The Westhaven soldiers surrounding Aurora were numerous. She struggled to hold her ground. Glancing around, she saw even more of them converging on her position.
They hadn’t engaged in the main battlefield but had been lying in wait, preparing an ambush specifically for her. It dawned on her that while her previous use of this tactic had yielded significant gains, this time, it had led her straight into a trap.
Her martial skills, slightly superior to those of her cousin Zeke, allowed her to hold off the attackers for a while. However, her soldiers were falling around her, one by one, into pools of blood. The Westhaven troops showed no mercy, their ruthless efficiency revealing them to be elite forces.
Panic gripped Aurora’s heart. She tried to escape, but Westhaven soldiers surrounded her, their long blades blocking any possible retreat. She fought back in desperation and panic, but fear drained her strength. As a blade descended toward her arm, she instinctively pushed a nearby soldier into its path.
The soldier took the blow to his head and face, blood pouring from his wounds. He looked back at Aurora with disbelief. They had fought together at Victory Pass, and she had promised to share in their fate, but now…
Aurora pushed the soldier aside, abandoning him to the enemy’s blade as she turned and fled. She attempted to use her Lightfoot Skill to bypass the soldiers behind her, but they raised their sharp blades, forcing her to step on them. The pain caused her entire body to tremble as she collapsed to the ground.
Blood flowed from her feet, but the soldiers with the sharp blades merely stood together, blocking her path rather than attacking her further. It was clear now that their intent was to capture her alive.
Despair filled Aurora’s heart. She could only hope that Barrett would come to her rescue.
When he had seen her pursuing the enemy, he had shouted for her not to follow, likely suspecting it was a trap. He would surely come to save her!
All she had to do was hold on. But with the Westhaven soldiers‘ ferocity and the excruciating pain in her feet, her efforts to resist were becoming increasingly futile.
Soon, she was struck by several blades. Although the wounds were superficial, the pain made it increasingly difficult for her to defend herself. Her neck was quickly pinned by two swords, and her weapon was knocked to the ground. She dared not move her neck, forced to watch as her soldiers fell one by one, their blood staining the entire road.
“Zeke, save me!” she called out desperately as she noticed Zeke still fighting fiercely.
But soon, Zeke’s neck was also trapped by blades. In addition to Zeke, more than ten others were captured, while the rest were all killed.
After Westhaven troops had secured control, one of the young captains walked slowly towards Aurora, holding a bloodied blade. He removed his helmet and took off his golden mask, revealing a face that made her shiver.
His face was strikingly similar to the young general she had captured at Victory Pass. However, this
+15 BONUS
man had a harsher, colder, and more ruthless expression.
“Aurora Yates,” the man called coldly. “I am the third prince of Westhaven, Edmund Tudor. You’ve finally fallen into my hands.”
Aurora’s legs went weak.
A prince? Was the captive from Victory Pass also a prince?
Aurora took a deep breath. It should have been obvious, and she should have guessed it a long time ago. If the young general she captured at Victory Pass weren’t from the royal family, how could Liam have been so quick to call for a ceasefire and force her to negotiate for his release?
Whether it was the cold or her fear, Aurora’s voice trembled slightly. “W–What do you want?”
“What do I want?”
Edmund stared at her with eyes full of hatred, as if he wished he could skin her alive.
“Naturally, I want to give you a taste of your own medicine!”
