Doo doo doo doo-
Enoch stood on the walls of Bork Castle and stared at the rapidly approaching procession.
The coat of arms of the Marquis of Crescente is that of the family of the Marquis of Crescente.
Finally, the gray-haired Marquis of Cresente, who had realized the seriousness of the situation, was marching to the castle of Bork in person.
“Open the gates.”
“Open the gates!”
The captain of the guard of Bork Castle immediately raised his hand. One of the castle gates, which had been tightly locked in case of an emergency, opened.
Marquis Cresente, who had slowed down as he passed through the gate, stopped his horse.
“Whoa, whoa!”
The Marquis dismounted from his horse and looked sharply at the scene inside the castle, and his eyes met with Enoch's, who was standing on the castle wall.
The Marquis of Crescente spoke first.
“Oh, are you Marquis Enoch Aratus?”
"Exactly."
“Nice to meet you. I am the Marquis of Cresente.”
It was a rather cheerful voice. Enoch went down the stairs silently and took the hand that Marquis Cresente held out.
The Marquis of Cresente looked around.
“My son should be here, oh! Carlson. How are you?”
“Oh, Father!”
Upon hearing the news, Lord Carlson Cresente rushed out of the castle and quickly got out of the carriage.
A few days ago, after Count Asullou had just finished the surrender negotiations and left, Carlson was unable to sleep and was waiting for Margrave Cresente.
“Why are you so late? Everyone, including the Asullou, has already signed the surrender document and left. We are the only ones left, Father.”
“Oh, what’s the rush? We can negotiate and sign from now on. Isn’t that right, Marquis?”
"...”
Enoch didn't say anything in response to the witty words of the Marquis of Cresente.
His gaze was still fixed on the still-silent castle of the Lord of Bork.
'Why aren't you coming?'
His wife was the first to react to the visit of the Marquis of Cresente.
She should have arrived similar to Carlson, or even earlier.
“...”
A short while later, a carriage arrived from the castle under a heavy escort of knights.
The man's face softened noticeably.
"Enoch."
“Are you here, Ma’am?”
He reached out his hand casually towards the open carriage door. A pair of slender fingers grasped his hand tightly.
The hem of the turquoise dress, perfect for fall, sways gently.
Agatha got off the carriage lightly and looked down.
“Sorry, I’m late.”
“It’s not too late, but I’m worried. What happened?”
The moment Agatha was about to open her mouth, Marquis Cresente intervened from behind.
Enoch, who was about to reflexively draw his sword, slowly placed his arm on the sword rest.
“Oh, it is a pleasure to meet you, Marchioness Aratus. I am the Marquis of Cresente.”
Agatha looked up at the gray-haired Marquis of Cresente who suddenly appeared and smiled brightly.
“Good to see you, Marquis Cresente. I heard you were coming. Are you here to negotiate surrender?”
“Yes. After reading the letter our son sent, we made thorough preparations and set off.”
Since negotiations would have been very unfavorable if things continued this way, Marquis Cresente decided to appear as relaxed as possible, at least on the outside.
So that's why it came at this time.
The Marquis of Crescente smiled jokingly.
“But I came as quickly as possible, so don’t be angry, Madame. How about we start negotiations for surrender today?”
The Marquis would have naturally expected a positive response.
Agatha shook her head and took out a letter from her bosom.
“I’m sorry, Marquis Cresente.”
What was in her elegant hands was a letter as red as blood.
It was sealed as a symbol of the imperial family.
“I don’t know what’s going on, but His Majesty has ordered a temporary halt to the Territorial War. He has ordered the five families that participated in this Territorial War, including Nobilis and Aratus, to return to the capital.”
The face of the Marquis of Cresente, who had been smiling leisurely, gradually hardened.
What if the royal family intervenes to the extent of breaking the unwritten rules of the sacred territory?
The only thing that came to mind was the whereabouts of the exiled criminal.
“I guess I won’t be able to see you off since His Majesty told me to hurry up. I hope to see you again next time, Marquis, Lord Carlson.”
Agatha, who had greeted him elegantly, turned around.
It was a bit regrettable to let go of Cressente, who had formed an alliance, hidden her ex-husband, and even fought in a war.
It seemed like he would be severely punished for being with the exiled criminals, so she thought it would be okay to stop there.
'It would be good if the Cressente family disappeared or the head of the family changed at this time.'
“Take care, Marquis, Lord Carlson. Let’s go, Enoch.”
