They were enemies.
That was what Lynn said to Lena the other day. She didn’t even pretend to listen at the time, but in fact, Lena knew it well.
Having the same purpose didn’t necessarily mean being one. Rather, they became competitors or enemies because they had the same purpose.
Moreover, Lena was in a position to prove her worth as a mercenary. So now it was better to be silent. To play an unrivaled and secured a precarious position, it was certainly advantageous to keep her mouth shut.
“….I don’t want Sir Lynn to get hurt, either.”
But Lena couldn’t. Because this young man was so kind. He’s cute, heart-warming, and handsome.
“So listen carefully to what I’m saying from now on.”
Lena finally confessed with a surrender.
“It’s about the tomb expedition two days later.”
“The tomb expedition?”
“I can’t help thinking it’s a trap, but I want you to listen as much as you can.”
In an unexpected remark, Lynn looked at Lena. But it was so dark that he couldn’t see her face.
“You don’t have to take a lot of people. Select only 10 knights and take them. Those who are strong-minded and quick-witted.”
Moreover, the words that followed were darker than the darkness.
“Think of staying in the tomb for about ten days. Take only salt for food. You won’t even be hungry there anyway. Instead, if you eat as usual, you should rest as usual.”
“What do you….”
“Don’t fight with the dead. No matter how many times you get rid of it, you get them again, so the more you fight, the more you lose.”
Lynn needed an explanation. But Lena didn’t stop and poured her words.
“The king’s castle that swallowed the first cry is between the valleys. Don’t approach even if you find it. If you go, Sir Lynn will come back empty-handed.”
“Don’t approach it?”
Don’t approach the castle that needs to be conquered. It was ridiculous.
When Lynn asked, as he couldn’t understand it, Lena said with utmost generosity, “I’m the only who can conquer the castle.”
🍃🍃🍃
Early in the morning, Duke Arles rushed Lena to come to his room. However, the only thing that appeared in front of him was a small girl.
“Hello, old man.”
When Duke Arles looked dumbfounded at her, Yuni said first, “I know why you called. I’ll just say what the Lady said. First of all, the meeting was a bit noisy, but it was still meaningful. Second, it’s the best choice to speed up the expedition, so please trust the Lady and leave it to her.”
“….So?”
“That’s it?”
Yuni’s reply distorted Duke Arles’ face.
“Mm, you’re not making that face for me to smile, are you?”
Of course not, but Duke Arles didn’t change his expression. Actually, he was so out of his mind that he didn’t even know what his face was like right now.
“What the hell are you thinking….!”
“If you ask that, the Lady said that you can just give up all your worries and wait.”
As Yuni took over naturally, the impression of Duke Arles became even worse.
The news that the expedition was advanced and that the South decided to take the lead was immediately reported to the Southern Duke.
So he hurriedly called Lena, but she didn’t come in the middle of the night, and when he called her again in the morning, she sent this carrot-sized kid away.
It was a maddening and crazy thing for the Southern Duke.
“I’m not ignorant of her indulgence,” said Duke Arles in a suppressed voice. “One thing she doesn’t know about the people who have neglected me, should I teach her?”
At his boiling voice, the secretary and servants crouched like a turtle. It was to prepare for the rage of Duke Arles. Yuni, however, seemed to be rather strange to the angry Southern Duke.
“You don’t believe in my Lady, old man?”
“Believe, you….!”
The servants closed their eyes as Duke Arles burst into a loud voice. But the next thing that followed was not a thunderous rant, but a weak groan.
“How can you ask me to believe her, without any measures…”
Duke Arles, so lamented, looked rather depressed than angry.
“I can’t believe I’m taking those filthy men to the vanguard, even tomorrow. She will be fine there, but will the others? Clearly, just do it in the middle. Why would she step up and drive the knights to the limbs….!”
The old man complained as he struck the armrest. He couldn’t quite understand Lena’s decision.
The vanguard is the first to be attacked and the first to be exposed to danger. It wasn’t uncommon for many to die and get hurt, and to be wiped out without luck.
So if she had an idea, she should avoid it, but if she was forced to take it, she should come and discuss countermeasures.
Lena didn’t come until he called, but only her maid that came. She said that it was the best choice.
Duke Arles was about to burst. Lena was upset about the meeting and wanted to do this on purpose.
“Excuse me. I think there is a misunderstanding now.”
