Chapter 18
#18
“I’ve seen many stones with gold dust, but this is the first time I’ve seen one with such a beautiful pattern. I will treasure it.”
Walter raised the corner of his lips almost imperceptibly and put the stone carefully into his pocket. Seeing his boyish smile, Lucy responded with an awkward smile.
Walter Heiberg. 28 years old. Grand General of Parnassus.
Hobby… collecting stones.
A new item was added to Walter Heiberg's personal information. Lucy decided to pick up pretty stones in the future and use them when she needed to win over the Grand General, and then composed herself.
“This is a bribe for you, since you’ll be busy for a while.”
Walter, who had been looking at the stone with a bright face, returned to his stern expression and nodded.
“I am familiar with the work of the headquarters, so don’t worry. The Royal Palace will be reorganized in a month. It may take some time to unite the lords, though.”
“It’s not because of that that you’ll be busy….”
Lucy swallowed her words, shrugged, and leaned back on the sofa. There was no point in worrying about it in advance. Thinking so, she diligently rolled the candy in her mouth.
Walter tilted his head, seeing her troubled face.
It was a week later that he came to understand her words.
⚜ ⚜ ⚜
“G-G-Grand General! It’s a disaster!”
Zen burst into the room, nearly breaking the door, gasping for breath and slamming his hands on the desk. Walter, who had been frozen with a pen in his hand, glanced at the dangling hinge and sighed.
“What’s the matter?”
“Read this! Huis brought this letter…!”
Zen seemed to be at a loss for words, exhaling sharply, then grinding his teeth with a gruesome sound.
His large, protruding nails looked as if they would tear the letter to shreds at any moment, so Walter quickly snatched the letter and opened the envelope.
“……”
His face was peaceful as he read the letter. However, as his eyes moved down, the dark light gradually deepened.
Walter finished reading the letter and slowly stroked his lower lip.
Zen was the one who was anxious at the Grand General's calm demeanor. Zen stomped his feet and tapped his protruding fangs with his fingernails.
“Duke Kill is declaring an independent state, why are you so calm!”
“I’m glad I seem calm.”
Walter frowned and pressed the edge of the letter with his fist.
Just then, Lucy, who had gone to the study, entered the room humming, carrying a pile of books.
“Oh, hello, Instructor?”
“Arshuno…! You were lazing around here the day before yesterday, are you still here?”
Walter, horrified by the casual title, stared at Zen with a stiff face.
Zen had been away from the Central Command on a dispatch mission for several days, so he couldn't have known about the new king. However, he never imagined that he would witness such a deplorable sight before his eyes.
“Zen. Show respect to Her Majesty.”
“Huh? Her Majesty?”
“I heard something about an independent state, what’s that about?”
Lucy put down the books and drew Zen's attention.
Before Walter could say anything, Zen clenched his fist and shouted.
“Duke Kill is declaring independence with three other lords! He made such a mess at the Council of Elders the other day, does that even make sense?”
“Independence?”
“Yes! He declared that he would unite the west and create an independent state, so don’t interfere in the future!”
Seeing Lucy genuinely surprised, unlike Walter, Zen fussed as if he had been waiting for it. However, Lucy soon tilted her head with a nonchalant expression.
“That can’t be. A person who was so devoted to the kingdom wouldn’t change his mind so easily. I’d rather he commit treason.”
“I agree. Duke Kill loved the kingdom itself, not just his territory. But… that’s why it’s even more shocking.”
“Something’s strange….”
Zen, who had been ready to agree, saying that the old man would cause trouble someday, was at a loss as to how to react to the two people's calm demeanor.
Lucy, who had been deep in thought with her arms crossed, waved her hand at Zen, who was standing stiffly like a sack of barley.
“Can I see that declaration for a moment?”
At her confident attitude, Zen didn't even think of scolding her and quickly handed over the letter that was on the desk. Lucy silently read the letter, frowning and biting her lip.
“Where did you get the declaration?”
“Huis… that, the leader of the 1st Reconnaissance Unit gave it to me. I heard that he personally distributed the declaration to the other lords as well.”
“Not through the foreign affairs department, but he directly informed the lords of the declaration of establishing a country? That too, so quickly?”
“Uh… well. I don’t know about that.”
At the ambiguous answer, Lucy frowned.
It hasn't even been a month since she became enemies with Duke Kill. She thought the reaction would come slowly, but she didn't expect him to make such a large-scale declaration of war.
An independent state.
A loyal subject who had been devoted to the royal family was now seceding from his territory to establish his own country.
It seemed reasonable at first glance, but it was nonsense.
Even if the duchy was great, it was still just a part of Parnassus. If he had secured enough troops to start a country, it would be far more reasonable to start a rebellion with those troops.
However, it was much more plausible in name than plotting treason. At least externally, it didn't seem like it would cause conflict.
Knowing that, Kill must have spread the declaration everywhere.
“This is getting more complicated than I thought….”
Should I just barge in, saying what kind of nonsense is this?
No, no. If Duke Kill had been my subject from the beginning, it wouldn't be bad to barge in to tell him to come to his senses, but….
I can't touch the duchy as it is.
The justification is too weak.
Everyone was aware that Lucy had many flaws in terms of legitimacy. She was unable to hold an inauguration ceremony because she did not receive the loyalty of the lords.
