Marilyn's breath came in ragged gasps.
Are they still chasing me...? Have I lost them yet? Her eyes darted around every inch of the hallway where she'd stopped to rest. Serving Duke Revelo for over a decade had given Marilyn an almost perfect memory of the castle's layout, but that knowledge was of scant use to her at the moment.
No matter which path she took or which hidden corridor she emerged from, she would always encounter resistance in the form of a small platoon waiting to capture her. As a knight, mere soldiers were no match for her in combat even when grouped en-masse in a confined space. If her hand was truly forced, she could easily strike down even a company full of regular footmen with ease, but the situation was an awkward one no matter how she looked at it.
Shit! Marilyn cursed under her breath as she heard the sound of approaching footsteps. Acting swiftly, she ducked into an adjacent room that contained a hidden passage leading to a different section of the castle.
As a building that was constructed to keep invaders out, there were only a few entrances and exits into the building and they were all heavily guarded thanks to Ritya's meticulous plan. As Marilyn made her way through the dark and damp passage, she bit her lip bitterly, remembering how she'd found herself in this situation.
Yeah... That was the moment when I realized it was all fucked. Marilyn thought to herself as she recalled how Ritya had asked her that damned question.
"You saw it, didn't you?" Ritya had stared Marilyn in the eyes with a look of smug confidence. Regardless of what Marilyn answered, she would lose in one way or another.
"...What the fuck are you doing, Ritya?"
"I'd like to ask you the same question, Dame Marilyn." A familiar voice came from behind Marilyn, surprising her. The senior knight whirled around, coming face to face with Bastiche who was flanked by several soldiers.
"L-Lord Bastiche!? Your father—"
"I know," Bastiche replied calmly. "It's unfortunate, but we'll have to adapt to the situation for now. More importantly, I am now the acting duke, and as such, I am temporarily relieving you of your duties. Ritya will be taking over as the ducal champion and commanding officer of the duchy's army."
For a moment, Marilyn was stunned both by Bastiche's sudden appearance, but also his utterly passive reaction toward his father's condition. Marilyn understood that their relationship as father and son had always been tenuous at best, and though Duke Revelo enjoyed his son's presence, Bastiche certainly did not reciprocate the sentiment.
"You cannot do this! Your father is still—"
"Unfit to rule." Although Bastiche's voice was mild and level as he coldly dismissed his father's rapidly deteriorating condition, Marilyn could sense a venomous satisfaction behind the impassioned mask that he wore. He walked over to the prone yet still-writhing Duke Revelo, nudging the man with his foot. "You deserve a well-earned break, Dame Marilyn. Please retire to the barracks and await further instructions."
Normally, there would only be one choice for Marilyn. With her lord out of commission and Bastiche being technically correct, the only thing she could do would be to surrender herself and obey the acting duke's commands. However, she simply couldn't bring herself to do that.
Not after witnessing everything unfold before her.
She was sure of it now. This was a coordinated attack against the duke, and a very successful one at that. She had failed to protect her charge as a knight, but she would not fail in avenging his death.
She wished for nothing more than to draw her blade and press it against Bastiche's neck while she questioned the man about his motives, but she knew that doing so would be suicide.
Not only did she lack the means to prove that this had been a premeditated attack on Duke Revelo's life, but even a knight like her would not be able to fight all these soldiers combined with Ritya, especially once Bastiche arrived and bestowed his Crest unto the junior knight.
For now, there was only one thing she could do if she wanted to take revenge and redeem her honor. But first, she would offer this traitorous little lord one small act of defiance.
"No."
Bastiche clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Then you leave me no choice, Dame Marilyn. You were always considerate to Ritya, so I wanted to give you a chance. Ritya, please take care of this for me. I must prepare the circle and make good on our promise."
Ritya nodded, advancing toward Marilyn. "This is your last chance, Dame Marilyn. You were always good to me, so please head to the barracks... For your own sake."