Enoch immediately escorted her back and signaled to the senior knight and captain of the guard who were manning the gate.
Marquis Cresente and Carlson, who had been standing there blankly, followed them in a hurry, but Agatha had already entered the carriage.
“Marchioness!”
“Your Grace, please wait a moment. I have something to tell the Marchioness...!”
Enoch, who was blocking the carriage entrance, whispered softly and closed the door.
“I’ll just say hello and go, Ma’am.”
Agatha opened the curtain covering the window.
Through the hazy glass of the carriage, which was not of very good quality, a man with his back to the carriage was vaguely seen muttering something to Marquis Cressente and Carlson.
A moment later, Enoch opened the quiet carriage door, sat down next to her, and knocked on the carriage wall.
Dagdak, dagdak-
The carriage set off for the lord's castle under an iron guard of knights.
“I kept you waiting.”
“It was just a moment. What were we talking about that made it quiet down so quickly?”
He smiled silently and looked at the letter he was holding in his hand.
“What did the letter say?”
She knew she was beating around the bush.
Agatha naturally leaned on Enoch's shoulder and placed an urgent letter from the royal family in his hand.
“It seems that the royal family has been informed that an exiled criminal was here.”
“Good. This time, the Marquis of Crescente seems a bit difficult to deal with, so I think it would be a good idea to change the owner of the neighboring territory.”
“So you thought so too?”
The Marquis of Cresente, who sent his son in his stead and tried to somehow reduce the compensation amount even in this situation, was too greedy to be considered a close neighbor.
At first, they focused on distribution, but when they realized that Enoch was not there, they immediately had the determination to form an alliance.
“I’m looking forward to this pilgrimage. It’s a shame that I can’t go to Lord Nobilis’ castle, but I think it would be nice to go there in the winter.”
Now you can go whenever you want.
Agatha smiled with a hint of regret. The man, who had been quietly looking down at her, pressed his lips to her round cheek.
“Let’s come down as soon as this is resolved.”
“Yeah, okay.”
Agatha, who returned to the castle of the Lord of Bork Castle, immediately packed her bags to leave for the capital.
They have been given imperial orders to hurry up and get on the road, so they should leave by tomorrow morning at the earliest.
The sudden schedule made the movements of the attendants and servants very hectic.
While Enoch was giving instructions to the Second Lieutenant, Hubert Carwen, who was in charge of the barracks for a while, and to the senior knights.
Agatha walked around the front yard of the lord's castle and personally inspected the preparations.
“Jasha. How is the carriage?”
“We are in the process of hiring skilled craftsmen to reassemble the wheels, floor, and exterior. We have replaced the sofa cushions inside, removed the seat opposite, and put in a bed.”
“It’s going well. Ethel, take care of the urgent documents first. I can adjust the schedule so that the rest can follow.”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
The aftermath of the war that has not yet been concluded will be handled by the First Administrative Officer, Jose Keen, and the First Secretary, Megan Bernard, who will remain here.
First Executive Officer Denny Keilor was checking to see if the compensation stated in the surrender document was being properly delivered.
For now, you only need to accompany the First Assistant, Ethel.
“It’s going smoothly. I just need to check the food and water situation. And I’ll hire a good cook.”
“Don’t worry, Ma’am. I’ll have it perfectly ready by tomorrow morning.”
Agatha returned to the office of the lord's castle and took a portrait that she had kept deep in her possession.
An impression that the mustache makes one look vulgar.
It was a portrait of the suspicious messenger she had received from Baron Elibeth.
"Hmm..."
'But the more I look at it, the more it seems strangely familiar, which is very suspicious.'
Have I ever seen this before?
Agatha, who had been thinking hard, put the portrait away for now.
If you see something you don't remember well, it's probably an illusion or you haven't seen it very often.
It would have been beneficial to have a little more time to work during that time.
“Marie, can I have a cup of tea?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
The current status of supplies consumed in the barracks of the current Bork Castle, the crops harvested this fall, and the yield status...
Before she knew it, the mountain of documents that had been piled up on her desk was almost empty.
Agatha picked up the teacup that had been placed on one side of the desk.
The teacup that Marie, the maid close to her, had kept warm whenever it got a little cold was strangely cold.
“Marie, can I have some warm tea please?”
“...”
A moment later, a cup of warm, filling tea appeared on one side of the desk.
Agatha naturally reached out and took a sip, then tilted her head.
It tastes different than usual?
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