But the claws that had been gripping her neck suddenly loosened. The man''s eyes, already bulging with rage, widened in disbelief to a horrifying degree before he toppled stiffly over to the side.

And with him fell heavily the person behind him.

It was Charlene.

The young girl, who had been trapped in a narrow space for fifteen long years, suddenly threw her body out of the seat, with both arms bracing against the armrests, like a swimmer pushing off from the shore. She spread her arms wide, struggling to keep her unsteady body balanced, before throwing her stiff, weak legs like two wooden sticks, kicking out one foot and then dragging the other, stumbling forward with each step, shivering and jerking with each movement.

Her almond eyes widened with determination, her teeth biting down hard on her lower lip, causing her whole face to convulse. Her movements were so staggering that they were alarming, like a canoe struggling against a huge wave, relying solely on the inner storm driving it forward, poised to be swept away into the void at any moment by the next surge of fate.

But she was walking. The paralysed girl was walking towards them.

Step by step, she made her way forward, brandishing the knitting needle in her clenched hand and plunging it with all her might into the back of the big man''s neck, putting all her weight behind the thrust. As the man threatening her friend''s life fell down, both her knees buckled like snapped reeds, then she knelt along heavily on the ground.

No one could ever explain what had caused these cursed, frail legs to unleash such a heart-stopping surge of strength at that moment.

The devout priests would call it a miracle, while the faithful doctors would call it willpower. But perhaps there is only one word that can truly name this wonder - woman.

Her bony knees hit the floor with a resounding thud, sending shivers down the spine of anyone who heard it. But she paid it no mind, not even sparing a glance at the lifeless body of the man she had just killed. Instead, she reached out with a trembling hand to her dear friend, her voice filled with fret and anguish: "Are you alright, Edith?"

Edith''s head spun and her vision blurred, and with a violent coughing fit, she also collapsed to the ground. As she regained her senses, she took in the world around her once more.

Unable to speak, she crawled forward on her knees and tightly embraced the brave maiden, burying her face in the lean yet sturdy arms of Charlene.

-----------------------

Edith had fallen ill after all. By evening, her body was wracked with chills, her limbs aching and limp, and her head too heavy to sustain the spirits.

The young girl wouldn''t appear weak, so she refused to admit that it was the result of being frightened by the accident during the day. Even as Aunt and Margot pressed her into bed after dinner, she was still stubbornly muttering that it was just a coincidence that she happened to catch a cold.

Regardless, the moment she laid her head on the pillow, she drifted off into a deep sleep like a kid.

When Edith woke up dazed, she found that it was already midday outside. The long rest had relieved the always healthy girl of most of her illness, though she still felt a bit feeble.

"You''re awake? Edith!" an urgent male voice came, and she saw Andre crouching by her bedside.

"Andre! How long have you been here?" Edith was a bit shy, pulling the quilt up.

"Citizeness Margot let me in," he seemed to want to bend down to kiss her immediately, but held back due to concern for her discomfort.

She noticed the redness around his eyes. It seemed he had spent a sleepless night.

"I have never been so fearful!" he clutched her slender hands tightly, as if afraid that they would crumble like sand if he let go. His voice choked with emotion, "How much you must need me then! But I wasn''t there for you!"

It was then that the girl remembered the horrific event. "What about Charlene? Where is she?" she immediately asked.

"Citizeness Saint-Clemont injured her legs. She has to rest in bed as well," he replied.

"I need to go see her," Edith said, trying to sit up from the bed.

Andre quickly pushed her back down, "No, Citizeness Saint-Clemont specifically instructed for you to have a good rest."

"But I''m so worried about her! Charlene got hurt trying to save me. Anyway I have to go see her," Edith hesitated.

Andre smiled resignedly, explaining to her, "Your cousin and aunt both have already gone to visit her. When Citizeness Saint-Clemont woke up, her first words were also to inquire about your condition. When she heard you were ill, she struggled to come and see you. They had to persuade her in every way they could to take care of herself first."

Edith nodded and lay back in the covers. "Don''t blame yourself too much, Andre! Nobody could have predicted such an event, right? Let alone I can always head off danger!" She managed a smile.

"Honestly, I should have expected it. It is my negligence," Andre sighed bitterly. "The situation in Paris has been too tense lately. Sometimes when I walk on the streets at night, I can already feel someone with ill intentions eyeing me. And now the worst has eventually happened. I''m sorry, my Edith, I should have warned you in advance to be more careful."

