***
How much time had passed?
She felt a presence and looked over at the bed. As expected, Victor was awake, but he didn’t get up. The candlelight reflected in his hazy eyes quickly disappeared under his eyelids.
After a moment of silence, rhythmic breathing was heard again.
Amarion watched the scene without a word.
These days, Victor had been like this.
He woke up at dawn, but didn’t get up or swing his sword. He just opened his eyes for a moment and then fell back asleep.
It was proof that his illness was almost gone.
Even though her feelings for Victor were mixed, she was really happy. She was happy that he had finally been relieved from his dreadful nightmares, and that he would no longer fear hurting anyone in his sleep.
Now Victor could be happy, and peace would come to the castle.
She put down her sword and sat next to him.
When she looked at him up close, his face looked soft. Gentle.
It was a thought she never imagined she would have when they first met.
The things that made her first impression of him terrifying had long since turned into tenderness.
Suddenly, she felt hope.
From now on, they might be able to live happily.
Would it be possible to become an ideal couple while slowly getting to know each other’s past? Without ever revealing Victor’s cruelty?
It’s true that there were things she didn’t know about him, but he was still sweet. She wanted to get to know him better.
She looked down at him and decided.
She decided to make a confession.
She’d tell Victor all about it tomorrow, and his illness would slowly fade away.
After he finished work, maybe they could even go on a trip together.
But the next day, her hope was shattered before she could confess anything.
***
She opened her eyes to the sound of voices.
She was used to her maids chattering in the morning, but this was different.
Wagons, excited horses, and people shouting. It was far away, but she could hear it clearly.
‘What’s going on?’
She was about to leave to find out, but she looked back at Victor, who was still sleeping.
Once he fell asleep, he didn’t wake up for anything. But just in case, she closed the window, picked up her sword, and left the room.
There was not a single soul in the hallway.
But the further down the stairs she got, the louder and louder the noises became. When she finally reached the ground floor, she opened her eyes wide in surprise.
“Bring hot water! Herbs too!”
“There are a lot of injuries. Move them on stretchers!”
“Are any rooms ready? Get ointments and bandages!”
‘What the hell is this…?’
Amarion opened and closed her mouth like a fish.
The lobby was a total mess.
The front door was wide open, and wounded men were constantly being carried in and out of the castle.
Servants ran around frantically, trying to care for the wounded.
She was shocked to spot a familiar face.
“Catalina?”
The heir to the great noble, Marquis of Catalonia. The owner of the most profitable business in the Empire.
Her friend, Catalina, was lying on a stretcher, in pain.
“Catalina!”
She ran towards her.
The servants looked surprised, but it didn’t matter.
“Ahh, what is this…?”
“Amarion…?”
Catalina frowned and grabbed her stomach. Amarion opened her eyes wide when she saw the wound through Catalina’s fingers. It was a horrific gash that an ordinary person would never experience in their lifetime.
Blood leaked through her fingers. It looked as though she had been cut by several sharp blades.
Healers rushed to her side and poured alcohol over her wounds.
Catalina let out a painful groan.
“My Lady.”
Diederick hurriedly approached her after she barely managed to look away. Before Amarion could say anything, the old butler explained.
“They’re all from Catalonia. On the way to Morte, they were attacked by monsters.”
“Where?”
“The border, not too far from here. They said sandy monsters resembling bats flew at them in swarms and spit fire…”
“Gargoyles. They usually don’t flock, so why…”
She bit her lip.
A gargoyle was a monster that lived in caves, could breathe fire, and had sharp claws like a sword.
Usually, they attacked alone, so the escort knights shouldn’t have had any problems.
‘Why?’
She had worries, but right now it was more urgent to heal the wounded.
She looked around. There were quite a few injured, but fortunately, the servants were quickly caring for them under Diederick’s command.
She walked around like she did in Amari, finding people with particularly serious wounds and calling healers. Whenever she called out, healers and servants ran to her.
