Instead of returning from the garden to the ballroom, Shan and Elze went straight home.
She was mentally exhausted because she had been busy with various things. Of course, it was also because Shan had left a hickey on her in a very visible place. Since it was obvious to anyone that it was a hickey, Elze didn't dare to go around the ballroom with it on.
On the way home, Elze told Shan about what had happened with Duke Seraph. She didn't tell him exactly what Duke Seraph had done but rather cut it out and said it, but he was such a unique being that no matter how she said it, it sounded like a pervert.
Naturally, Shan was furious. It was enough to make Shan angry that Duke Seraph had come into the picture while she was distracted, but now that he had even harassed Elze, Shan had completely branded Duke Seraph as a man who should be killed.
But apart from being angry, Shan was troubled by how Duke Seraph had come to know Elze's true identity.
Shan, who runs the top of the Machangs, always had the upper hand in the information war. And information about Elijah, especially Elze, was what Shan cared about the most. If information about Elijah had been moved, Shan would have known about it.
There are no internal traitors.
Shan and Elze could be sure of that. Those who followed Shan were strangely loyal to Shan. They never let even the slightest slip of the tongue, even during the Hundred Years' War, when betrayals and plots were rampant.
There was no need to even mention Elze's side. Elijah was like family to Elze, and Kalia was in a position where he couldn't even approach Duke Seraph.
If that's the case, Duke Seraph must have gotten the information from somewhere else, but no matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't figure out where it came from.
It was too vague to assume that the Duke of Seraph had deduced Elze's identity based on various circumstances. Considering the Duke's obsessive perfectionist personality, he was not the type of person to act without solid evidence.
In the end, it had to be assumed that Duke Seraph had obtained confirmation that Erzenes had wielded the sword. And Elze had only once taken Erzenes' form and held the sword.
“When the knights of Heglatan attacked from Britain... Was that the only time?”
“But at that time, I killed all of Heglatan’s knights, including their grooms.”
“Someone must have been nearby watching to see if it was successful. I was out of my mind at the time, so if I had hidden and made no sound, it would have been hard to find me.”
“Then why come now?”
“Because he wouldn’t have been interested in you back then.”
Shan muttered with an even more serious expression on his face.
“Perhaps Duke Seraph has some useless thoughts. He may be in touch with Heglatan.”
Duke Seraph and Heglatan...? Elze couldn’t believe it. Why would the head of a family that was related to the imperial family by marriage join hands with a defeated nation?
But if Heglatan's attack was the work of Duke Seraph, then the story would be more or less correct. Other than that, no other assumptions could be made at this point.
Shan, who had been lost in thought with his arms crossed, said with a distorted face.
“It seems that Duke Seraph really liked you. He is not the type of person to act this way...”
Shan swore before he could finish speaking. It was a situation where he could have sworn at anything, but he found himself laughing. Elze coughed to keep herself from laughing, and Shan continued.
“That was strange, too. That such a perfect human being was under someone. Raymond certainly wasn’t fit to hold the Duke of Seraph.”
In any case, Crown Prince Raymond was Shan's lord. However, Shan, who gave Raymond a cold, if not harsh, evaluation, did not feel even a little respect for him.
Elze, who was watching the scene, asked impulsively.
“Then what about you?”
Shan paused for a moment and stared at Elze. Elze asked him a little more in detail.
“Aren’t you someone that Crown Prince Raymond can’t embrace?”
At Elze's words, Shan smiled without saying anything. Then, he leaned towards Elze and whispered secretly.
“If I’m being honest here, it’s treason.”
“...”
That answer alone was enough to tell her what he thought of Raymond. Elze didn't ask him any more questions.
***
After returning to the Targayel mansion, Elze and Shan did not participate in any further banquets that followed.
Elze didn't want to go near the banquet hall because of Duke Seraph. Of course, it was Elze's personal reason, and officially, Count and Countess Targayel had an excuse not to attend the banquet.
It was because of the military parade and hunting competition that followed the banquet.
The joint parade with Ryeo was intended to show off Baluar's military power and strengthen friendship with Ryeo.
