The Reincarnated Girl Will Live Quietly

Isaac was shocked when he saw the door suddenly pulled open by Sable, an alarmed expression on her face. 

 

“Sable, what’s wrong?” Isaac asked concernedly. 

 

“Isaac! The village is a diversion!” Sable frantically explained. “They’re drawing the Grand Duke away in order to get to me!” 

 

“Are you sure?” 

 

“Yes!” Sable grabbed his sleeve. “We need to warn Her Grace!” 

 

Isaac could sense the urgency in her voice, but just as he was about to leave, her face turned pale.

 

“...Sable, we’re too late.” Came Bel’s grim voice. 

 

At her words, Sable ran to the window. 

 

From beyond the wall, a volley of fire arrows and several projectiles were launched into the air and landed onto the stables and the barracks. It didn’t take Sable long to realize that the projectiles were filled with oil. 

 

Within seconds, fires spread throughout the courtyard, and the night sky was lit up by the flames. 

 

Alarm bells sounded throughout the castle as knights and servants quickly assembled to put out the blaze. 

 

In the midst of the panic, Sable could see several figures climbing up onto the walls. The knights who were acting as lookouts were either wounded or dead from the initial volley of arrows. 

 

The poor knights were unprepared for the ambush, but a few managed to react to the sudden attack. 

 

However, they weren’t enough to stop the assassins, as Sable could see several shadowy figures climb past the wall and dash towards the castle. 

 

“Damn it!” 

 

“Put out the fires!” 

 

“Intruders!” 

 

“Protect Lady Isadora and Her Grace!” 

 

Several shouts could be heard as the remaining knights tried to organize and intercept the assassins. 

 

“My Lady!” From the hallway, Aly ran towards Sable and Isaac. “Are you two alright?” 

 

“We’re fine.” Sable answered, but she knew it was only a matter of time before the assassins found her. “Isaac, we need to hurry.” 

 

With a nod, Isaac picked up Sable. Together, they ran through the corridors of the castle racing towards the Grand Duchess. 

 

The sound of screaming servants and swords clashing could be heard echoing through the halls, and Sable gripped Isaac’s sleeve tightly. 

 

When she had sent the letter, Sable warned the Grand Duke and the Grand Duchess that the Marquis would retaliate. There was no way that he would leave alone. 

 

Heeding her warning, they made their preparations and alerted the knights, but still they were caught off-guard. 

 

Whoever planned this attack knew that the Grand Duke wouldn’t abandon his people to the beasts. Taking advantage of his loyalty and dedication to his people, they drew him away from the castle, and along with him, a portion of the knights. With their numbers reduced, the assassins would certainly have an easier time infiltrating the castle, especially under the cover of night. 

 

Their goal was her, and with an organized attack like this, Sable came to the dreadful realization that they intended on ending things tonight. 

 

However, she found that what she truly feared wasn’t for her own life, but for the lives of  Isadora and her family. They were the first people that Sable met who treated her with kindness and accepted her for who she was, rather than just her father’s puppet. 

 

If something happened to them, then Sable didn’t know what she would do. 

 

Keeping her head down, she activated her ability trying to search for Isadora and Grand Duchess Adelaide. However, she couldn’t keep it up for long as her concentration was interrupted when the scent of blood grew stronger, and she could hear someone approaching. 

 

“Isaac, someone’s coming.” She tapped him on the shoulder to let her down. 

 

Isaac unsheathed his sword and gestured for Aly and Sable to stay behind him. Aly made sure to stand protectively in front of Sable. 

 

From the hallway to their left, an assassin appeared holding a bloodied blade. When he spotted Sable, his eyes flashed with a cold glint, and Sable felt the hair on the back of her neck raise. Before they could stop him, the assassin let out a loud whistle, likely a signal for his allies. 

 

Isaac gripped his sword tightly with two hands. 

 

“Miss Aly.” He clenched his jaw. “Get ready to take Sable and run.” 

 

“Isaac, no!” Sable reached out to stop him, but Aly held her back. 

 

“Go!” 

 

Isaac lunged forward at the same time the assassin did. Their weapons met with a harsh clang. Although Isaac didn’t appear to struggle against his opponent, the assassin’s allies would be coming soon, and Isaac would be facing more than one assailant. 

 

Sable cursed her own uselessness as she helplessly watched their fight. 

 

“My Lady!” Aly pulled Sable and they started running back the way they came. 

 

With adrenaline pumping through her, Sable ran with Aly. Without Isaac, they needed to find somewhere safe to hide from the assassins. 

 

Her imagination ran wild, but Sable decided to trust in Isaac’s ability as a knight, and she knew that he was capable of handling himself in a fight. 

 

“He’s going to be fine.” She reassured herself. “Focus, Sable.” 

 

She reactivated her ability and scanned their surroundings. 

 

“Aly, wait!” She grabbed her maid’s skirt and pulled her back. “We need to hide, now!” 

 

They ran back and swiftly hid inside a room being used for storage. Holding up a finger to her lips, Sable signaled Aly to be quiet, to which she responded with a nod. 

 

After a beat of silence, they heard several muffled footsteps. 

 

“Damn these knights!” A voice cursed loudly on the other side of the door. “Search over there. she can’t have made it far!” 

 

Sable and Aly held their breaths as the footsteps receded. When she could no longer hear them, Sable moved to open the door. 

 

“My Lady!” Aly called out in a hushed whisper. “Are you sure you want to go back out there?” 

 

“I have to make sure Isadora and Her Grace are okay.” Sable replied with a pained look in her eyes. 

 

Looking into her master’s eyes, Aly steeled her resolve. She owed Sable her life, and she already promised to herself to follow Sable wherever she went. 

 

“Then please stay behind me, My Lady.” Aly nodded her head. 

