"We will patrol the border fence again for the next few days. Our intelligence has confirmed that the final slave auction will be held tomorrow, before the planting season. There's a chance the remaining slave traders may try to trespass on our land at the last moment," he briefed.
The fair, well-built Commander, with glossy, deep-black hair, sat in his chair, studying the map spread across the table.
"Yes, Commander!" his subordinates responded in unison.
"Have the mercenaries' guilds been dealt with?" he asked.
"Yes. We had them spread false information to the slave traders, claiming the Cassian routes are clear so we can draw them out," replied Eric, a tall, well-built knight with brunette hair and grey eyes.
"Good. Continue the patrols. This meeting is adjourned," the Commander ordered. His blue eyes gleamed with confidence.
Over the past few years, reports of unrest had increased steadily in southern Cassian—gang robberies, slave trafficking, and repeated border trespassing.
Some perpetrators even attacked villages near the border and destroyed crops. There were also reports of young women and children being abducted.
All of it coincided with the expansion of Tarnova's slave market.
Located close to the Cassian border, the city attracted outlaws from across the region. As the market grew, crime rates in the nearby settlements rose sharply.
These matters had been brought before the King of Cassian. However, since most captured criminals were unknown citizens, there was little he could formally protest to the neighbouring kingdom. In response, he ordered his army to take firm action.
Kyren Raychard, the Grand Duke of Gerhard and the Knight Commander of his knighthood, has been appointed for this season's campaign.
Upon receiving the royal decree, he immediately led forty elite knights, ten squires, a healer, and an assistant healer to the border. They had been stationed there for three consecutive months.
"Commander, your hand is bleeding. Would you like it treated?" Ayden asked after the others had dispersed.
He was the healer's assistant and the last to remain after the meeting.
"Don't bother. It's just a scratch," the Commander replied curtly, dabbing the blood away with a clean cloth.
"Then I'll have the squires prepare the bath," Ayden offered.
"No need. I'll swim in the lake," the Commander said, rising and unbuckling his breastplate.
"Understood." The assistant healer bowed and left the tent.
***
The lake shimmered beneath the moonlight, like scattered diamonds on silk. A gentle breeze brushed Kyren's bare skin as he stepped into the water.
As his body sank beneath the surface, the exhaustion from constant patrols and long marches slowly ebbed away, his mind settling into the quiet of the night.
Unlike this moment of peace, his days had been filled with relentless pursuit and combat.
Just days earlier, the Grand Duke and his men had engaged a group of nearly fifty organised bandits thirty miles from camp.
None were spared. They had ravaged villages and destroyed plantations—crimes Kyren did not forgive.
Though known as a man forged of steel, even the gallant Grand Duke grew weary under such relentless strain.
A few slow dives and stretches refreshed him, restoring his strength.
As he surfaced, he swept the water dripping from his face and slicked his damp hair back. It had been some time since he'd known such tranquillity.
Then, just as he began to relax, a faint cry drifted through the forest, shattering the stillness.
At first, it was indistinct, but when it echoed again, the meaning became clear.
"No! Help! Help! Somebody save me! Let me go!" Anna screamed.
Her body was thrown to the ground, sprawling helplessly as Brian laughed.
"Who's going to help you, huh? You're mine now!"
His hands tore at her clothes, and his breath hitched as he took in the sight before him. Blood rushed hotly through his veins as desire overtook restraint.
Anna trembled violently, her heart hammering. Alone in the darkness, she was entirely at his mercy.
Fear crept beneath her skin, yet she refused to give in. Her dignity was all she had remaining, and if she were to survive, she would hold onto it until the very end.
Brian pressed on, forcing his weight down on her. In blind desperation, the princess drew up her knee and drove it upward with all the strength she had left, striking straight at his gr*in.
"Aaah!" he howled, the sound raw and broken as he crumpled, clutching himself.
Anna didn't hesitate. She shoved him aside and scrambled to her feet, stumbling at first before sheer terror carried her forward.
Branches tore at her skin, roots threatened to trip her, but she kept running—heedless, breathless, fueled only by the need to escape.
