Reborn, Its Time To Save My Family And.. My Enemy!
Chapter 256: A Rebel!

He did not choose her as his priority but that did not mean he did not care at all. He would trade her life for his without hesitation. He could not wait to hold her in his arms again. But as he reached closer to the manor, his heart reached his throat.

The scent of ash and blood had filled the air around the manor. His eyes widened at the sight of a broken bridge that allowed anyone to enter the manor. A frozen lake separates the ground and the rock where the manor was built.

It was to ensure safety. Until the bridge was opened from the inside of the manor, no one could enter it. There was no knight guarding the broken bridge anymore. A horse could not cross the bridge, but he still could if he would be careful enough.

He dismounted from his horse and patted it.

"Thank you for bringing me here. Now I set you free my friend. Eat as much as you want and I hope you would not hold me liable for my urgency." The horse seemed to understand his words. He neighed and rubbed its head on his hands before galloping away.

Rhistel did not stop to see the horse. He took careful steps toward his manor without making a noise. He was not sure what was going inside and if he should alert anyone of his presence.

His eyes coughed the charred banners, broken doors and the bodies of wounded knights sprawled across the blackened courtyard. Smoke still rose in pale spirals from corners of the estate. Panic gripped his chest like a vice.

His breath came in ragged bursts, dread curling in his gut like a beast with claws. There was no sight of enemies. Had they already lost the war? He ran to the nearest knight and checked his pulse. It was faint but the man was still alive.

"How did this happen?" he asked in a petrified voice but the knight was unconscious and could not reply.

He asked many of them, but surprisingly none of them was in his senses and could not reply. His hands clenched into a tight fist. Whoever had done this would pay with his life.

But if the trained knights were in such condition. What about Oriana and the kids!

"Oriana..." he whispered, with fear crawling in his chest. He made a mistake by not choosing her two nights ago! The witches must have... he could not even dare to imagine what might have happened!

He ran inside with hasty steps without caring about the broken shards fallen on the ground. He did not dare to raise his voice as he checked doors after doors, most were empty. Though he did not have a large number of maids serving him like a royal palace, he still had twenty of them.

He should have at least found one so far. Dread filled him as his mind reeled to the worst imaginations.

Only the kitchen was left on the first floor. With dread, he held the door but was stunned to hear voices from inside.

"Where is orana?" he asked before opening the door as he was sure these were his maids. But what stunned him was the girl standing in the middle of it holding the daggers.

She must have heard his steps since the first dagger flew from her hands as he entered and brushed his shoulders before falling on the wall behind him.

His eyes were wide open and he did not dare breathe.

"Oriana!" Her gown was stained with soot, her hair hastily braided back, a line of sweat marking her temple, but she was alive and standing strong.

"My lord!" she took a shaky breath of relief as she threw the other dagger on the ground and ran to him.

Without a word, he crossed the distance between them and pulled her into his arms. She stiffened only for a second before wrapping her arms tightly around his waist.

"What is all this?" he asked in a worry when she let him go.

Her face flushed as she took a step back, suddenly realizing that they were not alone there. She cleared her throat and the maids looked away, smiling.

"The medicine is prepared. You would go in groups and tend to the knights. A group would hold the bows to attack anyone who would try to harm us. While the other group would slowly feed medicines to the injured. We will find a way to bring them inside now that the lord has returned." he watched her in awe as she was issuing orders to the maids. This was the first time he felt a commanding air around her and it was not related to arranging a ball.

Her voice was calm and unwavering. She turned just as maids bowed and ran off with her command, and her eyes landed on Rhistel again.

"I thought..." he began, but the words caught in his throat. He exhaled shakily. "I thought you were gone."

Her grip around him tightened, just briefly. "So did I," she said softly.

He stepped back, cupping her face, scanning her features for any wounds, any hint of injury. "You are not hurt?"

She shook her head. "No. I’m fine. The knights secured the whole manor and sacrificed their lives to save us." Her voice held the weariness of battle, but no fear.

"What happened?" he demanded. "Who attacked the manor in my absence?" Although he did not reach for her at once, he had kept eyes on the clondoire family and made sure they did not leave their manor at all.