People should do everything intensely and diligently. Yes, that’s right. Beatrice, who was nodding her head to these words right now, was actually quite far from a diligent daily life.
She loved meeting people, throwing parties, and being adored.
Rather than living a regular life, her daily routine consisted of waking up late in the afternoon suffering from a hangover, barely managing to cure it, lounging around a bit while catching up on society gossip, and then, once she felt energized, immediately getting dressed up to attend dinner parties or balls.
But she didn’t become the flower of social circles just because of her pretty face.
Honestly, even that stupid Kaela de Chasser has a decent face, but there aren’t any men who like her. The men who are interested in her are actually interested in the Ostein Duchy title and wealth that Kaela will inherit.
“She brought an obscene amount. Trying to show off because she’s rich?”
Beatrice boldly snuck into the Grand Duke’s bedroom, taking advantage of the confusion caused by the sudden attack. Right now, Kaela was going around with a string of maids, thoroughly securing Lusenford Castle.
She was busy urging the chef to prepare food to send to the soldiers, dispatching doctors to Fort Fueten, and had many other tasks, so no one had time to come to the Grand Duke’s bedroom.
So even if Beatrice rummaged through Kaela’s belongings a bit now, there was no risk of getting caught.
“If you brought things like this, you should wear them. Why aren’t you wearing them?”
As expected of the only daughter of the Ostein ducal family. They say the late emperor especially loved his son and gave him a large fortune even though he was an illegitimate child, and diamonds and precious pearls were just rolling around.
Beatrice tried on a pearl necklace and a bracelet intricately woven with diamonds.
Beatrice owned such jewels as well. But somehow, Kaela’s seemed to have larger stones, more intricate designs, and sparkled more.
Everything becomes more desirable when it belongs to someone else. Isn’t it thrilling and enjoyable to take it away?
“Kaela, you’ve finally become something.”
Beatrice, who had searched every keyhole with several thin metal tools that a professional thief might use, finally found what she was most curious about while searching the bedroom and opened it.
A well-preserved diamond ring revealed itself, flaunting its brilliance even on this rainy day. Without hesitation, Beatrice took out the ring, which was larger than any she had seen before, and tried it on her finger.
The ring, custom-made for Kaela, didn’t fit her finger, but it still looked good on her.
“This is exactly mine.”
Beatrice, who was admiring it with her hand stretched out, narrowed her eyes.
“Peon should have given me something like this out of guilt before getting married.”
Wiping her mouth clean, how could they let that foolish Kaela wear something like this? Beatrice, who had already been properly put in her place for trying to use the Grand Duchess’s bedroom first, glared at the diamond with a fierce gaze.
She couldn’t stop coughing. Where on earth did Kaela get this? From the Duke of Ostein? Or could it be that Peon gave it to her?
“…Why does this fool…”
Why does she have something better than her after getting married?
Beatrice found it extremely unpleasant. Once a fool, always a fool. That Kaela de Chasser. That stupid girl kept subtly getting on her nerves at every turn.
Just because she happened to be the Emperor’s niece, Beatrice couldn’t completely crush her. Although she could make Kaela cry without crossing the line, it still wasn’t as much as she wanted.
Honestly, after they grew up, she didn’t care either way. Kaela had long since faded from Beatrice’s interests. She was originally an uninteresting girl, and since she often went down to Ostein, they only encountered each other in social circles for a few months out of the year.
So she honestly thought Kaela’s marriage to Peon was a good match. Peon, who couldn’t come to his senses because of her taboo, and Kaela, who was hopelessly and foolishly in love with such a Peon, were equally stupid.
In the end, she was very satisfied thinking that even if they got married, they wouldn’t be able to escape from none other than Beatrice.
That is, until Peon cut Beatrice off completely, and Kaela treated her like a mistress.
She wouldn’t leave it at that. Beatrice, her eyes turning cold, began to search Kaela’s bedroom again like a skilled thief. She had a knack for stealing and taking things.
****
Rain poured in torrents so heavy that one couldn’t see an inch ahead. While this rain was welcome in spring, it was also unusual.
“We haven’t had rain like this in years. It’s strange,” people muttered, looking at the sky. It was the worst condition for battle.
Of course, the Lusenford soldiers, experienced in fighting even in heavier snowfall, would never retreat. But Kaela was most concerned about the scout’s report that the enemies seemed determined to invade.
‘I must keep in mind the final escape route.’
She had to consider how much worse the worst situation could get.
