The villagers who came under the pretext of witch hunting eventually tore off the veil of hypocrisy.
They tied Aitina's hands and feet to the beams around her with hemp ropes and surrounded her in layers.
The filthy and obscene beastly act happened right in front of Silas. He was beaten all over and couldn't move, but how could the pain in his body compare to the heartbreak
"This is all my fault. I shouldn't have stayed in a place like this. I should have taken Aitina to live in the deep mountains and forests.
This is all my fault. I'm not strong enough to hold off these thugs on my own.
This is all my fault. I wasn't alert enough and was discovered because I left my traces exposed.
Aaaaah!!!"
Silas cried heartbreakingly. He saw that the pure and innocent Aitina was like a glass of clear and transparent water. After a drop of ink was added, it was slowly stained with black and could never return to its original appearance.
How unwilling Silas was, he hated this era of witch hunting, he hated these hypocritical beasts, he detested the so-called faith; at the same time, he prayed for strength, he longed for hope, he expected a miracle.
Those hateful thugs committed violence while speaking righteous words, pretending that their actions were all noble.
Bang! A slap hit the unwilling Ai Tina in the face, and the short and wretched man shouted,
"Witch! You must be a witch! That's why we are so attracted to you! Only if you serve us well, we will let you go!"
Poor Adina had no room to resist with her hands and feet, and couldn't even struggle.
Those dirty words could not irritate Adina. What really made her sad was Silas's desperate eyes.
"Silas, don't look! Don't look anymore... Please..." Adina cried in her heart, but she couldn't make a sound. The beasts stuffed her mouth with cloth.
Adina's eyes gradually became empty as she ignored the revelers.
This strong girl endured the humiliation alone and did not shed any more tears of shame.
Her heart was dead, so naturally she would no longer shed tears. She only hoped that the boy she loved could try hard to live on.
The thugs in the dilapidated stable were making a lot of noise, showing off their weapons loudly and laughing at each other. The loud noise attracted a man in a carriage that happened to be passing by not far away, and the man called the butler in the carriage to go and investigate.
"Oh my God, this is such an absurd act. I stop you in the name of my master, Marquis Hohen von Fuerst!"①
A black-haired man wearing an expensive outfit that was heavy on top and light on the bottom and shaped like an inverted triangle angrily denounced the evil deeds in the stable. He also wore a red cloak on his back.
The upper body is a majestic exaggerated shoulder, the sleeves and shoulders are filled with cotton as padding, the lower body is wearing tight pants, which makes the whole person look taller, and the feet are wearing a pair of shiny leather boots. This is the clothing combination that only nobles or their close followers can wear. On his belt is a long sword inlaid with rubies and gorgeous carvings.
He drew his sword and intimidated these lawless people. Seeing this, Silas suddenly felt hope in his heart.
"Please, save her. I'm willing to pay any price." Silas said while coughing up blood.
The majestic butler raised his eyebrows, looked at Aitina carefully, and then said, "Okay."
When those unruly people heard the title of Marquis Hohen, they showed flattery in a submissive manner.
The butler looked at the mob with a haughty look, and before the villagers could say anything to please him, a flash of sword light swept across.
At this moment, blood splattered everywhere and heads flew up. They didn't even have time to scream before they died.
Those evildoers received the punishment they deserved.
Although Silas did not kill these bastards himself, he felt very relieved and cast a respectful look at the hidden butler with favor.
The butler swung the sword lightly to wipe away the blood on the blade, and then cut the rope on Aetina's body; he sheathed the sword and took off the cloak on his back to wrap Aetina's body exposed to the air.
As Silas was struggling to get up from the ground, the butler threw out a badge and said in a cold and arrogant tone,
"I will take this girl with me. She is useful to my master. If you still want her, come and challenge me with this badge. This is the price I pay for my actions for you."
After that, the housekeeper took out the cloth that had been stuffed in Aitina's mouth and said to her,
"Before we part, is there anything else you want to say to him
Silas didn't expect that he had just gained his freedom and had no time to imagine the future, but in an instant he lost the opportunity to be with Adina.
Adina moved her wounded body and crawled to Silas' side, and said to him softly,
"I'm waiting for you there, my knight. You must strive to become strong, and if you can't, forget me."
As he spoke, his face was already covered with tears. Silas stretched out his bloody hand with great effort and wiped away the tears from the man's face.
"My little princess, I will train with all my life just like I did today. As long as there is hope, I will not give up."
With his face covered in blood, Silas forced out an ugly smile and tried to open his eyes wide; because a knight could not be weak, nor could he cry.
The two hugged each other tightly, using all their strength to keep everything about each other in their hearts.
Silas endured the pain and stretched out his broken hand, holding Aetina's delicate hand. They interlocked their fingers and touched their foreheads.
All the happy memories emerge in my heart at this moment, the cheers, laughter, and every little move of the other person have turned into unforgettable marks burned in the deepest part of the soul.
They all believed that as long as they had firm faith, they would meet again one day.
The cold and arrogant butler waited for the two to finish their final hug and whispered,
"It's time to get going."
Ai Tina reluctantly separated her tightly clenched hands. The housekeeper threw out a bottle of potion and said,
"Feed it to him. It will help his wounds heal. He doesn't have any external injuries, so there's no need to bandage him."
Adina knelt down and let Silas rest his head on her thighs.
She unscrewed the exquisite crystal bottle, tilted her head back and poured the liquid into her mouth. The bitter liquid flowed through her small mouth.
This was the last goodbye kiss. After their lips parted, the butler carried Aetina on his back and walked out.
Silas could do nothing but watch his beloved leave, and the beautiful figure gradually disappeared from his sight.
The repressed emotions of resentment, anger, sadness and unwillingness had reached the limit of his endurance. He finally could not maintain that smile and burst into tears.
“Wooah!”
Fate brought them together, but fate also chose two different paths for them.
At this point they had reached the fork in the road, and all that was left was the regret and emptiness of having passed each other by.
The saddest thing is to recall past happiness in pain.