To The Battlefield (9)

After discussing Northern high society for a little longer, Leonard finally came to his senses and returned to the original topic. He cleared his throat briefly and said,

“The situation was more complicated than expected. It seems the vassals and noblewomen are trying to ingratiate themselves with you somehow, my lady.”

“Ingratiate themselves with me?”

“I do not know much about such matters compared to Kaltz, but…….”

The blond knight frowned.

“It is widely known that His Grace cherishes Your Grace as dearly as his own life. After the recent execution incident, there truly is no one left who does not know. A ruler’s affection becomes power, so the shrewd ones will naturally try to win Your Grace’s favor.”

“…….”

“The noblewomen are no different. Northern high society has lacked anyone who could be called its center for a long time. Whichever of Countess Oxburg or Countess Helvant grows closer to Your Grace will gain greater influence in society from now on.”

“Why does it have to be so complicated?”

Raul spoke as though voicing my own feelings. I lowered my eyes with a furrowed brow.

I truly knew nothing about such matters, but it seemed an intense political struggle over me had already been unfolding outside the castle.

I had thought they were merely criticizing me for being inadequate. The influence carried by the position of grand duchess was greater than I had imagined. Great enough to detain an urgently moving subjugation force and hold a banquet.

I asked Leonard,

“Will this happen at the other castles too?”

“It may.”

The blond knight nodded.

“I had only worried about vassals behaving rudely, but there may also be those who try to curry favor with you in this manner. It is better than dealing with discourteous people, but…….”

“We did not come here for an outing.”

I bit my lip.

Although I had expected to be treated as the grand duchess rather than a knight, we were in an urgent situation. An expeditionary force was supposed to be capable of packing up and departing immediately, even at dawn, if an enemy appeared. It would be better to be treated coldly and driven away after a single night than to become entangled in such complicated affairs and lose time.

I spoke firmly.

“For now, I want to focus only on the subjugation.”

If I did not visit the lords, the rumors would probably worsen. The whispers that I was a grand duchess who knew nothing but how to swing a sword might spread even further.

But now was not the time to worry about my embarrassment. Somewhere, people were being hurt. It would certainly be difficult, but…….

“Even if we have to camp outdoors, I want to reach our destinations as quickly as possible. Is that possible?”

Leonard immediately bowed his head.

“I will adjust the plans accordingly, my lady.”

I nodded with a brief sigh.

Outside the reception room window, only the summer stars glittered indifferently.

The castle maids remained courteous until just before I went to sleep. They helped me remove the dress and wash, then handed me a soft silk nightgown.

As I emerged after changing, Mary suddenly poked her head out.

“My lady, this.”

I was startled when I saw what Mary held in her hands. It was the second volume of <The Adventures of Doldopin, the Wandering Knight>, which I had been reading at the castle.

“It’s the book! Mary, why did you bring that?”

“I thought it might be nice for you to read while resting…….”

Mary blushed as she handed me the book.

I had left it behind because I was afraid it might be damaged on the battlefield. But when I saw the girl’s shining eyes, as though she hoped to be praised, I could not say anything.

In the end, I smiled and nodded.

“Thank you. Have a good night, Mary.”

“Rest well, my lady!”

Mary beamed, bowed, and disappeared. I dismissed all the maids and sat on the bed.

The sleeping arrangements felt unfamiliar. A bedroom without weapons hanging on the walls, a long-skirted nightgown instead of a shirt and trousers. Most of all, Victor’s absence felt strange. Over the past several months, I had not once slept in a bed without Victor.

I forced my gaze away from the empty space beside me and opened . The bookmark remained neatly tucked where I had left it before departing.

Inside the book, Doldopin was finally presenting Flamberge in the tower with a terrifying sword said to be capable of cutting anything.

[“What do you think, my lady? It is a remarkably sharp sword, is it not?”
At Doldopin’s foolish words, Flamberge smiled brightly.
“Indeed, Sir Knight. With this, I could cut down flowers, noisy wasps, and disobedient dogs!”
The guards protecting the tower trembled at her words.]

I clicked my tongue briefly.

How could Doldopin be so oblivious?

