After a week, I really have to leave the North in which I find it exciting since I never went out of the town since the day we arrived here. Silvester and Corra personally sends me off. Although, Corra and I barely talk with each other I know that she is a strong-willed woman. I hope she keeps supporting my brother in the future.
After a whole day of travelling by carriage, we finally reach the border of the capital. I don't know why but I felt like I am in a different place. There are a lot of higher buildings and the whole town is pack making it hard for the carriage to pass through. The whole kingdom is so beautiful and I can't even compare it to the North. I will make sure that once I return, I will pester Silvester to build more buildings. How come the North looks like a run-down village compares to the capital?
We arrived at the Winter's mansion where I saw my parents waiting for my arrival. It seems that I've gone for so long that the whole mansion appears so big. Actually, it is twice as big as the mansion we are living in the North. I suddenly felt I'm not part of this house anymore, why do I feel a little out of place?
"Welcome back my daughter." Mother hugged me in front of these people. Does she not feel embarrass?
After that formal greetings, mother told me that I should get change first before going to have some dinner with them. I just obeyed her words but I wonder, why should I get change if we are just going to have some dinner? Isn't that's just a waste of time. I changed my clothes in something formal and since I didn't intend to stay longer, I personally brought three pairs of clothing. I didn't bring a maid with me although Corra insisted to bring one but Silvester knew me very well and persuaded her to just let me go without a maid.
I changed my clothes and a maid knocked on my door telling me that she was sent by my mother to help me. I let her entered and suddenly she was shock seeing me in my military uniform. She said that the we are just going to have dinner and not going to a war. I told her that I only brought three clothes with me and she seems so shock. She explained me that I am a daughter of a duke that's why I should have brought at least twenty sets. Why would I bring so many clothes? Is she taking me as a fool? According to the notes, she is indeed taking me as a fool and normally her head is already flying out the window. But because according to the notes as well that I should ask an explanation further to understand her. This is what I am talking about, Lucas's words are contradicting with one another. I did ask her reason for taking me as fool, she immediately apologize and said that she didn't intend to make me feel such outrageous comment.
Somehow, I felt that apology is empty so I warned her that the next time she makes me feel a fool, her heard will be a display in the public plaza. She froze in a second as I pass her. I really do mean my words and that she should watch out.
I arrived at the dining hall and both mother and father were shock seeing me in my military uniform. I immediately told them that I only have three pairs of clothing that I brought with me. Suddenly, I heard a little hick of laughter from the person next to my mother. He has the same hair color as me, silver hair. Then that means this pipsqueak is somehow related to me. My mother introduces him and he is actually my younger brother. He is around eleven years old. Although he is young, he has this aura that he is somehow rude. I nearly forgotten about him since he didn't visit the North before, not even once.
While eating our dinner, father discuss the reason why the king wants me. The whole capital knows already what I did to those nobles in the North. Father was concern but somehow proud of what I did. Mother in the other side was a little angry and worried. She pointed at that it is actually a crime to banish nobles without the consent of the king. Killing nobles out of treason is allowable but banishing their families is different, further more without the consent of the king.
"We heard a lot of news about you from the North, why must you have to do it?" Mother worries.
"It is my job to punish those ingrates. If I don't do it then they will take me for nothing."
"We heard that you actually committed a mass murder when you were at war with the Pilisians, is that also true?"
(Author: Pilisians are the people from their enemy kingdom, Pilisi.)
"You did what? You mass murder?" The kid asks with amazement. His name is Arthur.
"If you view it as a mass murder then so be it, but I just did what I have to do."
"Silvestine, what you did actually created a huge problem. Your brother Silvester did all what he can do to fix it and now you did another problem, banishing the nobles' families? What are you thinking?" Mother reprimanded me.
"…"
"If you feel that they are stepping on you don't just kill them. Punish them but don't kill. Didn't I already told you before that you must think of your actions?" Father added.
"I didn't kill them because I felt that they are stepping on me, I killed them because I felt that they are a threat not only to the kingdom but also to the Winters. I'm sorry that I don't have a common sense of life and death. But I guess that is the effect of a person growing on a battle field. If I only kill because I felt that people are stepping on me then the maid that was sent to me earlier should have already been dead, right now."
The maids who are gathering around us heard what I said and looked at the maid who came with me in the dining hall. I suddenly lost my appetite and decided to leave the hall. I felt that I am not welcome anyway to eat with them. I don't have hard feelings but I just felt a sudden unwanted numbness.
