The Royal Crown

Chapter 23.Betrayal.

- Marie! Marie!
Through the dark veil, I began to distinguish someone's voice.
- Leah?...
The veil began to slowly dissipate, and I saw Leah's face in front of me.
- Leah! You're alive!
- Yes, I'm fine thanks to Tania.
- What happened?
- Well, you went berserk, turned into a scarlet demon, blew up the mansion, buried Alice under the rubble and stabbed Diana with glass. – Tania briefly explained to me.
- Wait, what?!
- Listen, girls, maybe you can still leave the showdown for later, otherwise I don't want to repeat Alice's fate at all! – Vlad came up to us.
We immediately came to our senses and started looking for a way out. Sidia and Marina joined us on the way. The three bullies were the last to run, and soon they fell behind us. After some time, we found a passage and a staircase leading high up. The guys immediately ran along it, and I decided to find the stragglers. Thanks to my strength, I dodged falling debris, which helped me pass without obstacles. Suddenly I met Sidia and Marina.
- Girls, there's an exit over there. – I showed the direction. - Where's Caroline?
- We don't know. - Marina shrugged her shoulders. – She fell behind us almost immediately.
The girls ran to the exit, and I continued my search. A couple of minutes later I found Caroline lying unconscious. The lower part of the body was pinned down by a large piece of wall. I immediately quickly but carefully lifted the fragment, pulled Caroline out from under it and brought her to her senses. When the girl woke up, she immediately began to cry, at the same time crouching from the pain in her legs.
- Marie.... Sidia and Marina.... They betrayed me! - Caroline said through sobs.
- So, let's get you out of here first, and then we'll figure it out. - Throwing Caroline's arm over my shoulder, I began to walk cautiously to the exit. We went out into a long corridor. But when we almost reached the end, I saw an Angel. He noticed me too.
- Angel!
- Marie.... Listen, I wanted to apologize for my childhood... Do you remember when my mom forbade you to communicate with me?
- Yes, but Angel, I think it's better to get out first, and then...
- No, now! - The young man interrupted me. - Then the whole point was that your parents' distant enemies wanted to annoy them so that they could not communicate with a large corporation that my mother owned and where yours worked. And they said mean things about you and your family to my parents. And, in general.... - Without finishing the sentence, the Angel suddenly looked up somewhere and abruptly pushed me away, falling into my place.
- Hey....
I didn't have time to be indignant, as several huge pieces of the stone ceiling fell right on the place where I had just been standing, crushing the Angel.
- No, Angel!!! – I immediately began to clean up the wreckage.When I finally got to the guy, he was almost dead.
- Marie... I wanted to say....
- Don't waste your strength, Angel, you can, now we'll get you out and...
- No, Marie.... You won't have time... I wanted to say.... Forgive me..... I love you..... - After taking his last breath, the guy finally closed his eyes.
- No, no, no! You will survive, you will survive!! – tears were pouring out of my eyes, I couldn't see anything because of them. My whole body was shaking in hysterics, my lips were trembling. I just sat on the floor, looking at my friend's body, and sobbed heart-rendingly, choking on my own tears. At that moment I didn't want anything at all, I didn't care about anyone, as long as the Angel, my dear Angel, was alive!
- Marie.... I'm really sorry.... - Caroline said softly behind me.
- It's my fault.... Only mine! If it wasn't for me, the mansion wouldn't have collapsed, and the Angel wouldn't have been crushed by the ceiling!
- Marie... We have to go......
- No, I'm not leaving an Angel here, like this, buried under this damned house!
- Marie... We really have to go....
After a couple of minutes, I began to calm down, common sense returned to me again.
- I want to bury him properly.
Taking Angel into the magic sphere, and Caroline by the arm, I moved to the exit.