“I will stop the bleeding, wipe this side first!”
The servants followed the words of the healer and started wiping the patient.
Amarion quickly stepped back so as to not get in the way.
It was all very confusing.
After ordering her maids to bring more ointment, she went back to Catalina.
“Are you okay, Catalina?”
After her treatment, Catalina looked much better. She nodded.
“Yes. Thank you for taking care of my people, Amarion.”
“It was all done by the servants. Don’t overdo it and rest for now. I’m sure you must be in a lot of pain…”
She frowned and looked down at her.
Seeing Catalina wounded and haggard broke her heart. It was a huge disconnect from the image she had of her, smiling and immaculately dressed.
But Catalina shook her head.
“No, I still want to say thanks. Without the help of Morte, we would all be dead.”
“So… what happened?”
She let out a sigh. Her face was glistening with cold sweat.
“I have no idea. After making a deal with the Eastern Kingdom, we came to Morte by traveling along the border… It was the first time I’d ever seen a swarm of monsters! It was terrifying.”
Catalina exhaled and bit her lip.
“The sight of huge monsters spewing fire and tearing up wagons…. Thanks to the hard work of the Morte knights in charge of our escort, no one died, but they all feel guilty. I had to run away.”
Catalina began to cough.
Amarion quickly handed her a glass of water. She shook her head and stared at Amarion.
“I never spare money on escorts, Amarion. We always hire the best. But even the senior knights of Morte couldn’t stand it, so this is the first time I’ve ever experienced something like this.”
A million thoughts ran through Amarion’s mind.
She gripped her sword.
The ominous feeling she felt yesterday suddenly multiplied.
If the behavior of monsters changed, the risks would also change.
Gargoyles didn’t usually come out of their caves, but if they happened to meet more of their kind, they lived together. They formed a group, and became much more dangerous.
‘But why did these gargoyles come out of their cave in the first place?’
‘No way.’
Clearly, something was happening.
Something very strange and dangerous.
She didn’t know what it was, but it was clear that Morte knights couldn’t deal with gargoyles properly.
She couldn’t understand why Catalina trusted Morte’s knights so much…
To be honest, they were weak in her eyes.
If they were sent out for subjugation, someone might get hurt, or even killed.
Just thinking about it made her stomach twist.
Guilt flowed in.
Catalina had come to see her, and this is what happened.
Amarion bowed her head.
“I’m so sorry, Catalina. Because I invited you here…”
“Why is that your fault?”
Catalina laughed.
Even in a situation like this, Catalina spoke confidently.
“I just wanted to try Morte’s famous honey liquor. Of course you have it, right?”
“Yeah. I’ll definitely treat you to it when you’re well. So, until then, rest.”
Amarion gave a small smile.
Catalina simply nodded.
Amarion squeezed her hand one last time, then got up.
***
Victor woke up after all the wounded had been taken care of.
It was because she requested the servants not wake Victor.
Even though the situation had been resolved, she didn’t want to disturb his sleep.
Victor quickly grasped the situation after receiving Diederick’s report.
Victor sighed. He was told he had to move the wounded to empty cabins, unpack their luggage, and look after their horses.
“Why didn’t you wake me up? Both of you must have been very busy.”
“No, forget that. I have a favor to ask of you.”
“What is it?”
“Please include me in the subjugation group.”
Victor’s expression hardened instantly.
It was as if she had spoken a forbidden word.
The Grand Duke spoke after being silent for a moment.
“…Why?”
“I’m worried.”
She briefly explained the story she heard from Catalina.
The Catalonian party was escorted by Morte Knights, but they were defeated, so the same would likely happen to the subjugation group.
The situation may be worse than it appeared on the map, so they needed her help.
Victor stayed completely silent while she told her story.
Then he spoke.
“There is no need to go out with them.”
“But-“
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“I understand your concerns, but my knights are not weak. The planned force will suffice.”
It was a stubborn tone.