Kaela always carried a small vial of poison, but she had to ensure the safe departure of the maids who came with her from Ostein. So she had in mind places where the maids, children, women, and the elderly could take refuge.
Although nobody would know, Kaela, in her fifth year as Grand Duchess, knew quite a bit about Lusenford Castle. Of course, she didn’t know the details due to being ostracized by the locals, and most of her knowledge was vague.
Peon was such an excellent warrior that such worries were unnecessary. He survived even when the demons controlled by the evil dragon Gusalante went on a rampage, and he was such a brilliant tactician that foreign tribes cursed his name.
But his life wasn’t connected to Kaela’s. Although couples are said to be one body, they were an exception. So they each had to find their own way to survive.
“Don’t worry too much, everyone. They say His Highness the Grand Duke has never been defeated, and battles are everyday occurrences in Lusenford.”
Kaela worked calmly while comforting the very anxious maids.
In a position where she was only waiting for a chance to die, she had to inevitably do her duties even at times like this to die well. Surprisingly, it was the memories she wanted to discard that moved her unmotivated body.
However, Kaela wasn’t giving her best like before she wanted to die.
Anyway, the battle had begun, foreigners from the north had invaded, and people were anxious. It was only natural to prevent it from leading to mass slaughter. That was the extent of it.
If it were before she wanted to die, she would have been running around anxiously looking for things to do, but Kaela only did the minimum of what needed to be done. After all, the soldiers would handle the war on their own, and the best the Grand Duchess could do was prepare for any contingencies.
‘Was I hated back then because I was too forward?’
The habitual speculation continued this time as well. Why was she hated? What made them dislike her? Why? Why?
No matter how much she wondered, she would never know the reason because she was the one hated, not the one who hated. Or, she had learned that some malice has no reason at all. That’s enough. Stop dwelling on it.
“We must make thorough preparations for everything.”
“Yes, understood, Your Highness!”
The head maid also rolled up her sleeves and bustled about busily. The wives of Lusenford who had sent their husbands to the battlefield didn’t grieve.
They had to prepare even for the case where battles broke out in Lusenford. They drew water, prepared plenty of oil, and didn’t forget to carefully hide the most important seeds.
It rained all day. It was long past the time when everyone was anxiously waiting for news from Fort Fueten.
“A messenger! A messenger has arrived!”
A soldier standing in the rain, looking into the distance, shouted loudly. The door that Kaela had firmly closed opened slightly, and through that gap, a messenger riding a horse rushed in. The messenger rode straight into Lusenford Castle.
“Your Highness!”
Kaela, startled, stood up abruptly. While soldiers took the horse to give it water and feed, the messenger sought out Kaela, who was guarding the castle alone.
“Your Highness, I have a report!”
Her cold fingertips tingled. The chilling cold of the spring rain that penetrated to the bone felt particularly freezing. Kaela faced the messenger who had rushed in. The messenger knelt on one knee before her.
“His Highness the Grand Duke ordered me to report to Your Highness! The foreign tribes that swarmed Fort Fueten are not just the Volga, but an alliance of Bainland, Volga, and Delgard. Their numbers are enormous. Siege engines are pounding on Fort Fueten’s gates. The vanguard is led by Halfdan, son of Keral of Bainland.”
Gasps erupted from various corners, and Sir Renard quickly explained to Kaela.
“He’s the son of Bainland’s ruler. He’s incredibly strong and has killed countless of our Lusenford people. If he’s leading the vanguard, it means they’ve come with full determination this time.”
“The death toll has already surpassed a hundred, and His Highness the Grand Duke is fighting with his own sword. His Highness has ordered the deployment of Eilak, Damar, Rus, and Seriol.”
Upon hearing that the battle had begun, the local nobles who had immediately packed their military gear and were waiting at Lusenford Castle stepped forward as their names were called.
“We’ll rush to Fort Fueten!”
“Damar is deploying right now!”
Lusenford revered martial arts and admired courageous warriors. The older nobles took pride in rushing to protect this land and their families without delay at the Grand Duke’s call.
“We’re doing our best to prevent the fortress gates from being breached. His Highness said he would ensure there’s no retreat to Lusenford. He also said that since Your Highness is currently ruling Lusenford Castle, he entrusts everything to you.”
Was this why she felt a chill? Nothing was more ominous than a messenger from the besieged fortress seeking out Kaela. Because the only news the Grand Duchess, who shouldn’t intervene, needed to know was the worst.
