Find me in your labyrinth (Stella and Jonathan)
Chapter 1932

Estelle slowly opened her eyes, getting used to the glaring incandescent light overhead. After a moment, she snatched the syringe from the nurse's hand and flung it at the security camera. With a loud "thwack", the syringe hit its target. The red light on the camera flickered and then went dark.

Estelle felt weak. She closed her eyes for a moment to gather her strength before sitting up and yanking all the wires that tethered her to the machines. Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, she stood up her legs trembling beneath her.

A cold sweat had broken out on her skin. She had no idea how long she had been unconscious or what she had endured, but her body felt exhausted, her strength sapped away, and her head throbbed as if a nail had been driven into her skull.

She quickly stripped the nurse's uniform and dressed herself in it, then positioned the nurse on the bed where she had lain. After putting on a surgical mask, Estelle cautiously opened the door and stepped out. Her gun had been confiscated upon her arrival, but the needle she had hidden between her fingers had gone unnoticed.

Surprisingly, that very needle had come to her aid multiple times!

Estelle examined the syringe with its blue-glowing tip in her hand, almost feeling a sense of gratitude towards the men she had fought earlier.

She chuckled to herself and started walking.

The hospital corridors were eerily quiet at night, lit only by the sterile glow of the fluorescent lights.

Leaning against the glass door to catch her breath, she spotted a nurse's cart nearby. She grabbed the handle, recalling her prior visit to the eleventh floor to orient herself, and then started pushing the cart towards the exit.

After a few steps, she was gasping for air, her legs heavy as if filled with lead, and the pain in her head intensified. Beads of sweat rolled down her forehead.

Rummaging through the cart, she found a bottle of unopened glucose solution. She cracked it open and gulped it down.

The sugar rush gave her just enough energy to keep moving.

When she reached the elevator, Estelle found a magnetic card from the nurse's uniform and was about to push the cart inside when the doors slid open and Lambert stepped out. Their eyes locked, Estelle's gaze turning ice-cold instantly.

Lambert, on the other hand, was visibly thrilled to see her. Noticing his bodyguard aiming a gun at Estelle, he quickly ordered, "Hold fire! Don't hurt her!" Estelle backed away, gripping the cart tight.

"Rella!" Lambert's deep eyes were filled with concern and regret. "I'm so sorry about before, truly. I'm here to save you, please, trust me one more time!" Estelle's voice was a hoarse whisper of suspicion. "Stay back. Don't move!"

But Lambert approached her more swiftly. "I'm getting you out of here. We're leaving, now!"

In a sudden move, Estelle rammed the cart at him and bolted.

"Rella!" Lambert caught her wrist.

She spun around, aiming a palm strike at his neck, but he dodged effortlessly, holding on to her. "You're too weak to fight me now. Just come with me!" Estelle struggled to break free and kicked at Lambert's leg. He did not dodge; instead, he took the blow and moved in to embrace her.

Estelle stumbled back against the wall, her head already spinning. The impact sent a sharp pain through her, and she slumped helplessly to the ground.

He was just about to retreat with Estelle when another elevator suddenly descended from above, the doors opened and Raiden appeared with a dozen castle guards. Protective and fierce, Lambert backed away, his eyes hardening. To his own guards, he commanded, "Today, anyone who stands in my way dies, got it?"

"Understood!" The guards responded in unison, forming a protective circle around Lambert and Estelle.