Melissa found herself frozen in her seat. Her father leapt up and positioned himself in front of her, shielding her from the intruder. "Who are you?" he demanded of the man.

  ?

  Melissa saw something that made her cower in fear. The man was a monster. His heart was dark—so gloomily dark that it seemed to devour any human emotions he might have had. He was a devil in human skin, not just any human; he carried an aura of death around him. He was a killing machine, and he had taken many lives.

  ?

  How did she know all of this? She was gifted—or so the villagers said. She could see the color of a person's heart and things others could not. Never before had she seen such a dark heart, and no adventurer she had encountered carried this deathly aura.

  ?

  "I am not here for any ulterior motives. I need your daughter's help," the man replied. His voice was thin, like the crisp edge of ice, and utterly devoid of emotion.

  ?

  "I asked, who are you? Answer me now, or I will wake the entire village," Melissa's father demanded, his voice loud enough to rouse everyone. He raised his voice on purpose, but the sound seemed to echo back, as if the space around them had been sealed.

  ?

  The man had done something with the space around them. The sound did not go outside the kitchen.

  ?

  Melissa reached out and clutched her father's shirt. "Ah, umm, d-dad, this man is d-dangerous," she stammered, her voice shaking as a primal fear gripped her heart. She felt her strength slipping away. Her mother had already appeared beside her father.

  ?

  Both of them were trying to shield her from this unknown man.

  ?

  "I am Lucien Duskbane, the Northern Blade," he replied, his voice carrying a note of irritation.

  "How can we believe you are telling the truth?" Melissa's father asked, wary of the man's identity.

  ?

  "He is telling the truth," Melissa answered for him, bringing her hands to her lips. She did not know why, but she instinctively spoke for him. She could always tell when someone was telling the truth or not. And, the man in front of her had spoken the truth; his words did not contain any lies.

  ?

  Both of her parents sighed in relief at the same time and bowed. "We are sorry for not recognizing you, my lord," they apologized in unison, stepping aside to allow her to face the man.

  ?

  Melissa saw Lucien standing straight, his build both muscular and regal. Yet, even knowing he was the Northern Blade—the youngest person to reach the rank of top twenty warriors in the empire—she could not shake off her fear. Everyone knew of his feats; only someone truly isolated would not. Her village lay within the lands of the Duskbane ducal house.

  ?

  Without realizing it, Melissa grabbed her father's hand. She did not want to stay here. Her mind screamed at her to run, but the man blocked the door, preventing any escape. Even though he was the Northern blade, she did not feel like staying near him; she felt he could kill her in an instant.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  ?

  "Dad, he is not a safe perso—" Before Melissa could finish,

  ?

  "I promised under the oath of the god of war that I am here for your help, and I shall reward you generously for your help," he said, his voice as impassive as his expression. An oath was not something to be taken lightly; if broken, the punishment would be severe.

  ?

  "What kind of help do you need?" Melissa asked, mustering her courage as she stood up from her seat.

  ?

  "I want you to heal my mother. She will die by tomorrow noon unless you help," Lucien answered. For the first time, Melissa heard a trace of worry in his voice—tension and concern for his mother.

  ?

  "But, my lord, your palace is far from here. How will you take her there so quickly? Did you bring your mother here?" Melissa's father interjected before she could speak. She had wanted to ask the same thing.

  ?

  Melissa glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. It was 9 p.m.; that meant there were only fifteen or so hours left. Traveling at night was not safe, and even if they left at tomorrow’s earliest dawn, it would still be too late—the center of the Duskbane Ducal lands, Norwind where the palace was, was at least twenty hours away by carriage from her village.

  ?

  Melissa had never gone there but had heard enough of it from others that she knew about travel time.

  ?

  "No, I haven't, but I have my horse with me. We will reach there before her demise. If we begin our journey now, my horse will get us there by sunrise," Lucien answered, his words steady as if he had calculated it all beforehand.

  ?

  "N-No, I can't allow it, my lord. Traveling at night is not safe," Melissa's mother said. Her voice quivered as she bowed her head to Lucien.

  ?

  "I promise I will not let any danger befall her. I will protect her with my life," Lucien said, his voice growing more irritated with each passing moment. He was clearly displeased by their repeated questions.

  ?

  "B-but, still, shouldn't traveling by day be more prefer—" Before Melissa's mother could finish, Melissa's father interjected, "My lord, if you can give us your oath, then I shall gladly send Melissa with you."

  ?

  Melissa’s mother seemed hesitant, but her father seemed fine if Lucien were to give an oath. He had enough trust in Lucien that she would be safe with him.

  ?

  "I, Lucien Duskbane, under the oath of the god of war, promise that I will protect Melissa with my life as we travel to the capital city, Norwind, and that I shall return Melissa safely to her parents," Lucien declared, his voice resonating through the kitchen.

  ?

  "Thank you, my lord. I entrust Melissa to your protection. Please look after her—she has never been to Norwind." Her father bowed his head to Lucien.

  ?

  Lucien nodded.

  ?

  "Then we shall begin our journey. My horse is waiting outside," Lucien said, gazing at Melissa. His silver eyes seemed to pierce her soul. She felt vulnerable before him, knowing he could end her life at any moment.

  ?

  "M-my lord, let her ea—" Her mother started to protest, wanting Melissa to have dinner. But before she could finish, Melissa's father grabbed her hand and stopped her.

  ?

  He smiled. "Melissa, you should take some bread with you and eat it on your way. We should hurry." He looked at her, his expression seeming to say,

  Hurry up, daughter, you can't make the Northern Blade wait.

  ?

  Melissa understood and, from the kitchen rack, grabbed some bread, packing it in a wrapper.

  ?

  When Melissa looked toward the door, Lucien was no longer there. He had probably stepped outside to give them some privacy.

  ?

  "Father, I could have eaten some food. Today's potato soup was especially tasty," Melissa grumbled, tapping her foot on the floor.

  ?

  "Sheesh! This is a golden opportunity. He is the heir to the Duskbane ducal house, the only child of the northern duke. If you heal his mother, you can't imagine what riches he could bestow upon you. Hurry up, and since he has sworn an oath, he will protect you. His engagement has already been called off. You understand what that means, don’t you? This could be your chance." Her father spoke as if a wise hermit, explaining to a child how her fate might unfold and how she must act to seize her fortune.

  Melissa’s cheeks became pink at her father’s last words. Was his dream becoming true? But, Lucien was so handsome, not ugly like her father had dreamt of.

  ?

  "Melissa, take care of yourself. If you need anything on the way, ask the lord without being shy. Also, take this water bottle with you," her mother said worriedly, handing Melissa a bottle.

  Melissa abruptly took the bottle into her hand, she was startled by her mother. She was too busy thinking about her father’s dream.