Chapter 28
#28
The moment Kill recognized the panting as his own, his vision blurred. Steadying himself from collapsing, Duke Kill shouted in a trembling voice.
"What are you doing! Put my son down immediately!"
As if in response to his shout, Walter forcefully grabbed the struggling Atlinde and tightened his grip on the sword.
Blue veins popped out on Atlinde's neck. The crude blade stopped at the point of crushing his neck, but if Walter concentrated even a little Ki, his head would be severed in an instant.
"No! No...! Don't do it! Please!"
Kill licked his lips nervously and clenched and unclenched his fists with an anxious expression. Walter, who had been silently looking down at him, nodded and ordered the soldiers to retreat.
The adjutants, understanding the situation, moved the soldiers back, and Walter looked down and began to speak in a heavy voice.
"I heard you rejected His Majesty's proposal. Will you save your son and surrender, or will you continue to resist, risking your son's death?"
"......"
"I believe you know better than anyone which way the tide is turning. My personal wish is that you don't abandon your role as a father, even if you abandon your role as a loyal subject."
"......"
"You have lost. Admit it."
Kill slowly lowered his head.
His clenched fists trembled slightly, and a moan like a sob escaped from his thin lips, which had been unmatched in eloquence.
The thought process, which had been filled with emotion until just now, cooled down more than ever, dominating his reason. Anger, hatred, and sadness turned into a mist and dissipated, and soon the reality and the resulting compromise swirled in his mouth.
Pride, experience, honor, and territory.
The things that made up Godel Kill lost their shape and crumbled.
Now, all that remained was what he had to protect.
"Save my son...! I will give up... everything."
With a squeezed voice, he admitted defeat.
⚜ ⚜ ⚜
The villa located in the foothills was only fancy in name, and it was old and dirty as if it would collapse at any moment.
Seeing the branches scattered here and there and the broken ax lying around, it seemed to be a place where mountain keepers and hunters came and went to rest.
Why is the royal family's secret passage connected to a place like this?
Huis rubbed his arm for no reason, feeling uneasy. Unlike himself, who hated bugs and dirty things, Lucy was lying sprawled on the floor with an indifferent expression.
"Your Majesty has a good stomach. You can lie down in such a dirty place."
"It's a blessing just to have a place to hide. What does it matter if it's dirty? Are you a soldier and not immune to this kind of thing?"
"There's no rule that soldiers have to do dirty work... Anyway, I hate bugs."
"Oh, really? Look at this. It's a cricket."
"Ack!!"
Huis recoiled in horror. Undeterred by his fright, Lucy grabbed the cricket's hind legs and teased him, saying, "Ebi, ebi."
Huis stopped himself from kicking it and clicked his beak.
He couldn't really hit her.
Seeing the expression of genuine disgust on his face, Lucy scratched her cheek and apologized belatedly. However, she still didn't put down the cricket in her hand.
"I'm fine with it, but you might be scared. Hmm... It's been a while since I've seen one, and it brings back memories."
"No, what kind of memories do you have with a cricket, Your Majesty? It's not your first love."
"Have you ever eaten this?"
"Excuse me?"
He looked at her annoyedly, thinking she was teasing him, but what he faced was Lucy with a distorted expression as if she had swallowed bitter medicine.
Lucy, who had been looking at the cricket with bitter eyes, threw it out the open window. Huis, who had been about to scold her, felt the bleak atmosphere and quietly closed his beak and swallowed his words.
Silence followed. Darkness crept in through the window, and soon a faint dawn began to illuminate the world.
"This is the longest night I've ever had."
Huis muttered to himself, picking at a protruding feather.
He had never read about such a reckless operation in any tactics textbook.
Using Lafi to escape, creating a double distraction, leaking false information through intelligence to confuse the enemy, and then using the stronghold in reverse to isolate the enemy.
Lucy seemed to have decided to annihilate one side instead of fighting each enemy.
She lured the main force to the palace and then poured most of the troops into the central command.
Since it was a defense rather than a siege, and the difference in power was significant, the enemy had little chance of winning. However, he couldn't rest assured. The headquarters side would be smooth, but he was worried about the palace.
He was looking at the window with concern and reaching for his hand with his beak when it happened.
"I wonder if things are going well at the palace."
As if reading his mind, Lucy muttered the same concern and interrupted his thoughts. Huis tapped his beak and made a puzzled face.
"By the way, I was wondering, where did you gather the two thousand soldiers defending the palace?"
After hearing the plan to concentrate all the troops at the headquarters, Walter said that he should gather troops from the outskirts to prepare for any unforeseen events, but Lucy dismissed his words, saying that she had someone to help her and not to worry.
And as Lucy said, two thousand soldiers in uniform suddenly appeared and pressured the Duke.
A whopping two thousand, and even properly trained soldiers, gathered to that extent in such a short time.
It was the most puzzling part of this operation. When he asked with a serious expression, Lucy shrugged her shoulders.
"Those people aren't soldiers. Most of them are farmers."
"Yes?"
"I borrowed the power of Marquis Rutherford and Marquis Las. They are the lords' people they sent. They are good at handling farm tools, but their swordsmanship is useless."
He couldn't understand what she was saying.
Marquis Rutherford? Marquis Las?
The lords still don't recognize her as queen, so how did she get their help?