If she, in that state, were to talk about the duties of a king and subject and strike down yesterday's loyal subject, it was obvious that the other lords would feel resentful.
She had managed to gain the favor of the lords with the cure for the epidemic, so there was no need to reduce their favor with a pointless act.
“Independent state, declaration….”
A warning not to touch it?
Does he really intend to become the king of an independent state? Was spreading the declaration to the lords a stepping stone for persuasion, or….
Lucy stared at the letter with burning eyes, closed her eyes, and extended her thoughts a little further.
She had already heard that Duke Kill was gathering troops. According to what Walter had told her, he was not only organizing his troops but also reaching out to external forces through the straits.
What was he going to do with those troops?
Duke Kill may seem very benevolent and prudent at first glance, but in reality, he is very bold.
He always suffers losses in a surprisingly ignorant way when he is about to make a big decision.
Then, when the opponent, intoxicated by his foolish behavior, shows a weakness, he cunningly bites them, making the methods he has shown so far pale in comparison.
Sacrificing flesh to cut bone, that was the old fox's way. Then what is his flesh now, and what bone will he take?
“Walter. You said you would move my residence to the Royal Palace soon, right? When is the expected date of entry?”
“The palace can be used right away, but many of the servants are seriously ill, so it will take some time to replenish the manpower.”
“Since I’m the only one who will stay in the Inner Palace anyway, don’t hire too many attendants. So, a month?”
“Yes. That’s what I’m expecting.”
“Then declare that I will hold the inauguration ceremony on the day of entry.”
“…The inauguration ceremony, you say?”
At the sudden remark, Walter slowly shook his head with a surprised look.
“Isn’t it Your Majesty who said that we should look at the atmosphere at the next Council of Elders and set the date for the inauguration ceremony?”
“There’s no need to prepare for the inauguration ceremony. I’m telling you to spread a declaration just like Duke Kill.”
A doubtful light flashed in Walter's eyes.
“Are you saying to just announce it externally?”
“That’s right. Well… it’s not a big loss, is it? If nothing happens on the day of the inauguration ceremony, that’s it, and if something gets caught, it’s a big catch. I’ll try to apply the Duke’s method too.”
Walter, who had narrowed his brow as if asking what she meant, let out an exclamation that was unclear whether it was an exclamation or a groan. He had noticed the hidden meaning in her words.
Lucy, who was looking at him, smiled brightly. However, she soon swept the stray side hair behind her ear and sighed with a bitter face.
“Anyway, I’ll have to keep living here for the next couple of months. The bathroom here is so uncomfortable, I don’t know when I’ll be able to return to the palace….”
⚜ ⚜ ⚜
After finishing the story, Walter dragged Zen out of the room to distribute the declaration. The sound of clattering military boots echoed eerily in the deserted hallway.
The sound of a beast growling lowly permeated the footsteps. At the same time, fragments of stinging gazes were embedded in the back of Walter's head.
“Grand General!”
Walter, who had been deep in thought, belatedly rubbed the back of his head and turned around. In his view, his adjutant, who had puffed up his body as if he would explode at any moment, filled his vision.
“What is it? Arshuno is Her Majesty…! And I only heard incomprehensible things about the independence of the duchy, and I couldn’t understand what kind of conversation you were having. You kept excluding me the whole time…!”
Walter quickly raised his hand to stop his adjutant's rampage.
“I will explain.”
As he recited the magic sentence, the fur that had been standing on end calmed down a little. Nevertheless, his eyes looked as if he would bite his neck off at any moment, so Walter quickly explained the current situation.
From Lucy's identity to what happened at the meeting, the identity of the disease, and the reactions of the lords, he listed everything that had happened so far in an orderly manner, and Zen lowered his tail and showed a much softer expression.
“The world is full of surprises. Arshuno is the queen. Isn’t this the first queen in the history of the kingdom? Besides, to ascend to the throne at that age… well, she’s very talented.”
“That’s true, but… Zen. Show respect even when Her Majesty is not present.”
“I know. But I’m so dumbfounded that I can’t easily use honorifics. I mean, a little kid who was running around in the military academy is now the king.”
Walter wondered if he should nag him one more time, but he understood Zen's position and quietly closed his mouth.
Zen pricked up his ears, watching his superior's reaction.
“I was wondering why the Grand General was so interested in Arshuno… no, Her Majesty, but I guess it’s because Her Majesty is a descendant of the previous king. Have you been watching her since the military academy?”
“That’s not true. I started to think of Her Majesty as impressive when I happened to encounter her in Pomnos.”
In his narrowly opened eyes, the cold wind of Pomnos raged.
The late king was furious at his daughter, who had taken his beloved concubine and disappeared. He immediately summoned the Grand General and urged him to kill his daughter and bring back the concubine if he found them.
A year passed, and Walter found Lucy, who was a criminal of Parnassus in the cold northern land and had now turned into a criminal of Pomnos.
And.
「It would be better to go back.」
Walter, who had always upheld the king's orders as more than just a creed, surprisingly disobeyed the order and pretended not to see the mother and daughter at Lucy's request.
There was no guilt for betraying the lord's order. It just happened naturally.
…Why did he do that?