“Is His Highness uninjured?”
“His Highness is fine.”
“Anything else?”
“He said not to send Sir Renard. Protecting Your Highness is also very important, and even if Your Highness wants to send Sir Renard, you absolutely must not. He repeatedly emphasized that there must be a knight to protect the castle lord, so it’s absolutely forbidden.”
It seems Peon had read Kaela’s mind even while fighting far away. Kaela, who was about to send Sir Renard along immediately, nodded.
“I understand. Anything else?”
“His Highness asked you to remember what he said when he left. That’s all.”
What did Peon say when he left?
[Don’t worry.]
[I’ll return victorious.]
[I won’t get hurt. I don’t hurt.]
He said such formal things. For Kaela, these were common words she was hearing for the first time, words a husband says to his wife when leaving for battle.
But the Lusenford nobles standing around her and people including Sir Renard all had expressions suggesting they thought some intimate conversation had passed between the couple.
They looked at Kaela with renewed eyes, thinking, “Our Grand Duke seems to care quite a bit for Her Highness.” Kaela’s maids had almost touched expressions.
‘No, it’s not like that…’
Unable to prevent people from misunderstanding as they pleased, and facing this situation for the first time, Kaela glanced around slightly flustered. Then her eyes met with Beatrice Ravalley, who was standing nearby.
Beatrice, who hadn’t been seen all day, was staring intently at Kaela. She stared so fixedly, without blinking even once, that one might worry her eyes would fall out. Or it would be fair to say she was glaring.
Just then, the head maid, Lady Fabiola Silenster, who was standing nearby, subtly moved her body to block Beatrice’s gaze. The piercing gaze towards Kaela was cut off.
“Well done. Those who have received orders, please depart for battle immediately. I pray for your safe return.”
The clanking of armor was loud. The designated local nobles mounted their horses in the rain after saying goodbye to their wives and children.
As Kaela, recognized as the castle lord by Peon, was seeing them off, she suddenly recalled the day she first met them.
[Eat! Please eat! If you slowly empty one plate, bite by bite, before you know it, you’ll be able to finish a whole basket of tour berry. Right?]
Ah. Peculiarly, Eilak, Damar, Rus, and Seriol were all people who had each said something to her at the banquet where Kaela had collapsed.
More precisely, they were the ones with slightly less culpability, who had slipped away after forcing Kaela to eat tour berry, avoiding execution.
Both Lady Rus and Lady Damar, turning their heads after sending off their husbands, were the same. Well, they’re privileged to sit at the Grand Duke’s table, so it’s natural they’d be deployed this time. Come to think of it, it wasn’t just a coincidence.
****
The onslaught of the determined invaders was fierce. Arrow rain poured down along with the rain, and they recklessly poured oil that had been painstakingly boiled in this cold weather.
They showered fire arrows on top of that, but the chilly rain quickly extinguished the fires. However, the rain simultaneously made the castle walls slippery and turned the area in front of the gates into a muddy quagmire, making even walking difficult.
“Keep shooting without rest!”
Shouts, drum beats, and trumpet sounds resonated through the rain as siege engines pounded on the gates.
Today, the Lusenford army had burned two siege engines. But the enemies were bringing out more siege engines. They were determined to breach Fort Fueten even if it took all night.
“Your Highness, there was an explosion sound from the left castle wall!”
It wasn’t just siege engines. They would do anything if it meant breaking through the walls and entering Lusenford. Peon, who already knew this, commanded without taking his eyes off the front lines.
“Deploy reinforcements from Lusenford to the left castle wall as soon as they arrive. They should be nearly here.”
“Yes!”
As the left castle wall broke, foreigners pouring through the gap writhed in the pitch-black darkness. Blood mixed with rainwater as swords and spears tore flesh, and axes chopped, burying bits of flesh in the mud.
Everyone here, including Peon, had been soaked to their underwear for a long time. Now that night had fallen, the cold would come and freeze everything around.
In the chill that made teeth chatter, Peon alone gripped his sword nonchalantly, gazing into the distance.
Halfdan, son of Keral. He’s the one who delivered the hell Peon had been waiting for. And in this hell, those who dared to force dangerous food on the Grand Duchess would die miserably.
Ah. He could hear the sound of them arriving and being immediately deployed to the left castle wall. He could hear the shouts of the Bainland people constantly charging at the walls.
It was a pleasing sound.
Sangat menyenangkan.
Teruslah berkarya