“What misunderstanding?!”
As Duke Arles replied, Yuni said quietly. He shouted at her, but Yuni added without hesitation.
“If you’re worried about your knights, you don’t have to. They have nothing to do with the expedition tomorrow.”
“How come it doesn’t matter?!”
“My Lady is the only one leaving.”
“What?”
The face of Duke Arles, who was struggling with Yuni’s endless words, became blank. Yuni thought that expression was funny, and she told the old man clearly.
“My lady will go on her own. She will not take any knights with her and will take the vanguard alone.”
Duke Arles understood Yuni’s words very slowly. And when he got the word, his face turned to dust.3
🍃🍃🍃
Marquis Rubel ruined the Southern Knights’ meeting, and the Imperial Cardinal asked Dame Lena to stand on the vanguard.
It meant that if she died with an incompetent southern knight, or was fortunate to return to defeat, she should take over full responsibility.
So Lena would rather go alone. She was asked to jump into the fire pit, so she rolled up her sleeves as if she were flaunting.
Lena’s decision was widely known through the mouth of a young maid. As a result, the Imperial Palace was once again rocked by the story of Lena Rubel.
First, the southern knights, who were excluded and rejected Dame Lena, pretended to be angry and cried secretly. They were sincere people who valued life more than honor.1
The young nobles doubted Dame Lena’s mental state. Some were clamoring that she would flee at night.1
The Imperial Cardinal laughed loudly, and the Eastern Duke was silent. Meanwhile, Marquis Rubel was the first person to hear the news through the butler.
The news that his daughter was on her own trip was very unexpected to him. But it didn’t change anything.
He prepared his work silently until the end.
🍃🍃🍃
A day passed quickly, and on the day of the expedition, knights from the East and North gathered at Duham Palace.
The ceremony was held at the main palace, so there were only priests in Duham Palace. One of them, the boy priest, saw Marquis Rubel and greeted him with pleasure.
“You’re in a good shape again today, Your Excellency.”
“All thanks to the priest’s prayer.”
The greeting was somewhat strange, but the Marquis responded familiarly. Then the boy priest refuted rather sharply.
“I don’t pray for that.”
“But you did last night.”
“I didn’t do it last night.”
“Did you really not?”
“I didn’t.”
“…I can’t believe I have such an unfilial son.”
As the Marquis sighed, the boy priest giggled. Then he stopped playing and laughed brightly.
“Be careful, father.”
Preliminary priest and successor to the Marquis of Rubel, Enzy Rubel said so and embraced his father. The Marquis also laughed and stroked his son’s head touching his chest.3
At that time, Lena and Duke Arles entered the palace.
First, she thought the Marquis was terrible when he saw Lena. Subsequently, also found the Marquis, then a father and a daughter made eye contact.
When he saw his daughter walking proudly in uniform, various emotions struck his heart. Nevertheless, the decision of the marquis remained.
To him, the daughter should’ve been buried deep in the grave and it sometimes made him feel sad.
Unfortunately, Lena returned alive. It wasn’t supposed to be. So the Marquis decided to correct the wrong thing.
For his own life and future, for the honor of his family, and for his much bigger son.
“Are you ready?”
“Yes.”
Facing the Marquis, Lena turned her head to the question of Duke Arles. She wanted to see the boy priest held in her father’s arms again, but she endured it. Instead, she gathered herself and looked around.
Duke Arles and Lena were the only ones from the South. On the other hand, the East and North regions were significant.
First of all, countless knights of the North lined up, led Prince Ruvid and Marquis Rubel. In The East, the knights were concentrated around Lynn, but it was much smaller than the North. Still, the number seemed overwhelming.
‘So that’s Sir Lynn’s decision.’
Lena smiled helplessly at the knights of the East.
‘I can’t help it.’
Lena gave him several tips last night. But looking at the number of the knights, Lynn seemed to have decided not to follow the advice.
Actually, it’s natural. It would’ve been difficult to believe and act only on what others said.
Lena fully understood his decision. However, apart from that, the feeling of her advice being rejected was unpleasant.
Lena swallowed a sigh and turned her eyes again to look at the crack. The Cardinal stood in front of her, and the vanguard’s seat was empty. It was for Lena Rubel.
“They really only have one seat.” Duke Arles murmured softly when he saw that. “I’ve never heard of your solo appearance.”