 

Slightly cracking the door ajar, Sable used her ability to make sure that there were no assassins in the immediate vicinity. Confident that they were in the clear, the pair stepped out of the room and started making their way to the direction of the entrance, where the assassins came from. 

 

It was the most likely place that they would encounter the knights. Until then, they could not let their guard down. 

 

Carefully, they made their way down the halls. There were a few servants lying on the ground, blood pooling around them. 

 

Sable clenched her hands into fists, but she could not afford to stay and take care of them. Averting her eyes, she trained her gaze on Aly’s back and kept moving forward. 

 

Soon, they reached the foyer. 

 

However, contrary to their expectations, there were no knights, but a lone figure standing in the center of the foyer. A few bodies were on the ground next to him. Aly and Sable tried to back away, but the man suddenly looked up. 

 

There was a scar on his left eye. 

 

“Found you.” His voice was calm as he moved toward the stairs. 

 

In a panic, Aly pulled Sable, and they started running back into the hallway, but the assassin quickly reacted by throwing several daggers at them. Sable dove into Aly’s back, and they tumbled to the ground as the daggers flew past them. 

 

Although Sable managed to avoid getting hit, there was a small cut on Aly’s arm. 

 

As she got back to her feet, Sable turned back to see the assassin reach the top of the stairs. 

 

Aly moved Sable behind her and they stepped back as the assassin moved forward. His steps were slow and deliberate, but they knew that they wouldn’t be able to run from him. 

 

“I normally dislike killing children, but I’m afraid I can’t disobey my orders.” The scarred assassin sighed as he unsheathed his blade. “If it makes you feel any better, I would like to avoid killing your maid.” 

 

Aly could feel Sable’s gaze on her back, but she didn’t budge. She would not abandon her master again. 

 

“Who sent you?” Sable slowly asked. “Was it my father?” 

 

The scarred assassin lifted a brow. 

 

“If you’re asking the question, then you should know the answer.” The assassin replied in a roundabout manner. 

 

Sable narrowed her eyes in suspicion, but the assassin didn’t elaborate. 

 

“You know the Grand Duke won’t let you run away.” Sable remarked. “Not after you attacked the village and his castle.” 

 

She heard another sigh escape the scarred assassin. 

 

“I commend you for trying to buy time, but I’m afraid failure isn’t an option this time.” Realizing her ploy, the assassin picked up his pace. 

 

“My Lady, run!” Aly reached down to pick up one of the thrown daggers by her feet, and she charged the scarred assassin. 

 

It was a futile effort. 

 

Sable had a pained expression, before she started running away from them. 

 

“Damn it all.” The scarred assassin cursed under his breath. 

 

Against the trained man, Aly was powerless against him. The dagger in her hands was easily deflected, and the assassin forcefully knocked her to the side. 

 

He then rushed after Sable. 

 

There was no way that a child would be able to outrun an adult. 

 

Within seconds, he closed the distance between them. 

 

Sable turned around just in time to see the blade swing down at her. 

 

The world seemed to go in slow motion, as she shut her eyes and scenes of her short life flashed by. 

 

“Am I fated to die?” 

 

Unconsciously, an expression of resignation appeared on her face. 

 

“...!” 

 

However, the blow never came. 

 

Instead, Sable heard a loud clash of steel that made her ears ring. When she opened her eyes, she could see another sword blocking the assassin’s blade by a hair’s breadth from her body. 

 

Glancing to the side, she was both surprised and relieved to see Isadora holding up the sword with two hands. 

 

It seemed that all those hours skipping lessons to train finally paid off. 

 

The assassin, who was caught off guard by Isadora, jumped back warily. He was a few seconds from killing Sable when a sword came from seemingly nowhere and blocked the finishing blow. 

 

Isadora’s appearance was far too sudden, and his instincts sharpened. 

 

Unlike Sable, she clearly knew how to wield a sword, and her reflexes were quite amazing. 

 

This was no simple little girl. 

 

“...You must be the Grand Duke’s daughter.” The scarred assassin commented, holding up his blade in a defensive stance. 

 

“I won’t let you touch her!” Isadora glared at him. 

 

The moment she saw Sable in grave danger, her vision narrowed as her body went into overdrive. Before she knew it, her body moved on its own, and she thrust the sword in her hands forward, intercepting the assassin’s sword before it could reach Sable. 

 

She stood in front of Sable and locked eyes with the assassin. 

 

However, before either of them could make a move, the assassin threw his body backwards in a panic, as a sword flew past him and impaled itself into the wall. 

 

Isadora hadn’t come alone. 

 

With wide eyes, Sable turned her head to see Grand Duchess Adelaide approaching, sword in hand. 

 

Although her face was calm, there was an unbridled fury in her eyes. 

 

Sable recalled the story she heard from Claire. 

 

“They say that she was the only one to ever beat the Grand Duke in a fight.” 

 

At the time, Sable hadn’t given it much thought. During her time in the castle, she had never seen the Grand Duchess wield a sword once. It was hard to imagine the gentle, kindhearted woman fighting anyone in a duel, let alone the Grand Duke, but now that she saw her in action, Sable acknowledged that the story was true. 

 

As Adelaide approached Sable, her features visibly softened.

 

“Are you alright, dear?” As if the anger was just an illusion, she addressed Sable with a tranquil voice. 

 

Sable blinked dumbly, but she managed to nod her head. 

 

“Isadora, protect her.” Adelaide ordered her daughter. 

 

“Of course, Mother.” Isadora nodded. 

 

Once she was sure that Sable was safe, Adelaide’s gentle expression disappeared, and she scowled at the scarred assassin. 

 

“How dare you?” Adelaide’s voice was cold and held a sharp edge. 

 

A brief flash of fear crossed the man’s eyes.