"Damian!"
"Your Highness!"
A scream was heard at the same time, one of which came from Cecilia, while the other was from Sir Lenton, who came out of nowhere. The experienced knight charged on his horse. His sword moved swiftly. With just one surprise attack, the wolf died with its head separated from its body.
As soon as the wolf died, the remaining wolves retreated into the darkness. They howled again. But this time, the howling drew back the remaining wolves.
The sound of screaming and fighting finally died down where the knights protecting the civilians were. Cecilia let out a sigh of relief. She then looked at Damian, who was being helped back up by Sir Lenton.
Cecilia's gaze was complicated. Damian saved her. Although Damian might have done it because Fiona was there, it still didn't change the fact that Damian saved and not took her life for the first time.
Damian noticed Cecilia's gaze, so he turned to her as well.
"Take her and go to a safe place. I'll catch up."
The battle was over, so Cecilia didn't have to worry about anything anymore. She nodded quickly. Her hand then reached out to pull Fiona back to the main camp.
"Your Highness!"
Sir Robert had just finished the battle with his body covered in light wounds, breathing heavily, and his eyes constantly searching for someone. As soon as Rbbert saw Cecilia, he immediately ran over to her. He knelt in front of Cecilia. Twice. Since they entered the Erebos Forest, Robert had almost lost Cecilia twice.
"Forgive me, Your Highness. I... I was too focused on protecting the civilians that I... I didn't know you went into danger alone."
"If it weren't for me, you might only find her dead body now."
Cecilia had just opened her mouth to say that everything was her fault when Damian suddenly appeared and commented on her business. Behind her, Sir Lenton stood silent as Damian threw out calm but sarcastic words.
"But if I think about it, the Magenta Royal Knights are indeed something. Honestly, this is the first time I've seen a knight so busy playing with his sword that he forgot to protect his master."
Robert's face hardened because of the insults Damian gave him in a mocking tone.
"I know I was wrong. But I don't need insults from-"
"From whom? The person who just saved your master's life?"
Damian cut Robert off with a cold grin. Robert couldn't reply anymore after that. They no longer argued, and that became an opportunity for Cecilia to talk about something that concerned her.
"That's enough, Prince Damian."
Cecilia helped Robert stand up straight again, then stood in front of him.
"My knight is not at fault because I was the one who left the post secretly. Also... even if he needs a reprimand, that reprimand should only come from me as his master."
Damian's gaze sharpened when he heard her words. Of course, after he saved Cecilia, a reprimand was not something he wanted to hear from the girl.
"I appreciate your efforts in saving me, and will always be grateful for it. We can talk about the reward for your kindness another time. But that's not now. This camp is too messy for us to fight like this."
Damian frowned even deeper. Following orders was not in his nature. Ever since Cecilia caught his attention, it was the first time Damian had been dissatisfied with her.
Even so, Damian still had the heart not to cause trouble and just leave with Sir Lenton. Cecilia secretly let out a sigh of relief after they left. Although Cecilia knew that her words could turn Damian against her, she felt that she couldn't stay silent when Robert was blamed for something that was her fault.
Let Cecilia think about how to persuade Damian next time. For now, just being able to survive the wolves' attack was already an achievement for her.
With the death of their alpha, it would be difficult for the wolves to cause trouble again until they chose a new alpha. The empty position in their hierarchy could be used by Cecilia to push for the development of the route she wanted.
"Err... Your Highness?"
As people began to busy themselves cleaning up the mess around the camp, Fiona appeared to meet Cecilia. The girl's face was still pale while her steps were slow. She stopped a few steps away from Cecilia.
"I…" Her voice was weak. "…I apologize for putting you in danger. But… thank you. You saved me again."
Cecilia forced a smile. "Don't think too much about it. The most important thing is that you're okay."
Fiona's eyes rounded slightly, as if there was something in Cecilia's words that disturbed her mind. Fiona looked like she wanted to talk to Cecilia further. But when she opened her mouth, Robert appeared to pat Cecilia's shoulder lightly.
"You should rest, Your Highness. Please leave it to us to clean up the mess here."
Cecilia nodded. She was indeed exhausted after fighting while protecting someone. Cecilia looked at Fiona. She thought she was too tired. At that moment, Fiona somehow looked like a puppy that was reluctant to be left by its owner.
"You also rest. I will try to finish this project as soon as possible so that I can take you to a safe place."
Fiona's eyes lit up again when Cecilia spoke to her. Ever since Cecilia had been concerned about her, Fiona no longer looked weak or scared.
"It's okay. Please don't push yourself too hard. I'm fine thanks to you."
Cecilia nodded without saying anything else. She then went to her tent, accompanied by Robert. Only when Robert had finished making sure that Cecilia was able to rest well did he finally come out to specifically guard in front of Cecilia's tent.