Chapter 124

“Will Cayden accept this?”

“I don’t know. But I want to try.”

“......”

Liana and Asena were sitting in a corner of the room.

With many having left the Pryster estate, the place felt eerily empty, making them cautious that their voices might echo.

Liana wasn’t looking at Asena.

Asena understood this about Liana. At the same time, she couldn’t let go of Cayden either.

“......I understand.”

After a long wait, Liana spoke quietly.

“.....Thank you.”

As soon as the persuasion was over, Asena rose from her seat.

Before leaving the room, she once again expressed her gratitude to Liana and hurried out into the corridor.

And then, the cold corridor returned.

Once Cayden disappeared, her world lost its light. It became colder, more dreary.

She sustained herself with the thought of Cayden’s return.

The assembled families, all experienced in war, were trusted to take good care of her brother.

.....Of course, she had no idea how long she would have to wait. In this endless wait, all she could do was yearn for his warmth.

She wondered what her life would have been like had he never entered it.

.....Perhaps, she would have lived unaware of human emotions.

It was Cayden who had revived her dying positive emotions.

From expectation. Trust. Joy. Happiness... to excitement. Ecstasy. Thrill. Love.

He had no idea how much his presence in this world was changing her.

.

.

.

Asena set out to find Daisy afterwards.

Finding her was not easy. Right after dining with Liana, Daisy had felt compelled to keep busy, almost like a new employee.

She was always ready to lend a hand wherever she could, and as a result, she had started to receive a lot of love from the household.

While preparations for war were in full swing, Daisy had primarily taken care of Cayden, but now that they had left, she was fully engaged in menial tasks.

“Daisy.”

Asena found Daisy by a stream outside the estate.

Several maids had followed Asena there.

Daisy was laughing with the other maids as they washed clothes; upon noticing Asena, she stood up, wiping the soap from her face.

“...Asena.”

The servants washing clothes beside Daisy also looked up, startled.

They realized that the Daisy they knew well could speak informally with their lord, making them confused about her status.

“Daisy, I need to speak with you for a moment.”

****

Daisy left her laundry, untied the cloth from her hair, and followed Asena.

Asena’s servants laid out a mat where she had asked, and the two nobles sat facing each other.

Daisy was the first to speak.

“....Is there news of Cayden?”

“......”

Asena shook her head.

“....The war might be happening right now. We’ll have to wait a bit longer for news.”

“.......”

“That’s not what I came to talk about.”

“....Asena, if it’s about what happened in the Naita Forest... I’ve been reflecting... Please forgive me just this once-”

“-It’s not about that.”

Daisy’s eyes, which had been growing sadder, opened wide again.

Asena had nothing to say about the incident in the Naita Forest where Cayden had been missing. Now that Cayden had returned, that wasn’t what she intended to discuss.

Feeling Daisy’s gaze, Asena immediately asked her question.

“.......Daisy, can you really marry Oppa?”

“.......What?”

Daisy’s expression blanked out again. Perhaps from the heat of the laundry work, a drop of sweat trickled down her forehead.

“....Grandmother and Oppa is one thing. But your father doesn’t seem to want Oppa, who has become a commoner. Isn’t that right?”

Daisy struggled to find words in response. She stammered, betraying her anxiety.

“Ah.. it’s a mistake my father made. Once Cayden returns to Pryster-”

“-He’s not returning to the Pryster family.”

Asena spoke firmly. It was one of the decisions made after a long discussion with her grandmother.

It seemed Cayden himself didn’t even want to return... and besides, there were alternatives.

“.....He’ll not be adopted as the Pryster family’s son, Daisy.”

She said it again for emphasis.

“.......Ah.”

Daisy’s eyes wandered, her expression shaken.

Asena tried not to show it, but Daisy could feel again how much Asena changed depending on whether Cayden was around.

With Cayden present, Asena couldn’t make a move, but without him... she was decisive and stern.

Daisy tried again to find her words.

“...It’s still okay.”

“Why?”

“.....Ah... Father isn’t someone who would repeat the mistake he made with... with Lady Liana twice. So... he won’t oppose the marriage anymore.”

“What mistake are you talking about?”

“......I mean... the actions that upset Lady Liana... you know.”

“And how is your father going to upset Grandmother’s feelings in the future? When marriage is annulled now?”

“....What? If the marriage is annulled then.....then.....”

As Daisy spoke, she realized how tangled the situation was becoming.

Sensing her anxiety, Asena opened her mouth to speak directly.

“.....Grandmother hopes this engagement will be broken off. She can’t do it herself, considering Oppa’s feelings.”

“.........”

“Wouldn’t it be better for both families if the marriage were undone? Perhaps it’s even a good thing.”

Daisy’s eyes lost focus. Her mouth opened and closed repeatedly, but no words came out. She had her own reservations.

Asena watched her, feeling a strange emotion.

This was what Asena had originally wanted. Despite knowing she shouldn’t feel this way, her ugly, selfish heart craved this spectacle.

The downfall of a woman who wanted her brother... her despair at realizing she couldn’t be with him.

Asena knew how repulsive it was, and yet, despite her will, she couldn’t control her feelings.

She still wanted Cayden all to herself.

But... eventually, Asena sighed. Suppressing her emotions, she said what needed to be said, for her own sake: She needed to lower her stance.

“.....Shall I help?”

“...What?”

