It was a small courtyard with only two rooms and a gatekeeper. After the two entered the courtyard, they hurriedly entered the main room in the middle of the courtyard.
After entering, the woman in front of him took off her cloak, revealing her full appearance. She was a young woman in her mid-twenties. She had an oval face, a sharp chin, delicate skin, and soft hair. Her haggard face gave her a sickly beauty. The girl in her arms was also pale. The girl's thin arms and legs seemed to be weightless in the woman's hands. She also seemed to be sick. There was an unnatural blush on her cheeks.
"Miss, the young master still rejected us." The cloaked man also revealed his face. He was an old man in his fifties or sixties. His face was full of wrinkles. He seemed to be the woman's servant.
"Sigh, he can't even protect himself. Why would he send soldiers to protect us?" The beautiful woman said. "Laffey, go get a bowl of soup for Christen." The woman gently patted the little girl's head and placed her on a chair next to her. Then, she ordered the maid who had just entered the door.
"Miss, we're running out of food," the maid said with her head lowered. The woman was shocked. "Didn't I just pawn my earrings and bracelet? Isn't the money enough for two meals? "
"Madam, the price of food in the city has increased again. It's hard to buy anything even if you have the money," Laffey explained in a low voice.
"Forget it. Let's hold on for as long as we can. If we really can't …" The woman touched the sapphire necklace around her neck. It was her last piece of jewelry, and also the most precious one.
The maid obeyed the order and went to get soup for the little girl. A bowl of plain noodle soup was the only food in the house. The woman and the two servants didn't eat. They could still hold on, but the sick little girl couldn't. The two servants seemed to have a strict upbringing. Although they hadn't eaten, they didn't show it. The old servant went to the gatehouse to keep watch, and the maid went back to her room to rest.
The woman carefully fed the little girl with a spoon. The little girl obediently sat on the chair and didn't make any noise. She just drank the soup that the woman fed her. The little girl squinted her eyes and slowly drank the soup as if she was enjoying something delicious. "Auntie, you drink too." The little girl's voice was very soft. Perhaps it was because she was sick, but her face was slightly red, revealing a sense of cuteness.
"Auntie has drunk it. Little Christen, drink it. You'll get well soon," the woman said with a kind look.
"Yes, that's fast!" The little girl nodded heavily.
"Auntie, you should drink too ~" In the night, the voice of a little girl could be heard.
Her name was Glace. She was not an ordinary woman, but the daughter of a margrave. She was also a famous beauty in Shalor. Her father was Felippe, one of the three margraves of Shalor. As the beloved daughter of the margrave, she was the pearl of the imperial capital and the flower of the kingdom.
But at this moment, she was just an ordinary woman, a woman who was about to reach a desperate situation.
After feeding Christen, Glace comforted the little girl to sleep. Because she had spent all the money she brought, she couldn't take the little girl to see a doctor. Moreover, even if she had money, she might not be able to find a doctor now. During wartime, doctors would be forcibly conscripted into the army. Shalor was now in a crisis of the kingdom's survival. Doctors were probably only in the hands of the lords with heavy military power, such as her brother, the current castellan of Farlans, Willis.
After taking care of the little girl to sleep, Glace sat quietly by the bed. It was a cloudy night with no moonlight. It was pitch-black, just like her heart, which was shrouded by a shadow. She couldn't help but think of her father, the famous Margrave Felippe.
There were a total of three provinces in Shalor, which corresponded to three margraves: Margrave Felippe, Margrave Campbell, and Margrave Clark. The three margraves guarded the three provinces to protect the kingdom. Now, there were only two margraves left in the kingdom. Margrave Clark died in a bloody battle with the enemy in Gordon Heights, while Margrave Felippe and Margrave Campbell were now stationed in Entil and Eilis by the king's order.
That night a month ago, her father summoned her and told her to pack her luggage and take her brother's daughter to her brother Willis. "The kingdom is on the brink of life and death this time," Felippe, who used to be in high spirits, was now just an old man with a head full of white hair. "Hurry up and take Kristin to find your brother Willis. His territory is very close to Morphey Forest. You can ask him to help you cross Morphey Forest to the Kingdom of Karaman. I also have some manors there, so you won't have to worry about food and clothing in the future." Felippe's warning was still vivid in her ears. "Remember, don't come back. The royal family is now keeping an eye on our family and won't let us escape. The males in the family have no chance. Only you and Kristin are allowed to leave. You have to live for the Felippe bloodline!"
