chapter 45
The world didn't stop—
but for her—
it shattered.
Princess: "…John."
The name slipped from her lips—fragile… uncertain… as if saying it too loudly would make it real.
The battlefield still roared around them—
steel. fire. screams.
But none of it reached her.
All she could see—
was him.
The assassin didn't move.
Just for a second—
his eyes flickered.
A crack.
Small.
Almost invisible.
But she saw it.
And that was enough.
He stepped back.
Slow. Controlled.
As if nothing had changed.
Assassin: "You're mistaken."
Cold. Flat.
But—too fast.
Too rehearsed.
Her breath caught.
Princess: "…No."
She stepped forward.
Her voice trembled—
but didn't break.
Princess: "Don't do that."
Another step.
Closer.
Princess: "Don't lie to me."
CLANG—!
A blade cut between them.
Guinevere intercepted it mid-strike, spinning violently and forcing the attacker back.
Guinevere: "Princess—focus!"
Another assassin lunged—
she cut him down without looking.
But her eyes—
flicked once—
between them.
She knew.
Something had changed.
Nearby—
Bochy ducked under a blade, firing point-blank into an attacker's chest.
Captain Bochy: "WHY is it always when things get emotional—"
He kicked another assassin off a ledge—
Captain Bochy: "—THEY GET MORE DANGEROUS?!"
A lava beast leapt—
He shot it mid-air without hesitation.
But the Princess—
never looked away.
Not once.
Princess: "Why are you here?"
No answer.
Princess: "Why are you with them?"
Silence.
Her chest tightened.
Princess: "Say something!"
Their blades clashed again—
But now—
this wasn't just a fight.
It was a question.
A demand.
A plea.
The assassin moved—fast, precise—
but something was off.
A fraction slower.
A fraction heavier.
She noticed.
Princess: "You hesitate."
Another clash—closer now.
Princess: "You NEVER hesitated."
His jaw tightened beneath the mask.
Assassin: "Stop talking."
Princess: "No."
Their blades locked—faces inches apart.
Her voice dropped.
Low. Dangerous.
Princess: "Look at me."
A pause.
Just a moment—
too long.
Across the battlefield—
Guinevere tore through a healer's defense, her blue aura flaring wildly.
One healer fell—
and this time—
didn't rise.
She exhaled.
Guinevere: "One down."
Three more stepped forward.
She smiled.
Sharp. Unstable.
Guinevere: "Good."
She vanished into them.
Back at the center—
The Princess's strikes changed.
Less controlled.
More desperate.
Princess: "Was it all fake?!"
CLANG—!
Princess: "Everything you said—!"
CLASH—!
Her voice cracked—
but she didn't stop.
That—
hit him.
Harder than any blade.
For the first time—
he didn't counter immediately.
A mistake.
Her blade slipped through his guard—
SLASH—!
A cut across his shoulder.
He staggered—
just slightly.
And in that moment—
She saw it.
Not the assassin.
Not the enemy.
Him.
Her voice broke—raw, shaking.
Princess: "Tell me this isn't real."
Nothing.
Princess: "Tell me this is some trick—some illusion—"
Her hand clenched.
Princess: "Because if it's not…"
Her voice dropped—
low. sharp. dangerous.
Princess: "Then everything was a lie."
Steel crashed again—harder. faster.
Now—every strike carried weight.
Not just force—
emotion.
Princess: "Was it all planned?!"
CLANG—!
Princess: "From the very beginning?!"
CLASH—!
Her movements grew faster—
sloppier—
desperate.
Princess: "Every word—every step—!"
Her voice broke.
Princess: "Was that all fake?!"
The assassin blocked. Dodged. Countered.
Perfect.
But—
he still didn't answer.
Princess: "Why did you lie?!"
A strike—deflected.
Princess: "Why did you act like that—like you cared—?!"
Another clash—closer now.
Princess: "Why were you angry?!"
Their blades locked again—
her eyes burned into his.
Princess: "Why did you show me those emotions if none of it was real?!"
Silence.
Only his breathing.
Steady. Controlled.
Unmoved.
Assassin: "You're imagining things."
Cold.
Distant.
Like a stranger.
Something inside her—
snapped.
Her aura erupted—green flames surging wildly, unstable, violent.
Princess: "STOP LYING!!"
She lunged—
harder. faster. stronger.
But reckless.
Predictable.
The assassin moved.
One step—
a pivot—
a kick.
Clean. Precise. Devastating.
CRACK—!
Her guard shattered.
Impact.
She was thrown back—hard—
her body slamming into broken ground, sliding dangerously close to a lava fissure.
She didn't rise.
Her hand trembled against the ground.
Her vision blurred—
not from heat.
From tears she refused to let fall.
Princess (whisper): "…Say something…"
Silence.
Assassin: "You're weak."
Cold.
Final.
And that—
hurt more than anything else.
She didn't argue.
Didn't move.
Didn't even try to stand.
Because for the first time—
she felt it too.
...CHAPTER 45ENDS...