The fleeing of Duke Camelon advanced into the southern empire, leading a large army allied with the Vizhreng Coalition.
According to the original plan, he was supposed to meet the troops of Duke Robley in the south and head toward the capital. However, the alliance had long since fallen apart due to the disappearance of flu. The south had quickly turned into a battlefield.
In the midst of this urgency, Sig found himself leisurely seated in a cramped room of Huate Castle. The space was cluttered with clothes, blankets, and various odds and ends, all items that Duke Robley had packed into his carriage but had been lost to thieves and never returned to Lockhart.
Among the mess, Sig picked up a small wooden bow and fell into thought.
“Could this be the bow Britia used?”
There was no name inscribed on it, but he chose to believe it was hers. He ran his fingers over the signs of wear that time had left behind.
Little Britia.
He closed his eyes and imagined the young girl who must have held it in her hands.
What might she have tried to catch with her small hands? It would have been hard to catch anything large, but she might have been able to catch a rabbit. Did she actually catch one? He believed she could have with her skills.
Imagining Britia proudly showing off a rabbit made a faint smile appear on Sig’s lips. He wondered if there might be a picture of her childhood tucked away somewhere in this room.
Sig began rummaging through the items. However, no matter how hard he searched, he couldn’t find a single picture of her as a child.
“This isn’t fair.”
While Britia somehow had her portrait from when she was seven, which had supposedly been with Harty, he had nothing of the sort. It felt incredibly unjust.
“I want to see it.”
He had been trying to hold back his feelings, but the words slipped out before he could stop them.
It had been two and a half months since Duke Camelon had been stationed at Huate Castle to prevent them from entering the capital. That meant it had been just as long since he had seen Britia.
To avoid repeating the mistakes of the past, they had kept up a correspondence, but he still longed to see her. He wanted to touch her, embrace her, and kiss her until he was breathless.
“…If I write about these feelings in a letter, Britia will probably say I’ve become inappropriate again since we haven’t seen each other, and then I’ll dread the day we meet.”
But what could he do? Sig was desperate to end this war and return to her side as quickly as possible.
However, his uncle insisted he wait for Duke Robley to relent before pushing forward with any plans, which felt like torture.
“If Duke Robley needs help, Duke Turas is willing to fight alongside you. But there are conditions.”
Sig had sent Robert to deliver the message to Duke Robley, demanding payment if he wanted to survive. It was a reminder of the overcharged grain transport fees and the money Lockhart hadn’t returned quickly.
“There are no petty thieves here! Is the mad dog really crazy?”
When Duke Robley heard the amount Sig had demanded, he exploded with rage and chased Robert away. However, he couldn’t hold out forever. The difference in power between Duke Camelon and Duke Robley was too great.
The southern alliance, which Duke Robley had boasted about, was no longer functioning. To exaggerate, half had surrendered to Duke Camelon, and half to Sig.
Those remaining loyal to Duke Robley were unlikely to provide any substantial forces.
Sig eagerly awaited Duke Robley’s submission, knowing that any further delay would only postpone his return to Britia.
So, he thought to himself, let it be soon. Let it be quick.
As he repeatedly murmured this to himself while holding the toy bow, the deputy commander called out from outside the door.
“My lord, someone has come from Robley.”
Finally, they had arrived.
Sig felt a flicker of irritation at Duke Robley for dragging his feet instead of acting decisively, wasting time. Still, he recognized that taking action, however small, was better than sitting and complaining; it was the quickest way to return.
Sig carefully placed the toy bow back in its spot before stepping out of the room.
The man who had come from Robley resembled a younger version of the duchess more than the duke himself.
“We will accept the conditions requested by the Duke,” Ethan said, swallowing hard. Sig noticed a faint smile creeping onto his face.
* * *
Duke Robley, clad in armor and riding amidst the chaos of battle, stared blankly at the tumult around him.
His wife had gone to her family to seek a divorce. As the signs of war loomed, even his daughter had fled to her mother. The only son he had left was nowhere to be seen.
Given that he had hastily ridden away the night before, it seemed likely that he had also gone to his mother.
“It’s pointless to try and be nice.”
No matter how well he fed, clothed, or cared for them, he had no family left by his side.
At that moment, Duke Robley felt a profound sense of loneliness.
“My lord! There are too many enemies!”
The knight who shouted this, stating the obvious, irritated him. Did he think the duke lacked perception?
Robley glanced up at the sky.
“What if I accepted Duke Turas’s demands?”
Suddenly, he recalled something his son had said.
“Bow my head to that brat? And pay him money on top of that?”
That was ridiculous. Duke Robley scoffed at the idea. He absolutely refused to bend to Sig.
When Britia Lockhart and the scandal with Sig Turas first broke, she had expressed her reluctance to become a duchess to those who asked.