Shan was put in charge of the parade because he had been the second-in-command of the Baluar Empire's forces directly under Crown Prince Raymond since the Hundred Years' War.
This was why Shan had been so busy after returning from Himov. Shan had not been able to come home and had spent the night in the palace preparing for the parade.
Unlike the parade, which was intended to be a show of force, the hunting competition that followed was more of a friendly competition. The female knights of Ryeo were also scheduled to participate and compete with the knights of Baluar, and naturally, Shan was also scheduled to participate in the hunting competition.
And Elze thought she would spend her days leisurely at Targayel's mansion, using the excuse of helping her busy husband... but then came news that was like a bolt from the blue.
During a dinner with the Queen, Prince Raymond decided to include ladies and gentlemen in the hunting competition.
Originally, when a hunting competition was held, women would wave handkerchiefs to wish the men success and chat elegantly under the tent while fanning themselves.
Then, when the hunt was over, it was the women's role to wonder which lady the winner would offer his catch to.
However, the Queen of Ryeo did not like the passive attitude of such women. She suggested to Raymond that they hold a hunting competition together for the women.
Raymond readily accepted, even though he did not know how to do it. The Queen even offered to personally reward the winner with a cart full of Ryeo's treasures.
So it was decided to hold a hunting competition for the women of Baluar as a side event to the hunting competition.
Thanks to this, all the noble families were in an uproar. The women who had been hunting as a hobby or knew a little about archery were already practicing hard, dreaming of winning.
Elze, too, was no exception and had to prepare for the hunting competition.
“No, what hunting competition is this all of a sudden...”
Elze, who was absorbed in the thought of rolling around, grumbled with her mouth wide open.
Elze was currently taking archery lessons from Rapine in the Targayel training grounds. The spacious training grounds were fully equipped for her to practice archery under Shan's instructions.
Shan seemed to be quite good at archery. He wanted to take part in Elze's archery lessons himself, but he was too busy preparing for the parade to do so.
Of course, Elze had an excellent archery teacher even if it wasn't Shan. Rapine, one of the best archers on the continent and Elijah's long-range attacker.
Rapine was very happy to hear Elze ask him to teach her how to shoot arrows. Even now, he was more active than Elze in checking the bow and bowstring, and checking the target, showing great enthusiasm. Elze asked Rapine with a face that showed no sign of enthusiasm.
“Haa... What will happen if I don’t practice archery?”
Rapine smiled calmly and stabbed her with a single, dagger-like word.
“But still, as Elze of Elijah, wouldn’t it be embarrassing to lose to noblewomen and young ladies?”
“Ugh...”
That was true. She had lived off the pride of having fought on the battlefield, so what if she lost to the noble ladies who had spent their days in the rear? Elze felt like her pride was going to crumble.
If you win, it's just a loss, but if you lose, it's a pit. Elze's face became gloomy.
She heard that among the young ladies, those who have tamed falcons participate in falconry. However, Elze does not have a hobby like falconry, so she does not have a tamed falcon. Since she cannot tame a falcon in a hurry, she will have to resort to archery. Rapine said affectionately to Elze, who was drooping.
“It is said that there are quite a few families that teach their daughters archery. You shouldn’t take it lightly.”
At Rapine's words, Elze sighed and quietly picked up her bow. Then she flicked the bow with a loud thud. Then, a round of applause and chatter poured out from the side.
“Wow, our captain’s bow suits you well too?”
“Captain, let’s catch a sparrow flying in the sky!”
It was the voice of Ivanna and Tarkun, who were sitting next to Elze, watching her practice archery while serving as escorts. The two of them had even set up a small tent and were chatting away while eating snacks.
When Rapine glared at them playfully, they giggled even louder and waved their hands. Rapine frowned briefly, then elegantly brushed his long braided hair to one side and returned his focus to Elze’s archery lessons.
“Strength is important for using a bow, but I don’t think you need to worry about the strength of a bowman since you surpass most men.”
Rapine muttered, struggling to choose among the many bows he had displayed.
“A crossbow might be okay too...”
“Isn’t that a bit too ominous a weapon for a lady to fire?”
