A Marriage Alliance for Revenge - Chapter 35

“Your Majesty.”

 

Lucas, standing on the hill and looking down below, raised his head at Hessel’s summons.

 

His face, filled with a profound sense of weariness, appeared much sharper than when he had left the capital.

 

“I’ve been informed that people will soon arrive from the capital.”

 

Lucas’s face contorted at the subordinate’s words.

 

The chapped corners of his pale lips stung with the touch of rough fingers.

 

However, Lucas continued to gaze beyond the hill, seemingly unaffected by such pain.

 

A white mist mingled with his breath and dispersed into the air.

 

“What is the estimated time of arrival?”

 

“They are likely to reach the passageway to Perta within one or two hours.”

 

He had been facing the rebels for several days now, engaging in repeated attacks that gradually dismantled the forces Gusto had deployed.

 

The wails of death resounded loudly in his ears.

 

The longer they delayed, the greater the losses would become.

 

Under the pretext of an ambush, Lucas had ordered his knights, who were crouched and huddled, to move to Perta.

 

But that was not all.

 

The subordinate continued to subtly hinder Lucas, even while keeping an eye on him.

 

“I see.”

 

Since dawn, Lucas had been sharpened to a keen edge.

 

After Briella’s entrance into the palace, his nerves had become as finely honed as a blade.

 

At times, he felt like an arrowhead.

 

Ready to fly and sever a throat at any moment.

 

“Prepare the knights.”

 

Ever since Lucas heard the news of Eve Ferena’s arrival, he couldn’t help but think of the adjutant who had vanished without a trace, and he raised his head.

 

Lucas quietly observed the group that had incited the rebellion.

 

Things were going awry. Those who were displaced by the floods were now mixing with the rebels.

 

He glanced at him from the corner of his eye and turned his body, looking down the hill.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

“I can’t stand it anymore.”

 

Eve fidgeted nervously inside the rattling carriage.

 

Although the surroundings were enveloped in plush cushions, it was impossible to avoid the jolting of the carriage running over the sticky mud.

 

Briella, sitting quietly in front of the agitated Eve, gazed out the window.

 

“Is the Duchess alright?”

 

“I’m fine.”

 

She raised her hand from her knee and brushed away a strand of hair that had fallen.

 

The carriage was in the middle of a forest.

 

Once they passed through this forest, they would soon reach Perta.

 

Where Lucas was.

 

Although she couldn’t meet him directly, she felt closer to him than when she was in the capital.

 

“You don’t mean that because you don’t look fine!” 

 

Briella glanced at Eve, who was shouting in frustration, with a slight grimace.

 

Lady Lawrence, sitting opposite them, watched the two with an anxious expression.

 

“Did you presume that the position of Empress would simply fall into your lap?”

 

“…”

 

Eve tightly pressed her lips together at Briella’s cold voice.

 

“If someone who claims to have come to help, shows up with a parade of maids in tow and is perfectly dressed from head to toe, what do you think people will actually think?”

 

“But!”

 

“Lady Eve, shouldn’t you know the feelings of peasants better than anyone?”

 

Briella’s words made Eve glare at her.

 

Recalling a time when the nobles, in the cause of Noblesse Oblige, came to the slums and offered Eve bread.

 

The nobles were dressed impeccably from head to toe, ordering their maids to hand out the bread, lest slum hands dirty them. 

 

Occasionally, some would bravely step forward without a maid approaching them, only for the nobles to drop the bread in shock when their hands were about to touch them.

 

They were afraid that their hands might come into contact with Eve in their perfect attire. 

 

Their eyes looked at her as if she were a bug.

 

One of them was a woman covering her nose with a handkerchief.

 

Expensive lace gloves, incomparable to cheap bread, were discarded simply because they came into contact with Eve’s hands.

 

As Eve reminisced about those times, her body trembled with anger.

 

“…”

 

“That is how a knowledgeable person would act.”

