Please be Patient, Grand Duke - Chapter 111.1

The rain poured down as if there were holes in the sky. Lía slowly rose to her feet, alternating her gaze between the forest where Marilyn had fled and Claude. He sat weakly, leaning against a giant tree.

Mud-covered body and blood trickling from his head. Despite his disheveled appearance, the fact that he was alive left Lía with no room for other thoughts.

“Lía, come here.”

He called out to her, wiping the flowing blood from his body.

Her steps faltered as her dress got caught, and she stumbled forward. Nevertheless, she continued running without stopping until she plopped down in front of Claude. Up close, he appeared in much worse condition than he had from afar.

“What happened? Where does it hurt? Look at me. Are you really okay?”

Lía trembled as she touched his muddy figure and burst into tears. Then, Claude raised the hand that had been hanging limply and gently stroked the back of her head.

“Don’t cry. Okay?”

“Soon, people will come. Just hold on until then. How did the explosion…?”

“How long has it been since we last met?”

A sweet voice that didn’t match the situation. As his tender touch calmed Canelea’s crying, an absurd giggle escaped her lips.

“That’s not important! You need to tell me where it hurts.”

In an instant, Claude pulled her close and embraced her. His fingers pressed firmly against her wet hair, which was soaked in rainwater, and slid through. Lía flinched and grabbed his solid chest.

“Ouch… it hurts.”

Blood began to seep through his shirt. Startled, she tried to take off his shirt, but her hand was caught by Claude.

“You’re hurt!”

“I know. But let’s stay like this for now. It seems more helpful.”

“That doesn’t make sense.”

Her voice, filled with sobs, trembled. He had no intention of letting her go, and there was no sign of the heavy rain letting up.

Claude calmly explained how he managed to escape from the burial site. He said he had followed the light as if he were possessed, passing through a space that only one person could barely squeeze through. Then, suddenly, the earth poured down, and it was only later that he realized it was a rabbit hole.

If it hadn’t rained. If the soil hadn’t been washed away, he lightly chuckled, saying that he might still be buried in that soil.

Raindrops hung heavily from the ends of branches, bending and sagging. Lía wanted to examine his wounds immediately, but the touch of his skin against her neck was so hot that she couldn’t move a single finger.

“Claude…?”

“Mmm…”

“Claude, wake up. Look at me. Can you?”

Breath slowly becoming labored, hands growing stiff.

The moment his strength waned, Lía screamed.

“Someone, someone, please help! Help!”

****

Karl parked the car in the forest and confirmed that there was no one around before opening the door and stepping out. They were able to steal the car without being noticed because of the commotion. Given the extent of the explosion, it was hopeless to expect any aerial surveillance. So before the bodies were discovered, he had to escape to Geore. If Marilyn made a mistake, time would be even more pressing.

The rain was so heavy that Karl quickly breathed heavily as he took off his soaked and heavy coat, revealing the distant border checkpoint.

He had acquired a new identity and a forged immigration permit by giving a large sum of money to a contact he met in the south. Filled with anticipation for starting a new life here, he ran ahead with his eyes fixed on the future.

Once he crossed over with Geore, he could leave behind his entire past. By disposing of the consolation money given to immigrants and the jewels he had brought, he could obtain a decent status and live a new life.

To break free from the shackles of poverty, one must abandon the world they were born into. Moreover, now that he had succeeded in seeking revenge, there was no room for hesitation.

A long time ago, on that day, he couldn’t take a single step forward as he watched Frank fall mercilessly into the hands of the authorities. He trembled in fear, fearing that the barrel of the authority’s gun would be pointed at him from the darkness.

It wasn’t because he was a coward; it was a way to escape death.

“And someday, I will surely fulfill his justice.”

It was when Karl pondered over an unattainable desire that he wiped his tear-streaked face with both hands.

Bang!

A bullet flew from somewhere and pierced his shoulder. With a thunderous sound, his shoulder blade shattered, and both knees hit the ground.

The bullet came from such a close distance that Karl clutched his shoulder and collapsed, sobbing. Tears, rainwater, and muddy puddles filled his vision as a pair of high-quality leather shoes slowly approached him.

Karl struggled to turn his head. Due to the rain pouring onto his face, he couldn’t even open his eyes properly, but he knew exactly who his opponent was.

“You…”

“I cannot allow a criminal to set foot on my land.”

“I… I’m unjust…”

“Unjust, you say…”

Luan echoed Karl’s words and laughed bitterly. Then, with the remaining heat from the barrel, he pressed it against Karl’s temple.

A burning smell filled the air, and blood vessels burst in Karl’s eyes.

“Aaaah!”

“Let your injustice be resolved in the courts of Cayenne, my homeland.”

As Luan finished speaking, a group of menacing figures suddenly appeared and lifted Karl up by his arms. In excruciating pain, Karl screamed.

His teeth chattered with an overwhelming sense of injustice. Faces of comrades who had lost their lives to the guns of the Emperor’s soldiers and faces that crumbled without fulfilling their justice blurred before his eyes.

With his head held high and his mad gaze, Karl glared at Luan, shouting.

“You are my enemy! You’re the madman who dragged your country into war! I… I am the one who avenged you!”