A Marriage Alliance for Revenge - Chapter 31

“Is Duke Viterpan still here?”

 

The blazing sun faded from view.

 

The adjutant standing at the door saw Hessel and came running.

 

Seeing his nervousness, Hessel spoke bluntly.

 

“Someone disrupting your schedule has you troubled.”

 

Those who had been tracking Luca’s trail had one by one returned, each of them failing to uncover his whereabouts. 

 

Moreover, despite a considerable amount of time having passed, Lucas had yet to show himself.

 

“It’s problematic for the commander to be away this long. Besides, don’t we have  sick knights right now?”

 

“They’ve broken the rules of the order before they’ve even had a chance to fight. I have half the mind not to throw them in jail right now.”

 

The adjutant swallowed hard at Hessel’s icy words.

 

He knew.

 

He knew it was all ridiculous.

 

But he couldn’t bear the ever-growing anxiousness if he didn’t do something.

 

If he had known this would happen, he would have forced himself to follow after Lucas.

 

It was when the adjutant ruffled his hair roughly.

 

“Is it time now?”

 

It was then.

 

The adjutant, chewing his lip and staring at the floor, looked up.

 

Thompson was coming through the door, his face grave.

 

“Mom! Mom!”

 

Thompson’s call brought the woman, who had been preparing dinner in the kitchen, rushing out.

 

He looked somewhat shaken, but the adjutant waiting on Lucas didn’t pay the boy any attention.

 

“Look at this. That knight saved me!”

 

The red-tailed fox stuck out its pointed muzzle and sniffed at the woman.

 

The fox’s blood stained Thompson’s clothes as if he had injured his leg.

 

“What is this?”

 

“It’s a fox, a red fox!”

 

Thompson proudly held out the fox he was holding to its mother.

 

Foxes were a prized game.

 

Noblewomen were especially fond of its bushy tail.

 

As winter approached, the red fox’s fur was one of the most expensive items to sell.

 

“A precious thing.”

 

His mother’s face brightened as she looked at the fox in Thompson’s arms.

 

If she sold the pelt, she could afford high-quality fabric to keep her warm in the winter.

 

Sensing what his mother was thinking, Thompson quickly hid the fox.

 

The fox squirmed in Thompson’s arms and rolled its black eyes.

 

“That’s my sibling!”

 

“What?”

 

“She’s my sibling; don’t you think about eating it.”

 

With a stern warning to his mother, Thompson stormed into the kitchen.

 

His mother belatedly regained her composure, noticing Lucas returning and giving a polite nod before swiftly entering the kitchen.

 

The mother, intent on somehow luring Thompson away and stealing the fox, had no interest in the complicated relationships of the men outside.

 

Lucas could hear the woman and Thompson arguing in the kitchen as he fed the fox he had proudly proclaimed as his sibling.

 

“Where do you think you’re going?”

 

The adjutant stepped forward, confronting Lucas, looking in the kitchen’s direction, where Thompson and the woman had entered.

 

Despite the adjutant’s disrespectful attitude, Lucas, in a good mood, did not press him on this matter.

 

“I recall that I mentioned that I would explore the village. As a side note, I helped Thompson find a sibling.”

 

“You’ve been hunting?”

 

Lucas laughed at the reproachful tone in the adjutant’s voice.

 

It was an obvious laugh, but everyone nearby knew that hidden beneath it was resentment directed at the adjutant.

 

“I merely assisted a wounded fox being chased by hunters. It seemed certain that it would have died if left alone. It reminded me of Rica, whom I left at home.”

 

“Rica?”

 

“The cat looks like my wife; both are very pretty.”

 

The adjutant’s face twisted at Lucas’s words.

 

He wanted to criticize Lucas for taking a leisurely fox hunt with one of the local children.

 

However, the situation was too precarious for him to act recklessly.

 

“I will accompany you from now on.”

 

“Whatever you say.”

 

Lucas replied, glancing downward briefly.

 

“…”

 

“But do you have the confidence to keep up with me?”

 

The adjutant clenched his teeth in response to the unmistakable mockery in Lucas’s words.

 

He had heard rumors of Lucas’s prowess.

 

He knew well how Lucas had subdued the northern barbarians who had threatened the Rhone Empire for years.

 

Even the Emperor, who had been averse to Duke Viterpan, had personally summoned Lucas to congratulate him.

 

As the adjutant remained silent, Lucas smirked and turned to Hessel.