 

Briella, who had shifted her gaze from Eve’s piercing stare, looked out the window again.

 

Even though it was the same endless scenery, it appeared new to Briella every time the carriage moved forward.

 

“The Duchess sometimes gets confused.”

 

Lady Lawrence, sitting in front, tensed up at Eve’s quiet voice.

 

Briella, who had been looking out the window, furrowed her brow slightly as she glanced at Eve.

 

Her cool golden eyes glimmered in the light shining through the window.

 

“Confused, you say?”

 

“Of whether they are foes or allies.”

 

The color gold resembles the color of sunlight, evoking a sense of warmth and radiance.

 

However, the golden aura emanating from Eve fell short of such qualities.

 

“If they are allies, they ought to be kept close,” Briella interrupted, turning her gaze towards Lady Lawrence, the Countess.

 

Caught in the intensity of Briella’s gaze, Lady Lawrence instinctively recoiled, lowering her own eyes.

 

In contrast to Delevingne, the Count, who had deduced and prepared for various situations since that day, Lady Lawrence had yet to take any action.

 

“If they are foes, they should be kept even closer,” Briella remarked, causing Eve to purse her lips in contemplation.

 

Eve’s mind wandered to Gusto, who had grimaced upon seeing the cape she extended. Startled as her well-manicured nails brushed against her own lips, Eve hastily withdrew her hand.

 

Observing Eve’s reaction with a calm gaze, Briella let out a soft sigh and shifted her gaze away.

 

A bastard child of a northern noble, a product tainted by the blood of savages.

 

Numerous rumors trailed behind Briella, yet anyone who had laid eyes on her in person, even once, was tongue-tied.

 

Perfect.

 

Although Eve had been taught by various instructors and received lessons throughout the day, she could never quite match Briella’s grace.

 

Even now, as Briella briefly scanned me with a condescending gaze, she couldn’t help but feel a flutter of unease.

 

It was always like this.

 

Just when it seemed like she was providing guidance and support to Eve with suitable words at the right time, she would eventually cast a disdainful glance at me like this.

 

‘What’s so different about your position and mine!’

 

Eve, biting her lip, side-eyed Briella, who was pointing her slender finger at the sunlight outside the window.

 

The carriage traversed through the heart of the forest in silence.

 

Before long, dense light poured through the tightly packed trees.

 

It was an overpowering radiance that gave the illusion of glimpsing the end of a cave.

 

“It appears we have arrived in Perta.”

The voice carried the delighted sentiment of Lady Lawrence, who had not breathed properly in the silence within the carriage.

 

“At last, we have reached it.”

 

Three days.

 

It took Briella, who had departed from the palace, a full three days to reach Perta where Lucas resided.

 

“Please come this way. Allow me to escort you to the village first,” a knight approached the carriage as soon as it emerged from the forest.

The knight demonstrated a skillful command of vocabulary that indicated his high rank.

 

He had been the adjutant who had remained constantly by Lucas’ side.

 

He heard the news of Eve’s arrival from Marquis Hailey.

 

And Briella Viterpan, too, would accompany them on this journey.

 

“Please do.”

 

Annoyance surged to the tip of her head, but Eve concealed her emotions as much as possible.

 

“Yes.”

 

Her expression turned chillingly cold as she closed the carriage window, a gesture that frightened even Briella, who would have wanted to learn nothing but how to change expressions like that in an instant.

 

Buzzing.

 

As they drew closer to the village, the murmurs of people became audible.

 

Eve pulled the curtains closed. The sounds coming from outside the carriage and the rumbling of the uneven road were disturbing to her. 

 

She simply couldn’t bring herself to face the people outside the carriage without grimacing.

 

Observing Eve’s appearance, Briella also closed the curtains of the carriage.

 

“How unexpected.”

 

“It seems Lady Eve still has remnants of sulking.”

 

Emotions surged at the nonchalant tone. Since the carriage journey began, Eve’s emotional changes had reached a point where they could neither be predicted nor followed.