Marilyn stared at Ritya, confused and distraught. She'd thought that Ritya would treat her just as coldly as Bastiche, but Marilyn could sense unmistakable concern in Ritya's voice. Marilyn simply couldn't comprehend how Bastiche could so easily murder his own father and frame the foreigners for the act, but more importantly, she couldn't believe how Ritya was just going along with such an insane and dishonorable plan.
"Ritya... Why?"
Ritya hesitated, her gaze wavering for a moment. It almost looked as if she wanted to cry, and for a moment, Marilyn thought she really would. But before those tears had a chance to manifest, Ritya sealed them away and hardened her heart. She met Marilyn's eyes with a hard and unflinching stare as she answered.
"...We were weak. Someone strong like you couldn't possibly understand. Now please, Dame Marilyn... Will you go in peace?"
Marilyn stepped backward, shaking her head. She refused to surrender herself without finding out the truth behind this whole situation. "No... No, I don't think I will."
With those parting words, Marilyn whirled around and shot toward the entrance, the speed of her sudden acceleration surprising the very human soldiers. Her hands shot out, slamming her palms into the two nearest soldiers and sending them flying backward with incredible force.
"Stop her!" Ritya shouted, shattering the shackles of shock that chained the remaining men in the hallway. Unfortunately for them, Marilyn had moved much too fast for them to catch and she was already barreling down the corridor at top speed.
Somehow, Ritya had managed to predict this would happen and quickly set her preparations in motion, trapping Marilyn within the confines of the castle before she could escape.
...And now I'm here. Hiding like a goddamn rat in the very place I've guarded for years. Marilyn sighed as she concluded her brief rundown of the events that had forced her into her current position. She neared the end of the passageway, causing her to grit her teeth as she imagined there would no doubt be another troop of soldiers waiting to capture her.
While she didn't exactly enjoy her tenure at the Revelo duchy, it would be a lie if she denied that she had any lingering feelings for the place. In fact, her bond with the duchy's soldiers was one of the reasons why she refused to draw her sword even though it would allow her to escape easily.
Ritya must've predicted that, but she's about to find out that I'm not as soft as she thinks.
Marilyn burst out of the hidden passage. The moment she exited, she was unsurprisingly confronted by several soldiers who were clearly waiting for the moment that she emerged. They thrust their halberds at her, but their movements were far too slow to catch the knight.
Marilyn ducked under their attacks easily, her leg shooting out in a sweeping kick that sent the nearest soldiers tumbling to the ground.
From a crouching position, she dashed forward and rammed her armored shoulder into the stomach of a soldier standing in her way, feeling the man's tempered steel chestplate crumple from the impact as he was sent flying.
The man crashed into the other soldiers who stood behind him, causing them to all topple like dominoes in the enclosed space. Seizing the opportunity, Marilyn shot forth, dashing through the path shaped by the sea of fallen soldiers.
You're still ten years too young to screw with me, Ritya. I didn't want to send them to the infirmary, but I don't have to kill them to get them out of my way. Marilyn's rush took her straight out of the corridor and into a larger room that served as a waiting room for visitors. Naturally, it connected to the outside for easy access when visiting nobles were disembarking from their carriages.
The familiar clank of armored boots followed rapidly in her wake, but Marilyn knew the soldiers would have no hope of catching her. After all, as the one who'd personally supervised their training for the past ten years, she knew their capabilities better than anyone in the duchy.
Now all she needed to do was get past the group of guards who would be waiting outside the doors that led to her freedom.
"Did you really think it would be that easy?"
Ritya's voice stopped Marilyn in mid-stride.
The junior knight's footsteps rang loudly against the hardwood flooring. Her long brown hair streamed behind her and her emerald eyes glowed with confidence despite her opponent being a senior knight.
"...Ritya." Marilyn drew her sword. Though she once thought of Ritya fondly, now was not the time to nurse those emotions.
"I'm sorry, Dame Marilyn. My lord has instructed me to leave no witnesses." Ritya said as she drew her own sword, a blade forged from strange blackened metal that gleamed in the torchlight.
"Then so be it." Marilyn pointed her weapon at her opponent. "Come, Ritya. Show me how much you have grown."