The next day, I left the mansion without even telling my parents and went straight to the palace. The imperial knight welcomed me and leads the way to the hall where the king is. The palace is at least five times bigger than the mansion of the Winters. I can't help but be amazed upon seeing the whole place, those sculptures and magnificent architecture. As soon I entered the hall, I saw figures who are in front of me.
I guess the man sitting in the middle is the king and the woman besides him is his queen. Apart from that there must be at least three princes and one princess. There are also other people who are actually wearing their crest. This place is a real trial court. They immediately questioned me for arriving ahead of my father but I didn't think he was needed since I am the only one who got the summon, right?
After a few minutes, father arrived while fixing his coat. I can tell that he ran here. After that, the trial began. They discuss a lot of things while arguing to one another. The king and his family just kept quiet. My father keeps protecting me and pointing out what my reasons of doing what I've done. He looks pathetic arguing to such obvious attacks. But somehow, I felt warm seeing him desperately shielding me from those malicious and altered comments. Suddenly, the king raised his right hand commanding them to stop from arguing.
"So, tell me lady Winters, why did you do all of those? Is it something that a must to do? Or is it something that you have to do?" The king asks.
I look at father and he seem so worried. I know this is a life and death situation and one wrong answer it will actually cause my head.
"Actually, your majesty, it is a both. It is something that I must do and something I have to do."
"What do you mean?"
"It is a must to do because if I don't do it then those assholes will just do what they want without thinking over the benefit of the kingdom. They are all greedy and selfish. Those nobles are just thinking of how to get more benefits even though they are stepping on people. I must remove them before they do something even more. It is something I have to do because it is my job as a soldier."
"Well said lady Winters, but do you think it is a liberty to punish as well their families, to the extent of banishing them? You already dethroned them why must banish them?"
"I already thought of it your majesty. It is indeed cruel to dethrone and banish them at the same time but I did decide to do both. Dethroning from being a noble into a common people is already humiliating. However, it is not enough but banishing them will actually remove all of their powers. One can say it is a total annihilation, and it is right. If I don't banish them, they will come back and seek revenge. There will be war, I couldn't afford to put more pressure to the north."
"So, you are saying that you completely annihilate them so that they cannot fight back to your family!" Another noble yelled.
Somehow, he felt like the marquis, "Indeed, I annihilate them so that they couldn't fight back against the Winters, the Wardens of the North. Also, I annihilate them so that they couldn't harm the kingdom anymore. If you are going to say that I only did it for the benefit of my family you are wrong. The marquis, family took the advantage that the enemy offered, it is a truce by form of marriage. In first place, if the enemy really want to have a truce, then they should have offered the marriage under the Winters' family but they didn't. It is clear as a broad daylight that before the truce happened, the marquis and his delegates already plotted it ahead of time with the enemy. Isn't it that is already a high treason?"
"Yes… but you do not have an evidence that they plotted beforehand. It is clear that you are speculating things, so that you will have the full power of in the north?" the noble added.
"I am not over reacting to things, I just know that there is something wrong and I immediately deal with it before it gets big." I answered.
"Killing the north's nobles are already exceptional since they really committed a death sentence crime, but banishing their family without the royals' consent is somehow questionable. Lady Winters, how will you plead on that?" The crown prince asked.
"My liege, their family as well is part of the plan. The marquis's daughter will not marry the enemy's captain's son if she doesn't know the plan. Just think of it, a marquis daughter will marry an enemy's captain's son. There is no way she, a noble by birth, will marry an enemy's captain son that doesn't have a rank in the society. If us Winters' will take the enemy's son, he is just good as a boy working at our farm. Marriage is out of the question but the marquis agreed. Why? Because they must agree on something. Don't you find it more suspicious?"
"You are right, but what can you say about your act of banishing not only one family but at least four. It is clearly that you as well committed a crime against the royal family. You banished noble families without the royal's consent. What are you trying to achieve lady Winters? The crown prince asks.
I guess this is the question that will actually will lead me to my tomb. But as long I can speak, I can defend myself.
"Your highness, it is indeed my mistake to not inform you beforehand but I wasn't trying to achieve anything. I guess it is my mistake that I didn't think it through but if I didn't do it in that current time then the enemy will gather more back-up. By the time the royal consent arrived, those rebels already have an army to destroy the north. Like you said before, 'families', we are not going against only one family but four."
The crown prince deserves his title, for he always looks for loop holes but I am not an enemy.