions into her ear. Upon hearing what he planned to do to her, the young woman’s face clouded with despair.
The man appeared pleased by her reaction, and he began rubbing his cheek against hers. The young woman began trembling, her face frozen with disgust and fear.
“That’s really nice. I wanted to see that look of fear on your face and watch you tremble. This is all exactly what I wanted. Still, I can’t forgive you for humiliating me. Don’t worry, I won’t kill you. I’m just going to keep filling you with despair that’ll make you want to die. You’re going to live through hell.”
He pressed his body against hers, and she completely froze up, terrified out of her mind. There was nothing she could do, and she teared up as she prayed in her heart.
Please, someone, save me!!!
The very next moment, as if to answer her prayer, a sharp and heavy voice resonated from behind.
“What do you think you’re doing here?”
The voice belonged to a young man. He was wearing glasses and looked to be some sort of civil servant. Though he appeared mild-mannered at first glance, the sharpness in his gaze from behind his glasses and the air around him gave the impression of a knight who’d been through countless battles.
The group of men were visibly annoyed by the young man who’d interrupted them, and after getting a good look at him, the most well-dressed of the group answered as if to speak for his companions.
“This young woman is my lover. We were meeting in secret because we both have public appearances to keep up. I would appreciate it if you could mind your business.”
The young woman immediately wanted to scream out that he was lying, but the man had covered her mouth. The young man seemed suspicious of the man’s words and the group’s behavior. He turned his attention to the young woman and spoke in a gentle, reassuring tone.
“Is what this man saying true, my lady? You can be honest with me. If you are in trouble, I will do everything in my power to help you.”
The young man’s kind words and powerful gaze filled the young woman with bravery, and she bit down on the man’s hand covering her mouth.
“Agh! Damn you!” the man exclaimed from the sudden pain, flinching away.
She used the opportunity to shout with all the strength she had, “He’s lying! I’m not his or anyone else here’s lover! Please, help me!”
The young man nodded and smiled at her before replying in a soft voice, “Understood. Please stay still. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
She looked slightly relieved as she nodded in response. The men who were accosting her were all enraged and glaring at the young man. The best-dressed among them turned to face the newcomer.
“I have no idea who you are, but you should know that I’m the son of a count. I’m sure you know what’ll happen if you mess with me. This is all pissing me off, but I don’t want to turn it into a huge commotion. I’m willing to forgive you if you walk away now.”
A look of annoyance washed over the young man’s face, and he let out a wry chuckle.
“Wow... To think that some lowly scoundrels who would assault a lady would claim to be nobles simply because they’re dressed well. That isn’t something that can go unpunished. I should ask you the same question—do you understand what will happen to you for making such claims, sir?”
The young man’s challenging words only further angered the men.
“Forget it!” the leader of the group yelled out. “Let’s get him!”
At his signal, his three brawny lackeys charged at the young man, who seemed completely undaunted as he calmly took care of each thug attacking him.
The first man threw a punch at his head, but the young man tilted his head and purposefully positioned himself to just barely dodge the attack. As soon as he evaded the punch, he grabbed the man’s stretched out right arm to lock him into place, then wrapped his own arms around his adversary’s arm from the back, and in the blink of an eye, he’d grappled him at his shoulder joint. The young man then mercilessly squeezed the offender’s joint, and the dull sound of a shoulder dislocating filled the air along with the man’s pained scream.