 

Just as Eve was about to open her mouth in response to Briella’s tone, it happened.

 

“Ah!”

 

With a jolt, the side where Eve was seated sank deeply.

 

Briella, barely managing to grab the armrest, struggled to regain her balance.

 

“Are you alright?”

 

Quickly scanning the surroundings at the voice coming from outside, Eve saw herself sitting on the floor, trying to recover, while Lady Lawrence seemed to have bumped into something and was making a groaning sound.

 

“What on earth happened!”

 

Before Briella could reply, Eve shouted in a startled voice.

 

“The carriage wheel got stuck in the mud.”

 

“Ah!”

 

Finally, Eve couldn’t help but let out a cry.

 

Observing Eve’s reaction, Briella cautiously rose from her seat.

 

Finding balance within the swaying carriage was no easy task.

 

However, since she was dressed in a simple one-piece attire, as long as she was careful, there would be no issue.

 

“It seems we will have to walk from here.”

 

“What, what do you mean?”

 

Eve’s eyes widened in response to Briella’s words.

 

The murmurs of the people’s voices were constantly audible.

 

Occasionally, mixed in with those sounds, the voices of children reached their ears, causing Briella to smile subtly.

 

“Since the village is nearby, it would be faster to walk.”

 

“That’s absurd!”

 

“It would be better to stay here like this until the carriage wheel is fixed. Even if the coachmen try to stop, more villagers will gather. Alternatively, it wouldn’t be bad to ride in the carriage behind us, where the maids are seated.”

 

At Briella’s words, emphasizing the urgency, Lady Lawrence stood confidently by Eve’s side.

 

“But that, too, would be a unfavorable sight.”

 

“What on earth are we supposed to do then?”

 

“Go out immediately and check on the peasants!”

 

Briella commanded in a low voice in response to Eve’s shout. Sparks flew in the eyes of the two women.

 

The sight of the peasant children beyond the slightly disheveled curtains was disconcerting.

 

The current season should have been a time when the peasants should be finishing their harvest and eating to their heart’s content.

 

Yet, the weather was chilly, and the children were famished.

 

One caveat, parents holding hungry children are fearless.

 

The only thing that could scare them now is seeing hungry bellies each day, witnessing the light of life fading from their children.

 

And that is how the rebellion began, when the peasants could no longer restrain their hunger.

 

“How dare you…”

 

Eve clenched her fists and glared at Briella. It was a gaze that resembled the eyes of a ferocious beast, ready to pounce at any moment.

 

“How dare I? How dare you? To think you had the audacity to believe you could surpass Empress Olivia with such a mindset. Tsk, tsk.”

 

Briella, looking down at Eve, lightly tapped on the carriage door.

 

Eve’s eyes welled up with moisture as she looked at Briella.

 

It was tears of frustration, tears that couldn’t be held back.

 

“Uck!”

 

Perhaps sensing the unsettling atmosphere within the carriage, the coachman remained on edge.

 

“How long will it take us to walk to the peasant’s cottage from here?”

 

“What? Ah! It will take about 10 minutes, I believe.”

 

Briella nodded in response to the voices coming from outside.

 

“How should we proceed.”

 

“Why are you asking me that?” 

 

“Because you’re in charge here.”

 

Briella replied coldly, looking down at Eve, who was still sitting on the floor.

 

“Can you hear it? Those sounds?”

 

Eve, who had been squinting her eyes, perked up her ears at Briella’s words and listened to the sounds from outside.

 

Not only the voices of the knights but also the voices of the people could be heard from a distance.

 

“The person who goes out first will attract the attention of those outside.”

 

Being the person to take lead.

 

Briella knew well how precious that was.

 

While she had taken charge of all affairs of the royal court, she had always remained hidden behind Gusto because her position was second.

 

It seemed that Eve understood the meaning behind Briella’s words as she swiftly stood up from her seat.

 

Lady Lawrence quickly adjusted Eve’s attire.