“Everything has its first time.”
“It must be the first and the last. Who else would do this?”
“I’m more honored to be nothing.”
Despite the criticize, Lena just smiled prettily. In response, Duke Arles made a sick sound at the gesture and suddenly mumbled something unknown.
“I am an old man.”
“Pardon?”
“I’ve lived for a long time and I was so conservative.”
Lena stared at Duke Arles. But the old man continued his words, avoiding her gaze.
“It’s unacceptable in the first place. Making a woman from a mercenary agency as an agent.”
“You believe that black cats are ominous.”
Lena made light fun of it, but Duke Arles replied regardless.
“Is it just a cat, what about a crow?”
“And luck comes when you find a four-leaf clover?”
“Good luck comes from the rabbit.”
Lena tilted her head at the natural response.
She heard through Yuni yesterday that Duke Arles was almost crying. So she thought he would be in a bad mood again today, but somehow he was more talkative than usual.
And for some reason, Duke Arles continued, “The old man doesn’t like adventure. It’s only based on long experience… but you have already overshadowed my life’s experience.”
As Lena listened, his voice was so calm. Lena stared at what kind of whim it was, and Duke Arles concluded, thinking that in the end, her decision was acceptable enough.
“I’ve given up understanding you, so do well.”
“Are you encouraging me now?”
“….I’d say yes if you understand, but if you don’t, just go.”
Duke Arles frowned and kicked Lena with nothing but an impression (only if you understood what it means). Then he asked Lena again as he put his hand on her back.
“Can’t you just come in the middle?”
Lena ended up laughing at the question of an honest old man. Then she looked back and answered nicely.
“If that’s the case, then I wouldn’t have taken the lead, right?”
Duke Arles thought it was a really saucy answer. Then Lena turned and headed for the vanguard seat in front of the crack.
She could feel countless eyes. A look filled with malice, goodwill, murder, suspicion, competition, and curiosity.
As Lena walked, Klavis, who was waiting in front of the crack, smiled.
“Come, brave Dame Lena.”
Klavis’ voice was as light as ever. As Lena looked at him, he lowered his voice and added, “Goodbye. I really have high expectations for you.”
He whispered once and then withdrew. Then he raised his voice with reverence.
“Dame Lena, Your Majesty’s Knight. The first opportunity for you, go and beat the enemy of the South and bring the heart of the King who swallowed the first cry.”
Caught the King of the dead by herself, this was almost impossible.
‘But nevertheless, if you did this, I….’
Klavis smiled sharply and swallowed the words in his mouth. Then he muttered like a parrot to swallow his innermost thoughts.
“Then, under Her Majesty’s glory, a new horizon.”
As a sign, Lena turned. Then, in front of everyone’s eyes, she headed to the tomb once again.
🍃🍃🍃
Lena, who shut her eyes tightly in the red light, opened her eyes in the deep smell of sulfur and shivered.
She could see a familiar world. She looked around the tomb after a long time, feeling a strange nostalgia.
Glad or unfortunate, Lena was not the only one happy. This world was also enthusiastically welcoming her. In the distance, countless dead were running to tear Lena to death.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Is it just me or I feel that Duke Arles was more like a father to Lena than that Marquis?
13
Comments:
한 설영(jina****):
Hey… daughter is in the middle of his heart, “It happened….” She should’ve been a person in someone’s memory, but she came back alive because something went wrong. Is her father a human or an animal? [He’s Cardo Rubel, who lost his daughter but was undaunted by grief and revived the family] It’s terrible if you think about this.
The appearance of her younger brother Enzy isn’t sudden. In Chapter 4, Lena’s parents sent Lena to the villa in order “to focus on giving birth and raising successors.” And when the son (Enzy) was all grown up, Lena returned to her own home when she was six years old. At that time she was younger than Enzy now. Please make Lena happy, Author-nim….
아르라움(ddow****):
The Marquis is really cruel. He’s cold to his daughter, but to his son he’s like saying “Oh, my child.”. But I’m glad Lena didn’t collapse (because of it).
딸기조아(suji****):
Wa…. hwa….And here’s another trap for her… Sorry for the son who doesn’t even realized that. I’m sorry to curse at him, but who can be blamed? There are so many people to swear at and there some sins that I don’t know. Please make my sister (Lena) be happy and come out to Lena the strongest… (I’m making a smile) Hihihihihihi