Ch#236
Of course, the Crown Prince did not accompany me when he was devising strategies or inspecting the military camps. Even though he could have sat in his tent and listened to reports, he frequently went out to inspect the formations and encourage the soldiers. It was an action meant to boost morale.
He also collaborated well with the figures from the Grand Duke’s side, showing an eagerness to subjugate the barbarians as quickly as possible. The image of the 'Crown Prince who is deeply enraged that the barbarians took the late Emperor's body' was excellent for inspiring the soldiers while simultaneously seizing the initiative from the nobles.
Indeed, even the Grand Duke followed his orders without raising much of a voice.
However, that lasted only a short while. The situation took a sharp turn when news arrived that neighboring countries were stirring and revealing their ambitions. There were signs that the war would be prolonged.
Even though the barbarians continued to lose in skirmishes large and small, they showed no intention of returning the Emperor's body. Instead, they fought desperately like people with nothing left to lose, daunting the Imperial Army.
Normally, if they were losing to this extent, it would be right for them to lie low to plot for the future or request a truce.
But they did not give up. Perhaps judging that a head-on confrontation was difficult, they sent small groups to harass the camp like guerrillas or rode out to places just a few hundred meters from the main Imperial force to sing songs mocking the late Emperor.
Occasionally, a woman carrying an infant on her back would come out and hurl stones at the camp; it was said the venom in their eyes was so intense it was eerie to kill them.
Whenever the soldiers drank hot soup, they gathered and whispered. They said the barbarians were waiting for the intervention of neighboring countries. The faces of those soldiers were clouded with a sense of lethargy that I hadn't seen when I first arrived. They were gradually growing exhausted.
More than the fear of death, the soldiers were anxious about the war dragging on. If other countries intervened, the timeline of the fight would shift from months to years. No one wanted to rot away their remaining youth in the borderlands.
As their minds grew weary with impatience, their temperaments naturally became coarse, and various accidents began to break out. Even under strict military discipline, trouble is like a protruding nail that gets struck, and it was even worse now.
To relieve potential discontent, they allowed the soldiers to satisfy their urges with camp followers, but it was insufficient to satisfy everyone.
Instead, those who sought to quell their rising anxiety by harrassing and beating the camp followers or the working slaves were overflowing.
The soldiers currently approaching me with a threatening, swaggering attitude were likely acting on such impulses. They approached me as I was returning to the tent to rest for a while—the Crown Prince had entered a meeting—and flashed lecherous smiles.
"Hey, why don't you show us that pretty face? The way you sway those hips is killer, isn't it?"
The way they scattered blatant gazes and harassed me was nauseating. It was a reckless act possible only because they knew the higher-ups had no interest in the biological needs of subordinates. They were unaware that only nobles could become imperial attendants.
Thinking it was funny that I ignored them and tried to pass by silently, the soldiers quickly approached and grabbed my wrist. Moving mouths that reeked of a foul stench, they muttered words that were too vile to speak.
To summarize briefly, they said they also enjoyed sodomy and couldn't be satisfied with camp followers alone.
"Let’s just enjoy ourselves a little, eh? Don't just shake it for the knight."
"Yeah, yeah. We aren't as noble as that gentleman, but we can satisfy you much more."
"But didn't they say that knight fellow has a lover?"
"He must like this one enough to make him forget his lover. Wow, look at this tender skin. Who would take him for a mere attendant? Hmm? You smell good, too."
I tried to force my wrist out of their unpleasant grip, but the difference in strength was insurmountable, and I was being pushed into an increasingly dire situation. I revealed my noble status in a cold voice and demanded they back off, but they chuckled loudly as if telling me not to lie. One of the men even brought his face close to my neck and sniffed.
Had it not been for the person the Crown Prince assigned to me, I would have been dragged away and subjected to something dangerous.
The day after Sir Aires had left in a rage, the Crown Prince told me he would secretly attach someone to me, so I wouldn't have to worry about my safety.
I wasn't sure if he was being conscious of his friend or showing consideration for me, but it was true that I felt strangely relieved just by him saying so.
Indeed, whenever things seemed dangerous, the shadow would appear before me several times to provide help. Whether it was when several people, jealous of me suddenly snatching the position of the Crown Prince's attendant, tried to gang up on me, or when a spy entered the camp and I was gripped by fear, it was this shadow that stayed by my side. Well, though Sir Aires did come running late.
