I was glad that Damian was at least as reasonable as my worst nemesis and agreed to be transferred to another unit the next day. The mage that replaced him was a friend of his, who was quiet but kept a disconcertingly close eye on me, probably at my brother's request. He was still less alarming than him, and I regretted that it had come to this.
Oscar had arranged the transfer, and I wanted to speak to him the first chance I got. It wasn't until the afternoon that I finally got a chance during our ride to talk to him privately.
"I apologize on behalf of my brother for his actions yesterday."
"It's fine. I've forgiven him, as he is my future brother-in-law."
I smiled, happy that he admitted we would get married one day. In contrast, Princess Elizabeth would also be my sister-in-law, but I intended to remove her as soon as I was in a position of power to do so. Even if Oscar were planning to do that towards Damian, I didn't think I needed to worry about it. It would be the kingdom I would have to be concerned for.
Despite his aloofness, I supposed it was natural for the male lead to be more virtuous than the villainess. Oscar's expression was of his usual indifference, and one couldn't have possiblely imagined that he almost got murdered yesterday.
"Thank you for keeping this affair discreet."
"You're welcome. It's for the best."
I wondered what he meant and decided to appreciate that he probably took into consideration our situation as well. Damian couldn't scare him into breaking off our betrothal, so he thought I was worth the effort. I smiled again. After all, he was the true male lead, and I wouldn't expect anything less. I decided to venture a bit.
"I heard you went to the opera with Lady Catherine."
"I did."
In the ensuing silence, I let out a slow breath through clenched teeth. Mother taught me well, allowing me to match him in the art of concealing real feelings, but he ought to have had the emotional intelligence anyway to continue without my prompt. Alas, he wouldn't be the male lead otherwise.
"Why?"
"She asked me to. I felt an urge to be near her."
An undeniable attraction! How many times had I read that in my past life and swooned hopelessly? Now that I was on the other side of the equation, I wanted to find those old web novels, print them out, and burn them.
"I thought you didn't care for her. There has been gossip."
Nothing I couldn't deal with, especially since it hadn't been the social season, but he didn't need to know that.
"I'm sorry. I've asked her to stay away."
I almost laughed, but upon further reflection, I was oddly touched. He'd unknowingly sent away his destined love for me. I'd managed to make him like me enough for that. With him next to me, I could almost relive the night of my birthday, and that made me pleased enough to shove this opera business out of my mind.
I focused on hunting demons, and I did so quite cheerfully and successfully. We didn't talk a lot, but his company was pleasant, and though it wasn't exactly fighting side by side with us commanding our own knights, we spent everyday together. We were strong and our troops made excellent progress, and I felt gleefully powerful. About two weeks later, we were arriving at the foot of the mountain.
"Are you ready, my lady? I mean, this is one of the demon king's generals we're talking about. His Grace was very specific that if I let you even get one scratch- well, I guess that ship sailed a while ago. Still, please try not to get anything that won't heal by the time we get back."
I laughed. Sir Harrod was as good natured as ever, becoming more competent with age. Though he had learned over the past nine years not to ask too many questions, he was no less talkative, and while I had gotten more squadrons, the one he commanded would always be my first and most trusted.
"Don't fuss so much, Sir Harrod. Have some faith in me, like Mikhail."
"He's a mere boy! Why, when I was young, I was brought up on stories of the demon king! Do you even know who the five generals are, Mikhail?"
Mikhail, who had been pleasantly quiet as usual, nodded respectfully.
"You've spoken of them many times, sir."
"And it won't do you harm to hear it again! The most powerful general, of course, was the vampiress Cynthia Von Albrecht. She could take out entire legions by herself! So, she's probably the last obstacle, and we won't be getting to her this time. The two weaker generals are guarding the base of the mountain, and we'll be taking on one of them while the princess's troops take the other. And by weaker, I mean comparatively. If they weren't already dead, no number of human soldiers could even defeat the weakest of them!"
The demon king had practiced necromancy a thousand years ago on a level even present mages could not fathom, and scouts had discovered that in his awakening, he was recreating his old generals from pure mana. The bright side was that the strengths of these pale imitations were linked to the demon king, and he was not too powerful yet.
"It's rumoured that Cynthia Von Albrecht left a daughter, and many suspect the demon king to be the father! If that were true, that child would be the most powerful being in the world! She bears the ancient blood of the most noble vampire family and the demon king himself, so her magic would be beyond anything humans have ever seen…"
Out of desperation and boredom, I'd already had Zoe look into ridiculously powerful beings with doubtful existences. From what she could find, Cynthia Von Albrecht's daughter was likely real, but she was so reclusive that it would be even more impossible to find her. The magic flower was still our best bet, though it was amusing to hear Sir Harrod speaking in awe and dramatic terror.
