Inside a silent room, four days since Ferzen had returned to Brutein, Euphemia woke up to a morning she wished wouldn't come so soon.
She carefully rose from her bed and pulled the curtain that covered the window.
Once the glimmering lights beyond the dawn's darkness bathed the world in its full majesty, Ferzen would once again depart from Brutein.
Though she knew it was a foolish notion, Euphemia wished to delay his departure, even if it was for a moment.
She slowly released the curtain and tiptoed back to bed, taking utmost care to avoid waking Ferzen. With deliberate, noiseless movements, she approached Ferzen's slumbering form and hugged him atop the blanket that covered his body.
'Would it have been better...'
If she had seduced him into making love last night?
In such a case, his exhausted body would require a longer duration of sleep than his usual routine, making it harder for him to wake up early.
'You're so cruel...'
He had clipped her wings, causing her to forget how to fly, and locked her in a cage.
Her only sky, like a frog in a well, was the man currently breathing peacefully in her embrace.
How could he leave her like this and announce his departure on a long journey?
'Do I seem stronger than you think?'
It had been a long time since she had forgotten how to stand on her own without relying on anyone.
She had become a woman capable of a little more than chirping for him.
Rustle-!!
Quietly expressing her desolation, which she couldn't reveal to Ferzen, Euphemia embraced him tightly and nuzzled against his body like a baby bird.
Flinch-!!
In response to her foolish actions, Ferzen's large hand wrapped around her back, pulling her into his arms, causing Euphemia's entire body to tremble slightly.
She thought it was merely a sleeping habit, but when she raised her head and saw his face, she realized it was more than that.
"Why did you wake up before me?"
His eyes were still half-shut, and his voice was soft, indicating he was not fully awake.
Yet, what troubled Euphemia the most was that he seemed to be vaguely aware that morning had arrived.
"I-I just need to use the bathroom…"
"..."
"I'm sorry for waking you up… You should go back to sleep..."
One of Euphemia's trembling hands gently traced Ferzen's face, while the other stroked his powerful chest.
Her touch sent a cozy sensation throughout his body, as if he had been subjected to a lullaby.
However, it wasn't hard for Ferzen to recognize the wistfulness in her fingertips.
"Is that so..."
Just like that,
Before he knew it, the light of dawn, which could no longer be hidden by the curtains, entered the room. However, Ferzen ignored it and just closed his eyes as he affectionately caressed Euphemia's body.
After such a long night, it wouldn't make sense for morning to come already.
So, that bright sunlight must have been nothing but his imagination.
...So, Ferzen, who overslept, woke up at 1:40 in the afternoon.
Although every minute that passed was a waste, Ferzen never regretted it.
* * * * *
"This..."
In front of Brutein's mansion, just before Ferzen boarded the waiting carriage, Euphemia handed him a beautifully embroidered handkerchief.
Embroidered on it was a laurel tree, symbolizing victory.
In her own way, Euphemia was praying for Ferzen's victory and safe return from battle.
Accepting it, Ferzen lowered his head to face Euphemia, who looked as if she might burst into tears at any moment.
Smooch-!!
He gave her a brief kiss that didn't even make a sound.
There was nothing more fitting than such a kiss for this moment of separation.
"I'll go."
"Mnn..."
Take care of yourself.
"Goodbye… My wife."The origin of this chapter's debut can be traced to N0/v3l--B1n.
Euphemia smiled as brightly as she could at those endearing words.
Gallop-!!
Creak-!!
As the carriage, bearing Brutein's symbol, departed from the mansion, Euphemia stood quietly in her place, watching the scene until the very end.
Only when she could no longer see the carriage with her own eyes did Euphemia lower her waving hand.
She could already feel the loneliness and anxiety welling up in her heart due to the void left by his departure.
Euphemia tried to push those feelings aside and hugged herself with both arms, but she knew well that it was a futile gesture.
"..."
The sky above her appeared so clear.
However, winter will soon arrive in this world.
For someone from Louerg, winter was a very familiar season.
But Euphemia had no confidence in enduring the winter alone without Ferzen by her side.
But she would have to endure it.
After all...
She would become his next season.
* * * * *
"Are you okay, Count...?"
Rimbel, who had been attentively observing Ferzen's every move, cautiously inquired, concern lacing his voice.
Ferzen, gazing at the handkerchief thoughtfully crafted and gifted to him by Euphemia, placed it in his breast pocket and peered out the window.
"If I were to say I'm not okay, would you be able to prevent the war from happening altogether?"
"W-well, that's..."
"I'm just jesting, Rimbel."
Ferzen chuckled, watching his flustered adjutant.
Once he ensured that the carriage carrying Yuriel and Laura was following behind, Ferzen returned to his usual self.
In the impending war, he had a singular purpose—to not lose what he held dear.
"Haha…"
Suddenly, Ferzen found himself laughing, almost involuntarily.
Upon reflection, he realized that in all his past battles, his aim had always been to gain or seize something from someone else. This time, he was fighting to safeguard something.
"A villain who fights to protect, huh…"
It was indeed a paradoxical notion.
He couldn't find any fundamental logic in it.
Such was the fate of an unfortunate villain.
* * * * *
November 30, the last day of November.
Ferzen, who had returned to the capital, exhaled a warm breath as he surveyed the capital's landscape, which now bore an even more desolate atmosphere than before.
On the outskirts of the castle gate, a few large barracks had already been erected, with a crowd of conscripted citizens gathering there.
The officials responsible for managing them were in constant motion, rarely finding a moment to sit down.
"Rimbel."
"Yes!"
"Do you know how many soldiers will be conscripted?"
The crowd he saw didn't consist of all conscripted citizens from every territory of the Ernes Empire.
Each territory had its own conscripts, and they would be gathered in designated areas before being dispatched to the battlefield.
"Maybe… It will be around 70,000."
"Is that so?"
Though some might consider this a small number, given the historical context, it was no small feat for any kingdom or Empire to mobilize 70,000 troops at once.
If the elderly and women were also forcibly conscripted, the number would reach 100,000.
However, the fact that 70,000 able-bodied men had been drafted was a testament to the nation's power.
"Then, please excuse me, Count. I'll stop by the mansion in the afternoon to report."
"Hn."
After Rimbel left, Ferzen turned to Laura and Yuriel.
"Let's go."
With that brief command, the three of them proceeded to his mansion in the capital.
Footsteps echoed through the square they were passing, and not long after, Ferzen abruptly stopped.
He could no longer see the corpses of Cesar and Roer, who had been executed before he left the capital.
Perhaps all of their remains had already been devoured, and their bones, which would soon turn to ashes, would be carried away by the wind.
Squeeze-!!
"..."
At that moment, Yuriel, who had been standing quietly by his side, gently clasped his hand.
She likely believed that he was grappling with guilt as he stared at the empty square.
Seeing her attempts to console him, Ferzen realized he had exposed a lot of vulnerability to Yuriel.
Her readiness to offer solace at the slightest sign of his weakness was a clear indication of that.
"It's okay; you don't have to worry."
Ferzen maintained his usual stoic expression as he brushed Yuriel's hair.
He then tightened his grip on her hand, filled with affection.
"..."
Laura, observing the pair, surreptitiously glanced at Ferzen's remaining hand and fidgeted with her own small hand.
However, she lacked the confidence to suddenly grasp his hand, fearing Yuriel's reaction. So instead, she chose to tug on the long ears of her rabbit doll.
Her position was one thing, but wasn't she likely to be assigned to the same rear supply unit as Yuriel?
Furthermore, wouldn't Yuriel become her direct superior?