 

“Where is Baron?”

 

“He is with the knights who are indulging themselves in feasting.”

 

Hessel replied, ignoring the adjutant’s clenched fists and shaking.

 

“Are you looking for me?”

 

Baron, who had just come down the stairs, replied, rubbing his tired eyes.

 

He hadn’t slept well, and he had bags under his eyes.

 

“Well, you always told me to exercise.”

 

“Didn’t you say I would live comfortably when we returned to the capital? You promised to compensate for all the hardships. And what is this? I told you that I wanted to live without ever having another drop of blood on my hands. Now, how is it my hands never run dry of it!”

 

Baron shouted, frustration evident in his words.

 

Lucas raised an eyebrow at his tantrum-like tone.

 

“Baron. If anyone were to stumble upon this scene you’re making, they’d think I asked you to marry me.”

 

Baron swiftly turned his head at Lucas’s words.

 

Both of his cheeks puffed out, a sign of considerable distress.

 

“Another thing, just what kind of damned poison did your cousin use?

 

From the way Baron was struggling with finding a cure for the men poisoned, it was clear that antidotes were not supposed to be a difficult task.

 

The situation before Lucas tempted him to say, “Do as the enemy does,” to simply let the men die, but Baron was a doctor.

 

A man whose job it is to save lives.

 

‘I’m considering killing the men the Baron worked so hard to save with my hands?’

 

Lucas looked down at his hands.

 

What expression would Baron have if he knew the plans Briella and he had made?

 

Lucas always imagined the moment when Baron would turn his back on him.

 

‘I continuously take lives to satisfy my ambitions, further my goals; just what thoughts does he have when he sees me?’

 

On the days when Lucas returned covered in blood, Baron would approach him before anyone else.

 

No wound was too small for him, and he would silently mend Lucas while he was drenched in the blood of others.

 

Lucas let out a low sigh, remembering the Baron’s face hardening each time.

 

“What are you thinking about so much?”

 

“I pondered how I would make you live a luxurious and comfortable life.”

 

Hearing Lucas pour out his insincere words, Baron clenched his teeth.

 

Lucas had changed so much since his marriage.

 

“Do you need medicine?” Baron asked solemnly, pushing his glasses up.

 

“I’m still fine. For now…”

 

At the blurred end of Lucas’s words, Baron’s gaze fell upon the stairs he had just descended.

 

Baron, following Lucas’s gaze, let out a deep sigh unabashedly.

 

“How much longer do you think it will take?”

 

“We’ll need at least another day.”

 

“Hessel!”

 

“Yes, Your Excellency.”

 

“Prepare to send a messenger to His Majesty.”

 

“Understood.”

 

Hessel glanced briefly at the adjutant before swiftly turning his body.

 

He was going to fetch the bird to send the message.

 

It was a fleeting glance, but the adjutant involuntarily averted his eyes from Hessel’s piercing gaze.

 

“I’m unsure how His Majesty will feel about the constant delays.”

 

The adjutant bowed his head at Lucas’s words.

 

Gusto’s reproach would undoubtedly be directed towards Lucas.

 

However, the adjutant, who would bear the guilt, kept silent without uttering a word.

 

“I’ve thought about it, and there are two options. Either depart alone or depart together.”

 

“His Majesty Gusto has not expressed any separate opinion regarding this itinerary.”

 

Lucas burst into hollow laughter at the subordinate’s words.

 

Indeed, there had been no explicit mention of the itinerary.

 

However, there were limitations to the funds available for this particular schedule.

 

The adjutant, who could not be unaware of that, stood before him.

 

“Let’s go upstairs.”

 

There were many onlookers. Upon Lucas’s words, the adjutant promptly followed behind him.

 

The room they used as a makeshift meeting place was at the end of the corridor on the fourth floor.

 

It was the same floor where Lucas and the adjutant were staying.

 

“I intend to report this particular matter to His Majesty without alteration.”

 

As soon as they entered the room, Lucas spoke. Without uttering any words, as if anticipating this, the adjutant nodded.

 

The order the adjutant had received was to delay Lucas’s schedule as much as possible.

 

“I will duly accept the punishment for my negligence in management.”

 

“Or else…”

 

“…”

 

Seated in the chair with his legs crossed, Lucas turned his gaze out the window where darkness had descended heavily.

 

The knights had not yet entered the town, but for unknown reasons, an air of gloom lingered.

