The soldiers below hadn't given up even after bringing Drake down. Instead, they shifted their focus, scrambling to scale the rooftops.
The more I surged forward, the tighter the white-cloaked figure behind held me back.
"Please, Your Highness, we have to go!" The voice behind urged, breathless with urgency.
In the struggle, I accidentally tugged the cloth from their face. Under the moonlight, Monica's face emerged. I froze, and my resistance stilled.
Jasper had sent them.
To rescue me… or to drag me back to his sacred gilded cage?
In a life-or-death moment like this, I would cling to any lifeline, whether it's silk or barbed wire.
I shoved Monica's hands off, eyes burning as I snapped out a demand:
"I'll go. But he's coming with me." I pointed down at Drake's limp, blood-soaked form.
Monica hesitated, her eyes darting between me and the soldiers beginning to climb the walls. Her lips pressed into a line, caught between protocol and my request.
