How to Perfectly Break Up with You

Theodore’s affable personality was his greatest strength, but at this moment, it was nothing short of a headache.

“I have no intention of returning to the capital with the help of the Grand Duke.”

“Pardon…?”

“It’s exactly as I said. I don’t want to go back feeling indebted like that.”

Theo still looked puzzled. His large eyes blinked blankly.

“Besides, it wouldn’t be right to the Grand Duke either.”

Sienna muttered as if talking to herself.

In fact, in the past, he had incurred the Emperor’s unnecessary vigilance by bringing her to the capital, so it wasn’t wrong.

So this time, she intended to avoid encountering him in Lopwell if possible. While there was no way to prevent the army from coming here, she could at least try to avoid facing him directly.

Sienna, who had been lost in thought with a serious expression, belatedly added with a look of realization.

“Ah, of course, it’s fine if you go back alone.”

“You want me, Your Highness’s guard, to return alone without my master?”

Theo let out a laugh of disbelief. Still, Sienna remained firm.

“What does it matter? As you said, that Joseph fellow would grant any request from the Grand Duke, so surely he could spare you alone.”

“Your Highness. Please watch your words. What if someone actually hears you?”

Theo whispered anxiously, glancing outside, but she paid no heed.

Let anyone hear if they want to. Having already died and come back to life once, she had nothing left to fear. Being exiled all the way here just for spitting in someone’s face, the charge of blasphemy for merely uttering a name didn’t really resonate with her.

Moreover, the Emperor regularly sent members of his personal guard to deliver letters to Theo. Although Theo didn’t show it, the contents of those letters were obvious.

Setting aside the fact that Theodore Monches was an excellent knight, he was also the beloved kin of Count Monches. Furthermore, since the Count was a loyal servant of the Grand Duke, the Emperor must have found Theo’s stay here quite displeasing.

Of course, there was also the intention to isolate her completely. Whatever the case, Joseph’s covert communications with Theo seemed nothing but sinister to her.

Though Theo answered compliantly, the uneasy expression didn’t leave his face.

Recently, he had been sensing a subtle distance from the Princess.

At first, he dismissed it as just his imagination, but gradually, it was turning into doubt.

Having been by her side since his days as a squire, he knew the Princess better than anyone. Even the fact that she had been desperate to return to the capital after coming here.

‘I thought she would be begging to be taken back to the capital right away.’

But lately, the Princess seemed somehow different from before.

****

It didn’t take long to reach Lopwell from the border.

Although it wasn’t far from the northern border in terms of distance, the weather was the unexpected challenge. The soldiers quickly tired in the sultry early summer air.

There were no suitable places to rest on the way to Lopwell. It was natural not to see a single shade along the way, as it was land where trees couldn’t grow properly.

“There’s a well over there, should we take a brief rest?”

Gaius asked the man at the front. Emotionless violet eyes turned towards the well.

“It’s probably a dry well anyway. There’s no river, let alone a shallow spring nearby, so there’s no way there’s water in the well. Judging by how dry the land is, it doesn’t seem to have rained for quite a while either.”

“But the presence of the well suggests a village isn’t far from here. Rather than spending more time under the scorching sun, it might be better to head to the monastery quickly.”

At the mention of the monastery, Declan unconsciously gripped the reins tightly.

Though he had already prepared himself, maintaining composure became increasingly difficult as familiar scenery unfolded before his eyes.

‘A month should be enough.’

That would be sufficient time for the wounded to receive treatment and recover to some extent. While it would be impossible to avoid encountering her in the small monastery, at least they wouldn’t become entangled more than necessary.

After traveling a bit further…

“Look, the monastery is in sight!”

As someone shouted, the following soldiers suddenly became restless.

Amidst the commotion, Declan also turned his head. The monastery, built by filling large stones with sand atop a steep cliff, was quite massive in scale and visible even from afar.

In the late afternoon, as the sun was setting, the monastery under the glow of twilight was truly a spectacle.