 

Eve, dressed in a fox cloak, abruptly opened the door.

 

“Oh!”

 

Taken aback by the unexpectedly opened door, the adjutant hurriedly reached out his hand.

 

Briella furrowed her eyebrows slightly at the bright afternoon sunlight shining through.

 

Her nose tingled in the chilly breeze.

 

“So this is where we’ve been.”

 

A sense of remorse unexpectedly filled the cold air.

 

“Oh, how unfortunate. We should hurry. That way, everyone can have a satisfying dinner tonight.”

 

Eve’s words were met with cheers from all around.

 

With a satisfied smile at the cheers, Eve stepped into the muddy puddle.

 

“Ah.”

 

Just yesterday, there was word of a severe winter rain.

 

Perhaps that’s why the travel by carriage wasn’t easy.

 

“Mommy, Mommy, who is that pretty lady?”

 

The mother, holding the child’s hand, hurriedly covered the child’s mouth, but Eve heard the sound clearly.

 

The child’s words of “pretty lady” didn’t make her angry.

 

News of Eve’s arrival in Perta had spread like wildfire, and people were flocking in.

 

Draped in the fox cloak Gusto had given her last winter, Eve raised her head.

 

So that her face could be seen from afar.

 

“Her face is sparkling, shimmering. And her eyes are golden. Is the pretty lady giving out bread?”

 

“Hmph.”

 

She couldn’t control the upward curl of her lips.

 

“I hope the people on the hill get bread first. They shared their bread with me yesterday. Today… they are very hungry.”

 

“Sophie, be quiet.”

 

At the child’s words, holding her mother’s hand, Eve stopped in her tracks.

 

“What’s up there on that hill?”

 

The knight narrowed his gaze at Eve’s question.

 

“That’s where the knights are stationed.”

 

“The knights? I heard they’re quite far from the rebels and the village.”

 

“Yes.”

 

The knight bowed even deeper, as if expressing his remorse.

 

In the past few days, they had been pushed back to the village entrance by the rebels’ fierce onslaught.

 

With a large river and a hill, it was a strategically advantageous position.

 

“Let’s go.”

 

“Yes?”

 

“Lady Briella Viterpan.”

 

Despite the knight’s objections, Eve called out Briella’s name.

 

Briella, who had been quietly following behind, responded to her summons and moved toward her.

 

“What’s the matter, Lady Eve?”

 

“The knights of the Rhone Empire have been defeated by the rebels and have been repulsed to the village’s entrance.”

 

“That’s…terrible.”

 

Eve’s lips curled upward at Briella’s mournful voice.

 

“As far as I know, the one in charge of suppressing this rebellion is Duke Viterpan. You must be truly worried.”

 

“…Worried? I simply trust him, that’s all.”

 

Eve’s eyes sparkled as she looked at Briella’s face, gazing up at the hill.

 

“While the peasants are important, I thought I would take a look at the knights who are fighting for the Rhone Empire.”

 

“The sun will set soon. Besides, this place is practically a battlefield. It is dangerous to move without the commander’s orders.”

 

There was an odd resonance in Briella’s earnest voice. Strangely, as soon as Briella spoke, the voices of the people that had been buzzing around subsided.

 

‘…No, she can’t. I should be the protagonist!’

 

It was pointless jealousy.

 

She wanted to clearly show Briella, who effortlessly captured everyone’s attention, and the many people watching her.

 

She wanted to make it clear to the many people watching that she was to be the center of attention.

 

“The Emperor would be pleased to find the knights and reward them for their efforts.”

 

“…Lady Eve.”

 

Exasperation surged within her at the voice that flowed out like a sigh. 

 

She was not a child.

 

She was not even a young girl roaming the slums.

 

“Bring the horses. We shall accompany Lady Briella Viterpan. Ah! Don’t forget to gather provisions for the knights. Immediately!”

 

Upon Eve’s words, Briella looked at the hill and then at her with a bewildered expression on her face.