In any case, having appeared abruptly again and easily subdued the soldiers, he looked at me as if waiting for my decision on their disposal.
Unable to hide my sense of humiliation, I said in a cold tone.
"Handle them according to military law. If you ask His Highness, he will tell you."
In my heart, I wanted to cut off at least one of the wrists that had harassed me, but because it was right to govern by military law during wartime, I had no choice.
Digressing, having barely overcome the crisis with his help, I let out a sigh and trembled. It was fortunate that I was disguised as a man; had I come in the form of a woman, I surely would have suffered far worse sights.
I rubbed my goosebump-covered arms with my palms and quickly entered the tent.
Even though he had attached a shadow to me, I was certain I wouldn't have faced such a thing if it weren't for the Crown Prince, so my teeth ground together instinctively.
Having endured several dangers so far, I felt I had done enough, but every time I made up my mind to return, I would dream—a dream featuring Vagus and the witch—so I was in a state of wasting time helplessly.
They shouted at me not to avoid my fate, saying I hadn't acted according to the pictures on the cards. Every time, unable to overcome my frustration, I would scream and wake up drenched in sweat.
Of course, since Lady Roshan’s letters arrived frequently, I could monitor the interior of the mansion, and information also came in from the 'rats' and 'birds,' so there was nothing to worry about yet. However, the madness of war—or perhaps a sharp energy that seemed to gouge at my skin—kept irritating my nerves and making me feel emotional.
The cycle of being depressed from early morning, suddenly trembling with fear, and then soon becoming angry repeated, and I only grew more exhausted. I felt like my blood was drying up. I couldn't even sleep properly. It was especially so after waking up trembling at the sound of an enemy raid in the middle of a peaceful night.
If it weren't for Sir Aires, who made time to visit me, I would have long ago given up on fate and everything else and fled in disgust.
It was the same now. Having perhaps learned of the situation just now, Sir Aires came to my tent as soon as the meeting ended and checked my complexion.
He meticulously scanned my appearance, and if he discovered even a small scratch, his expression would immediately harden as he offered medicine. However, the part Sir Aires worried about most was my mind. He feared I might have been wounded by the harassment-filled remarks.
"This won't do. I really must send you back. Please, do not stop me."
Perhaps out of guilt for being unable to protect me due to the eyes of others, Sir Aires’s face was distorted in misery. A flame flickered in his eyes as he looked at my wrist where a blue bruise was rising. It was a sharp aura that made my skin prickle.
"You've seen how His Highness has avoided dangerous situations several times because of me."
"It is merely a coincidence."
"I don't think so."
"My Lady!"
I shook my head and grasped his hand. It was to calm his excitement through this kind of contact. And simultaneously, to soothe my own anxious heart.
"Sir, you may not believe it, but I feel like my being here right now is something like fate. It's laughable, but to the point where I think my future can change through this incident."
"...Is my hand not enough?"
"I am grateful for your heart, but I believe this is something I must do myself. Please do not misunderstand; I am not rejecting your feelings. It is simply because it must be done this way."
"As I thought, there is no choice but for me to become a Bischwaltz."
"Pardon?"
"It is nothing."
I called his name with a sense of regret.
"Sir Aires..."
"I hope you do not look upon my unsightly self. Right now, all I can say for you, My Lady, are fine-sounding words about supporting and protecting you to the end, regardless of what you do hereafter."
"Regardless of what it is?"
"Yes."
At his incredibly resolute words, a bit of mischief welled up, and I revealed my inner thoughts as if testing him.
"Even if I commit a wicked deed? If I do something very, very bad."
"You may think me selfish, but as long as you do not do it to me, it is fine."
He grasped my bruised wrist, lightly kissed it, and smiled softly. Then he added in a tender tone.
"If you were to do such a thing, it would be because there is a reason for it. Who am I to dare judge your affairs, My Lady?"
At that infinite trust, laughter burst out of me despite myself. It was a cheerfulness enough to wash away the fear of being in the middle of a war. Simultaneously, my chest began to feel ticklish.
Ah, it seems the contact that started from the wrist had somehow flowed through the blood vessels and kissed my heart. My reddening chest was thumping with a rhythmic beat.