"So there''s such things! I thought it was just spiteful slander that stayed in the tabloids!" Edith was annoyed.

"Maybe I shouldn''t stay in this house anymore. This way you will all be safer," Andre sat on the edge of the bed, lovingly stroking his lover''s rosy cheeks.

"No way! I won''t allow it," Edith got angry, "What have I done wrong, you are punishing me like that?"

With a twist, she threw her upper body into her lover''s arms, tightly embracing him. It was then that she finally felt belatedly the joy of surviving the ordeal, almost causing her to burst into tears.

Andre couldn''t resist pressing his lips against hers anymore. He cupped her face with both hands, as if holding a rare treasure that he had lost and regained.

Edith affectionately stroked his back. Her body was slightly feverish, yet it also ignited the fire of their love.

Just as he was about to push the girl in his arms onto the bed, someone knocked twice on the door frame at an inappropriate time. The couple in the midst of their intimacy hastily separated, and the maiden pretended to casually fix her stray hair.

"Edith? I''m here to see you. Can I come in?" The visitor was none other than Raphael.

"How did you come, Saint-Clemont!" Andre stood up, responding rather unpleasantly, his gaze fixed on the bedside without even looking at Raphael.

"I''m not allowed to come?" Raphael retorted.

Sensing the tense atmosphere in the room, Edith hurriedly spoke up to the newcomer. "Thank you for coming to see me, Raphael. Is Charlene better now?"

"Uh, she''s much better now. And you, Edith? Are you feeling better today?" Raphael walked closer to her with a gentle voice.

Raphael had always borne a striking resemblance to Andre. Since joining the republican cause following Danton, he had donned the new fashion, plus his added air of calm and composure, making the resemblance even more uncanny. So much so, at this moment, Edith could scarcely tell the two young men standing before her apart.

She exchanged some awkward pleasantries with Raphael. He seemed to deliberately ignore Andre Quenet''s presence.

"You should leave us alone for a while," Andre suddenly spoke up, his face darkening.

"Is that so? It seems to me that I''d better take your place. You have dark circles under your eyes, Quenet. Why not go rest for a while, and let me watch over her?" Raphael glanced at him, speaking intentionally in a light tone, pretending not to understand the meaning behind his words.

"Humph, I don''t trust her being alone with someone of your blood!" Andre sneered contemptuously.

"Andre!" Edith immediately upbraided him.

"What''s wrong with my blood?!" Raphael was clearly provoked by these words. He leaned forward, his fists clenched white, his fiery blue eyes locked onto his love rival''s, "I dare say the danger my blood poses to her is far less than your tyranny!"

Andre almost laughed in his exasperation, "Yes, how easy it is to be an indulgent! When liberty is at risk, you wise ones hide silently; till the time is right, you jump out to boast about your clemency and blame others for being tyrants!"

"You just want to evoke terror so that everyone follows your will. You don''t allow others to have affections, Citizen Quenet!"

Andre coldly asserted, "Your affections are just as incomplete as you are, Saint-Clemont."

"Andre!" Edith called out again in dissatisfaction.

"Incomplete! Yes, incomplete!" Saint-Clemont gritted his teeth and repeated in a whisper, his body recoiling as if struck by a punch, as if the power of these words had shattered him.

He staggered towards the bedroom door, his back once again carrying the weight of his past decadence.

Edith watched Raphael leave with worry, but in the end, she didn''t say a word to stop him.

"Why did you treat him like that just now? That''s not like you at all. How childish!" After the young man left, she sat back against the headboard and scolded Andre, somewhat annoyed.

Andre silently crossed his arms and stood at the foot of the bed, leaving his back to her.

"How are you accusing Raphael based on his origin, Andre? You have always been against such unfair accusations!"

"I simply dislike his surname Saint-Clemont," Andre replied in a low voice.

"Why is that? " she asked, confused.

He turned around and gave a reluctant smile. "Maybe because you always mention that name. I''m jealous. I admit it."

"You fool!" Edith sighed. "Why would you feel jealous because of him - because of Raphael? You know very well..."

Andre quickly leaned down and kissed her, stopping her from saying anything further. He passionately deepened the kiss, but she felt that it was only out of revenge, so she responded to him only perfunctorily, without much comfort in her heart.

"I still feel so tired, Andre," she said after he let her go, shaking her head.

"Then get some more sleep, love," he said, pulling over a low stool and sitting beside her bed. "I''ll just stay here with you."