Chapter 274: A Night Of Fear PT 3

Ivan stood outside the servants’ entrance with Boris and several guards.

His expression was tense as he looked toward the dark road ahead.

Boris had just arrived with the news that they had found tracks belonging to the carriage that had left the palace.

"They found the tracks," Boris said. "The carriage went this way."

Ivan looked down at the ground.

The marks from the wheels were still visible in the dirt.

"How long ago?"

"Not long."

Ivan’s jaw tightened.

He did not waste another second.

"Prepare my horse."

One of the guards immediately bowed.

"Yes, Your Highness."

Ivan turned to Boris.

"We follow them."

Boris nodded.

"We will."

Within a short time, Ivan, Boris, and several guards were on horseback.

They rode as fast as they could.

The night was dark, and the road ahead became narrower as they moved farther away from the palace. The horses’ hooves struck the ground hard, but Ivan did not slow down.

He kept his eyes fixed ahead.

Lydia was somewhere on that road.

He did not know who had taken her.

He did not know what they wanted.

But he knew one thing.

He had to reach her.

"Your Highness!" one of the guards called from behind.

Ivan turned his head slightly.

"The tracks are still here!"

"Keep following them!"

They continued riding.

The tracks eventually led away from the main road and toward the woods.

Ivan looked ahead.

The trees grew thicker, making the path harder to see.

"Into the woods," Boris said.

Ivan tightened his grip on the reins.

"Keep going."

The horses entered the woods.

Branches scratched against their clothes as they rode deeper inside.

Ivan’s heart was beating hard.

He could only pray they were not too late.

---

Lydia looked around the small room.

Her heart was pounding.

Then she turned toward the man standing in front of her.

The moment she saw his face clearly, her eyes widened.

It was the Baron.

Konstantin Fedorov.

Lydia stared at him in disbelief.

Then she scoffed.

"I should have known."

Konstantin smiled.

"Good evening, Your Highness."

His voice was filled with hatred and sarcasm.

Lydia looked at him from head to toe.

"Kidnapping the Grand Duchess?"

She shook her head.

"You have some nerve."

Konstantin took a step toward her.

Lydia did not move.

"Either you must be completely crazy," she said, "or you have a death wish."

Her voice was firm despite the fear growing inside her.

"Touching even a strand of my hair can get you beheaded."

Konstantin’s smile disappeared.

"Crazy?"

He laughed bitterly.

"Yes. I am."

He took another step toward her.

"As for death, I’ve already suffered worse humiliation than death."

His eyes were full of anger.

"I lost everything because of you."

Lydia frowned.

"Because of me?"

"You know exactly what you did."

"I passed a law that protects women from being trapped in terrible marriages."

Konstantin’s face twisted with anger.

"You destroyed men like me."

"You lost your property because of your own actions."

His hands curled into fists.

"I am even about to lose the barony."

Lydia stared at him.

"Then perhaps you should have thought about that before treating your wife like she was your property."

Konstantin’s breathing became heavier.

Lydia could see the anger in his face.

But beneath that anger, she could also see something else.

Fear.

He was afraid of losing everything.

Yet instead of accepting responsibility, he had decided to blame her.

"What more can I lose?" he asked.

His voice became quieter.

"I have already lost everything."

He looked at Lydia.

"But at least I won’t go down alone."

Lydia’s heart began beating faster.

Konstantin reached into his coat.

"I’ll take that pretty head of yours with me."

One of the men standing nearby looked at him.

"My lord, do you need us to kill her?"

Konstantin looked at the man.

"No."

He held out his hand.

"I’ll do it myself."

The man hesitated before handing him a dagger.

Konstantin took it.

He looked at the weapon for a moment.

Then he looked back at Lydia.

"I’ll kill this evil bitch myself."

Lydia’s eyes stayed on the dagger.

For the first time, the confidence in her expression began to weaken.

She knew Konstantin was not a trained fighter.

She could see the way his hand trembled around the dagger.

He was angry.

He wanted revenge.

But he had never been someone who killed people with his own hands.

That did not make him less dangerous.

A frightened and angry man holding a weapon could still hurt someone.

Konstantin stepped toward her.

Lydia slowly moved backward.

"Stay away from me."

He kept coming.

"Lydia..."

"Don’t come any closer."

Her back moved farther away until she had nowhere else to go.

Her foot caught on something.

She lost her balance.

Lydia fell to the ground.

Konstantin raised the dagger.

His hand was shaking.

For a brief moment, he hesitated.

Lydia looked up at him.

Then her eyes moved quickly around the floor.

There.

A small nail lay beside her.

She reached for it.

Her fingers closed around the nail just as the sound of footsteps came from outside.

Then the door was suddenly forced open.

"LYDIA!"

Damir rushed into the room.

Konstantin jumped.

The dagger slipped from his hand and fell to the floor.

One of the men immediately turned toward Damir.

"You."

He reached for his weapon.

Then he looked at the other man.

"Stay here. I’ll deal with him."

The man rushed toward Damir.

Damir raised his arm and blocked the attack.

They began fighting.

Lydia barely had time to think.

Konstantin bent down to pick up the dagger.

She saw his hand reaching for it.

Fear took over.

Before he could grab the weapon, Lydia drove the nail into his eye.

Konstantin screamed.

"AAAH!"

He fell backward, clutching his face.

Blood immediately began running between his fingers.

His scream filled the room.

Lydia froze for half a second.

She had not planned it.

She had not wanted to hurt anyone.

She had simply been trying to survive.

But there was no time to think about it.

The dagger was lying only a short distance away.

Lydia quickly reached for it and grabbed it.

She stood up, holding the weapon tightly in both hands.

The remaining man noticed her.

He started moving toward her.

Lydia raised the dagger.

"Don’t come near me!"

The man stopped.

Her hands were shaking.

But she did not lower the weapon.

"I mean it."

The man stared at her.

Lydia took a step backward.

"If you come any closer, I’ll stab you."

Behind her, Damir was still fighting the other man.

Their struggle grew louder as they moved across the room.

Konstantin remained on the ground.

He was screaming in pain, blood running down his face as he desperately held his injured eye.

"My eye!"

He screamed again.

"My eye!"

Lydia’s breathing was fast.

She kept the dagger pointed at the remaining man.

"Stay away from me."

The man took another step.

Lydia raised the dagger higher.

"I said stay away!"

Damir struggled with the other attacker nearby.

Neither of them noticed the horses approaching somewhere beyond the woods.

Neither of them knew how close Ivan was.

Lydia stood trembling with the dagger pointed at the man.

Damir fought desperately on the other side of the room.

And Konstantin screamed on the floor, blood pouring from his injured eye.

The entire room had descended into chaos.

And Lydia had no idea what would happen next.