"Please… please… please…" Sylvia begged, the fear and panic in her voice apparent.

Her face changed and tears threatened to fall out of her captivating blue eyes.

But she already knew that all of her desperate cries for help were only falling on deaf ears.

This man was never going to stop for her. He was never going to help her.

She should have known better. How could it be so easy to escape the clutches of a man in power?

As she watched the carriage speeding closer and closer to the castle's gigantic main gates, she could feel a noose tightening around her throat, suffocating her and making her unable to breathe.

The familiar guards, the same patterns on the gate… everything confirmed her fears.

This was it. This was the place she was running away from and now somehow she was back again to the same prison!

"No, it's not over yet."

As a last-ditch effort, Sylvia decided to jump out of the moving carriage and run into the woods.

The chances were slim but she couldn't bring herself to admit the truth and reality.

She was so close to being free. She had thought that she had cunningly used an unexpected opportunity and escaped.

But in the end, it turns out she was just a foolish dreamer, fighting to achieve the impossible.

Sylvia knew that the devil was going to punish her for this, perhaps even kill her, or maybe break her legs so that she doesn't run again.

She had heard several gossips and tales of the numerous vicious punishments given to the slaves by their Masters.

So she knew that her fate was already sealed. How could she still not take this last chance?

Sylvia didn't care about how badly she would get injured and quickly stood up, leaping to the edge of the carriage.

"You…" The coachman who was silent all this time suddenly opened his mouth in alarm.

He didn't expect the girl to be so foolish and try something like this at the entrance of the castle. Did she really think she was going to escape? That too right under their noses?

"Don't do it," Theodore warned her.

Sylvia heard the knight's familiar voice and a sad smile flashed on her face for a moment.

She was right. She had all along just been played by the devil.

She had thought that she was escaping but she was stupidly running back to the same man, running right back into his arms.

Before that smile could fade from her lips, Sylvia took a deep breath and jumped out of the carriage.

Everything felt surreal as her body flew weightlessly in the air, especially with the carriage's fast speed.

The next second, she hit the ground with a thud, her body flung aside several feet away.

Her back, her stomach, her knees, her legs, almost all parts of her body ached, her skin covered with hideous injuries and bloody cuts.

Ahhh… Sylvia tried to swallow the pain and get up. She needed to run. She needed to run now and she knew it.

She knew that she was injured but she couldn't care less about it right now.

She bit her lips, groaning in pain, and hurriedly tried to stand up, only to fall back again, her body feeling limp and weak.

But this time, she didn't fall back onto the rough ground, and instead, she fell back onto a pair of warm and familiar hands.

"You idiot." Mikel caught her frail body, holding her carefully and delicately.

Sylvia winced in pain but the tears streaming down her eyes were not because of that.

Unable to bear the reality any longer, she closed her eyes and surrendered to the overwhelming pain, losing her consciousness.

Mikel could only helplessly gaze at the woman, watching her collapse in his arms.

"I am sorry." He gently muttered as he carried her back to the carriage.

Theodore had also jumped out by now, halting the carriage, and was standing right next to it, with his head down.

"I am sorry, your highness." He immediately apologized. "I was too slow. I was unable to stop her from jumping."

"It's alright, Theo. I know you haven't recovered yet. Thanks for bringing her back safely." Mikel nodded at the apologetic knight and continued walking in.

He held the woman in his arms gently as he stepped into another carriage waiting inside the castle gates.

This was the luxurious one they had used for their journey the previous day.

With this, they were back at the castle doors in no time.

Mikel hopped out of the carriage and personally carried the woman in his arms all the way up to his room.

He then gently placed her on his own bed, sitting beside her, his eyes gazing at her pensively.

"Do you hate me that much?" He rubbed her right cheek softly, the wetness from her tears still remaining on it.

His thin lips then parted, mumbling a few words.

Healing Rain Drizzle

Healing Rain Drizzle

Healing Rain Drizzle

Mikel repeatedly cast the simple 2nd circle healing magic spell. This was the extent of his magic capabilities.

He was unable to cast any spell beyond the 2nd circle so he could only slowly heal her, a few injuries at a time.

Little drops of water materialized out of thin air and drizzled lightly on Sylvia's wounds, the cuts and the scrapes magically healing as soon as the drops of water touched her skin.

Mikel then slowly and carefully helped her undress, removing the almost torn, tattered dress which clung to her body.

His eyes, however, didn't linger on her seductive and alluring curves, which were naked and open for him to see, they rather lingered on the bruises on her waist and the side of her chest.

He then once again started casting the healing spells, patiently treating one injury after another, bathing her entire body in healing waters.

And when she was completely cared for, he wrapped her tenderly with a soft blanket and left the room, without making any noise, allowing her to rest.