In reality, it was just an unremarkable stone fortress made of sand particles, but reflected in the fading sunlight, it looked like a castle built of gold dust.

“It’s not as bad as I thought.”

“It looks that way from afar. But you might get eaten alive if you let your guard down like that.”

A few followers chuckled. Perhaps due to the relief of finally being able to rest, the tired faces gradually began to show signs of life.

As the atmosphere brightened, only Declan, who stood at the very front, stared blankly at the monastery with an expressionless face.

Unlike the view from afar, a terrible scene unfolded as soon as they entered the cliff where the monastery stood.

Bodies lay scattered on the road, indistinguishable between corpses and living people. Some of them staggered over and began to cling to the soldiers, begging.

The soldiers were speechless in the face of this sight.

Apart from occasional dry heaves due to the faint smell of decay, no one dared to open their mouth carelessly until they reached the entrance of the monastery.

To reach the monastery located at the top of the cliff, they had to follow the forest path that extended from the village. Those who had been mingling with the army’s procession begging for food up to the edge of the forest gradually fell away as they reached the steep mountain path.

They all looked like nothing but skin and bones, so there was no way they could follow the steep mountain path.

As they reached the highest point of the cliff, the abbot and several priests had come out to the entrance to greet them personally.

“Your Grace, the Grand Duke. We are at a loss for words to express our gratitude for your personal visit to our monastery.”

A middle-aged man with a bald spot in the middle of his head approached them with a kind smile. From the red color of the priestly robe he wore, it wasn’t difficult to tell that he was the abbot of this place.

Most of those stationed here in Lopwell were either exiled for committing crimes or moved here reluctantly by the Emperor’s order due to their extremely low status.

The priests staying at the monastery were no exception. It was a place where those who had acted against doctrine or were of lowly birth lived together.

It was no wonder that people’s attention was focused on the man called the hero of the nation coming to such a place.

“You must be weary from your long journey. We have prepared a modest meal for your troops.”

The abbot said with a gentle smile. Then, glancing at the Grand Duke’s expression, he added.

“Though it won’t be as fine as in the capital, of course. We always live here waiting for the day to return to His Majesty the Emperor’s side.”

At these words, clearly implying a desire to return to the capital, the Count standing nearby momentarily stiffened his face, but the Grand Duke unexpectedly smiled.

“It seems the priest is not very satisfied with life here.”

“Of course. Surely no monastery could be finer than being by His Majesty the Emperor’s side, could it?”

The abbot bowed with a servile smile. The Grand Duke, still smiling, muttered to himself.

“I suppose that’s true.”

He dug up her image from memories that had become distant past. The woman who had been mixed in like an impurity amidst the squalid scene of Lopwell.

She wasn’t much different either.

If there was ever a time in the life of that woman, who had no equal in haughtiness, when she showed a servile attitude to others, it was probably the first and last time then.

[Only you can save me, Your Grace.]

The piteous voice, as if grasping at the last lifeline, was still vivid in his ears.

That appearance had been just like a young animal begging for its life when cornered.

A sneer appeared on Declan’s face.

His memories, recalling the beginning and end of a relationship marked by misfortune, traced back to the moment when he had opened his eyes again at the northern border not long ago.

****

The war that had lasted for three years ended with its own achievements. The empire’s territory had expanded further, and they had even gained a northern port, so it was a war where the gains outweighed the losses.

At least for the empire’s new emperor, it was so. If nothing else, this victory must have held special meaning for the emperor who had not achieved any significant results since his ascension.

Even if for those who had led the war to victory, it was just one of many wars they had fought.

If they felt anything special, it was simply, “We didn’t die this time either.” That was all.

While the capital was busy preparing for the glorious return of the army, the troops still stationed at the border were preoccupied with post-war cleanup. Count Rio Monches, being one of the staff officers, was no exception.

After roughly completing the month-long task of collecting the dead bodies, Count Monches headed to the tent to report. His hurried steps suddenly halted in front of the tent. The foul stench that reached his nose was strangely familiar.

‘Opium?’

He unconsciously furrowed his brow deeply.