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Maris, now enveloped in pink smoke, slumped to the ground. The drug—purchased from a seedy dealer in a forgotten alleyway—was a dangerous mix of an aphrodisiac and a potent sleeping potion. Even someone with Maris's divine strength couldn't resist its effects, leaving her unconscious and defenseless.

The ruffians, a group of fallen nobles with twisted grins plastered across their faces, stepped out from their hiding places. Their anticipation was palpable as they circled around her.

"Hah! Who knew it would be this easy to take down the saint? They always act like they're untouchable, but look at her now—she's nothing but a weak little girl," one of them sneered, his grin widening as he looked down at Maris's lifeless form. "Imagine the shock on everyone's faces when they find out what we've done.

We'll show them all that the so-called 'saint' is just a woman like any other—helpless and at our mercy."

"This is the revenge we've been waiting for. Those sanctimonious fools, always looking down on us, thinking they're better just because we've fallen from grace. Well, we'll see how high and mighty they feel when they see their precious saint ruined and broken," another added, rubbing his hands together gleefully.

"We'll make sure no one forgets that we were the ones who did it, that we were the ones who brought her down to our level."

"Think of the fun we're about to have! The saint, of all people! A divine plaything for us to use and discard as we please! What a prize she'll be," the last one laughed, a twisted excitement in his voice as he moved closer. "And when we're done with her, she'll be nothing but a scandal, a disgrace to her own name. The saint turned sinner, all thanks to us."

Their hands reached out toward Maris, creeping closer like wolves ready to tear into their prey.

"Not so fast!" a voice boomed from behind them, halting their movements instantly.

Stepping into the dim light was Kai, the crown prince, his face etched with a mixture of fury and determination.

The ruffians spun around, their expressions changing from glee to terror as they realized who had interrupted them.

"Prince Kai?! How—why are you here?!" one of them stammered, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"You think you can get away with this? Not on my watch," Kai said, his tone low and menacing as he glared at the men. "You're going to regret even thinking about touching her."

The ruffians exchanged nervous glances, unsure of what to do next.

"Damn it, we can't let him stop us!" one of them growled, clenching his fists in frustration. "This is our chance to finally make a name for ourselves, to take what we've been denied for so long. We can't let some pampered prince ruin everything!"

"Yeah, we've come too far to back down now! We've already crossed the line, so what's one more step? The saint is ours, and no one—not even a prince—can take that from us!" another shouted, his voice trembling despite his attempt at bravery.

"Don't just stand there—get him! If we take out the crown prince, who's going to stop us? We can spin this however we want afterward! He tried to stop us, so we took him down. No one will dare challenge us after this!" the third one barked, trying to rally the others with desperation lacing his voice.

Fueled by desperation, the men charged at Kai, their movements sloppy and uncoordinated, driven more by fear and adrenaline than any real skill.

Kai stood his ground, effortlessly dodging their clumsy attacks and countering with swift, precise strikes. His royal training was evident in the way he moved, his actions efficient and controlled.

But just as Kai was about to finish off the last of them, a sudden, blinding light erupted from behind the school, stopping everyone in their tracks.

"What in the world…?" Kai muttered, shielding his eyes from the intense glow.

The ruffians stared in stunned silence as the light began to take shape, forming a towering figure that defied all reason and expectation.

From the pillar of light emerged a life-sized marionette, its movements jerky and unnatural. The marionette's porcelain face bore a painted smile that stretched wide across its features, its hollow eyes staring blankly into the distance.

Its limbs, made of intricately carved wood, creaked as it moved, and its body was dressed in an antiquated jester's outfit, complete with a hat that had tiny bells which jingled eerily with every movement.

"What… what is that?" one of the ruffians whispered, his voice barely audible, his earlier bravado now replaced with pure fear.

"Is it a puppet?" another asked, his eyes fixed on the marionette in fear and confusion. "It's not real… right? It's just some trick."

"I think… I think it's a cursed doll," the third man managed to say, though his voice was shaking. "We should've never touched her. We've awakened something… something evil."

The marionette's head tilted unnervingly to one side, its smile widening in a way that made everyone's skin crawl. The air grew colder as it slowly raised one hand, revealing a long, rusted dagger in its grasp, and in the other hand, it held a cracked hourglass with sand that flowed upwards instead of down.

"Your actions have consequences," Maris's voice resonated through the air, though she remained unconscious. Her magic had taken on a life of its own, manifesting this bizarre protector.

The marionette's hollow eyes gleamed with an ominous red light as it advanced toward the men. Dark mist began to pour out from the hourglass, wrapping itself around the ruffians like serpents ready to strike.

"What's it doing?! Get away from it!" one of the ruffians screamed, trying to back away, but the mist was already too thick.

"You can't escape your fate!" another man cried out as the marionette's dagger slashed through the air, not touching their bodies, but their very spirits. The dark tendrils of mist coiled around them, dragging them to their knees as the marionette's sinister laughter echoed all around.

"Why won't it stop?!" the last man shrieked, his voice cracking in terror. "We didn't mean it—we were just—"

But his pleas were cut off as the marionette's dagger finally struck, not leaving a mark on their bodies but draining the life from their eyes. The dark tendrils of mist coiled tighter, squeezing the last vestiges of resistance out of them until they were left slumped on the ground, their bodies trembling, their spirits shattered.

The marionette's eerie laughter echoed through the night as it slowly retreated into the pillar of light, disappearing as abruptly as it had arrived. The ruffians were left crumpled on the ground, their bodies shaking, their will to fight completely extinguished.

Kai, who was also effected by marionette's attack because he didn't stop this ruffines before even though he knew it.

"Ugh… What just happened?" Maris mumbled as she slowly regained consciousness. She blinked up at Kai, who was on the ground, not looking good.

"Prince Kai… " she asked, noticing him for the first time. Suddenly she understood that she had awaken her protection system and Prince Kai caught up in that attack.

"I, uh… I'll go get help right away!" Maris said quickly, scrambling to her feet and hurrying away from the scene.

Kai, still reeling from the bizarre events, watched her go, a strange sensation bubbling up inside him.

"Maris…" he murmured, pressing a hand to his chest as his heart thudded erratically. The experience had left him feeling strange—uneasy, yet inexplicably drawn to her.

"It's like… like my heart was put through a wringer…" Kai mumbled, staring after Maris with wide eyes. His memory of the marionette's eerie presence was already beginning to blur, leaving him with only the sense of being utterly captivated by her, no matter how chaotic things seemed.

As Maris managed to repel the assailants who targeted her with the help of an enigmatic, nightmarish marionette, the crown prince found himself entangled even further in the inexplicable feelings he harbored for her.