“The title of duchess is far too burdensome for me.”
She even said she looked just like her mother. The duke recalled the bitter memory of being rejected when he proposed. Still, he felt a twisted satisfaction knowing that Sig had become a foolish shadow of his former self.
“Who would dare marry a mad dog like that?”
Duke Robley enjoyed the comments made by his close associates.
Yes, he thought, I’m better than a mad dog. He might have the title of duke, but he was nothing more than an attack dog raised by the emperor.
Robley secretly felt superior to a man who could hardly hold a conversation without resorting to violence.
But somehow, Britia had come to accept his advances.
If she could accept the burdensome title of duchess, then why hadn’t he been accepted?
It didn’t take long for his feelings of superiority to turn into jealousy and hatred toward Sig and Britia. Duke Robley could barely stand the sight of them together.
It was better to die here than to bow my head to Sig Turas. After all, accepting help would only lead to being purged once the war was over.
The emperor was well aware that Duke Robley had been treading the line of treason. The emperor never forgot a slight.
“If I’m going to die anyway, it’s better to do so with my pride intact here.”
Duke Robley closed his eyes and made his resolve.
“Father!”
Just then, he heard someone call out. Robley opened his eyes. It was Ethan. His son had returned.
Hadn’t he left him to go to his mother?
“Father!”
As he saw Ethan charging through the enemy lines, Duke Robley couldn’t help but smile. It seemed he wouldn’t die alone after all.
But his moment of joy was short-lived; the banner that appeared with his son made him freeze in place. That was the mad dog’s banner.
As the northern soldiers surged forward, the Vizhreng troops began to flee one by one. Relief washed over the faces of Robley’s men.
“I’ve brought reinforcements, Father. We can relax now,” Ethan proudly announced as he rode up to Duke Robley.
In response to the word “relax,” Duke Robley slapped Ethan hard across the face.
“What gives you the right to summon them? Who do you think you are?”
Ethan was in shock, unable to find his voice. Were they not facing imminent death? Wasn’t Robley Castle about to fall? So why was this happening?
“Tell them to go back! We don’t need the help of a mad dog!”
Duke Robley shouted sharply. Hearing this, the vice-captain rode closer.
“It seems the story is different from what we heard, Duke Robley.”
Ethan swallowed hard. He believed that if Sig really came to help, his father would eventually relent. So he lied about it being Duke Robley’s wishes and called in Sig’s troops.
“I am the lord of Robley. This fool is nothing! Get out of here! Just leave!”
As Duke Robley swung his sword, the vice-captain pulled back his horse.
“It seems we’ve come to help only to be insulted. You should prepare for the consequences of deceiving us, my lord.”
As the vice-captain turned to look for Sig and began to retreat, Ethan panicked.
“Father, you can’t just let them go! If you do, we’ll all be killed!”
“Then die! Let’s all die honorably here together! That is my will as the lord of this place, so you too…!”
As Duke Robley shouted at Ethan, he suddenly felt a sharp pain and looked down at his chest. An arrow had pierced through. With a labored breath, Duke Robley fell from his horse.
Ethan locked eyes with the Robley soldier who had let the arrow fly.
* * *
Even though victory cries echoed all around, Duke Camelon felt far from pleased. They needed to march to the capital to strike the emperor, but the Vizhreng alliance refused to advance.
“We’re satisfied with the southern lands. I don’t feel the need to fight that mad dog.”
Claiming there was no need to fight the mad dog contradicted their agreement, and instead of apologizing, they grew angry.
“Only we can complain about broken promises! Where’s the flu you said Robley had?”
Following Brian’s intel, they had found Robley’s hidden stash, which still contained dozens of barrels. However, upon inspection, they discovered that aside from a few, all were fake, filled with dirt.
“Duke Robley has deceived us. Or perhaps it was Brian Radars who did!”
“It doesn’t matter who deceived us now. You owe us the flu you bought with our money, or at the very least, the payment for it.”
They issued a threat, claiming they could no longer lend troops if he didn’t comply. He barely managed to placate them by suggesting the flu must be in Robley Castle and sent troops there.
But what if the flu wasn’t there?
Continuing down this path, they risked being abandoned. Even if they tried to retrieve the flu the Vizhreng alliance wanted, Devon refused to extend credit.
Things had unraveled since Robley and Slanford were not working out as planned.
“The flu has to be at Robley Castle. It absolutely must be there.”
Duke Camelon anxiously tapped his legs.
“Your Grace!”
Rutherford rushed into the room, desperation in his voice. Duke Camelon’s eyes widened, hoping for good news.
“The northern forces have taken Robley Castle!”
“What?!”
Duke Camelon slammed his hands on the desk and jumped to his feet.
“And they are heading straight here!”
Duke Camelon froze in place.
