TSMMT Ch 62

A Certain Day in the First Life

It was a certain rainy day in their first life. Rain poured down. The downpour raged so violently that it blocked all vision. It was a fierce and bitter storm, severe enough to force even the forest hunters to stay inside by the fire.

Dianna ran through the heavy rain. Beneath the gray sky, her blonde hair clung to her face like strands of light. The hood of the cloak she wore to block the rain had fallen back long ago. Her water-logged dress dragged heavily. The shoes, completely unfit for climbing mountains, had slipped off long ago.

The rain-slicked stones were incredibly slippery. She slipped repeatedly. Sharp shards of stone occasionally stabbed her feet, but she paid no attention. Blood eventually flowed from the soles of her feet. Dianna was that desperate.

An inescapable despair pursued her from behind. In this moment, Dianna Brienne was more desperate than anything else.

Queen? Become the queen?

He must be insane! Guiscard is mad. He is a madman! No, he is a monster.

How could he even think of marrying me……? Marrying me after murdering my father and my brother?!

Now, no family remains anywhere to protect me. If I proceed to the Lodbrog royal palace like this, I will end up married. Becoming the bride of the man who tore away my entire world……?

How could I look at his face every single day? A future where we go mad together is absolute certainty.

The rain soaking her entire body drained her body heat. The thick downpour obscured everything. For a woman who had never even left the capital, climbing a mountain in a gown was fundamentally impossible from the start.

After realizing that Guiscard resolved to marry her, Dianna decided to flee. The road from Panborough to Lodbrog bypassed the Abyss Forest, making the journey long. During the dawn hours when everyone slept, Dianna took advantage of the relaxed guard and narrowly managed to escape.

But she overlooked the fact that she entered the Abyss Forest. A defenseless woman provided excellent entertainment for monsters.

First, a furry creature came rolling down. Absurdly, the furry ball looked completely cute, out of place for this terrifying moment.

But as the furry creatures multiplied, danger filled the air. Dianna prepared to approach them but instantly ran in the opposite direction. The moment she turned around—

[Dianna] "Aaaah!"

Monsters with gaping, bright red mouths began to chase her.

I must not let them catch me. If they do, they will tear my throat out instantly.

However, the Lepus monsters moved with terrifying speed upon spotting their prey, while her feet remained uselessly slow.

When the beasts finally closed in, Dianna shut her eyes tightly.

Death is here. Those small creatures will tear my flesh apart piece by piece. Dying by a monster... I hope it doesn't hurt.

With death standing right before her, a strange peace washed over her body.

[Guiscard] "Open your eyes."

The voice was ice-cold. The deep resonance and heavy rage in his tone made Dianna feel as though she had plummeted into hell.

[Guiscard] "Dianna."

His voice sounded almost soft. Surely a wolf whispered in this exact manner before devouring a girl. She kept her eyes closed tightly and lowered her gaze.

[Guiscard] "Must I force your eyes open myself, My Lady?"

A rough thumb touched her eyelid. The thick scent of blood radiating from his hand struck her. The foul odor forced her to open her eyes.

[Dianna] "Ah, aaaah!"

Guiscard stood there like the Grim Reaper clad in black. The knights who followed behind discovered the fallen Dianna. They were the knights of the Lodbrog Kingdom. Reality felt like an endless nightmare.

[Dianna] "Let me go! Let me go! Let me go!"

She shrieked. However, his strong arms wrapped around her waist, refusing to release her.

Beneath the pouring rain, the frantic woman screamed at the top of her lungs. Yet her cries amounted to nothing but an annoying sound to the soldiers. Drained of all strength, Dianna collapsed into unconsciousness.

[Knight] "What does she have to be proud of?"

One of the knights ground his teeth. The knight's eyes burned with uncontrollable rage. Because of this escape attempt, a maid and the young knight, Logaple, had been executed. As a novice knight and a good-natured boy, Logaple had been the youngest brother of their order.

The knights glared at the unconscious woman with murderous expressions. Beyond the sheer exhaustion of the hunt, the woman's reckless stunt cost them a cherished comrade.

To think the child of the shameless Duke Brienne, who insulted the King, dared to run away. Worn out from dealing with a king whose fury bordered on madness, and grieving the loss of Logaple, every soldier cursed Dianna. Not a single man offered to carry her.

[Guiscard] "Shut your mouths."

A voice thick with suppressed rage cut through the pouring rain. A sudden chill struck the knights.

[Knight] "Your Majesty. What on earth is that woman……"

Unable to contain his momentary anger, the soldier spoke out. Guiscard glared at the knight. A sharp, murderous intent threatened to pierce the man. If the soldier uttered another word, he would share the exact fate of the executed Logaple.

