"Handle it gently and pass it to me."
"Yes, over there! Hurry!"
....
'Ugh... what is all this noise...? Is that annoying voice again...? Just ignore it... ignore it.'
Dust fell across her face.
Irene gasped weakly.
She opened her eyes, but quickly shut them again when a faint light stung them.
She tried to open them once more, struggling against the weakness in her body.
The faint light was coming from the direction of the door, and the voices of men nearby were coming from the same place.
They weren't hallucinations...
There were really people outside.
She tried desperately to sit up, but her body had already reached its limit. Every muscle screamed in pain, and there was almost no strength left in her.
She began trying to call for help with her hoarse voice, her throat raw from all the screaming.
"Hah... I'm here..."
She clutched her throat.
It hurt terribly. Even speaking made it feel as though her throat was being torn apart.
'Oh no... I don't think they'll hear me.'
She tried to shout again.
"Please..."
Cough. Cough.
She took a shaky breath before gathering whatever strength she had left.
"Please... I'm here... I'm here! Help me!"
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"Ah! I heard that!"
Irene's faint groan had reached them.
One of the men immediately raised his head.
"Yes, Your Majesty! Please hold on a little longer!"
In the other hand the moment Lucas heard her voice...
That very voice he had convinced himself he hated hearing...
Suddenly became the one thing he desperately wanted to hear.
For a moment, he froze.
Then his body moved before his mind could even give it an order.
His feet carried him forward on their own.
Faster...
And faster...
Toward the source of the voice.
At last, the carriage door emerged from beneath the rubble.
Even before all the dirt and stones surrounding it had been cleared, Lucas began desperately trying to force it open.
"Lucas!"
Louie shouted when he saw what he was doing.
"What are you doing?! The door is still jammed! If you move like that, the carriage won't hold!"
But Lucas didn't stop.
"Just get out of the way! I'll get it open!"
There was no point talking to him now...
Lucas had lost the last shred of his patience.
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Crack!
Crack!
Suddenly, a powerful light broke through from above.
The light was painfully bright to Irene's eyes.
The very light she had been waiting for for days...
She couldn't even bear to look at it.
"Irene."
Her breathing stopped for a moment.
It was the first time Lucas had ever called his wife by her name like that
....
From his perspective
That woman whose beauty had become the talk of the entire kingdom...
was now covered in dust.
She hid her face behind her wounded hands, her body looking completely drained of strength.
In a calm voice he called her again:
"Irene..."
She was still struggling against the sudden light, desperately trying to open her eyes.
Through the white haze clouding her vision, his face slowly emerged before her.
His face...
bathed in that light.
'Ah... why... him...?'
Then she noticed something she never expected to see.
'Why ... why is he ....crying?'
"Irene... take my hand."
Irene moved, trying to slowly pull herself up.
Then she tried to stand, but her body refused to cooperate.
The dizziness overwhelmed her, and everything around her began to spin.
She collapsed again.
Lucas moved quickly, attempting to climb into the carriage, but the soldiers immediately stopped him.
"My Lord! It's too dangerous for you to go down there!"
"Let go of me!!"
Lucas shoved the soldiers aside and climbed down.
Irene looked toward him, barely conscious.
He approached her and gently caught her...
without even realizing what he was doing.
He pulled her into his arms.
His breathing grew heavier.
"I'm sorry... I'm very very sorry...for everything...thank you for staying alive"
Silence fell over everyone.
Louie, watching from above, could hardly believe what he was seeing.
In all his life, when had he ever seen his childhood friend apologize to anyone like this?
And in front of everyone, no less?
When had his feelings grown this close to her?
Lucas himself didn't know the answer.
All he knew was that when he saw her buried beneath the rubble, he had felt something he couldn't ignore.
Fear.
Real fear to lose her forever
Fear that she might be gone That woman, whose presence used to bother him, now became attached to her without him understanding how or when i don't want her to go
Irene spoke in her hoarse voice ignoring everything he just said:
"Just... get me out of here, please... I'm begging you."
"I will! Don't be afraid."
Lucas took Irene's hands and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Hold on to me tightly, like this... Can you do that?"
Irene was completely limp in his arms, her eyes still closed because of the light.
Lucas lifted her and stood.
He moved toward the door and grabbed its edge with one hand.
With one hand he lifted all his weight Then approached the door, and before the soldiers arrived...
Suddenly—
CRACK!
"Ahhh..."
Itene screamed
Louie shouted:
"Everyone, get back!!!"
A thick cloud of dust burst down from above.
....
One of the soldiers shouted:
"Damn it! The ceiling has collapsed!"
Louis rushed forward.
"Lucas! Are you two all right?!"
"We're fine... Ah, damn it."
"Don't worry! We'll get you both out quickly!"
Below, Irene was lying on the ground with Lucas's body positioned over hers.
He had placed himself above her without hesitation, using his own body to shield her from the falling debris.
"Are you all right?"
Irene was breathing with difficulty.
"No... Get me out of here... I can't breathe..."
"Calm down. I promise I'll get you out. Just try to breathe slowly."
With Lucas's body bearing the entire weight of the rubble while leaving enough space for Irene, the exhausted muscles throughout his body began to tremble.
The pain was crushing his entire body.
But Lucas remained still.
He refused to move.
He wouldn't let his body collapse onto her.
Outside, the soldiers desperately worked to remove the stones as quickly as they could.
"Damn it... damn it..."
Irene began to cry.
"I can't breathe... I feel like I'm going to pass out..."
"Please, just hold on for a few more minutes. You've been strong all these days... Just hold on a little longer."
But Lucas's voice slowly began to fade in Irene's ears.
She was already losing consciousness from suffocation.
Little by little, her trembling body began to relax.
Lucas felt it.
"Irene?"
No response.
"Irene!"
Nothing.
His eyes widened.
"Damn it..."
Lucas brought his face closer and used his chin to open her mouth. Then he pressed his lips against hers and began forcing air into her lungs.
Once...
Twice...
Until Irene suddenly regained consciousness and opened her eyes.
His face was pressed against hers.
She immediately turned her head sharply to the right.
"What are you doing?!"
Lucas pulled his face away.
"My Lord!!"
"Hurry! My body has reached its limit!"
"Yes!"
Finally, the weight crushing Lucas's back was lifted.
Lucas turned toward Irene, who was still beneath him.
"Hold on to my neck. I'll count to three, then stand."
Irene didn't respond.
"Did you hear me?"
Irene answered weakly:
"Just move away... I'll stand on my own."
"We can't move separately. Your body is too weak . Hold on to my neck!"
Irene looked at him.
Then she wrapped her arms around him.
Lucas placed one arm around her waist and stood.
Fortunately, the collapse had created a large opening through which the soldiers were able to move quickly.
Lucas lifted Irene into his arms again and finally carried her out of the carriage.
The moment they emerged
cheers and shouts erupted around them, as though their escape were something to celebrate.
But to Lucas, there was still nothing worth celebrating.
All he cared about was making sure she was safe
To be continued.....
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