“.....I’ll help you... marry Oppa.”

Daisy was tempted to snatch at the offer, but then she paused to reconsider who was making it.

Asena Pryster.

She loved Cayden as much as Daisy did, and Asena was not someone to offer something like this without expecting something in return.

Sure enough, Asena said,

“....But I need your help too.”

Daisy hesitated before speaking. She didn’t see many other options.

“......What kind of help...?”

Asena also took her time with the response. It seemed to be a difficult thing for her to articulate.

“..........Even if Oppa accepts other women besides Judy, you’ll need to understand.”

“.......”

Daisy quickly guessed who the other women might be.

She understood why Asena was doing this. All the pieces fit together.

Daisy recalled the emotions she had felt towards Asena in the past.

Facing a potential breakup, she could empathize with the women who had drifted away from Cayden. She understood their pain... and even felt pity for the twins.

As much as those feelings arose, Daisy, who had been under pressure until just moments ago, could now look at Asena straightforwardly, having shed a layer of burden.

Asena’s proposal was bold, but Daisy could see the desperation behind it. From the tremble in her eyes that hadn’t been there before to the tension in her hands.

Asena was asking for help... and seeking permission.

As a woman, Daisy might not know who Cayden loved the most, but as a person, she knew who he cherished the most.

It was Cayden’s treasure asking her for a favor.

“....What do you want to do?” She asked.

Daisy took a step further, inquiring about Asena’s plan.

“....What’s the plan.....?”

Asena slowly revealed her hand.

“.........I’m thinking of establishing a new family... for Oppa.”

****

In the chaos of war, my eyes scanned the battlefield.

No matter the difference in strength, the enemy also wielded weapons capable of killing.

Though we were overpowering them, Pryster’s soldiers were falling one by one.

Among them were Lawrence’s students, who had been rallying morale by waving the flag.

“Dale!! Argh...!”

For a fleeting moment, Lawrence mourned the young man’s death... then he took the falling Pryster flag from him and raised it high.

He simultaneously raised his voice to boost the morale of the soldiers, which might have faltered.

“We’ve almost subdued them!! Just a bit more strength!!”

Pryster’s soldiers, hearing his voice amid the blood-drenched frontlines, summoned their strength once again.

As Lawrence had said, their charge was reckless to the point of absurdity, and Payne’s soldiers were falling in far greater numbers.

The castle gates were still pouring out soldiers, but even they knew this battle would soon end.

Yet, relaxation was not an option.

“Reorganize!!”

At my command, Lawrence’s last student blew the horn.

-Buuu! Buuu! Buuu!

At the signal blown three times, the scattered soldiers began to regroup.

“Judy! Stay close!”

“I understand!”

The well-trained soldiers found their positions.

Gathering strength like this, it seemed we were ready to strike the final blow to Payne.

At that moment, another disturbance emerged on the battlefield.

From the distant right ridge, the cries of soldiers grew fiercer.

It was where the Lins family was positioned.

The Lins family... and they had brought siege weapons.

From there, a messenger bearing the Lins family flag rode hard towards us.

“LAWRENCE! Protect the messenger!”

“Archers!!”

In the ensuing chaos, I did not want to lose Lins’ messenger.

Supported by soldiers, Lins’ messenger arrived breathlessly, gasping and shouting to us in alarm.

“Haah..! Haah..! Lord Cayden! Enemy reinforcements have appeared..!”

“What?”

“There’s no flag visible, so we can’t tell who they are..! But they suddenly appeared from behind...! All I know is their numbers are large..!”

-‘Extinguish the fires!!’

While we were talking, a sudden shout came from the direction of the Lins’ family.

Looking that way, one of the four siege weapons we had prepared was starting to burn.

Lawrence urgently informed me.

“Lord Cayden...! If we lose the siege weapons...the war will drag on..! We need to change plans and protect them...!”

The siege weapons were one of our strongest assets. Until this mysterious enemy appeared...things had been going too well for us.

Originally, the plan was to breach the walls with the siege weapons and push through.

But if we lose the siege weapons, we’d have to storm the castle under a barrage of arrows, or surround them until they starve.

Neither option was viable.

“Lawrence.”

I made my decision.

“Yes...!”

“We abandon the siege weapons. We storm the castle now.”

“What..?”

Whoever the reinforcements were, if they weren’t Ice, they couldn’t beat our alliance. It was unlikely they were Ice.

Clearly, their goal was to destroy our siege weapons and prolong the war... It was better to finish it here.

Having been caught off-guard by the reinforcements, we needed to close the gap with brute force.

My gaze fixed on the open castle gate.

Payne’s soldiers were still rushing out to support their side, but their momentum wasn’t the same.

“We just need to break through the open gate...!”

In fact, we didn’t even need to breach the castle. Since Payne was committed to a total war, cutting off their retreat would allow us to deliver a crippling blow.

As Lawrence hesitated, another siege weapon caught fire.

His head wandered between the siege weapon and the gate, eventually nodding in decision.

“Yes..!”

Then I turned to Judy.

“...Judy, do you really need to follow?”

“Wherever you’re going, I’m going too.”

I looked into her eyes for a long moment before nodding.

“Let’s go!”

I shook the reins to start off.

Lawrence’s voice boomed to the soldiers.

“Charge towards the castle!! Cut off Payne’s lifeline now!!”

--- End Of The Chapter ---

 

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