Chapter 122: Chapter 122: An unpleasant encounter (2)

I really couldn’t have expected such an unpleasant encounter during our walk.

Ruby and I were just walking peacefully, minding our own business, enjoying a rare opportunity to take a break from our work, when suddenly we found ourselves surrounded by these thugs.

Three men of unsavory appearance, with rough features and dirty clothes, clearly posed a threat. Their gazes were bold and wary, and their smirks were too confident not to be alarming.

Realizing this, I immediately decided to protect Ruby by shielding her with my body.

My heart was pounding in my throat, but I tried not to show my fear.

I knew that if they sensed even the slightest weakness, they would certainly take advantage of it.

"What do you want?" I asked coldly, looking straight at the one who seemed to be their leader.

He smirked, glancing at me with a mixture of arrogance and curiosity.

"Nothing special, milady," he drawled with false politeness. "We just decided to... get acquainted, since such beautiful ladies have come to visit us."

"We don’t need to get acquainted," I replied, trying to keep my voice firm. "Get out of the way."

The man just smiled, looking at me intently.

His eyes, narrow and cloudy, slid over me from top to bottom, and there was nothing but contempt and greed in that gaze.

"I have no idea how noble chicks like you ended up in a place like this," he said with a smirk. "But that doesn’t matter. You already know what I want."

"..."

"Give us all the money and possessions you have on you," he said, "and we’ll let you go in peace."

Hearing the gang leader’s demand, I was not particularly surprised.

To be honest, I had expected this outcome from the very beginning.

What else could people like this want, other than easy money?

I exhaled slowly, trying to maintain my composure.

And yet...

I bit my lip, feeling an unpleasant shiver run down my spine.

Of course, money was no match for the value of life. No matter how much it was — even the largest sums — it was still just metal and paper. But life, especially Ruby’s life, was infinitely more precious to me.

Yes, even if I had to swallow my pride and give everything to these vagabonds — if only it would avert disaster.

After all, no amount of money was worth risking myself or, even more so, Ruby for.

But... the problem was that I simply didn’t have any money.

We were really just going for a short walk — just to stretch our legs after a long journey. That’s why I didn’t think it necessary to take my purse with me. All our money was left in the carriage, which was parked at the count’s estate.

And now...

Now I was standing in the middle of a narrow village street in front of three suspicious men, and I had nothing in my hands to appease them.

"Well?" the leader asked impatiently, noticing my delay. "Is it really that difficult to do?"

I forced myself to remain calm and looked up.

"We... have no money on us," I said as firmly as I could, even though I felt cold inside.

"Ha."

Hearing my answer, the man just laughed loudly, and his laughter echoed with an unpleasant wheeze in the narrow street.

"Young lady," he drawled, tilting his head, "do you take us for fools? Do you think I’d believe that, looking at the clothes you’re wearing?"

His gaze lingered on my expensive dress and silk gloves, and I saw a flicker of greed in his eyes.

"But I really don’t have any money on me," I repeated, trying to make my voice sound confident.

As I continued to argue, the gangster’s mood worsened. He took a step forward, his shoulders straightened, and impatience flashed in his eyes — now he saw not just easy prey, but resistance, which he did not like.

Finally, baring his teeth, he completely lost his patience. His face darkened with a malicious shadow.

"Lady," he hissed through clenched teeth, "you’d better hand it over nicely. Don’t make me use force."

His words hung in the air like a threat. His two companions stepped closer, as if confirming their leader’s intention. Their postures were alert and ready for a sudden attack, and I realized that panic would only hurt us here.

I took another deep breath, trying to control my voice so that it remained steady:

"I repeat: we have nothing. Please let us go."

He laughed, and his laughter no longer held the same mockery as before—only distinct anger.

At that moment, the man suddenly pulled a knife from his bosom and held it threateningly in front of him. The blade glinted in the sunlight, and I involuntarily held my breath.

I was stunned, as I hadn’t expected this.

Unexpectedly, the situation became even more dangerous than it had been before.

However, what could I do, since I really didn’t have any money?

"I told you we don’t have anything!" I said, trying to make my voice sound firm, even though I was trembling inside.

The man, on the other hand, seemed to be enjoying what was happening. His lips stretched into a crooked smile, and his gaze became even more predatory.

"Ha-ha..." he drawled, taking a step closer. "If that’s really the case, then I’ll have to check it out."

"What...?" The words barely escaped my lips.

"Prove that you really have nothing," he said, deliberately waving the knife slowly through the air, as if admiring his reflection in the blade. "Or I’ll check it myself."

His hint was too obvious. Cold horror made my fingers go numb, but I tried my best to remain calm on the outside.

"Don’t even think about it," I said quietly but firmly, clenching my hands into fists.

The man smiled again.

"Hmm, you’re not as defenseless as you seem. I’m curious to see how brave you’ll be when I get closer."

He took another step forward, and now I could smell his foul breath.

"Well, noble lady... let’s see what you’re worth without your guards."

Grinning, the man with the knife continued to advance threateningly toward us. His steps were slow and measured, as if he were deliberately prolonging the moment, enjoying my fear.

And I finally realized that things were bad.

Damn it...! If I didn’t do something, it would obviously end badly. My heart was pounding in my chest, and my thoughts were confused. I felt an unpleasant chill run down my spine — a mixture of fear and anger.

But what could I do?

Panic was rising inside me, but I forced myself to focus. I had to think, not give in to my emotions. Of course, it didn’t make much sense for me to confront the gangsters, especially since they had weapons. One wrong move, and everything could end in the most tragic way.

So the only sensible decision would be to run away.

Yes, perhaps escape was really the best option in this situation.

But how could I do that? Obviously, before running away, I had to distract the gangsters somehow, delay them, create that brief moment of time that would be enough for us to get away.

While one of them continued to advance relentlessly, I looked around in panic, searching for anything that could be used as a weapon or means of defense. But I didn’t find anything nearby. There weren’t even any large rocks here.

Oh well... At least there was sand.

If I played my cards right, maybe throwing this sand would blind them for a while. The idea popped into my head quickly, like a lifeline, and now I just had to time it right.

Yes — first throw the sand in their eyes, then grab Ruby and run.

That’s exactly what I was going to do, already preparing for the right moment to bend down and throw the sand.

I slowly bent down, pretending to look for something in my bag, and, without giving the bandit any reason to suspect anything, I quietly gathered a handful of dry dust in my palm.

At that moment, I also gave Ruby a look, hoping she would understand my hint. However, she didn’t respond and just looked at me a little strangely. Still, I thought she understood my intentions.

The distance between me and the bandit was now only a few steps. My heart was beating so loudly that I thought everyone around me could hear it.

Yes, this was my best chance.

The moment to act!

At that very moment, I made up my mind: I bent down and prepared my hand with sand to throw it in his eyes. But suddenly...

Just at that moment, when I was distracted, focused on my plan, and my hand was already moving forward...

I heard this strange, sharp sound — something between a wheeze and a gurgle, which sent shivers down my spine.

Looking up and staring straight ahead, I was completely stunned, as if the world around me had frozen.

The sand I was clutching so tightly suddenly slipped out of my loosened fingers, scattering on the ground in a useless pile — I just froze in shock, unable to move.

There, just a few feet away from us, the thug who had just been waving a knife around, threatening to kill us, suddenly turned and, with insane fury, plunged that same knife into the throat of his own accomplice.

The blade went in deep, with a disgusting squelch, and warm, sticky blood splattered everywhere — on the sand, on their clothes, and even on my face. The bandit grabbed his wound, trying to stop the fountain, but it was too late. His eyes rolled back, and he slumped to the ground like a broken doll.