The crossbow was a truly lethal weapon, capable of piercing the head of a wild boar without difficulty. It was also one of the types of bows favored by Rapine.
However, the form was not very good because she had to turn the pulley and such to load it. It was a hunting competition in which many other nobles also participated. Elze could be sure that the ladies and young ladies would never come out with something like a crossbow.
“Since I’m going to do it, I want to shoot a cool bow.”
In response to Elze's strong opinion, Rapine picked up the smallest bow and handed it to Elze.
“Then, I think a short bow would be the best.”
And then he went on to tell in a satisfied tone about the facts he had examined in advance.
“The elasticity of the bow is excellent. It is suitable for taking to the battlefield right away. It is made by synthesizing various materials other than wood...”
Elze looked down at her bow, listening to Rapine’s explanation with one ear. Rapine had once taught her how to shoot a bow simply. However, it was only theory, and she had never actually shot an arrow.
She doubted whether she could catch the wild beasts that would run wild in the hunting competition held just a few days later with this kind of training. Elze, who was fiddling with her bow, quietly called out to Raphine.
“Rapine.”
Rapine tilted his head slightly and looked at Elze.
“I thought about it.”
Elze asked him with a serious face.
“How about secretly hitting them with a sword or a club and then shooting an arrow at them? That would be much faster.”
"...Captain."
At Rapine's stern voice, Elze quietly picked up her bow again. But Tarkun and Ivanna were chattering beside her.
“That’s fine, Captain. Then you’ll just take first place in the hunting competition.”
“That’s right. Let’s definitely get first place and get the treasure.”
Rapine sighed at the two people's chorus. Eventually, Rapine stopped them, and they even started to say something different later.
“Since you’re going to bring escort knights anyway, I think it would be okay if I just caught them secretly...”
“That’s right! Raphine is good!”
Ivanna, who was blinded by the treasures of the Kingdom of Ryeo, enthusiastically agreed with Rapine. Unfortunately for Ivanna, however, it ended up being Elze practicing archery. This was because they still did not know how the hunting competition would proceed.
However, judging from her experience so far, Elze was quick to learn anything that involved physical contact. Her teacher was also one of the best archers on the continent. If she worked hard from today, she felt like things would turn out well.
There was no harm in learning how to handle a bow, so since it had come to this, she thought she would practice regardless of the hunting competition. Elze, who had made up her mind, began practicing enthusiastically. Rapine gave a simple demonstration of archery and immediately told Elze to hold the bow.
“Let’s start by firing one shot.”
He checked Elze's posture while holding the bow.
“Pull, aim...”
Elze took aim at the target with her bow drawn. The target looked really small from a distance. She doubted whether she could hit it.
“Hold your breath...”
She held her breath as Rapine said. She calmed her thoughts and focused on the target. The target grew bigger and bigger in her eyes.
Suddenly, it occurred to her that this process was similar to using a sword. When you reach a certain level, is there a connection between everything?
“...There should be no hesitation when releasing the bowstring.”
Elze narrowed her eyes as she listened to Rapine's words. In an instant, her mind was focused on the target.
At one point, everything stopped. Elze felt that it was time to let go of the bowstring. The bowstring clicked, and the arrow left her hand, flying smoothly in a curve.
...and it hit the ground with a loud thud exactly five steps away from Elze.
“Hahahaha!”
Ivanna and Tarkun, who were watching, rolled around on the ground and burst into laughter. While they were laughing hysterically, Elze looked back at Rapine with an embarrassed face. At this rate, it was impossible to catch even a snail crawling on the ground.
But Rapine, who she thought was smiling, had a very serious expression on his face.
"...Captain."
He spoke solemnly, with the expression of a man facing great adversity.
“Special training starts now.”
***
The last day of the banquet and the last day of the festival, the morning of the parade day.
Shan has not been in the mansion since the masquerade ball. He had left a message in advance at the mansion saying that he would not be able to return until after the parade.
Elze also got up early in the morning to prepare to go see the parade. She was tired because she had practiced archery late the night before and fell asleep, but she couldn't miss the parade that her husband had prepared and supervised so diligently.