She didn't stop until—
'Thudd!'
—Her body slammed full force into a solid figure.
Nearly losing her footing, she clutched at him instinctively and raised her head.
Disoriented and trembling, her eyes met those of a towering, broad man standing before her, bare-chested save for his trousers.
His features were hard to make out in the dim forest light, partly obscured by shadows and the looming silhouettes of the trees, but his body was definitely well-built.
"No! Let me go!" she screamed, striking him blindly in fear.
"Calm down. I won't hurt you," he said firmly, gripping her wrists to still her blows.
It took a few moments, more futile attempts to hit him, and his reassuring words before she realised his voice was different—manly and resonantly deep, unlike the slave trader chasing her.
Instantly, her knees buckled, and tears burst free.
"Please… help me!"
"What happened?" he asked.
"He—he tried to hurt me," she said shakily.
"He... who?"
Right at that moment, Brian appeared behind them.
"Give her back!" he shouted.
"Is he the one?" the man before her asked quietly.
Looking down at her, even in the darkness, his keen eyes caught her dishevelled state. He understood at once what had been happening.
Anna nodded, tears falling. "He assaulted me, sir!"
"She's my wife!" Brian shouted. "I have every right to do what I want with her!"
"That's not true!" the princess cried. "He's a slave trader!"
"You're lying!" he said firmly. "You're just running away from me after having an affair with someone else!"
"No, I'm not!" she insisted. "I'm a maiden and have never been married! Not with you nor any other man!"
"Yes, you are!" Brian yelled back.
The confrontation persisted with both sides being resolute and attempting to sway the newcomer in the middle.
"Hold on..." the tall man finally said. "If this is true, I have a question for you," he addressed the slave trader. "What is her name?"
"Huh?" Brian paused, caught off guard by the question that he didn't expect.
"What is her name?" the tall man reiterated.
"Be... Bella," the slave trader stammered, saying a name that had just crossed his mind.
"That's not my name!" Anna shook her head frantically.
"I'll handle this," the man said calmly, releasing her hands.
He needed no further explanation to draw his conclusion. There was no evidence, no witnesses—but experience had honed his judgment, and he trusted his instincts without question.
As he drew nearer to Brian, the slave trader's confidence wavered beneath his cold glare. Just the act of approaching was enough to create a chill.
"You hesitated when I asked. Did you forget your wife's name?" he said in a low voice.
Brian said nothing, only staring, speechless. Something about this man made him feel both intimidated and frozen to the spot.
"Chasing a half-n*ked girl? Still lusting after an unfaithful wife?" His tone sliced through the night.
Brian's eyes widened—caught red-handed, with no excuse left to offer.
"What's your name, lady?" the tall man asked without looking to the girl behind him.
"Anna."
"Close your eyes."
She obeyed. His tone, though not harsh, compelled her to yield. Something within it felt demanding, as if he were a man used to giving orders.
Blind to the scene, the princess relied only on her hearing, her heart pounding as she waited for what would happen next. Suddenly, shouts and hurried footsteps broke the silence, followed by a strangled gasp and a chilling, cracking sound.
Silence returned with no more voices coming from Brian.
"You may open your eyes," the man said, already turning to her, obscuring the already immovable man behind him.
"Whe-where is he?" she asked, confused.
"He's gone... You're safe."
She lifted her head, trying to catch a glimpse of where the slave trader had been, but he shielded her view.
"Not a sight for a lady," he said.
Immediately, Anna understood. She didn't know exactly how he had done it, nor the whole truth of what had happened—but she decided not to pry further. The danger was gone, and that was all that mattered.
"Thank you!"
Relief flooded through her, then suddenly, the intense heat returned. Dizziness engulfed her, blurred her vision, and her knees buckled as her body sagged, leading to her collapse.
However, before she hit the ground, the tall man appeared—moving swiftly like a shadow—and caught her effortlessly. His agility was undeniable.
"You're burning up," he muttered as he placed his hand on her forehead, but she could no longer catch a word he said.
The world, in her view, spun around her before everything faded to black.