No, more than that, why did she bring farmers and arm them to pretend to be soldiers?
Huis narrowed his brows and looked at her. Lucy, who had a refreshing face as if she had answered, let out an exclamation when she saw Huis's face as if he was asking what she was talking about.
"No, there's no need to fight. I just needed an army to give the Duke a sense of intimidation. Most people lose their will to fight when they realize the great difference in power."
"What... wouldn't it be revealed if a battle broke out?"
"That's right. It's a gamble. But I thought Duke Kill was a cold person, so he wouldn't rashly rush at an enemy army more than twice his size."
Huis looked at her with eyes as if he were looking at a crazy person.
It was an incredible gamble.
She was gambling at the end in such a haphazard way?
He thought all the plans were meticulously designed, but it didn't seem to be the case. He raised a suspicious expression, but Lucy shrugged it off, saying that nothing would happen, and covered herself with a blanket.
About ten minutes passed.
"Your Majesty!"
The door burst open, and an officer gasped for breath.
Lucy, who had been fiddling with the blanket with blurry eyes, jumped up as soon as she saw the officer.
"Your Majesty! The central command has been settled. And, the Duke...!"
"Has he won?"
"He admitted defeat and vowed to disband his army. The Grand General has now exchanged the hostages and the Duke, and has taken the Duke to the headquarters!"
...It's over.
Instead of shouting a victory cry, Lucy took a long breath and rubbed her chest. With the relief that she had finally overcome a hurdle, fatigue washed over her, and she felt like she would collapse at any moment.
She rubbed her eyes and sat down again. Then Huis brought a blanket and covered her again, saying.
"To be honest, I was half-doubtful... but you won. Thank you for your hard work, Your Majesty."
"It's not over yet. There's a lot to clean up in the future. The enemy's retreat and the Duke's treatment, the reorganization of the palace and the consolidation of the lords... Well, the Grand General will take care of it, but first."
"Yes."
"I'm going to take a nap, so wake me up in two hours."
Lucy pulled the blanket over her head and walked to the corner, closing her eyes.
The officer and Huis exchanged glances, and then quietly closed the villa door, realizing that she wasn't joking.
⚜ ⚜ ⚜
The wind that flowed in beyond the palace swirled around the cosmos petals and gently flowed into the room.
On the lace hem that fluttered in the breeze, there was a dense rose pattern that Lucy liked.
The dress, meticulously crafted by a craftsman, was a bright gold with a slightly brownish tint that matched Lucy's tan hair. Each time she moved, the yellow topaz ornaments sparkled, further enhancing her beauty.
"No matter what anyone says, Arsinoe will be the star of tonight's banquet. How can you be so beautiful?"
At the maid's words, she raised her head and looked in the mirror.
On top of her half-updo hair was a tiara as ornate as lace woven with gold, and beneath it, a thin necklace accentuated her slender neckline.
The figure, as if embodying luxury, felt very beautiful and elegant even to herself. However, this splendid shell was just a tool to look good to the man who held her leash.
"When did His Highness say he would arrive?"
"He said he would definitely arrive before the banquet starts. Don't worry, Arsinoe."
Despite the maid's consolation, Lucy's brow did not relax.
It wasn't because she was disappointed that the Crown Prince couldn't come. It was because the image of the Crown Prince questioning and urging her came to mind.
Her husband was obsessed with war.
When the Emperor fell ill and was bedridden, the Crown Prince, as if he had been waiting for it, rose to the position of regent and began preparing to devour the continent.
He didn't have military power, so he wouldn't be able to use the army, but what kind of trick did he use to draw troops from somewhere and conquer Dopein and Antevassila in an instant.
And he was trying to devour her homeland, Parnassus.
'Will he really come on time? He hasn't seemed to be in a good mood lately...'
The reason why Alex's mood had been low recently was one thing. It was because Lucy had rejected his request.
To tell him the secret passage in the palace.
Alex had been bothering Lucy for days, saying that if she told him that, he would do anything for her.
He even offered the extraordinary condition of making Lucy the one and only Empress of the Empire if she wanted, but Lucy couldn't possibly sell out her country to satisfy her own selfish desires.
'I wish he wouldn't be so greedy anymore...'
She fiddled with the ring on her finger. The diamond-studded wedding ring was nothing more than a shackle.
She was the Crown Prince's third consort.
She married him for the sake of reconciliation, but if that reconciliation became meaningless, what would happen to her?
Empress, that's ridiculous.
There were plenty of women around who met the requirements of an Empress.
The Crown Prince had never slept with her. No matter how beautifully she dressed up, he had no interest in a woman who had been taken as a hostage. Then, as he began to covet Parnassus, he decided to use Lucy.
'Empress...'
But really, if only, even if it was just a possibility.
What if what he said was true?
It was troubling. After all, she had left Parnassus.
It would be foolish to miss out on the current benefits because she was attached to her hometown, which had no good memories. If the Crown Prince really promised her the position of Empress, it might be a good deal.
...But telling him the secret passage of the palace is the same as killing all the royals, isn't it?
What if her mother was among them?
...No.
No matter how ruthless the Crown Prince is, that won't happen.
"Happy birthday, Arsinoe."
Lucy was startled and flinched at the voice that had crept into the cracks of her thoughts.
The Crown Prince, who had been there since when, was looking down at her with his arms crossed and a gentle face.
