The Marquis of Rikeandros, having found the place where his daughter stayed, was taken aback by the floor covered in dresses.
Red, cream, green, and purple… these dresses, made in the latest fashion, were newly ordered by Megara, who was determined to capture Abelus's heart. Even though the Marquisate, and Megara's mother, Rebecca, who was known for her wealth, were now out of money, he continued to spend money on his daughter because he felt sorry for her.
The image of his daughter's smiling face, as she said she liked them, was vivid, yet those expensive items were lying in a mess on the floor. The Marquis stood at the entrance of the room, dazed, wondering if something had happened.
The room, made for the Crown Prince's mistress, was small and didn't get enough sunlight, but it was dazzling with gold everywhere, showing the Crown Prince's favor. His eyes were dazzled, but he soon saw Megara crying, with a dress thrown over her head.
"My dear, Maggie, what's going on?"
The Marquis rushed over and removed the dress Megara had thrown over her head. He was heartbroken to see his beautiful daughter's face soaked in tears.
To be honest, the Marquis had never liked the fact that his daughter had become Abelus's mistress, and he still didn't like it. Even after Megara's illegitimacy was revealed, he could have easily married her off to a decent man and made her happy for life, but he thought she had made a rash and foolish decision.
It would have been better if Abelus had been like Princess Izet. No, even if he had the same personality, it would have been better if he hadn't been the Crown Prince. Then, his beautiful daughter wouldn't have been blamed for all the Crown Prince's mistakes, and she wouldn't have taken such dangerous actions to win his heart.
Megara didn't tell her father much about what she had done, but the Marquis had a hunch. He knew that his daughter had a hand in Princess Caymil's confinement.
The Princess was a very dangerous person. And she was of a status that couldn't be simply eliminated to prevent any repercussions. Since she had incurred her wrath, his daughter had no choice but to keep clinging to the top to survive.
The Marquis knew his daughter was clever, but her opponent was too bad. At least the Crown Prince wasn't openly seeing any other woman besides Megara.
Despite his dissatisfaction, the Marquis still loved his daughter. He loved her even more than before, because he felt sorry for her. He was planning to officially marry Rebecca soon, just to remove the label of illegitimacy from her. But the temple wouldn't give them the marriage permit, as if they knew his urgency.
'They must be feeling that the family's status has fallen and are trying to have a power struggle.'
The Marquisate was not what it used to be.
Megara sobbed, looking at her father.
"Father! They, they, the school kids, they're so ungrateful!"
"School kids?"
The Marquis heard only that much and guessed the situation. He had known this day would come eventually.
"I was so good to them! Please, Father, tell the Earl of Islani! How dare Alekto, Alekto, publicly humiliate me!"
The Marquis knew Alekto, the daughter of the Earl of Islani, well. Hadn't she been following Megara around for a while? He had heard that she had no friends and Megara was taking care of her.
To receive such help and then act so arrogantly now that her daughter's birth had been revealed. The Marquis was very angry at Alekto. But, regardless of that, it was difficult to grant his daughter's request.
For the same reason why his daughter, who would have normally rushed to the Crown Prince, couldn't do so now.
"…That, that would be difficult… There are too few nobles who have provided soldiers. There is too much resentment about this war. We're also short of money."
Things would improve when the taxes collected from the people came in during the fall, but summer was not a good time for the Imperial Family, which had spent all its spare funds, to raise an army.
According to the oath of loyalty between the monarch and his subjects, the subjects had to provide troops unconditionally when the monarch demanded them. But while it was said to be "unconditionally," if the monarch didn't give the subjects a reward in the form of a gift for providing troops, such a relationship wouldn't last. So, Abelus was already struggling to pay for the soldiers he had summoned.
Furthermore, if there were no more nobles willing to provide soldiers voluntarily, he had to scrape together more money, even if he had to use it as bait. There was no need to create a situation where he had to raise the amount of money he had to offer, just to upset the nobles.
Originally, the Marquis of Rikeandros had been deeply involved in military affairs, so he had a good sense of it. Under the current conditions, it was difficult for the Imperial Family to stop Maindelant. Moreover…
"Father…!"
Megara, who knew that Abelus was in a bad mood even if she didn't know much about the military situation, just burst into tears. The Marquis couldn't explain the situation in detail to his daughter, who had messed up the room as if the beautiful clothes meant nothing in the face of her status.
So he hugged his daughter and kept it to himself for now. The intelligence that his long-time rivals, as well as the Grunehalz family and their long-time allies, had decided to never help the Crown Prince.
At least while Megara was by the Crown Prince's side.
****
Under the blue sky, silver lances flowed like a river.
