Chapter 4
"Nora, you damn jinx! You brought nothing but bad luck! If you hadn't married Caleb, we wouldn't be suffering like this!"
While cursing, Amanda lunged to snatch the only waterskin hanging from Nora's waist.
It was just an empty waterskin Nora kept there to fool everyone.
"Hand it over! My son needs a drink!"
Amanda snatched the waterskin, scowling when she realized it was empty.
"Damn it! You're nothing but bad luck! Not even a drop of water? Why don't you just die already?"
She gave Nora a rough shove.
Nora, already weak, hit the ground hard, landing on the sharp stones.
Her knees were busted open, blood running down her legs.
"Cough, cough..."
She coughed so hard her eyes went dark, nearly blacking out.
The York family just stood by, watching with cold indifference. Some even looked like they were enjoying her misery.
"Serves her right! That's what she gets for acting all high and mighty!"
"Yeah, she dragged us all down with her. She deserves to be beaten to death!"
Nora sprawled on the ground, her fingers clawing desperately at the dirt.
Angry?
Hell yes, she was furious.
But right now, she couldn't move a muscle.
Toby had his eyes locked on her. If she dared to fight back, that whip would rain down on her without mercy.
And she noticed Caleb's fingers twitch.
She couldn't risk exposing her spatial storage right now.
She had to endure it no matter what.
"Get up! Stop playing dead!"
Toby marched over and slammed his boot down on the back of her hand, grinding it mercilessly into the dirt.
"Ah"
The pain was blinding, shooting straight up her arm. She couldn't help but scream.
Toby's lips curled into a cruel grin as he twisted his heel in even harder.
"Rowena promised me a fat stack of silver if I make you wish you were dead on this trip. So don't blame me, Nora. Blame your fate instead!"
He bent down, grabbed a fistful of her hair, and yanked her head back.
"Want some water?"
He unhooked his water flask from his belt and, right before her eyes, poured the water straight onto the ground.
Sizzle—
The water was instantly absorbed by the dry ground.
"Thirsty? Then crawl and lick it clean like a mutt! Do that, and maybe I'll spare your miserable life!"
Everyone around erupted in cruel laughter.
Not a single person from the York family stepped forward to help.
Even the deputy general who had once been helped by Caleb turned his head aside, pretending not to notice.
So much for loyalty. This was how the world really worked.
Nora locked eyes with Toby, her gaze cold and empty as death itself.
She waited for her moment.
Right then, Caleb, who had been unconscious, suddenly let out a low, pained groan.
"Ugh..."
Toby jumped, then got pissed off, his expression darkening.
"Damn it! This cripple's still not dead yet?"
He let go of Nora and strode over to the cart. He looked down at Caleb, who was barely alive, and his eyes glinted with killing intent.
"Dragging him along is just a burden. Why not get rid of him now?"
With that, Toby drew his blade and swung it straight toward Caleb's throat.
"Stop!"
Nora, summoning strength from who knows where, suddenly lunged forward, throwing herself in front of Caleb to shield him.
There was a sickening squelch as the blade cut into her shoulder, blood spurting out.
"Get out of the way! Do you want to die too?"
Toby's eyes were bloodshot with rage. He raised his foot, about to send Nora flying.
Nora clung to the cart, her whole body trembling, but she refused to back down.
"You can't kill him! He's the Northern Frontier general! If the King finds out he died on the road, can you take responsibility for that?"
Toby let out a wild, mocking laugh, like he'd just heard the most absurd thing ever.
He stared at Nora as if she was completely insane.
"The King? The King can't wait for him to die! You really think we took this job for nothing? Orders from above were crystal clear. Caleb York must die before he ever reaches his destination!"
Bang!
It was as if thunder struck. Nora's thoughts went blank.
So that was it.
There was no way out of this. It was a death trap!
Toby raised his blade again, this time aiming straight for Nora's head.
"Since you two doomed lovebirds are so devoted, let me grant your wish and send you both to hell together!"
The blade glinted under the blazing sun, throwing off a blinding, icy glare.
Death was closing in.
Nora closed her eyes and slipped her hand quietly into her sleeve, gripping a small stun gun taken from her spatial storage.
Just as the blade was about to fall—
A cold, powerful hand grabbed Nora's ankle.
The grip was so strong, it felt like her bones might shatter.
A hoarse, gravelly voice, dripping with killing intent, exploded in the dead silence.
"Lay a finger on her, and your entire bloodline goes down with you!"
The air felt like it froze solid.
Toby's blade hovered in the air, barely an inch from Nora's forehead.
He stiffly turned his head, locking eyes with a pair of bloodshot, savage eyes, fierce as a wild beast.
Caleb was awake!
The infamous War Reaper, once feared by all his enemies, was awake.