The one who falls get up stronger

[ ROSE PALACE ]

Gustav was panting for air while slumped in the hallway with his back against the wall. Blood gushed out of the side of his head, making him close his left eye. Since the start of the banquet, he had been protecting the Rose Palace where the marquess was staying. Aries specifically ordered them to protect her brother and even sacrificed her own safety. 

But alas… 

"Your Majesty," he whispered, lifting his hand, only to wince in pain. 'I failed.'

Gustav tried to move his feet, but the enemy who came as silently as the night incapacitated him by slashing his tendons. He might be a vampire, but Gustav needed time to recover from the fatal wounds he inflicted. 

"My lord…" he mumbled with a jagged breath, turning his head in the direction where a person was walking away leisurely. "I need to — ugh!"