Chapter125

Deborah's POV

I was sound asleep when a deafening explosion shattered the quiet of the night, jolting me violently awake.

My eyes flew open as the blaring alarms filled the air, the noise so overwhelming it pressed down on my chest like a weight.

Startled, I stumbled out of bed and rushed to the window, yanking the curtains aside to see what was happening. In the distance, smoke billowed into the night sky. The horizon glowed an ominous red, illuminated by the flickering flames of destruction. The scene looked like a nightmare brought to life.

"Miss Edwards! There's been an attack—enemy forces have breached the perimeter! You must get to the basement immediately!" The door to my room burst open, and several maids hurried in, their faces pale with panic.

There was no time for formalities. One of them snatched an overcoat and hastily draped it over my shoulders, while another tugged at my arm and guided me out of the room. My mind was still foggy with sleep, the chaos swirling around me too surreal to fully grasp. I followed them blindly through the hallways until we descended into the estate's underground air raid shelter.

The basement was crowded with people, their faces painted with fear. The alarm howled relentlessly above, a constant reminder of the danger looming overhead. Conversations buzzed around me—frantic, hushed, filled with speculation. A few people huddled in corners, sobbing quietly. The weight of fear and uncertainty pressed down on everyone.

But amidst the noise, I couldn't stop thinking about one thing: Lugh was missing.

I scanned the room, searching for him among the frightened faces, but he was nowhere to be found. My stomach twisted in unease.

"Where is my father?" I asked a senior maid standing nearby, lowering my voice to mask the tremor threatening to creep in.

She glanced at me briefly before replying in a reassuring tone, "Miss Edwards, Mr. Edwards has most likely gone to the front lines to take command. There's nothing to worry about."

I nodded, masking my worry behind a neutral expression. "What exactly is going on? Who is attacking us? Where are they from?"

"We don't know for certain," she admitted, shaking her head. "But it's said they came from the ground."

The ground? My heart skipped a beat.

Could it be Matthew and his army?

If it was them, this was far sooner than I had anticipated. Chad hadn't mentioned anything during our last conversation. Their decision to launch an attack ahead of the Sky Cities Coalition Forces suggested desperation. They must have realized a direct confrontation wasn't viable and opted for the element of surprise instead.

But how were they faring now? And where was Chad?

"Where's Chad?" I asked, my voice tightening despite my best efforts to stay composed.

"Mr. Baker hasn't been to the estate today," the maid replied. "He's likely at the front lines, fighting the attackers."

Before I could respond, another maid, younger and bolder, spoke up, her tone surprisingly cheerful despite the tension around us. "Miss Edwards, don't worry. Mr. Baker will return safely. Even if Mr. Edwards doesn't approve of your marriage now, I'm sure Mr. Baker's success in this battle will change his mind. Everyone knows how much you two love each other."

"What?" I stared at her, utterly baffled.

What on earth had Chad been telling these people?

"Miss Edwards, there's no need to be shy," the young maid continued with a knowing smile. "It's obvious to everyone. The way you look at Mr. Baker… it's like you're trying to see right through him."

Her words left me momentarily speechless. I had no idea where she had gotten such an absurd notion.

I tried to recall how I usually looked at Chad. Could it really appear to others that I was gazing at him with… affection? The truth was, I often stared at him to catch his fleeting expressions, hoping to use my Telepathy to glimpse his thoughts. That was all. There was no "romance" in it.

I turned to the young maid, meeting her gaze deliberately as I allowed my Telepathy to slip through. Her mind opened to me briefly, revealing an unexpected truth: she genuinely believed in the love story she had imagined between Chad and me. Her thoughts were full of admiration, even envy, for what she saw as a deep and beautiful bond.

I quickly broke eye contact, shaken by what I had seen. This was far from what I had expected—or wanted—to uncover.

Around me, the hum of anxious conversation continued. I sat down against the cold concrete wall, drawing my coat tighter around me. My thoughts were far from the shelter, far from the frightened murmurs of the others.

I needed to know if Matthew, Chad, and the rest of the werewolves and Birdfolk were safe. I closed my eyes briefly, willing the worry away, but it lingered, coiling tightly around my chest.

Above us, the explosions grew louder. The faint vibrations beneath the floor intensified with each passing moment, every tremor sharper than the last.

It was clear that the battle was drawing closer.

Could Matthew's forces succeed? The thought gnawed at me. They must have known the risks of launching an assault like this. If they had any hope of standing against the Sky Cities Coalition Forces in a fair fight, they wouldn't have resorted to a surprise attack. This was a gamble—one born of necessity, not confidence.

The shelter seemed to close in around me, the weight of uncertainty pressing down on my shoulders. My mind drifted again to Chad.

Where was he? Was he fighting in the chaos above, caught between his loyalties?

His position was precarious, to say the least. To the werewolves, he would always be an outsider, a half-wolf from the Sky Cities. To the Sky Cities, he was a traitor waiting to be exposed. Either way, he belonged nowhere. Either way, he was in danger.

The thought tightened around my chest like a vice. My fists clenched instinctively, my nails digging into my palms.

Chad, you promised I wouldn't have to worry about you. But now, I can't help it.

And in the quietest corner of my mind, a chilling question took root:

Was Chad in the same position during Hybrasil's slaughter? Was he just as trapped then as he was now?