From the tower of the castle, its doors firmly shut, the lord looked out. To be precise, he looked at the Maindelant army that covered the field in front of the gate.
'Is that all?'
The lord sighed. In fact, all the senior officers gathered in the tower felt the same way.
This small castle, located about five days' journey south from the Tipian Marquisate, had less than a thousand hastily recruited soldiers. The old walls wouldn't hold for long. Especially against an army that could be recognized as elite just by a glance from afar.
The lord couldn't speak for a long time. He couldn't surrender to Maindelant without a fight. If he did, the Imperial Family wouldn't spare him afterwards. But now?
What about his soldiers who would die in vain?
Finally, the lord spoke.
"Defend yourselves thoroughly. If we hold out, the Imperial Family's reinforcements will come to our aid."
Everyone knew that even the speaker himself didn't believe those words. The battle would be over by the time the Imperial Family's reinforcements arrived.
With solemn, yet somewhat reluctant faces, they nodded. But then, the next moment.
"The, the gate is open!"
The lord screamed. Naturally, the gate was not only tightly closed in preparation for the enemy, but it was also reinforced with various devices. He had strictly ordered that no one could approach the gate without permission.
But why was the gate suddenly opening? And the timing was as if it were welcoming them…
Spy. The word flashed through the lord's mind. But did that make sense?
After the war clouds gathered, all the territories of the Empire controlled the entry of strangers. So, if there was a spy in this castle now, he must have infiltrated it before!
Then, when did the Grand Duke start preparing for this moment?
The silver lance wave flowed majestically, following the black knight. Seeing that, the lord realized his worries were useless.
No one needed to die in this battle. Perhaps except for the lord himself.
Because sometimes, unilateral suppression can be very peaceful.
Before the sun set that day, the Maindelant army had won another victory.
****
The white curtains fluttered in the wind that came in through the open window.
Sitting on an old library chair in the bedroom, Neris fiddled with the handle. She infused magic into the place she had been told about beforehand, and there was a short sizzling sound, followed by Cledwin's voice.
"Suddenly?"
The chair in the secret space where Neris used to hide when she was a student was originally made for the former Grand Duke and Duchess to talk to each other even when they were far apart. Now, it was being used as a way for Cledwin, who had gone to the battlefield, to communicate with Neris, who remained in White Swan Castle.
The way it worked was simple. Neris would stimulate the magical device hidden in the chair's handle with her magic, and the nearby communication device would receive the signal, causing the other communication device connected in pairs to glow blue. Then, Cledwin, who had the other communication device, could use his magic to start a conversation between the two of them. Communication was also possible in the opposite direction.
It was simple and convenient, but if the other person wasn't paying attention to the communication device's light, there was no other way to contact them. However, since his departure, Cledwin had never missed Neris's calls.
'Actually, it's not just that.'
Cledwin responded almost immediately whenever Neris used the communication device, enough to make her want to ask if he was busy right now. Neris chuckled and replied.
"It's the same here. How was your day? Are you traveling well? It's summer, so are the soldiers getting sick or are supplies being damaged?"
"It's only natural as the Grand Duchess. And you're going on a difficult journey. How are the Marquisate soldiers?"
The Maindelant army, which had marched south like a gale, was moving with some of the Tipian Marquisate's troops. The Marquis was slowly realizing that the Grand Duchy had taken over the Marquisate and that the Imperial Family wouldn't help him. And since he didn't have time to wait, Cledwin was taking the Marquisate soldiers and using them effectively.
"You'll keep drawing troops from the lands you've occupied, so it'll grow in size. The Imperial Family's shadows aren't all stupid, so they'll definitely mix spies among them. You know you have to be careful, right?"
"I want to say White Swan Castle isn't hot anywhere, but it has been strangely hot lately. This year's heat seems unusual, so be extra careful."
"Okay. I love you."
Cledwin chuckled with satisfaction.
His sweet voice lowered, becoming increasingly blatant in its seduction. Neris quickly covered her flushed face with both hands.
"…I… I'm struggling too. Being away from you…"
Could someone on the battlefield be having these idle conversations? Neris wondered, but Cledwin didn't seem to think so at all. He continued the conversation for a few more words, his voice clearly joyful, and then ended the communication, sounding regretful.
Still sitting in the chair, Neris looked at the blue sky outside. How far does that sky extend? This vast world.
How far will it burn?
She had a lot to think about. She had to rule the Grand Duchy alone without her husband, and she also had to support the army from the rear. She also had to worry about what was happening in the Imperial Family and protect her own people.
But suddenly, she felt sleepy. It must have been because she went to bed late last night. Neris tried to get up and go to work, but she fell asleep in the chair without realizing it.