Bree didn't know what was wrong. She just lightly kicked Briar's stomach, not excessively. Bree hadn't even had a chance to pull the reins to rein her in. Briar was acting strangely for no apparent reason.
"I beg you to calm down," Bree whispered.
Bree tried her best to stay calm, remembering she must not panic. It was challenging as the large river started to become clear in front of her eyes. Briar didn't slow down at all, moving forward without caring about anything.
"I beg you not to be like this."
Bree tapped Briar's neck a little harder, as taught by Rad yesterday, and pulled the reins harder. But it was useless; Briar only snorted and neighed without reducing his speed.
"Release the reins!"
A shout came from the side, and Bree saw Rad chasing, with Mir also galloping at high speed.
"What do you mean?!" Bree shouted as the sound of the two horses' hooves was deafening.
"Release the reins!" Rad repeated.
"What do you mean release? I'll fall off!" Bree felt the command was foolish; holding onto the reins was what kept her from staying on Briar's back.
"Just let go! Don't be stubborn!" Rad yelled.
Bree wasn't being stubborn; she just didn't trust the advice because she thought it was a bit nonsensical. Bree feared being thrown out if she let go.
"Release it now! Trust me!"
Rad's following shout finally made Bree slowly release the reins. She realized that Rad had more experience with riding horses than her.
"Get ready!" Rad shouted again, as the river was only a few meters away now.
"Get ready for..."
BUGH!
Rad jumped from Mir's back, throwing Bree's body down and grabbing the berry's body from atop Briar's back before she could finish her sentence. The white horse was still running, plunging into the rocky river, while Bree was already in Rad's embrace.
Rad's body hit the grassy ground by the riverbank, creating a loud thud. However, due to the sudden ambush, Bree, who wasn't prepared, flinched slightly, and her head hit a rock on the riverbank.
Bree only managed to glance at Rad's face briefly before a painful sting on her head plunged her entire vision into darkness.
***
Today, Rad was facing a very challenging task. Since the convoy set out, Rad had been silently complaining, responding to Trey's idea of having Bree ride close to him.
It was a very bad suggestion, but Rad couldn't object to it. It would be ridiculous if he prohibited Trey from being close to Bree. While he himself couldn't move away from Trey either because the man was asking hundreds of questions to learn the details about the farming system in Marseilles,.
Since then, Rad has had to painstakingly control his breath, as he learned last night. It wasn't perfect, but it was better than holding his breath entirely, as he used to when he was with Bree yesterday.
The headwind blowing from the front somewhat alleviated this difficult task, scattering Bree's scent backward without piercing his nose. However, the wind assistance became useless when Briar began to run wildly.
Rad automatically urged Mir to run at maximum speed, while his mind fought to resist the intoxicating aroma that Bree emitted from the front.
The only solution Rad could think of to save Bree was by removing her from Briar's back. Briar's continued advance, despite the river ahead, demonstrated his unyielding nature. A normal Briar would have slowed down upon seeing the river. The small river around the camp was not dangerous, but the one ahead was full of large rocks. Rad knew it well because he was very familiar with this area.
However, the result of Rad's ambush didn't match his expectations, and now Rad faced another challenge as blood streamed from Bree's forehead.
Rad gritted his teeth, holding back all the crazy thoughts in his head from succumbing to desire. Rad's jaw clenched tightly. This was the greatest trial he had ever faced in his life. But his sanity quickly returned when he felt Bree's head droop.
"Bree?!" Rad released Bree and laid her on the grass. Her body lay still.
"Bree!" Rad shook her shoulders, but Bree still didn't respond. It made him realize that Bree was in critical condition.
Rad pulled off his cloak and covered Bree's body, especially her wound, hoping it would reduce the overpowering scent.
Rad didn't know how long he could hold himself back; all he knew was that he needed to get Bree to safety and distance himself from her. Bree's blood was a heavy temptation.
"Your Grace!"
A calling cry came from Edmond, who managed to catch up first, followed by Trey, who hastily dismounted from his horse.
"BREE!" Trey shrieked, rushing to Bree, but Rad had already lifted her body, covered entirely by the cloak.
"What... how..."
Trey couldn't finish his sentence, but it was clear what he wanted to ask.
"Bree requires immediate medical attention." That was all Rad could explain before he whistled to call Mir, who obediently approached him.
For a moment, Rad did something impossible: he lifted Bree with one hand to mount Mir freely.
But Trey was in a panic, so he just looked on, not noticing anything strange as Rad mounted and held Bree's body with one hand while holding the reins with the other.
"ED!" Rad called out.
Edmond approached.
"Get someone to pull him out and see what's wrong." Rad pointed to Briar, who was now neighing confusedly in the middle of the river.
"The rest will follow to Basile's place!" Rad continued.
"I understand!" Edmond replied with a shout and redirected his horse to deliver the new orders to the rest of the convoy.
"I'll follow." Trey replied, mounting back onto his horse. He would follow Rad, of course.
Rad just nodded while steering Mir's head and urging him on. His current goal was to seek help from Basile.
Marquis Basile was one of his subordinates, and his residence was not far from here. Returning to Valois Castle would take too long, and Bree needed immediate treatment.
Besides, Rad wasn't sure he could restrain himself if he had to carry Bree in his arms for a long time. His self-control wasn't that good. Right now, Bree's scent, trapped by his cloak, began to seep and disturb him.
And as if that wasn't enough, there was also the issue of the sun. It was nearing evening, but since it had been sunny all day, the sun was still shining brightly. Rad needed the cloak covering Bree's body to protect himself, but if he opened it, Bree's scent would drive him crazy.
Rad was gritting his teeth, suppressing all the insane thoughts in his head, while pulling Mir's reins, urging him to run even faster. Rad hoped his skin would hold out until they reached Basile's residence, as long as Mir could run as fast as possible.
Rad could run faster than Mir, but it certainly wasn't the right time to show off such a miracle, especially with Trey behind him.
"Clouds, come."
Rad muttered, hoping for clouds to come because, even though he chose a path under the shade of trees, his facial skin began to feel irritated. Basile's residence is still about two kilometers away.