The joint parade between Baluar and Ryeo had been discussed since the Ryeo delegation expressed its intention to visit.
The parade usually takes months to prepare, but since it was prepared in a hurry, it is small in scale but focuses on grandeur. She heard that it would especially focus on promoting Baluar's superior military power.
The parade was held on the last day of the festival held in the capital. It was a parade that took place when the excitement that had been building up during the festival reached its peak. And since even the knights of Ryeo were in attendance, there were even people who came up from the provinces to see the parade.
The parade marched around the capital, centered around Place du Manuap, and finally arrived at the Imperial Palace. All the nobles were expected to watch the parade from seats prepared in front of the palace.
Arriving in front of the palace, Elze was guided by her attendant to her assigned seat. Elze’s seat was the most prestigious. It was at the top of the tiered seating, and there was no need to worry about the sunlight because there was a canopy. Everything was perfect.
But there was just one problem: the person sitting next to Elze.
“It’s been a while, Ma’am.”
It was Duke Seraph who greeted Elze with a smile.
"...Your Highness."
Elze received his greeting with a trembling face. Dressed in dark green robes and white gloves, Duke Seraph looked beautiful today as well.
However, his angelic smile felt like a devil's call to Elze. She didn't know if it was Crown Princess Iarin who arranged the seats, but the consideration of giving her the best of the best seats came as a bolt from the blue to Elze.
It was uncertain whether the person sitting next to her would be able to properly see the parade. Fortunately, since many eyes were watching, Duke Seraph would not be able to blatantly pursue her.
Elze took a seat, trying to control her expression. When she sat down, she found that the space between her and the seat next to her was closer than she had thought. There weren’t even many seats on either side of her. It seemed that only Duke Wade, Crown Princess Iarin, and a few other high-ranking nobles sat in this area.
It would have been better if there had been so many people that Duke Seraph couldn't say anything nonsense, or if they had arrived right before the parade started so that there would be no time to talk.....
As Elze was internally regretting all sorts of things, she felt Duke Seraph’s gaze on her. Elze avoided making eye contact and acted indifferently, but he ignored her and spoke to her.
“I hope you’ve been well.”
“God, please save me,” Else replied to Seraph, offering a short prayer in her mind.
“Thanks to Your Highness’s concern, I am safe.”
“I see. That’s fortunate. It was worth always thinking of you, Madam.”
“...”
Elze opened her mouth blankly for a moment, then closed it again. Duke Seraph had a remarkable talent for unceremoniously taking formal greetings.
Please leave me alone!
Did he read Elze's desperate cry? Instead of continuing the conversation, Duke Seraph smiled brightly. Then he looked at Elze intently.
Elze immediately regretted it. It seemed better to say something. It was more burdensome to just smile and stare. Since she couldn't tell him not to look, Elxe said indirectly.
“I think there’s something on my face.”
“That’s not the case.”
Duke Seraph answered with an elegant smile.
“I don’t get many opportunities to see Madam, so I want to see you a lot when I do.”
When he said that, she had no idea what to say. Elze was blinking, and Duke Seraph narrowed his eyes. He looked at Elze as if he was admiring a work of art.
Elze, who felt burdened by the passionate gaze, opened her fan and secretly covered her face, but a whisper with a hint of heat was heard.
“Your blue eyes are truly beautiful today, Madam.”
...The urge to go home arose because of the parade and the rain. At that moment when Elze was seriously contemplating, Crown Princess Iarin appeared.
“Countess Targayel!”
She smiled at Elze. Iarin’s face was pale again today. Even though the weather was quite hot, she was still wearing a dress with a collar turned up.
Iarin, who was exchanging greetings with Elze, belatedly discovered Duke Seraph. Iarin’s face suddenly hardened, but she quickly straightened her face and spoke.
“...Lord Seraph.”
Duke Seraph greeted Iarin formally, adding the kind words one might ask of a sister.
However, Iarin, who actually accepted him, seemed to be having a hard time with him. When Elze looked at him, she felt like he was not Iarin brother but someone worse than her. She even felt like Iarin was a little scared of him.
