The Duchesses

Chapter 73 : Crestfallen

The last team for Angelos storms towards the place ferociously, as their thoughts fill with any possibilities. The sky started to get cloudy as if it could feel what the other two were pondering in their mind. The blonde and silver hair dancing in the air, while the other Lords are confused, following the two figures who rush towards the explosion place at a frightening pace. They arrive in no time, pulling the horses to stop and dismount fast.

However, they all find their bodies stop on their own, seeing the catastrophe in that area. Blood on the ground, even on the tree branches, as if wartime. Groaning and wailing sound like a piece of torture music in their ears. Hector's breath hitched at the sight as the war memories come again, but Natalie slips her hand on his, pulling him away. She was practically cold in sweat, feeling thirsty from the panic.

The Duchess goes to the men's side, some fatally injured and some not on a good side. They died from the impact. Natalie spots Lord Apollo, who is, groaning in pain, touching his legs while whimpering occasionally.

"Apollo," the blonde woman calls him gently, rushing to his side.

"My Lady," the man finds it a challenging task to keep his eyes open.

"What happened to you? Where is Medea?" the ruby eyes look at the man, who is having difficulty keeping his breath while Natalie tries to keep her tears at bay.

Tears escape from his eyes as the man stutters with his words that Natalie and Hector cannot find any clues from it. The blonde woman strokes his hair lightly while the other man taps on her shoulder with a bloody face. He looks slightly better compared to the rest.

"What happened, Lord Marcus? Where is Duchess Medea?" Hector asks the same question immediately, while the ruby and purple eyes desperately look for the woman in sight but fail.

"We got an attack from the intruders with black powder, my Lord. The intruders ignite the spark, causing an explosion," he explains briefly.

"The Duchess?" the Duchess of Light hangs to the last thread of hope.

"Please."

Lord Marcus looks down, avoiding the weight of desperation between the two figures. His gaze turns to where some parts of bodies scatter around, then move to the coats Medea left before she got to blow up. The ruby and purple eyes follow his gaze intently, but they refuse to believe it until he utters the words.

"Where is she, Lord Marcus!" the Duchess of Light eyes glistened in tears, forming a fist on her hand to control her tremble and rage.

Lord Marcus swallows the bitterness of the words before he goes to speak, meeting with two pairs of eyes pooling with tears.

"Her Grace is gone. She uses her body to minimise the impact from the explosion to save us," Lord Marcus said in a low voice, sobbing right after that.

Who would know that Medea would save them, despite her nasty rumours as a cruel person? Whereas Duchess Valimos is far from that.

Natalie crawls to the place where Medea's coat is, as the badges sparkle under the dim light. She doesn't care over the leaves crunching, branches crackling under her knees, or piercing her flesh. Instead, the blonde woman keeps moving to the place until her fingertips graze on the coat.

She pulls the coat from the ground to her nose, trying to inhale Medea's scent with the subtle coffee. The dam of tears finally breaks, letting the tears flow vigorously on her cheeks, feeling the final piece of her heart shatter completely. The blonde woman puts the coat on her chest as she wails loudly, screaming at the top of her lungs at the loss of her love. Her wails sound like an animal rather than a human.