Valdina Palace.
The fortress, made of solid white stone walls, served as a water gate to protect the royal castle from water.
On the walls, soldiers still looked out busily and ominously.
"The weightlifters are stepping back."
The guards sighed as they watched the rebels' warships retreat.
"If it weren't for you, this place would have been breached before the end of the day."
The captain of the guard wiped away the sweat and thanked the veterans who stood with him on the wall with their weapons in hand.
When they first came, the captain of the guard couldn't believe it.
There was talk of a rebellion, and that they would soon arrive at the castle and attack.
Due to the long war, most of the troops have left the capital.
If they had encountered them without any preparation, the flags of those rebels would have been hung on these walls.
The old soldier shook his head.
"It's too early to tell. Look, they haven't completely given up."
Even the hastily assembled rebels were so numerous that the horizon appeared black.
The rebels, who were maintaining a long line of warships as if facing the castle walls, seemed determined to absolutely destroy this castle.
The captain sighed.
"How many angry people were there in this small country..."
The fire that seemed like it would explode at any moment finally broke out.
However, he thought that Princess Medea had somewhat allayed that anger, but wasn't it enough?
The captain swallowed his bitter feelings and gripped his sword firmly.
"Your Majesty the Queen Mother!"
At that moment, an old woman appeared, supported by someone, climbing the steps of the castle wall. The vassals of Valdina followed her.
"Oh my God, it's already come this far!"
"Look over there. There's no end in sight. Just how many have gathered."
A place on the wall where you can see the enemy.
Most of the military leaders who saw with their own eyes the rebels who had filled the dark horizon could not hide their shock and fear. But not everyone was like that.
Montega, the Count of Monte, who was trained in dealing with demons on the battlefield, quickly swept the battlefield, while his prime minister, Sissair, stayed by the Queen Mother's side.
"Your Majesty the Queen, this place is dangerous, why don't you take refuge?"
Despite the captain of the guard's dissuasion, the Queen Mother was adamant.
"What can these old people do if they live longer? Are there any injured people? What is the situation?"
The Queen Mother turned around and looked at the city below the castle walls.
From the high walls, one could look down on the panicked people moving about the streets in a hurry.
"Yes, Your Majesty. Fortunately, Lord Gilliforth blocked their entry, and the castle was saved from being taken, and now we are in a state of standoff. Even here on the walls, with the support of the retired soldiers, we were able to easily block their attacks."
The Queen Mother turned her head in the direction the captain of the guard was pointing.
"Your Majesty, I greet you."
"Your Majesty, Your Highness? Your Majesty?"
The retired soldiers who had been standing there, not knowing what to do, bowed their backs awkwardly.
Most of them were so illiterate that they didn't even know how to properly address the current King's grandmother.
The Queen Mother's eyes scanned them.
Soon she realized that their bodies were not intact, with faded armor and weapons.
They couldn't even treat the veterans who were injured on the battlefield properly, and now they're coming out to defend the castle again.
Her wrinkled eyes were touched.
"Thank you very much. I express my gratitude to you on behalf of the royal family. I will reward you when this national crisis is over."
She didn't hesitate to take their rough hands.
"I understand your frustration at being exhausted from hunger and hardship, but I cannot stand by and let them attack the palace without reason and harm innocent people."
"We also just wanted to repay the favor we received from Her Highness the Princess, who took us in and gave us a place to live again."
The veterans bowed awkwardly, feeling embarrassed.
"Medea?"
The Queen Mother raised her eyebrows.
The story was about Medea using her own money to provide relief to abandoned retired soldiers who were wandering outside.
'While that child was comforting the pain of these soldiers, I was just lost in my own sorrow in the back room.'
The Queen Mother paused, suppressing the rising regret and self-loathing once again.
"Medea, where is she now?"
The Queen Mother was so nervous during the intense fight that she didn't notice.
That she doesn't see her granddaughter here right now.
'Isn't it taking too much time!'
Before heading here in a hurry, she sent someone to the Princess's palace to bring Medea.
But, the Queen Mother's heart sank when she heard that Medea had not arrived yet.
"I wonder if something happened to that child?"
Only then did people turn their heads. But the Princess was nowhere to be seen.
"You're saying that you were all too busy living your own lives to even look after the Princess? You worthless bastards!"
The Queen Mother exploded with anger.
"Mother! Joaquin is here!"
At that moment, a loud roar rang out. The regent's group had arrived at the castle walls.
The regent dismounted from his horse and rode in with his knights, clad in splendid armor.
The silver armor he wore reflected the sunlight and stung the eyes of those who saw it. It seemed more suitable for a ceremony than for battle.
"Are you okay? How did you come to this dangerous place? I went to the palace and was so surprised to hear that my mother was headed here."
The regent continued speaking calmly.
"Ah, a rebellion. And how dare those traitors invade the royal palace? This is a shameful thing that has never happened in a thousand years of history. When did Valdina's situation get to this point..._
The voice, a mixture of surprise and regret, sounded somber.
"You went to the palace? Then, Joaquin, you didn't see Medea?"
But the Queen Mother had no time to worry about that.
"Have you been to the Princess's palace? I told my knights to bring Dea back safely, but they haven't done so yet."
Perhaps the traitors had infiltrated the palace and harmed her granddaughter. The Queen Mother was extremely worried.
The cane she held was shaking aimlessly.
"...Mother, don't be surprised."
The regent shook his head.
The sorrowful eyes and sighing mouth looked very natural.
"It seems that Medea has run away."
"What?"
The Queen Mother doubted her ears.
"I also went to the palace to check on Medea's safety. But there was no one there. I couldn't stand the worry, so I searched for all the palace maids and finally found out that Medea had gone out of the palace through a secret passage."
In an instant, the room was in an uproar.
When the Queen Mother paused, the Regent secretly cheered.
"Perhaps the King had given her a secret passage, in case the castle were to fall. I don't know if that was fortunate or unfortunate. In any case, Medea, the child will definitely survive... If this is all over, we will be able to bring her back safely."
His words sounded like King Peleus had abandoned the other Valdinians and cared only for the well-being of his sister.
The Queen Mother's complexion turned pale.
"Run away! That's ridiculous. Medea would never do that."
She didn't believe her son's words.
'Medea, who stood up to the Empire for the honor of the royal family. Knowing that the people would be shaken if she left like this, why did she run away so irresponsibly?'
Although the Queen Mother didn't spend much time with Medea, she learned firsthand that her eldest granddaughter is unparalleled in her sense of responsibility.
"Medea has been very active recently. But isn't she still a naive and immature girl?"
However, the regent shook his head as if his mother's expectations were disappointing.
"Rumors have spread that rebels are in front of the palace. They are shouting that the country has fallen into ruin because of the corrupt Princess and that witches should be burned at the stake. How could Medea overcome her fear in such a situation?"
"..."
"Mother, please do not look for Medea. If word spreads that the Princess has run away, the morale of the soldiers will drop significantly."
Support Novellate!
Comments
Post a Comment