At that moment, a horse pulling a carriage made a strange noise and collapsed. The rest of the horses that were running in line got entangled and fell down. The wagon that was fast enough to run side by side with the wind suddenly lost speed.
“Oh, no…!”
Jason flew into the air with a bridle. The horseman’s seat that was connected to the horses was lifted straight and broken, and even the body of the wagon got off the track and turned obliquely.
Curtis pulled his ax hard while falling over the broken rubble. But just before he lowered the wagon onto the road, the wooden wall of the wagon broke apart and the ax fell out.
“Your Majesty!” Curtis screamed. Though he acted quickly, it was too late. While he was falling between the fallen horses, the emperor’s wagon bounced off the ground before crashing down the stiff cliff.
***
There were several moments when Marianne couldn’t believe it at all in her previous life.
For example, the day she heard about his father’s death or the night she overheard Ober’s wicked tricks behind the rose fence. Or when the emperor took off his robe and proposed to her, and when she embraced her father again. She couldn’t believe all these moments.
Now, she was experiencing the same thing again.
Marianne was blinking her eyes while she was being thrown off the cliff.
Death was right at hand. Maybe it was the last moment of her life, but she didn’t feel like it was real. Just like how Eckart once appeared in her dream, she felt like time stopped and she was in a dream. She and he were moving in the world where time had stopped.
Bang!
The corner of the carriage hit the end of the protruding object of the cliff. The edge of the wooden board was broken. The inside of the carriage was overturned once more.
Eckart let go of the window frame he was holding. He no longer had to hang on to something. The tangled cloak fell and touched the wagon floor.
He pulled Marianne into his arms tightly and soothed her. Below was the water, and the stream tributaries of Benoit Falls were flowing fast. He unscrewed the decorative belt that had been long hanging on his waist hurriedly.
“Breathe in deeply,” he whispered in a low voice.
Marianne, with her cheeks on his chest, watched the waterfall pouring out of the torn door.
The huge amount of water seemed to stop as if one year of rain had poured down all at once.
It meant the waterfall was falling at about the same speed as the water.
“You will never die.”
Marianne closed her big eyes once and then opened them. She felt her body was light as if flying in a land without gravity.
Meanwhile, Eckart wrapped one end of the belt around Marianne’s arm and fixed it. As he made the knot hurriedly, it wasn’t good enough, but there was no time to make it any tighter. The sound of the waterfall gradually increased right up to her ears and then her head.
“You shouldn’t let go of your grip on me…”
He didn’t finish his words as he was submerged under the water. They were pushed into the water with the pain that seemed to rip and tear them apart. There was a gap between their bodies that seemed to be attached as one. The evil power of nature pressed on them from head to toe. Marianne passed out by the impact of the crash. Her consciousness left in a moment like a candle blown out in the wind. It was fortunate for her because she had experienced drowning before.
But in such an urgent situation, it was too dangerous. The relentless current pushed her deeper and farther. Her arms and limbs swayed slowly like a soft insignia.
Flowing like petals in the water, she suddenly stopped as if caught by something.
* * *
Pain was fair to everyone. As he wrapped around her body, the impact that Eckart received was extremely unfair and severe.
The moment he bumped into the surface, he felt so much pain that he could pass out. The whirlpools below the surface of the waterfall made his view blurry. Even though he tried his best to swim, he was caught in a strong current, and his body kept sinking.
But he did not let go of his belt that he was holding. Relying solely on the senses of his fingertips, he pulled on the belt as best he could. The belt, made of tightly woven leather straps, was stretched around the arm and tightened. The strong current began to tear the edges of the leather stretched straight like a blade.
He pawed the air dozens of times. Drifting on the violent current, the wreckage of the broken wagon turned into something like a blade and scratched his whole body. The breath left in his lungs went up to his chin. He could not know whether it was superhuman mental power or something else that suppressed his instinct to pass out right now.
In the meantime, the current of the waterfall pushed both of them towards a quiet tributary.
Although the current was still rough, it was easier for them to move because they could avoid the violent falling drops of the waterfall. He tried to catch Marianne with his forearms, which was as hard as they might explode quickly, and he finally took her back in his arms.
Her white face was calm as if she had fallen asleep. When he wrapped her thin neck with his big hand, he felt a faint pulse rising up from the palm of her hand. Though it was weak, it was clear evidence that she was alive.
Eckart put his mouth on hers without hesitation.
His thin, shallow breath came out of him and permeated into her. As if to save the embers that almost went out, he cautiously and desperately put breath into her lungs.
Soon, all the breath in his body was passed over to Marianne.
Severe pains that swept his body belatedly swept over his blue eyes. Eckart slowly lost his mind. The two lips, which were closed tightly enough not to form any bubbles, fell apart easily. Meanwhile, his arms holding her were not released.
Bang! The roaring waterfalls shook the shadows of the canyons.
***
“Send a carrier pigeon to the capital right now.”
A sharp voice ripped off the air in the cool room.
“It’s already out of our jurisdiction. We have to gather the three dukes in Milan and the top officials right now. The emperor had no successor… ”
“Successor? Did you just mention successor?” Duchess Lamont asked, frowning. The maid, who was disinfecting the cut on her forehead, was pushed back by Mrs. Chester.
Mrs. Chester responded at the duchess’s sharp cold glance without batting an eye at all.
She said, “The emperor is still unmarried, and he has no brother or daughter. If you think about the safety of your empire, you should have a cool judgment.”
“How arrogant you are! Can’t you shut up right now?” Duchess Lamont shouted at her, fully revealing her anger. Her long lashes and shoulders trembled violently. Her innocent and elegant face turned cold quickly. Her slightly tangled golden hair shone cold as if it symbolized the winter queen.
“How dare you mention the successor of the Frey family even if the emperor is not here?
“I don’t want to believe what happened today either. Who would? But it doesn’t make any difference if we continue on this way.”
“I told you to shut up.”
“Don’t you know that, Mrs. Duchess? Benoit Falls is not a valley worth jumping into and splashing water playfully. There are fifty or so tributaries, large and small. Even if you deny the fact, the dead emperor can’t come back alive.”
“Erica!” Duchess Lamont shouted at Mrs. Chester and stood up from her seat.
As a dignified daughter of the royal family, the duchess could not ignore such insults. Flames of anger were burning in her olive-colored eyes.
“What you said is extremely rude! We can’t confirm the death of the emperor yet at this point. How can you dare mention his succession? Are you stupid enough to revolt here?”
“Revolt? You’re overstating it!”
“If not, how come you are so reckless? Are you responsible for this incident by any chance? Do you have any reason to ignore the procedure and make short work of the succession?”
“Madame, watch your language!” Mrs. Chester raised her voice. Her purplish hem was lifted up. She threw the fan in her right hand on the table. The maids around her hurriedly stepped back.
She turned her head slightly and showed wounds on her neck. As if it was cut by a sharp object, there was a long line of blood drawn along the neck.
“I know that you don’t like me, but you have to distinguish between the public and private matters. Do you think this would have happened like this if I had planned it?”
“It’s not a scar that can endanger your life, as you know. That’s not a losing business if you aim for the throne, isn’t it?”
“Oh my god! Do you think I’m more concerned about the throne than my own safety? Well, I thought you were not stupid enough to think like that, so I’m disappointed.”