The Swordswoman's Revenge Story after Rebirth

Chapter 18 Safe Return

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Finished

Isolde replied firmly. “No, Lord Theodric is unwell. Marshal, escort him back to the city first. If I were to take him alone, I couldn’t handle any danger that might arise.”

“Then how will you return?” Oliver asked, his tone tinged with concern.

Isolde smiled faintly. “It’s so close. Even walking. I’ll be back in no time.”

Oliver’s sharp brows furrowed slightly as he shook his head. “No, your foot is injured.”

Theodric clung tightly to Isolde’s sleeve, his fever–flushed face stubborn. “Lady Isolde, I don’t want you to leave,” he said, glancing nervously at Oliver.

Isolde froze, briefly meeting Oliver’s tense and shadowed gaze. His stern expression was enough to make Theodric uneasy.

She knelt slightly to reassure Theodric with a soft smile “Don’t be afraid. The Marshal is a good man. Don’t yo remember? He saved us yesterday.”

But Theodric refused to let go, his little hands gripping her tightly. “Take me back yourself,” he insisted, his tone resolute despite his small stature.

Isolde hesitated, then turned to Oliver with an apologetic look. “Marshal Valois, would you mind if we shared a horse?”

Oliver, already uneasy about letting her return alone, sighed and replied, I don’t mind. But you should. If anyone sees, it could tarnish your reputation.”

Isolde chuckled softly, her voice calm yet resolute. “Reputation? I care nothing for it.”

Oliver was caught off guard by her words. A woman who cared nothing for her reputation? The very idea was almost absurd. Though Isolde and William’s betrothal had been a topic of discussion, a tarnished name could still ruin everything, not to mention the objections Oliver’s foster mother would surely raise.

“If you truly don’t care, then let’s go.” Oliver said at last, Isolde was already astride her horse, her posture straight and composed. The sun framed her silhouette, casting a soft halo around her figure as she smiled warmly. Yet beneath that radiant expression lay a trace of sadness, subtle but unmistakable.

One thought nagged at him. If the same person is behind the abduction of both Theodric and Isolde, why target her rather than the Duke of Blackmoor’s son?

Everyone in the capital knew the Duke cared little for his daughter.

She seemed oblivious, yet Oliver suspected she understood far more than she let on.

Another mystery tugged at his mind; his horse had never allowed anyone else to ride it–carried Isolde now without so much as a hint of resistance.

As Theodric clung tightly to her, Oliver mounted awkwardly behind them, careful to avoid touching her. But the saddle was narrow, and despite her attempts to can forward, the closeness was inevitable.

his cloak and handed it to her. “Cover your recognize you.”

it harder for

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18 Safe Return

mind,” she said

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his tone sharp “The dignity of the Valen name isn’t

Isolde’s face. She knew he was well aware that William disliked him. While Oliver treated William with the deference of an elder brother,

everyone.

and they set off at a steady pace toward the city.

mingled faintly with the sharp tang of blood from Oliver’s wounds.

it can bear it,” she

concerned about you.” Oliver said flatly. “You’re injured, and if we

both on horseback, there was no distance between them.

cannot afford to delay. A moment longer could cost him his life. My injury

resolve in her voice, Oliver offered no further argument. With a flick of his

endurance–flew across the earth, swift as the wind and unmatched

firmly shut, imposing and unyielding. Outside, Oliver Valois rode hard, his horse kicking up clouds of dust in its wake. A rising star at the

could tame, save Oliver himself. That horse, after all, had already patrolled the city, leaving a trail of awe in

opening the way without hesitation. Oliver’s steed thundered through, the sound of its hooves echoing off the stone

their rounds, arriving just in time to cross paths with

young heir slumped against her shoulder, his back turned to Milton. The encounter lasted only

watch Oliver disappear around the corner,

that Oliver Valois just now?” he asked one of his soldiers, his tone sharp.

the man, but judging by the

of the Emperor favorites, he has no right to act

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18 Safe Return

city as if it were his own–is there no one bold enough to report him to

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insufferable. A boy barely past twenty, his rapid ascent could only be credited to the Marquis

that backing, no way he could hold

him greatly. And why wouldn’t she? His father was the famed Marshal, Douglas Valois, and his adoptive father, the Marquis of Eldermere, is a figure of

His own lineage had always been his weakness. The most accomplished of his ancestors, a great–uncle, had risen no higher than

himself, it was only through the remnants of that great–uncle’s connections that he’d secured a position at the city gates. Years of maneuvering and quiet scheming had eventually earned him a post in

guards stood vigilant. Oliver reined in