How to Tame My Beastly Husband

How to Tame My Beastly Husband — Chapter 210. Piggyback Ride

Allamand’s purple eyes, a remnant of the royal family’s legacy, looked contemptuously at the fallen man.

“No one may shed the blue blood of a Bavaria,” he said firmly. “No one.”

Annette stared at her father blankly. The two of them were both the worse for wear, with her always-perfect blonde hair tousled. Her cold father, elegant and dignified no matter the circumstances, was breathing heavily.

Maybe in all this chaos he had…searched for her?

Maybe she was a fool to hope so. If she had asked him, Allamand would surely turn away without dignifying the question with an answer. But there was a strange emotion in her father’s purple eyes as he held out his hand.

Relief. Relief that he had found her in time. Relief that she was safe, despite everything that had happened.

“Father…” She said, and then couldn’t say anything else for a moment. For a moment, she had thought he looked as if he might cry, but surely she was mistaken. Was it just the stress of the attack?

There wasn’t time to think about it. After he had helped her up, she hurried over to check on Celestine. Her ankle was still bleeding, but fortunately Allamand produced a handkerchief, and Annette tied it over the wound to staunch the bleeding.

“Please, help us,” she said. “Celestine can’t walk anymore.”

Her father’s eyes narrowed. He and Marquis Keers had been butting heads politically lately, with the Marquis attacking Bavaria on every conceivable front, as revenge for Celestine’s kidnapping. He could not know that the true culprits were elsewhere.

Allamand would not like this request. Especially since Celestine had also taken Annette’s place as Crown Princess.

“Please, Father,” she pleaded, as he looked at Celestine, expressionless. “She is my dearest friend…”

Annette’s dearest friend was frozen like a mouse before a serpent under that cold stare. Allamand finally let the cane in his hand drop and turned his back.

“Come. I’ll give you a piggyback ride.”

“…What?” Celestine asked, dumbfounded at the words.

“I don’t like to repeat myself,” Allamand said testily.

“But–”

“Come on, Celestine,” Annette said, helping her up. “I’ll help you.”

Celestine stiffened awkwardly as she wrapped her arms around Allamand Bavaria’s neck. She couldn’t imagine Duke Bavaria carrying her like this, and would have happily broken both her legs and crawled across the floor instead. But those wishes were entirely ignored.

Finally, they found their way to the garden behind the palace. In the distance, they could see the flames rising from the banquet hall, but Annette felt somehow that that was where they must go to find help.

“Hold on a little longer, Celestine. You’ll be fine when we get there.”

Allamand frowned. Such prattling seemed useless to him, and insulting when her noble father was sweating, carrying Celestine on his back. The Duke of Bavaria was having a difficult time.

“Just a little more, Father,” Annette encouraged him, as if she had heard those thoughts. “Thank you for saving us.”

Allamand’s expression lightened, though he said nothing. As she said, they had to get where they were going, and the sooner they did, the sooner he could shed this burden.

They hurried on, clinging to this hope. But the King was not an easy man to defeat. Before they could exit the garden, another group of men appeared before them.

“Who the hell are you?” Allamand demanded icily. The foremost man bowed.

“Your Grace. I did not expect to find you here. Our target was the ladies. Unfortunately you will have to die with them. We are just carrying out our instructions, I am sure you understand.”