Water dripped from Dianna's wretched, soaked form. Her pale face gleamed white. Guiscard stared at the limp woman. Her blue lips let out a fragile breath. If left like this, she would die.

She is going to die.

He pressed his own cheek against her bloodless skin without thinking. He knew his burning heat could never warm her freezing body, yet he did it regardless.

[Guiscard] "Summon the physician."

I will not grant her the mercy of death.

Guiscard bent his massive, beast-like frame and locked Dianna in a tight embrace. No one could tell whether he did it to shield her from the god of death, to warm her freezing body, or to block the driving rain.

---

Rain fell when Dianna opened her eyes. She closed them again. A bandage wrapped around her neck.

I really survived. I thought the wound on my neck might kill me.

She blinked slowly. The sound of rain tapped against the windowpane.

It rained back then too.

Rain fell exactly like this when Guiscard dragged her away to his kingdom in her past life.

Where am I?

Turning away, an unfamiliar ceiling filled her sight. The rhythmic thud of horses' hooves and constant vibrations rattled the space. She realized she lay inside a moving carriage.

[Logaple] "Are you awake?"

She turned her gaze toward the soft voice. A young boy stood there. She narrowed her eyes. This was a knight she recognized from her past life.

He looked the same.

She remembered him clearly because of his exceptionally youthful appearance. In her past life, the crown assigned him to watch her.

As she attempted to move, the knight stepped closer.

[Logaple] "Whoa, please don't move!"

[Dianna] "……."

[Logaple] "I am so glad you woke up."

The young knight helped Dianna sit up. The carriage was astonishingly luxurious, vast enough to sleep in. Indeed, the situation mirrored her past life. They had locked her inside a magnificent carriage back then as well, as if eager to parade this beautiful cage before the world.

[Logaple] "Does it hurt anywhere……"

[Dianna] "No."

Her gaze turned dark and lifeless. They claimed the overarching framework of destiny never changed, and curse it all, she had ended up right back in this exact position.

[Dianna] "This is foul."

She ground her teeth in utter disgust as she spoke. She believed her choices would alter her fate for the better, yet nothing changed. In fact, everything had transformed into the worst possible reality. Should she run away again? Escape remained possible.

She faced the young knight, who watched her with worried eyes.

[Logaple] "Foul? Should I command them to remove the sheets?"

Good grief, the boy might possess exceptional swordsmanship, but he was incredibly dense. Dianna remembered that in her first life, he had blindly trusted her when she claimed she needed to use the restroom. But…… she let out a long sigh. Escaping was out of the question anyway.

[Logaple] "I shall summon His Majesty."

[Dianna] "No."

The young knight flinched at her sharp response.

[Dianna] "Don't bother. I will have to look at his face eventually, whether I want to or not."

Since everything would unfold according to destiny anyway, remaining stationary was for the best. Dianna resolved to do absolutely nothing.

After traveling for a long time, the carriage came to a halt. Soon, the door creaked open gently. An instant later, it swung wide open. Dianna refused to even glance toward the entrance.

[Guiscard] "I believe I commanded you to report the moment she woke."

[Logaple] "The lady didn't wish for it, Your Majesty."

An intense, burning gaze locked onto the back of her neck. Dianna strove to ignore it.

[Guiscard] "My Lady."

His voice sounded as if he were knocking gently on a door. The man's tone had grown significantly deeper and heavier.

[Guiscard] "My Lady."

[Dianna] "……."

[Guiscard] "Look at me, My Lady."

The heavy tension in the air mounted. Suddenly, an unexpected voice broke the silence of their quiet battle.

[Logaple] "Your Majesty. The lady claims she dislikes the sheets because they are foul."

[Guiscard] "……."

[Logaple] "She explicitly stated they were dirty."

Dianna snapped her eyes open wide and stared at Logaple. As it turned out, this knight was incredibly carefree.

Furthermore, Logaple had completely missed her point. When she called the situation foul, she was referring to her own life. Yet having suddenly become a person throwing a tantrum over dirty carriage sheets, she opened her mouth to speak.

[Dianna] "That is not what I meant, I just……"

In that exact moment, her gaze locked into his shimmering purple eyes.

[Guiscard] "I shall command them to change the sheets immediately."

Contrary to her expectation that Guiscard would unleash his anger, the King backed down without resistance.

Dianna stared at the knight standing beside her. Looking at the boy whose expression practically bragged, I did great, right?

She failed to find any words.

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