 

“Did she leave safely?

 

I didn’t even bid her a proper goodbye.

 

Instead of a farewell, I had to walk in the darkness, hoping to avoid being seen.

 

It truly bothered him that he couldn’t accompany Briella on her journey.

 

If she had only left it up to me as Duke, my heart would be somewhat relieved. But Briella, as always, stubbornly refused.

 

Knock, knock.

 

Unbeknownst to the adjutant, a sigh escaped his lips as he heard the timely sound of knocking.

 

The makeshift office was too small to deal with Lucas, who maintained silence while staring at the door

 

“I have brought a bird to send the message.”

 

Lucas turned his head at Hessel’s words.

 

It was a common bird in the Rhone Empire. One that could fly without question.

 

Hessel set the cage aside and pulled out a pen and a small piece of parchment.

 

“I’m ready.”

 

As Hessel’s words fell, Lucas slowly opened his mouth, sending a shiver down the adjutant’s spine despite his calm and leisurely demeanor.

 

“There is a traitor within the knights.”

 

“What?”

 

The adjutant abruptly stood up from his seat at Lucas’s words.

 

A traitor.

 

The order was to deal with traitors hiding outside the capital, but what if they were already within the knights?

 

It was an unimaginable situation.

 

“The infiltrated traitor within the Order possesses a substantial amount of poison.”

 

The adjutant, who had been mulling over Lucas’s words, jumped to his feet as Lucas continued.

 

His body trembled like a person standing bare amid the winter, facing the wind.

 

Poison…

 

‘I tainted the food of the knights who followed me with poison using my own hands.’

 

But it was all done under orders from above.

 

The command was to delay as much as possible until the order was issued.

 

“‥‥‥.”

 

“What’s wrong, adjutant? Are you unwell too?”

 

The adjutant’s pupils shook intensely as he looked at Lucas, who casually inquired.

 

It was already after the adjutant had lost his composure and hastily risen from his seat at Lucas’s words.

 

“Oh, no. It’s nothing.”

 

Hessel’s eyes had already softened as he looked at the adjutant, even as he hastily excused himself.

 

The adjutant wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

 

Though it was an awkward sight for anyone, Lucas paid no special attention to it.

 

“Amidst all this, if even the adjutant falls ill, I won’t have any self-respect left to show His Majesty.”

 

At first glance, the words sounded sarcastic.

 

But Lucas’s face was so serious that the adjutant didn’t recognize the sarcasm.

 

“But what do you mean that there is a traitor within the Order?”

 

The adjutant asked awkwardly, forcing his voice to be stiff to hide his trembling.

 

Like a cornered mouse, the lieutenant leaned closer.

 

“Adjutant, do you know of my rather capable physician?”

 

“Your doctor?”

 

The adjutant thought of a man with blue hair, glasses, and somewhat neurotic behavior.

 

Despite his appearance, he was not afraid of Lucas.

 

He had witnessed the two of them joking around with each other just moments ago.

 

“Baron is a skilled physician. One of the few people I can trust with my back.”

 

“Why is that?”

 

“It seems Baron has discovered something interesting.”

 

Lucas tapped his fingers on the table, and his gaze instantly turned fierce.

 

The mood in the room had changed. The adjutant stumbled backward and instinctively moved toward the door.

 

But he soon bumped into someone hard.

 

“oops.”

 

Hessel, who had come up behind him, was blocking his way.

 

“We still need to investigate further to be certain…”

 

It was clear that he intentionally obscured the end of his sentence.

 

It was like being doused in cold water.

 

He tried to keep his wits about him, but his mind was foggy with panic.

 

A jumbled series of events were unfolding in his mind, in no particular order.

 

The adjutant shook his head.

 

He had to regain his composure.

 

“Then summon the suspected knight at once.”

 

He tried to put on a brave front, but the cold sweat running down his spine couldn’t completely hide his state of mind.

 

“Do you think so?”

 

“Just give the order. I will apprehend him right away.”

 

The adjutant’s Adam’s apple trembled noticeably. Lucas smirked, observing his reaction.

 

“I’m torn. If I capture him here and now, I’ll have to return to the capital empty-handed, and that would be disrespectful to His Majesty, who trusted me with this task.”

 

“Then what do you suggest?”

 

The adjutant asked, his hands shaking uneasily.

 

Lucas responded to his question with a serene smile.

 

The smile was like another darkness stirring in the darkness.