Under the protection of more than ten guards, Glace took Kristin to seek refuge with her younger brother, who had always been ignored. Perhaps it was because he had received too much cold treatment and contempt when he was young, but this younger brother, who was born from his father and a maidservant in the family, did not have a good impression of Glace and Kristin who had come to seek refuge with them. He even transferred his guards away to protect the city and only arranged for them to stay in a courtyard.
"Willis wants the map of Morphey Forest and the manors in the Kingdom of Karaman." As a famous social butterfly in the royal capital, Glace, of course, could see through her younger brother's intentions. Originally, it was not a bad thing for them to leave together, but from his attitude, it seemed like he wanted to leave them behind and take everything for himself.
Fortunately, there were many people in the city who knew her, the daughter of the head of the family. Willis did not dare to be brazen and could only use this method of house arrest.
Little Kristin fell asleep quietly. Glace covered her with a blanket and lay down beside her, but she could not sleep. She, her maidservant, Laffey, and the butler had not eaten for a whole day. Today, she had only secretly eaten two pieces of cake when she met her younger brother at the city lord's mansion at noon. Willis was forcing them into a corner.
Just as Glace forced herself to sleep to avoid hunger, she heard noises and cries coming from outside. It was getting more and more intense, as if the city had suddenly descended into chaos. "What's going on?" Glace opened the door and looked outside.
"Miss, it's bad. The Faustian army has surrounded the city!" The old butler's frightened voice could be heard. "No, we have to leave quickly before the city is completely surrounded," the old butler hurriedly urged.
Grace immediately returned to her room and picked up Christen, who was still asleep. Together with the old butler and the maid, they fled with the crowd. This place was filled with rich and powerful people. At the very least, following these people to escape in the right direction would not be a problem. It was too late. They could only fight to the death. The old butler and the maidservant both practiced impetus. They hoped that the two of them could bring them out of Morphey Forest.
Outside the city, Cardoj and Cashel sat around a bonfire, seemingly roasting a pheasant. "This guy was caught by my guard, Harvey. Baron Cardoj, you're in luck tonight," Cashel said jokingly.
"It's my honour to be able to eat something Baron Cashel roasts," Cardoj said modestly.
The soldiers around the two of them advanced quickly. They had already discussed along the way that they would use the same method as before. Cardoj would block one gate and Cashel would block two, leaving one empty gate for Farlans to retreat.
The reason for this was to prevent Farlans from fighting with their backs to the wall. It was to give them a glimmer of hope so that they wouldn't leave all their forces behind to fight them. Cardoj's cavalry platoon was waiting for them at the gate. The task of the cavalry platoon was to intercept the escaping merchants and nobles. These people were fat meat. With Wyr, a high-rank Knecht, stationed there, the two of them could rest assured.
By the time the pheasants were roasted on the bonfire, the siege was over. Nearly a thousand soldiers had encircled the small city twice inside and out. Even the north gate, which gave Fareins a path of retreat, was guarded by a platoon of Baron Cashel's men.
The soldiers replenished their food and maintained their spirits under the orders of their respective officers. The main reason they didn't attack tonight was to overwhelm the Shalorians' will to resist. Moreover, the troops needed to readjust after marching for a day. Everyone received the news that the siege would begin in the wee hours of the next morning.
Locke was currently at the west gate. This was the gate their battalion was responsible for attacking. He didn't know what kind of deal Cashel and Baron Cashel had made, but the first platoon to enter the city would be rewarded handsomely.
Tomorrow, 3rd Platoon would test the city to see how strong the defense of the gate was. After that, 1st and 2nd Platoons would attack together. This was the highlight of the show, and it would usually be the deciding factor. This was just a small city, and this was how they had done it before. Their platoon was the third to attack, mainly to clean up the mess.
Locke breathed a sigh of relief. Although he'd been a soldier for four years and had seen blood and fire countless times, he was still in awe of death. Although the rewards were low, he was still satisfied with the least risk. There was hope only when one was alive.
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