If Lindsay Windson were to die, Thorne Steelhart would likely ensure no one else escaped punishment upon his return. With that thought in mind, the maid hesitated before stepping forward to untie the ropes binding Lindsay.
Bang!
The moment the ropes were undone, Lindsay suddenly struck. Her fist landed squarely on the back of the maid’s head, leaving her unconscious in an instant. Lindsay’s expression quickly shifted, her face returning to calm and determination.
It was all an act. She had feigned weakness to trick the maid into freeing her. Now, with the maid unconscious, Lindsay stripped her of her clothes and donned the uniform herself. Moments later, dressed as a servant, Lindsay stepped out of the room.
Once outside, she noticed guards patrolling the area, but none paid her any attention; her disguise was flawless. Wasting no time, Lindsay began her escape from Prince Thorne’s manor.
More than an hour later, the maid regained consciousness. Realizing Lindsay was gone, she screamed in panic, “This is bad! Someone, help! The Amerosia woman has escaped! She’s escaped!”
Her cries threw the entire manor into chaos. Everyone knew what Lindsay meant to Thorne Steelhart. If the prince discovered her escape, no one would be spared from his rage. The guards mobilized immediately, scouring every corner of the estate for Lindsay.
—
Meanwhile, on the streets of Silver Crown, a young man strode purposefully. This man was none other than Chris.
Chris had come to Silver Crown with one goal: to rescue Lindsay Windson. After gathering information, he quickly located Thorne Steelhart’s manor. It wasn’t hard; Thorne’s status as a prince of Great Lyria made his residence well-known.
Chris gazed at the estate, his face cold and resolved. “Lindsay, I’m here. I’ll get you out of this, no matter what.”
With those words, he leaped over the walls, landing silently within the manor grounds. Almost immediately, he grabbed a guard, twisting his arm behind his back.
“Tell me where the Amerosia woman is,” Chris demanded, his voice low and menacing. “You’d better speak, or I’ll kill you.”
The terrified guard stammered, “Mercy! Please! The woman Prince Thorne brought here… she escaped!”
“What?” Chris’s expression shifted to shock. He had not expected Lindsay to have already fled. Where could she have gone?
Without hesitation, Chris knocked the guard unconscious with a single punch and began searching for any trace of Lindsay. He didn’t linger; time was of the essence.
—
At the same time, Lindsay was running for her life. After escaping the manor, she had fled into the streets, desperate to put as much distance as possible between herself and the estate. But her freedom was short-lived.
“Think you can escape? Let’s see how far you’ll get,” a cold voice called out as a figure descended from above, blocking her path.
The man before her was a Solstice-level fighter, one of the many powerful warriors Thorne Steelhart had hired to guard his estate. As a prince of Great Lyria, Thorne had no shortage of skilled combatants at his disposal. This Solstice-level warrior had been dispatched the moment Lindsay’s escape was discovered.
The man smirked as he stepped forward, and Lindsay’s heart sank in despair. She turned to run, but she was no match for his speed. Within moments, she was captured.
—
Back at the Great Lyria royal palace, Prince Thorne Steelhart was being berated by his father, King Morrison Steelhart.
“If you weren’t my son, I’d have you executed for your incompetence!” the king roared.
Humiliated, Thorne returned to his manor, still fuming from his father’s scolding. Upon arriving, he was met with the news of Lindsay’s escape. His anger erupted.
However, before long, Lindsay was dragged back to the estate by the Solstice warrior, her spirit crushed. Thorne approached her with a cruel smile.
“Did you really think you could escape from me? This is Silver Crown, the heart of Great Lyria! You must be dreaming if you thought you’d get away.”
Lindsay’s face was pale with despair. She knew that being recaptured meant there was no escape from Thorne’s clutches. In that moment, she resolved to take her own life if Thorne tried to violate her. She would rather die than allow him to tarnish her dignity.
Bang!
Suddenly, a deafening noise shattered the tense silence. One of the guards was sent flying through the air, landing lifelessly on the ground. Gasps of shock rippled through the crowd.
A figure emerged from the smoke and chaos-it was Chris. Sword in hand, he tore through the guards like a whirlwind. Blood splattered the ground as one after another fell to his blade.
“Lindsay, it’s me,” Chris called out. Tears streamed down Lindsay’s face as she recognized him.
“Mr. Shelby… Is it really you? You came to save me?”
Her heart swelled with emotion. She had dreamed of Chris rescuing her, but with Silver Crown being so heavily fortified, she had thought it impossible. Yet here he was.
Screams echoed through the manor as guards fell one by one. Despite their strength, none could match Chris’s ferocity. Within moments, hundreds of guards lay dead in pools of blood.
Thorne Steelhart, watching from a distance, clenched his fists in rage. “Kill him!” he roared.
At his command, the Solstice-level warrior charged at Chris. The two clashed, their fists colliding with a thunderous boom. The impact sent Chris flying backward.
Thorne laughed triumphantly. “You fool! You walked straight into your own grave. Last time at Shoreline Gate, you humiliated me, but today, I’ll have my revenge. This is Silver Crown, the capital of Great Lyria. You’re surrounded by my forces. No matter how strong you are, you’re doomed!”