Elze was puzzled by their relationship, but she couldn't think about it any deeper. The sound of the military bands and the cheers were heard. The troops that had marched around the capital were now approaching the palace.
The first thing that caught her eye was a long, huge golden flag. The golden flag, which seemed to be several meters long, had a black dragon drawn on it. The dragon moved dynamically along the flag as it flapped in the wind.
The flag bearer with the dragon-painted flag was a female knight of Ryeo. The female knights, wearing black armor with delicate and beautiful patterns, marched with confident faces even in the large crowd.
In the middle of the knights of Ryeo, standing in front and behind, was the Queen riding a white mare. Her dress was so long and splendid that even as she rode, the hems of her dress barely touched the ground.
The wide hem of her clothes was embroidered with dragons and clouds, and the sun and moon on both shoulders were embroidered with gold thread. The small jewel decorations attached to every corner of her clothes sparkled brilliantly. The shape of the tall golden crown worn by the Queen was truly exquisite, and the people's cheers and applause grew louder.
The military bands that had been playing music centered around the sound of splendid trumpets just a moment ago began to beat drums. The Baluar Empire army had appeared.
The standard-bearers of the Baluar Empire's army carried a huge red banner. On the banner was a large, golden lion roaring.
At the front, riding a dazzling white horse, Crown Prince Raymond, wearing a large red mantle and gold armor, waved his hand. As Elze watched him gleaming in the sunlight, she felt a sense of loyalty that she had never felt before.
And Elze could find Shan behind Raymond. Shan was wearing silver armor and a flowing red cloak. In contrast to Raymond, he rode a pitch-black horse and marched with an expressionless face.
A chant of war heroism could be heard among the crowd. It seemed like they would wave their hands, but Shan only looked at them with a cold gaze, making sure that there was no one among the crowd with disrespectful intentions.
However, the people cheered even more because of his indifference. They seemed to like such behavior since the image of Shan Cirxus they had was that of a cold-blooded, undefeated war hero.
Elze looked at Shan quietly. Shan, with his cool air, felt like a completely different person.
He had never made that kind of face in front of Elze. Even when he was smiling slyly or expressionlessly, he had a certain air of comfort that gave him a chance to approach her.
But the man in the parade was different. He was not Elze's husband, but the war hero Shan Cirxus, with his impenetrable, hard face.
“Shan...”
Elze unconsciously called out to him. It was far away so it was hard to tell, but it seemed as if Shan’s gaze was looking in her direction.
Elze, who had been waving her hand enthusiastically at him, was taken aback. She remembered belatedly that she was sitting next to Duke Seraph.
In a brief hesitation, the march continued, and Shan passed by. The Imperial Knights, the core cavalry, marched with dignity, and after that, a parade that showed various aspects of the Baluar Empire army continued.
Artillerymen dragged large cannons, and various types of soldiers, including crossbowmen carrying pavises (large shields erected by driving stakes into the ground and used as cover) on their backs, pikemen carrying long spears, and infantry, moved in unison in rows.
But Elze couldn't see them properly because Duke Seraph was talking to her from the side.
“It was a wonderful parade. It was worth the effort, Count Targayel.”
Elze looked around for a moment. Amid the loud cheers and music, everyone was focused on the parade. No one was looking at Duke Seraph and Elze. Even if they were paying attention, they wouldn't be able to hear what they were saying if they whispered softly.
Elze smiled and snapped at him in a cold voice.
“Aren’t we in a position where we can watch the parade together affectionately?”
“But if I approach you more proactively, won’t you open your heart a little?”
Elze was shocked by the shameless answer. She spoke firmly.
“That will never happen.”
However, Duke Seraph slowly shook his head at Elze's sharp answer. He spoke with a smiling face.
“The future is unpredictable. Who in the world knows their own future?”
“...”
“Nobody knows that.”
It was a meaningful statement. Elze felt as if his words were not aimed at her alone.
Before they knew it, the parade was coming to an end. Finally, the firecrackers prepared by Ryeo were set off, and colorful pieces of paper fell everywhere. Ryeo’s seal was stamped on the pieces of paper, and everyone was scrambling to collect them as souvenirs.
