To satisfy her need, Lucas sent gifts, ornaments, many beautiful dresses, but she never accepted those. No matter what he tried, there was no effect. Soon her brother paid him a visit, advising him to wait couple days and let her prepare mentally.

So he waited, but thinking someone else would steal his goddess, he again started sending things & the result was same. Still, he never lost hope, but with each passing day, his beliefs got stronger to the point that it became an obsession. He even visited an astrologist who gave the opinion that they were made for each other & she was his fated soulmate, but if he won't do anything soon, then a certain someone would take her away.

Hearing these words, his obsession even grew more, but he became wary of every man she talked to & started sending threatening letters. Things were going pretty smoothly until they weren't.

And one rainy day his world, which he had created with utmost dedication & honor, fell apart in just a moment by a single letter which announced that his goddess was pregnant with Leonhart's child & everyone in this whole wide empire knew who he was.

Lucas wanted to kill him & his child right there & now, but it was impossible due to him being a count's son & Leon being a duke's son. He even went further & spent an abundant amount of money to hire mercenary who could kill him but never got the opportunity until a very affluent day when that letter arrived.

It was too risky, but his rage of killing got the best of him & he followed the instructed plan. It clearly mentioned what to do & what not to do & by adopting it, he was sure that victory was within his grasp.

But when he saw 20 soldiers following behind, his unshakable faith got a little jolt, still he could have managed it until he saw the tense expression on everyone's faces around him, excluding Leon, who was looking outside the window lost in his own world.

Things were definitely not going according to the plan & he could feel the dread coming from the captain, who was gripping the hilt of his sword tightly with each passing moment as if to cut him down at any moment.

Was he being paranoid?

What would happen if the plan failed?

Who was going to take the blame?

What would be the consequences if the plan succeeds?

Would he be able to save his family from the wrath of the duke?

There were thousand of question exploding Lucas's head as he now realised the true extent of the plan which was spearheaded by his effort. There was no one coming to save him, even if the plan succeed or failed.

Things had gone too far to back down, but would Leon forgive him if he told the truth? Would his family live if he confessed everything? Why was he even thinking all this? Did he even have any choice left?

"Listen Leon..."

"HALT" A loud voice echoed through the empty road as the carriage immediately stopped with a jolt & awoke James from his daze.

After sitting in the carriage, he could feel something was wrong as Hansh was carrying an equally tense expression as the soldiers outside who were scanning the surrounding like predators searching for their prey without moving their hands from the hilt of their swords.

Also, Lucas was constantly shaking his legs & biting his nails with a scared expression plastered on his face as if everyone knew what was going to except him. Seeing their behavior, James too was slowly getting restless, thinking about what might happen, but that loud shout broke everything & soon he could hear dozens of sword unsheathe at once.

Just what was going on?

...

Giving an intimidating look, which could even scare the demon lord himself, Hansh got out from the carriage kicking the door & warning both Leon & Lucas to not to come out.

Stepping outside, he didn't require much information to understand what was going on as the so-called guards of count Palatine were not the guards anymore as they had thrown their helmets, insignias and were now carrying swords & facing them with a villainous grin daubed on their faces.

And at last all of his fear came true. There really was something sinister going on behind the scenes & the entire scenario indicated that all of this was a planned event to kill either Leon or Lucas and, if needed, both of them.

Was he prepared for this? No.

Could he make it out alive? Yes.

Hansh's brain was working at its full capacity to calculate each & every likely scenarios where he could save Leon as he carried more importance than the other one.

Firth things first calculate the numbers of enemies & plan an escape. They were hardly 10 people & he had 20. Still, there was a chance that more of them could come into play after the soldiers had weakened from fighting. They could fall back to the village, but what if others were planning to wait & ambush them?

Second, wait for backup to arrive. Could he signal the nearest checkpoint for more soldiers? It was possible, but it would also serve as the beginning of this conflict & would prove too risky to even attempt.

Violence was not an option here until the very last moment. Things could get sideways at any moment.

Third, become a diplomat. Could he talk his way out? It was possible, but was also too risky. Those guys were all battle hardened mercenaries who were never true to their words & could have been already paid for this job.

Even if he talked, there was no guarantee that they would let them go, still he had to try.

Each & every person's life depended on his next decision. Either he could fight or surrender. Even if death rang his doorbell, he would still choose to fight, but now there were too many things on stakes.

Hansh moved in front of the carriage, unsheathing his sword, ready for anything to come. All his fellow mates were also ready for the worst, gripping tightly on the hilts of their weapons. They joined the military to do this & now was the actual test.

"What should we do, captain?" asked a soldier, who was standing beside Hansh in a very slow tone.

"Follow the drill & don't signal until my command." replied Hansh, taking a step towards the enemy with an expression devoid of any emotions.

"Aye Sir."

That soldier took a couple of steps back, telling others what to do & soon the entire team was in formation to protect the carriage. They were going to play the defensive game no matter their number until back up arrives cause the tide could turn at any moment & no one wanted to die.

"So what you guys want?" shouted the captain from a considerable distance. As part of the defensive strategy, he had to stall them until the backup arrives, but they also needed the distress call from them, which was not something he could send right now.

Still, he had to do everything in his power to safeguard the lord, as it was his sworn duty as a knight of the Espers & the first thing he chose to do was talk things out, which was a failed to begin with. Hansh knew talking with them was like hammering his head on a rock, but violence was the last option in his book, as it could risk everyone's life, including Leon, whom he suspected was the primary target.

"We are here for your Lord. Just give him to us & you people are free to go." replied a tall bearded man with a masculine body, scratching his neck as if showing he was getting bored with this.

"Which one?" asked Hansh with the same indifferent gaze. He had to confirm who was their target, as his future actions were revolving around him.

"Didn't I say your Lord specifically?" said the tall man with a nonchalant smile. These petty assassination jobs were nothing for them, as they had done many sinister things. Still, they were getting paid an astronomical figure, so completing it was a matter of priority.

"Why?"

"Aren't you talking too much, Captain?"

"Old habits mate."

"Just give us that man & you all can fuck off from here. But... if you don't want to do that, then things may not end well for you, specifically." Answered the same guy with a loud laugh & soon the entire group was laughing in unison.

They were prepared to intercept this carriage beforehand & what more could 20 man do before 50 battle hardened mercenaries? This was the reason for his unwavering confidence. Things just couldn't go sideways with this foolproof plan.

"You surely wanna do this?" said the captain with a sigh, loosely holding his longsword. Violence was the last option in his book, but one shouldn't forget that it was still in the book & things could get real messy if he was going to turn the last of that same book.

"That's why I am telling you to just give him to us & you guys are free to go."

"And I am also telling you to give me a reason? Tell me, why should I give him to you?"

"I don't need a fuckin reason. Just hand him..."

"Can we stop this chitchat & get to business?" asked Hansh with a deadpan look in his eyes.

"What?"

"Look, you guys won't make it out alive, so let's just say I am giving you a chance to leave quietly."

"Really..." replied the man glaringly. These soldiers were very low in numbers compared to them. Still, this guy was talking like he owned this place.