The story constantly said that Flamberge was suspicious and cruel. No matter how beautiful she was, how could he love someone like that?

After closely examining the illustration of the guards collapsed beside Flamberge, I closed the book and placed it on the bedside table. A servant soon entered and extinguished the lights.

Once I lay down, the thoughts I had been postponing naturally surged into my mind.

Would Victor be all right?

Victor had looked exhausted before I left, but he had been sleeping well. During the past few days, I had even been able to sleep without holding my sword.

But what if he felt the same as I did now? What if the empty bed felt so lonely that he could not sleep?

I squeezed my eyes shut and buried my face in the pillow.

Still, this was not the time to think about Victor. I had something I needed to do. Something important enough to refuse banquets, reject even Victor’s pleas, and rush away. Besides, did I not still clearly remember my disappointment in him? It had only been a few days since his selfishness had disappointed me.

Yet I could not understand why my heart ached so much.

I trembled at the unfamiliar emotion and hugged the blanket. My head and heart creaked, refusing to fit together.

I simply missed the scent of musk that clung to him.

The lights of Mort Castle did not go out even late into the night. Kaltz of Dnion gathered a stack of documents and headed for the grand duke’s office.

The subjugation force had reached Norvant without incident, but that had only been the beginning. There was also a mountain of paperwork to handle.

Katarina, bedridden and complaining of boredom, had organized several nonconfidential ledgers for him. He looked down unhappily at the perfectly arranged documents. He disliked relying on her, but they were that desperately short-handed.

It would have been better if Leonard had remained behind.

Grumbling, he opened the office door. His lord was still seated at the desk, absorbed in paperwork.

“Shouldn’t you be asleep?”

The grand duke raised his head. He rubbed his weary eyes.

“I don’t want to fall asleep.”

“Has your condition returned?”

“No. It isn’t that. I simply don’t want to see the bedroom without her in it.”

Kaltz silently set down the stack of papers. A question suddenly escaped him.

“Why did you do it?”

“…….”

“You could have kept hiding everything. Just as you always had, you could have ensured she knew nothing. It cannot be that your conscience suddenly troubled you after all this time.”

The grand duke’s bright yellow eyes fixed sharply on the knight.

But there was no reprimand. Being allowed to speak freely in private was the only privilege granted to a childhood friend.

And as always, his question had struck directly at the heart of the matter. Amarion had left because she had learned everything. The side of him he had hidden, the circumstances outside, all of it.

The grand duke set down his quill.

“……I thought that once we came to Mort, I could separate her from the world. That was why I hurried here.”

“…….”

“But I was mistaken.”

His sinewy hand clenched into a fist. While Kaltz remained silent, the grand duke continued.

“Even if I had hidden it, she would eventually have learned about the executions. How could I have stopped the mercenaries seeking her out, or concealed the fact that Katarina Cattaleang was injured? There are people who bring her information, and her own eyes are as sharp as a bird of prey.”

“…….”

“And regarding me as well.”

Victor fell silent for a moment.

The purge carried out several years ago by the cruel new grand duke still remained vivid in people’s minds. Therefore, it had only been a matter of time before she learned about his past. Fear alone could silence people only for so long.

The grand duke turned his gaze away.

“I should never have shown her to anyone in the first place.”

His dry face held no expression, as though he had already repeated the same regret dozens of times.

The knight pointed out,

“Her Grace is not a prisoner. You could not have kept her locked away alone forever.”

“I know. ……But I still wanted to.”

The grand duke answered calmly.

To Kaltz, it honestly sounded insane. No matter how shy Amarion was around strangers, how could Victor have hidden her away and prevented her from meeting anyone? It was neither possible nor something that should ever be done.

But Kaltz Dnion could not bring himself to reproach his lord. He remembered all those who had slipped through Victor’s fingers like grains of sand.

Victor was incapable of reason where Amarion was concerned. He became more cruel than necessary and did not hesitate to erect execution platforms. The moment he sensed that she would leave for somewhere dangerous, even his flawless mask had shattered. Neither smooth lies nor smiles had come to him.

He had lost too much to endure her absence.

And this was the result. The disappointed woman had left, while he remained here alone.