After the fireworks, the procession began to enter the palace. As she watched the long line of soldiers disappear through the palace gates, Duke Seraph suddenly added softly.
“...Even if he is the Emperor of the empire.”
Elze felt an inexplicable eerieness pass through her body.
***
After the parade, the nobles gathered in small groups and mingled with each other. They were busy talking about today's parade, but Elze went straight home.
Iarin secretly wanted to catch Elze, but she didn't have time to pay attention to her. She wanted to get away from Duke Seraph as quickly as possible.
To avoid any misunderstanding with Shan, she asked the palace attendant to notify Count Targayel that she had returned home first, and then she returned home.
After changing into her dress and roughly removing her makeup, she collapsed on the sofa. Anyway, whenever she met Duke Seraph, she felt mentally exhausted. Every time she talked to him, she felt like her life force was being drained. The maids asked if they could offer her some light refreshments, but Elze waved them off. She had no appetite. After putting everything away, Elze muttered alone in the empty room.
“Even if he is the Emperor of an empire, he does not know his own future...”
What on earth is Duke Seraph thinking?
Shan said that he may have joined hands with Heglatan. If that is true, the Duke's statement today was truly significant.
If the Duke was really plotting treason, it was unclear why he had said such treasonous words to Elze.
The reason he says this, knowing that what Elze hears will reach Shan as well, is it a threat or confidence?
Elze could not possibly guess the thoughts of Duke Seraph. This was especially true because he did not follow the way of thinking of ordinary humans. Elze, who had been lying on the sofa for a long time, got up slowly. She thought that she could not stay like this any longer and that she should call Rapine and practice archery.
Just as she was about to leave, a maid came from outside and announced to Elze in an excited voice.
“Madam! The Count has returned home.”
"Yes?"
It was Shan who came home after a few days. Elze went down to the first floor to greet him. Shan, who had just entered the mansion, handed over his outer garment to the servant and was listening to Marle’s report. Suddenly, she felt joy when she saw Shan. Elze stopped going down the stairs and called him from above.
“Shan!”
As soon as she called him, Shan looked straight at Elze. The moment their eyes met, Elze and Shan simultaneously smiled brightly at each other. He didn't know why. It was just a reflex.
Shan left his conversation with Marle and almost ran towards Elze. He climbed the stairs two or three at a time and picked Elze up in the middle of the stairs.
"Oh...!"
Elze lost her balance for a moment and swayed. Although Elze was not small, Shan quickly picked her up.
“I’m going to fall, let me down!”
Even though Elze patted his shoulder urgently, Shan held her for a while and then put her down again. However, he still held her tightly in his arms.
Because of the height difference between them, Elze was snuggled into his arms. Shan buried his face on Elze's shoulder and let out a long sigh. He held her tightly in his arms for a long time and pressed his face against Elze's. Then he spoke briefly.
“...This is home.”
And only then did he smile and say.
“When I hold you, I feel like I’ve really come home.”
He said such embarrassing things without changing his expression. But Elze was willing to endure it a little today. After all, he had returned home after a few days. Elze answered him with a smile.
“Welcome.”
And Elze realized that her back was tingling for some reason. When she looked around belatedly, the servants who had come out to greet Shan were all shocked by the sweet appearance of the Count couple. In particular, Marle and Liv had faces that looked almost like they had seen a legendary creature.
Elze recalled that she had rarely shown open affection to Shan in public. And now, it was obvious to everyone that Shan was in love with Elze. If they thought Shan was acting like he always did at the parade today, it was only natural that they were surprised.
As Elze poked Shan, Shan looked around and coughed in vain. The employees belatedly turned their gazes here and there. Shan, who confirmed that no one was looking in this direction, whispered while tucking Elze's hair behind her ear.
“Then...is it time for a reunion kiss?”
Anyway, it was a good one. Elze glared at him but did not refuse the kiss. Shan's hands grabbed Elze's waist. Elze leaned back slightly and accepted him. Their lips met softly, with her loosely tied ivory hair falling down.
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