He started talking about the demon generals we were likely to face, and I stopped listening. I'd researched every last bit about them, so much that I'd planned out every move for exactly how I would kill whichever one we got. The stories of their might at the height of the demon king's reign made me feel almost pitiful for their ending. If I failed, could I leave enough damage that they spoke of me like that?
"What's that smell?"
I knew the answer even as I spoke the words. From the trees, a giant figure burst forth. It was the largest demon I'd seen yet, and it was plainly horrifying. Eyes, limbs, and appendages grew from all the wrong places, defying nature in its existence. It felt wrong, and that it was a necessity to eradicate this being for the good of everything.
"Charge!"
I rode straight towards it and thrust out my dagger. The monster roared and attacked, but I once again marvelled at how the holy dagger slowed his movements. Still, it was the strongest and fastest one I'd battled yet, and I narrowly avoided its strikes. Most of the knights and soldiers assisted me, while my fiance led some others to block off the reinforcements it was summoning. We fought fiercely, and I could see that it was growing weaker from the wounds we'd inflicted.
"My lady!"
I ignored Mikhail's warning. The thrill got to me because I knew how close it was. One more strike, and I could finish it off! Yet it dodged unexpectedly, and its claw left a long cut on my arm. I felt a burning sensation and screamed, almost falling off of my horse. The monster snatched a knight and used him to swipe many other knights from their horses. In the chaos, it broke through our encirclement and fled.
"Valentina!"
Oscar was by my side in an instant, paler than usual with widened eyes. Was he actually worried about me? The shooting pain in my arm prevented me from enjoying that knowledge as much as I would've liked to. I slid off my horse and dug my nails into my thigh to stop myself from groaning. I kept my voice as calm as possible.
"Don't let it get away."
"I won't. Get back safely. I'll take care of it."
Mikhail picked me up and put me on his horse, and our squadron retreated. I was vaguely annoyed that Oscar was watching me leave instead of going after the demon general, but I supposed it was nice that he cared. By the time we got back to the camp, I was barely conscious as I faintly heard hurried yells and people rushing back and forth. When I recovered my senses, I was in the infirmary and it was the afternoon.
Nathaniel and an older priest were just finishing bandaging my arm while Priest Fernandez stood by the bed with an anxious expression. I asked for a glass of water and drank it all when I received it. I looked up at my mentor.
"Will it scar?"
"No, they'll make sure it won't, though it was fairly bad. Nathaniel here is really a gift, Your Holiness. Also, your knights said they wished to speak to you as soon as you feel well enough."
"Oh, let them in."
Mikahil and Sir Harrod came in. Sir Harrod tried to scold me, but I reminded him of his place and he left sulkily. Mikhail knelt down, his blue eyes filled with misery.
"I'm sorry, my lady," he said simply.
I didn't get a chance to reply, because at that moment an apprentice priest rushed into the room.
"His Highness is back!"
Under my pleading gaze, the older healer cut the bandage and allowed me to go, and I rushed out in a simple white gown. Oscar rode at the front, his hunting suit tainted with blood, and he'd never seemed more handsome. Behind him, a number of horses dragged the dead monster together. When my fiance saw me, he dismounted and came towards me.
I went to meet him, walking at first. Then I decided, God damn it, this was an occasion worth celebrating, and broke into a run. I flew into his arms and hugged him, smiling wide. He was caught by surprise, but slowly, he embraced me back.
"You killed it."
"You'd done most of the work. Besides, it dared to harm you."
Spoken like a true male lead. I laughed and squeezed him tight, but winced at the pain in my arm. He saw and escorted me back to my room at the infirmary, and the others left to give us privacy. I spoke immediately, having planned to do so for some time and knowing impulsively that this moment was right.
"Let's get married."
Not surprisingly, he was unfazed. Nevertheless, I was pleased by his next words.
"I've already asked His Majesty. He wants us to wait, but he's permitted an engagement reception."
"Good. Let's have it as soon as the social season begins."
"As you wish."
I'd already mentioned the engagement ceremony to some aristocrats, so I was glad it hadn't been empty gossip. If my arm wasn't throbbing so badly, I would've said the injury was worth it to see Oscar's feelings like this. I'd finally accepted there would probably be no grand display of affection, like he would give the female lead, but I'd have to trust his words and my own attractiveness, the latter of which I had complete faith in.
The subjugation was concluding with great advancements in both my career as the saint and as the crown prince's fiancee. After the prince left, alone in my infirmary bed, I let a smirk slip onto my face. I was going to win this.