"So, I dare to hope that you will not distance yourself from me, My Lady, even if my hands are too cruel."
"Who am I to dare distance myself from or criticize you, Sir?"
I tilted my shyly flushed face and spoke in a whisper. Because I knew what he was talking about, I felt very good. Sir Aires had no intention of leaving those who harassed me alone. So, I blinked my eyes lightly as if in agreement.
And not long after, rumors circulated that several soldiers had been kicked out with their wrists and tongues cut. I heard they had committed acts against military law, but since most of those punished were known sodomists who messed with slaves, some said the higher-ups had intervened intentionally. This was because the one who led the punishment was Mikael Aires.
But that, too, was short-lived. Such rumors subsided as if they had never existed when the Erinys began their provocations again, bringing forward an old coffin that was clearly meant to contain the Emperor's body.
Meanwhile, the neighboring countries had been watching each other and testing the waters even while a great battle was occurring at the empire's border. They did not make a clear declaration of intent, but they created tension by taking ambiguous stances as if they might join the war. For the Crown Prince, it was a major headache.
So, taking advantage of a moment when the Erinys were quiet, he sent an envoy to enter negotiations. And finally, he obtained a covenant that they would not interfere regardless of the outcome of this fight.
This was bitter news for the Erinys, who had been hoping for the intervention of neighboring countries.
The camp instantly entered a state of indefinite standby. The top brass, including the Crown Prince, held meetings for hours without rest to prepare for the final battle. During that time, other attendants moved busily, polishing their masters' swords and armor.
I sat in the Crown Prince's tent, organizing my thoughts while reading a letter sent by Lady Roshan. The Crown Prince's armor and sword had already been entrusted to someone else.
Therefore, had the Crown Prince's shadow not suddenly appeared and collapsed, I would have been able to organize my thoughts quite peacefully.
I realized only after the shadow collapsed that the tent was covered in a faint smoke, and I stood up from my seat. I didn't even have time to scream from shock. I was merely trying to flee outside, gripped by fear. But someone grabbed me firmly.
"Shh, My Lady, it's me. Jack, it's Jack."
A familiar voice awakened my senses. I panted while clutching my thumping chest. Then I glared with a cold gaze at Jack, who had appeared in such an extraordinary way.
"What on earth is the meaning of this?"
"Because I couldn't even get close otherwise. Please understand. I am sorry if I frightened you."
I let out a sigh at Jack’s words and pointed a finger at the shadow.
"Either way, getting caught is the same. Look at that person lying there."
"Oh, no. They won't even remember it when they wake up. It's a medicine specially made for that purpose."
"Then why am I fine?"
"Because I've been steadily putting medicine for immunity into the tea you've been drinking, My Lady."
Even though they were members of an information guild who would willingly go anywhere to get information, to think they had successfully infiltrated even here.
I marveled at their ability to deceive even the Crown Prince's people perfectly. Indeed, Jack was only 'Jack' in voice; his outward appearance was no different from a common attendant found anywhere.
"So, the reason you risked such danger to come to me is?"
"The atmosphere in the capital is unusual. The Empress's side is moving strangely. Seeing that unknown forces are arriving one after another, it seems something big is about to happen. But the movements of the nobles are also very suspicious. They are calling people together as if gathering troops to send to the border."
Is she planning to seize the capital first since the Crown Prince is spending a long time focusing his strength on the border? I furrowed my brow and gestured for Jack to tell me more.
"And there is news that a merchant ship of the Bischwaltz House moved secretly without a family succession and arrived at a port near the border. According to the member deployed here, the Grand Duke's soldiers and the Crown Prince's soldiers have been clashing frequently lately."
Did they move another force via merchant ship because of the plan to clash immediately once the war with the barbarians is over? I bit my lip and blinked in growing anxiety. Then what should I do?
Jack shrugged and continued.
"With the political situation moving so unstably, I couldn't help but be worried."
"What?"
He twisted his body slightly to show someone standing behind him.
"So, they said they couldn't help but run here."
My eyes widened. A name I couldn't bring myself to call lingered on my trembling lips. To deceive the eyes of others, the boy—who had dyed his hair an amber color—stood looking at me with a much more haggard face.
As if bursting into tears, as if exhaling a breath, I barely managed to utter his name.
"Jack."
The child, the boy, my Jack stood there like salvation.
