CHAPTER 47
**SOPHIA**
Adam's hand grips my arm tightly, and I can feel the desperation in his hold.
My heart races as I look back and see more men running towards us, swords in hand.
Adam's expression hardens as he prepares to fight again.
"Run, Sophia! Now!", he shouts, and I blink, dazed, feeling his hand slip away from me.
I run, but my thoughts are clouded, adrenaline burning through my veins.
The hallway seems to stretch as I realize more men are surrounding us.
The sound of clashing metal fills the air, and I glance back, seeing Adam swinging his sword with precision as he fights off multiple opponents at once.
It’s an almost surreal sight, as if he’s alone, facing the chaos while the world around us crumbles.
My feet feel heavy, and my body is in panic.
The strong smell of smoke grows more intense.
I turn my head to the other side and see flames consuming the castle walls.
Part of it is burning uncontrollably, making me cough violently. I cover my face with my hands, trying to filter the air, but the smoke is suffocating.
For a brief moment, I think about fleeing.
I could escape, run through another corridor, and maybe find a way out of the castle. But as much as my survival instinct pushes me to do that, I can't leave Adam behind. My feet hesitate, and in that second, everything changes.
A violent impact strikes my back.
I scream and fall to the ground, the shock leaving me dazed.
My eyes widen as I see the dead bodies around me and the ground soaked in blood.
I try to get up, but I’m disoriented. Suddenly, a large man with a disheveled beard stands before me, holding an axe. My heart races, and I retreat, my back pressed against the wall as I try to process the imminent danger.
"Stay away from me...", my voice comes out weak, but I raise the dagger Adam gave me, pointing it at the man with trembling hands.
He looks at me with contempt, and I see Adam fighting fiercely in the background. He takes down one of the men, but there are too many. The look in the man’s eyes in front of me is pure malice.
"I know who you are. You're the girl who was whipped in front of everyone and survived. I could let you go because you're human, but now you're with them. The prince's whore... all of you deserve to die!", his words are filled with hatred, and panic tightens my chest as I see the axe being raised, ready to strike me.
I try to get up quickly, but he's faster. His arm brutally grabs my hair, and before I can defend myself, he strikes my face with such force that my head snaps to the side.
I scream, falling to the ground, my head throbbing, and the metallic taste of blood fills my mouth.
The pain in my forehead makes me blink rapidly, trying to focus, but everything around me seems to spin.
He positions himself over me, his weight crushing me against the ground.
I scream and struggle as I feel his hands trying to pull at my clothes.
"Stop! Stop!", my voice is desperate, broken by sobs.
"Adam! Adam!"
My body fights with all the strength I have, but he's too strong. Despair takes over me, and fear paralyzes me.
My hands, still trembling, grip the dagger tightly, and without thinking, I plunge the blade into the man's shoulder.
He lets out a guttural scream of pain, retreating for a moment, but soon his hand grabs my neck with more force, as if he wants to crush my resistance.
Blood pours from his shoulder, but the rage in his eyes only grows.
I look around, desperate, searching for a way out, but then, our eyes meet.
I see Adam fighting two men at once. His eyes meet mine, and I see panic and fury in his gaze.
He screams, trying to get to me, but the men won’t stop. Every time he advances, they surround him, forcing him to defend himself.
"Adam, please!", my voice is broken by fear, tears streaming down my face as I try to push the man off me.
Every second feels like an eternity, and I feel like I won’t make it. His weight suffocates me, and my vision begins to blur.
Suddenly, the man's body slumps over mine with a heavy thud.
The axe drops from his hand with a dull sound, and he remains motionless.
The momentary silence is surreal, as if the world had stopped. I push his body off with difficulty, gasping for air, my chest heaving.
I look around, still confused, until I realize what happened.
A sword pierces the man's body, embedded in his back, but it wasn’t Adam who struck him. My gaze follows the direction of the blade, and as I lift my eyes, I see a figure emerging from the shadows.
The prince.
His face is wrapped in a cold, almost emotionless expression, but his eyes are locked on me, as if he can see through all my fear and vulnerability.
He walks slowly, each step heavy and deliberate, as if he’s in absolute control of the situation, despite the surrounding chaos.
I can’t stand up, I’m trembling too much to try, and I think my legs have no strength at this moment.
I don’t blink this time, but I can feel the tears soaking my face more and more.
I remain on the ground, watching the prince approach, the smoke thickening and making me dizzy, but I keep my eyes on him as he gets closer.
The torchlight on the walls illuminates his face, and I see the anger—a kind of rage I’ve never seen in him before.
But he’s not looking at me this time.
He’s looking at the man beside me who moves, still alive.
I tremble, crying, watching his cape billow in the night wind.
He’s here.
I hear Adam fighting the humans, and I see he’s no longer keeping his promise not to kill them.
He no longer seems to care about that detail and unleashes all his fury, killing the men before walking down the hallway.
But the prince reaches me first, and I watch as he pulls the sword from the man’s body, still bleeding on the ground.
“People like you don’t deserve to live; you don’t deserve the privilege of life.”, he says coldly before raising his sword.
I don’t want to watch, but I can’t look away.
The man spits blood, glaring at the prince, who easily lifts him and slams him against the wall.
I see the prince’s strength now.
He doesn’t hesitate to drive the sword into the man again and again until he’s completely dead and falls to the floor.
I blink, breathing heavily.
He saved me.