性瘾者

"DUKE QUINZEL, I'm sorry but your daughter is gone."

Rufus heard what the doctor just said, but his mind and heart couldn't process it. He felt numb all over. All he knew at that moment was this: a part of him died as well.

If it wasn't for Amber's heart-wrenching cry, he wouldn't have snapped out of it.

"I can't accept that," Rufus said, then he grabbed the doctor by the collar. "Hanna's personal Healing Sage is on her way here. Do everything you can to bring back my daughter until our doctor arrives here!"

He never liked yelling at other people.

His pathetic behavior right now was unbecoming of a noble like him.

The doctor and the team behind him (two female nurses, and two younger male doctors) looked quite scared of him now.

But he couldn't control his raging emotions at the moment.

"I'm s-sorry, Your Grace," the doctor who looked scared by now said in a shaking voice. "We can't do anything for your daughter anymore," he said, avoiding his gaze. "M-Moreover, my team is needed elsewhere."

"Your Grace," a female nurse behind the doctor said. Unlike the doctor, the nurse didn't seem shaken by his threat. In fact, she looked tired and done with everything. "I'm sorry for saying this but your daughter isn't the only victim of the bombing attack."

That reminder was like a slap on the face.

He and Amber saw the number of victims from the explosion when they rushed back to the café after the explosion. His men were already there and he let his vice-captain lead the rescue operation.

Then, he used his Shadow Manipulation Technique to pick up the debris of the café and save as many survivors as he could.

On the other hand, Amber used her ability to trace Hanna.

When they finally saw their daughter's terrible state, he knew that they didn't have the luxury of waiting for their family's Healing Sage who happened to be out of town.

Thus, he decided to bring Hanna to the biggest hospital in the Royal Capital. But since it was also the nearest one, the majority of the victims were also rushed in there. It was unbelievably congested when they arrived at the hospital.

But because he was the duke of House Quinzel and the highest-ranked noble in there, his daughter was treated first. The best doctor and the best team handled Hanna's operation.

It was ironic how he hated the privileges that the nobles had compared to the commoners.

And yet, he was abusing his privilege right now.

He weakly let go of the doctor's collar.

"We're really sorry, Your Grace," the lead doctor said, then he bowed to him and Amber. "May your daughter rest in the arms of Lord Yule peacefully, Duke and Duchess Quinzel."

The nurses and the other doctors bowed to them as well.

After politely saying goodbye to him and his wife, the doctors and the nurses left in a hurry to attend to other patients.

Now, he and his wife were left grief-stricken in front of the operating room was Hanna had been taken to a while ago. The doctors only spent an hour there. It seemed like the chances of Hanna surviving the explosion were extremely low from the beginning.

To be honest, both he and Amber already knew that.

After all, Hanna was barely breathing when they rushed her to the hospital.

Their daughter's whole body was severely burned– especially her face. Her little body was covered in blood. Worse, her legs were barely attached to her body. After all, when they found their daughter inside the café, the lower part of her body was crushed by heavy debris.

He could tell that Hanna's Mana protected her as much as it could. If their daughter was an ordinary child, she would have been torn into pieces by an explosion as strong as that.

My poor baby…

He clenched his hands tight until his nails dug into his palms.

To be honest, he didn't want his daughter to be alone in that cold room. But he didn't have the courage to see her yet. Because that would be like accepting that Hanna was really gone.

"This is my fault," Amber said in a weak, heartbreaking voice. Then, she fell on the floor. "If I didn't ask Hanna to meet Regina, this wouldn't have happened…"

He turned to his wife and his heart broke even more.

Amber was the best example of a perfect noblewoman. Her manners and etiquette were the envy of the ladies all over the empire.

It was the first time that he saw his wife in that state.

She slouched on the floor while looking at the operating room's door with a devastated look on her face. Her tears fell silently on her cheeks. But the pain in her empty eyes was loud.

Amber was broken.

I have to be strong for my wife.

"Darling, none of this is your fault," he said to his wife, then he knelt down beside her and gathered her in his arms. "Please don't blame yourself, Amber. Hanna wouldn't be happy if you take the blame for what happened to her."

Amber sobbed loudly this time, then she buried her face in his chest.

He told himself that he needed to be strong for his wife, but all he could do right now was to cry with her.

Hanna, I'm sorry for failing to protect you…

And Rufus swore that whoever was behind the bombing attack would pay with their lives.

***

NEOMA could tell that something was wrong.

She was still confused as to why she heard Hanna in her head saying goodbye to her when Sir Glenn arrived.

But after greeting her seriously, the knight went straight to Saint Zavaroni.

"Your Holiness, Miss Gale, you have been summoned by His Majesty," Sir Glenn said seriously. "I will give you the location now."

Then, the knight leaned down to whisper in the saint's ear.

Since Spirits had sharp senses, Mochi didn't have to lean in to listen. The White Bunny's soft gasp made it obvious that she heard everything.

But the most worrisome thing was the fact that the saint suddenly turned pale.

"Princess Neoma, I apologize but our class for today ends here. Let's just continue some other day," Saint Zavaroni said, then he stood up and turned to Mochi. "Miss Gale, shall we go?"

Mochi nodded, then she hopped into the saint's arms. "My teleportation spell is faster so I'll bring us there."

Before she could even ask what was happening, Saint Zavaroni and Mochi were suddenly gone with the wind.

What the heck?

Her anxiety seriously spiked up now.

"Sir Glenn, what's happening?" Neoma asked nervously, her heart beating fast and loud against her chest. Even her trembling hands turned cold from fear. She didn't want to admit this but based on what she heard in her mind earlier, she already had an idea about what was going on. "D-Did something happen to Hanna?"

She felt Lewis shift on his feet uncomfortably behind her.

It seemed like her son also felt uneasy because of her obvious nervousness.

"Princess Neoma, we received an unfortunate piece of news a while ago," Sir Glenn said in a sad voice. Even though there were no tears on his face, it still looked like he was crying. "There was a bombing attack in the Royal Capital," he said, then he gulped before he continued. "Lady Hanna Quinzel was one of the casualties."

"No!" Neoma screamed, her knees suddenly giving up on her because of shock. The next thing she knew, she was already on the ground while clutching her chest tight and crying her heart out. She couldn't breathe. She felt like dying at the moment. "Hanna…"

***

RUFUS mourning was interrupted when he felt a familiar Mana cover the entire hallway. When he turned to his side, he was surprised to see Count Kyle Sprouse.

And the count wasn't alone.

"Stand up, Duke and Duchess Quinzel," Kyle said in a commanding voice. "His Majesty is here."

To say that he was shocked would be an understatement.

He heard the count's command, but he couldn't move a muscle. Even Amber could only raise her head. Both he and his wife were shocked that His Majesty came here in person.

Kyle's Mana is probably preventing people outside his barrier to see us.

"Don't mourn Hanna Quinzel yet," Emperor Nikolai said while pulling down the hood of his cloak. Then, he looked down at him and Amber with glowing ash gray eyes. "If you want to bring your daughter back to life, stand up and follow me."

Amber gasped in surprise. "Your Majesty…"

Rufus, now filled with hope, nodded at His Majesty's command. Then, he stood up and helped his wife get up as well. "Your Majesty, we're much obliged."

***

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***

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