CHAPTER 5: HERE, NOW, AND YOU (XXIV)
Part 120
She knocked, but she was surprised that the door opened so quickly. As she blinked at Adrian standing in his robe, he burst into laughter.
“Were you in front of me?”
“Yes, Damian.”
“Come in. You should go to sleep before it’s too late.”
“Hmm. I think I need a little more time.”
“Huh? What time?”
“Usually it takes about 30 minutes, but today it’s not going so well.”
“30 minutes? What? What’s wrong?”
“It might be persuasion, it might be compromise, it might be patience, it might be threatening.”
“Yes?”
She couldn’t understand anything that’s being said. Adrian muttered something with a serious face and then laughed weakly as she continued to wonder.
“It’s nothing.”
Then he came into her room. She kept asking as she followed Adrian as he approached the bed.
“What is it? I said I needed more time.”
“I’ll take care Tyler.”
“Tyler? Who? Who’s here?”
She couldn’t understand what he was talking about, so she kept asking, and he closed his eyes, smiled, and stroked her hair. He gave her a soft kiss on the forehead and lifted up the blanket. She looked at him with a puzzled look as he obediently entered the bed, but he didn’t answer and lay down next to her. When she lay down with her right arm stretched out and rolled into Adrian’s arms, his left arm wrapped around her waist and patted her back. What a perfect sleeping setting. The nice smell and warmth made her fall asleep. She opened her cold eyelids and looked up at Adrian. Adrian also lowered his head and made eye contact with her. Then he lifted his hand and stroked her cheek.
‘Ah really. I don’t want to send it. I really, really don’t want to send it this time.’
It was a cold day, and it would take a long time. She was about to burst out in a childish voice telling her not to go, so she held back and just made eye contact, but Adrian spoke first.
“I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“I know Adrian will come as soon as he can. But don’t be in a hurry. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“I will come back as soon as possible without getting hurt.”
“I’m going to scold all the bad guys who took pretty Adrian away.”
She grumbled a little, and Adrian gritted his teeth with a smile.
“I will step on you so you will never have a bad dream again.”
One thing has become clear. They’re in big trouble now. Adrian gritted his teeth, in front of her, looking at the mood like that, she should surrender and beg, the second prince and Boromir were both dead, but they were still causing trouble like that. So, what should she do now? Since he started a rebellion, the commanders were all brothers anyway. Since the King has already given his sentence, the instigators will probably die on the spot without being brought to Midok. But if things turn out like this, what is the crime of the territory residents and soldiers? If you feel wronged and have something to say, why do you go at it alone? Why start a war? What is my crime, Adrian? Now that I’m done with work, what crime am I committing to try squeezing some sesame oil?
“Tread on everything.”
“Yes.”
Seeing Adrian answering firmly, he loosened his clenched fists. This person probably doesn’t want to go either. She couldn’t say she was not going, and her feelings would be as complicated as hers.
“When we come back, shall we enter together this time?”
“You state the obvious.”
“lol.”
She felt like the atmosphere would get damp, so I brought up something else, and Adrian accepted it.
“I’ll wear a sturdy dress this time.”
“I can also lend you his arm.”
Adrian’s natural answer made her laugh. Now that she thought about it, it was a ridiculous first meeting, but he told her that he liked her from the first day they met. Her fiancé has unique tastes.
“Are you using that as an excuse to get out of the party??
“How about we get out together and go to a street festival?”
“If you give me some cotton candy, Adrian.”
“I will hire a merchant who makes cotton candy.”
“Fuha. That’s not it.”
Adrian and she looked at each other and laughed. The feeling of pride became as soft as cotton candy.
“We also go flower viewing in the spring. Oh, I’ll learn how to ride a horse. Let’s go for a walk together.”
“You can ride Purungi together.”
“Still, I’ll learn it. Then next time, you can say I’ll follow Adrian wherever he goes.”
Adrian kissed her forehead again, replying that she could do whatever she wanted. She was so warm and happy that she fell asleep at some point. She tried to look at Adrian’s face all night, but when she opened her eyes, it was already morning. She had breakfast with Adrian, who pretended like nothing was wrong. The mansion was cluttered and Ethan seemed very busy, but we talked about the flower viewing that they couldn’t do yesterday. And then, it was time for him to leave. Adrian, who was holding me crushed at the front door, sighed and got on his horse. She barely waved. It was best just not to cry. He soon turned his horse’s head and rode away across the garden. Sir Thierry and Sir George ran behind Adrian, and a large number of knights followed behind them. Since she couldn’t go with them, she stood there for a while just looking at the back.
Being resolute was very difficult. She wanted to bravely tell them to stay healthy and have a good trip, but she practiced a lot, but in the end she couldn’t even say hello properly. She was so upset that she eventually burst into tears. After crying for a while, Jenny hugged her shoulder. When she turned toward the mansion, Ethan and her maids were also crying, and the rest of the knights who had come to see Adrian off were looking at her with gloomy faces. Ethan was worried about her and comforted her.
“Ma, ma’am, don’t cry. He’ll be back soon.”
“Ethan, wipe your tears. And I’m not your wife.”
She entered the mansion, leaving Ethan clucking his tongue even while sniffling. She also have to prepare to leave the Duke’s residence. Until today, her father had allowed her to stay at the duke’s house without saying anything, but he was opposed to staying at the duke’s house while waiting for Adrian, who might not know when he would return. He made a promise to go back today after hearing his father say that he couldn’t let him live alone. She left the things she had been using in the Duke’s residence and left the Duke’s residence with only the belongings she had brought with me. Ethan, Millie, and Louise saw me off this time, shedding tears. Ethan was on the verge of clinging to his feet, so they struggled for a while to console him.
She barely got Ethan, who was clinging to the back of the carriage, saying that she was going too, and after almost a season, she returned to Count Ethart’s residence. Her father and Lutvan hugged her, and she was happy to see her familiar room, but now she had to spend the winter without Adrian. She was sure you’ll be doing well, so please come back safely and quickly. Adrian.
* * *
Adrian, who had been by Damien’s side even after dinner, came out after washing up and tried to go straight to her, but Ethan, who had him sit in his office, screamed at him.
“No matter how much I want to be by your side, this is not the case. Master, we are going on a mission tomorrow. But why don’t you have a strategy meeting!”
Adrian, who was sitting in the office with a sullen face, looked back and forth between Ethan, who was pounding his chest in frustration, and Cale, who was deathly worried, and clicked his tongue.
“Go and start a siege. Take down the castle and catch the bastards. You’re fussing over a simple matter.”
“No, my lord, that castle is the Romanov Castle. The Romanov Castle that has never fallen! Outside the castle, there is a moat filled with mud! Below the west mound is a cliff! The north mound is the border, so siege is impossible! The south and east gates are walls. It’s a 3-story building with only 3 layers. How simple is it?”
“I’m saying this because I’m the Romanov. Anyhow, simple maneuvers won’t work, so we climb over the wall. If we can’t get over it, we destroy it. The basics of siege are simple.”
Seeing Adrian answering with a calm face, Ethan patted her chest again. Ethan also knows because he has experienced Romanoff. Because it is a fortress designed so that no loopholes can be found, in the end only straight attacks will work. However, a strategist who had to send his master alone could not just sit back and watch. Since what had happened last time, he accepted that he would remain, that half of the knights would remain, and that the elite units of the capital army would remain. Then shouldn’t he come up with some sort of strategy? Just thinking about waging a siege against the Romanovs this winter gave him a headache, but Adrian stayed by Damian’s side as long as he looked away. It was obvious that they had forgotten the food they had stored up and were going to spend the whole winter in silence, but they did not even show up in the office where the Romanov map was spread out. Feeling frustrated, he looks back at Cale and sees that he too has a dark face, so he desperately asks for help.
“Cale, please say something, why don’t you at least select some kids who are good at climbing walls and prepare them.”
“Master. I guess the position of commander is too heavy.”
Cale said something else with a gloomy face. After Adrian was promoted to commander-in-chief of the entire army, Cale, who had suddenly taken over the position of commander of the capital army and suffered from excessive work, was at a loss as he thought he would handle the remaining matters alone once Adrian left the capital. And Ethan’s eyes widened as he looked at Cale like that.
“I made you sit there because it was worth it. I won’t forgive you if something stupid happens in Midoc. I will protect you at the risk of my life.”
Cale, who received Adrian’s cold gaze, nodded his head with a tingle, and as if he had said all he had to say, Adrian shook his head and stood up. Ethan urgently called Adrian, but he went back to the room, lightly stepping on the red hair that Ethan had torn out. Standing in front of the closed inner circle, Adrian closed his eyes and began to meditate with a serious face. A night with Damian is cruelly happy. He spent most of the night gazing at her sleeping face with a clear face in my arms, and although he was overwhelmed with happiness, it became increasingly difficult to suppress the greed that rose up from time to time. On the day when Damian provoked him, he held on with all his might. He likes skinship and kissing, but I never got the feeling that he wanted more than that. Damian would be in trouble if he tried too hard and was rejected. Even if he allowed it because he was intoxicated by the atmosphere, if he saw her regretful face the next day, he wasn’t confident that he wouldn’t kill himself. While he was spending a long time praising himself with all his passion, there was a knock on the door right in front of him. When he opened the door, Damien looked up with wide eyes. Since his face was tired, he went straight to bed. Knowing why Damian, who was in his arms, was hiding his hurt feelings and only telling happy stories, made him feel even more heartbroken.
When she came back, she chatted in a sweet voice as she laid out a bunch of things to do together, but then suddenly became quiet. He pressed his lips to the round forehead that was peacefully sleeping. A pretty, pretty person. Adrian stared at Damian until dawn, feeling sorry for leaving him alone again. The morning sun slowly rose as he shot my bow, and after looking at her face, which was clearly holding back her tears, he turned his back.
As soon as he left the Duke’s residence, Adrian, whose spirit completely changed, stood in front of the cavalry of the capital army waiting outside the outer castle.
“We will return before spring comes.”
Everyone cheered at the commander-in-chief’s firm speech about the expedition. But after the next words, he became stiff. “One week later, the attack on Romanov Castle will begin.”
As soon as he finished speaking, he looked at the back of Adrian running away, and the cavalry, who came to his senses, kicked his horse’s waist at the same time. In the rising dust, everyone looked at their future. The cavalry, who once again experienced hell on a running horse, locked Romanov and held on. ran after Adrian, spitting curses at the remnants of the rebels.
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Translator Note:
Hello there! This is RJR. I hope you liked it <3
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