As we headed toward the Riar Plains, our horses showed signs of weariness. We repeatedly stopped at villages, swapped horses, and then set off again.
Although Count Winsley's army had set out before me, they were numerous, and I was alone. If I hurried, there was no way I couldn't catch up.
And after a long run, a procession of armored soldiers came into view in the distance. Some of them were carrying tall banners, blue banners with silver emblems belonging to the Count of Winsley.
I used all my strength to ride my horse and catch up with them.
“Listen. I’ll tell you what to do next.”
I spoke to a soldier trudging along in the last row. I was wearing a robe pulled over my head and was dressed somewhat shabbily, having run for quite some time. The soldier glanced at me and waved his arm in annoyance.
“It’s dangerous. Don’t run alongside the procession. You could get hurt, whether you’re a horse or a person.”
I stared blankly at the soldier's actions, then lowered my robe. The blond hair concealed within the robe flowed to the side, then blew into the air with the wind. As I looked down at him with my green eyes, the soldier's eyes widened.
When the soldier who recognized me called out loudly, “Miss!”, the other soldiers around him joined in with startled expressions.
“Oh my goodness, Miss!”
I smiled at those who recognized me. But the soldier who called me "Miss" was immediately struck on the back of the head. Then, the soldier who had struck him with all his might turned to me and greeted me politely.
“Your Highness, what is happening here?”
Since they had probably trained in the same space before, it wouldn't be a bad idea to treat them comfortably, but this was the way to go. I dismounted and faced them.
"What's going on? I'm also a member of the Count of Winsley. I've come to join the expedition."
Several soldiers gasped in admiration at my words. In my past life, I wanted to join the subjugation campaign, but Kaiser's interference prevented me from doing so. Therefore, I felt a sense of pride in the way the soldiers looked at me.
This time, I won't evade. I won't just stand there like a fool. I'll fight, win, and come back alive.
“Tell them I’m coming.”
“I will do as you instruct.”
My horse was too tired to run any further. Just getting here, even walking with me, was a great achievement.
I stroked the neck of the horse that trotted beside me and watched the soldier pass the word forward.
The word traveled from back to front, and then back again, taking longer than I expected. I drank water and joined the ranks of soldiers.
“Your Highness, you are truly dignified now.”
“You’re so dignified. What does that mean?”
“But you were a bit of a tomboy when you were at the Count’s residence.”
The soldiers called me "Your Highness the Grand Duchess," but I didn't find it particularly uncomfortable. I felt a warm, nostalgic sense of nostalgia, as if I'd returned to the old days, and didn't scold them.
However, I did not stop them from making a lot of noise among themselves, saying things like they were bad manners or something.
For no other reason than their endless bickering kept me from getting bored.
After a while, I saw a sturdy brown horse approaching from ahead. Riding it was a boy who looked just like me. The boy frowned at me, then jumped off the horse.
“Sister!”
Adam stood before me, his reins firmly in his grasp. He seemed to have grown significantly in height, as if he were standing higher than me. I was startled by the change.
Come to think of it, I've never seen Adam this big in my previous life. That's because I never got to meet him.
Thinking about it made my heart ache, and I felt like crying. I bit my lower lip to hold back my tears.
Adam grumbled, as if my behavior seemed different to him.
“You know you did something wrong, yet you still chase me here?”
I slammed my brother's head into his mouth as he spoke ill of me. Adam could have easily dodged it, but he didn't.
"Ouch!"
“What kind of habit are you using, Sister? Have I come to a place I shouldn’t be?”
When the soldiers were making a fuss, I would just laugh without saying a word, but when I started nagging Adam, the soldiers burst into laughter.
Adam blushed and rubbed his head. Seeing him like this, my heart, which had been fluttering, calmed as I realized how young he still was.
I spoke confidently, my hands on my hips.
"I'm Layla Duchzan, but I'm still the eldest daughter of the Margrave Winsley. Of course, I should be here. I deserve to be here."
Adam stuck out his lower lip. His expression was more concerned than displeased.
"Who says you're not qualified? You're probably busy with work up north, so I don't want to make you come too."
My eyes widened at those words. I hadn't expected Adam to be thinking something like that. His earlobes turned bright red, as if embarrassed by my reaction.
“Father was angry, too. He said he looked like an old man who needed protection.”
“He’ll be seeing his grandchildren soon, right? He's a grandfather, right?”
This time, Adam's eyes widened like a rabbit's. His face flushed red, and his mouth opened and closed repeatedly. Seeing my younger brother like this never got old, and it was consistently adorable.
“What? Sister, no way...”
“That’s the plan.”
I grinned and snatched the reins from Adam. Then, without even a moment's hesitation, I mounted his horse.
“Huh? What are you doing!”
“I heard my father is angry. I should go and appease him.”
“Then me?”
“Come back when you recover my horse.”
Adam chuckled in disbelief at my words, then waved his hand. It seemed like he was telling me to go. Compared to the always neat and tidy Ruin, Adam had a more boisterous disposition.
I found that side of Adam endearing. I blew him a kiss and started running. Since I wasn't wearing my hood, all the soldiers could see me running alongside the procession.
“Oh, Miss?”
“Not a Miss, but Her Highness the Grand Duchess!”
Someone was having the same conversation I'd heard earlier. I gave a quick wave and quickly moved forward.
At the very vanguard, the elite knights of the Count of Winsley marched slowly on horseback. A little behind them, I could see the backs of my father and Ruin.
They heard the sound of approaching hooves, and one by one, they turned their heads to look behind them. And when my father saw me, I gave him the brightest smile I could muster.
“It’s been a while, Father. It’s nice to see you again, Ruin.”
“Layla Winsley!”
Father shouted loudly. Judging by the veins on his forehead, he was, as Adam had said, very angry.
But I wasn't as frightened or scared by that old voice as I used to be. I calmly rode my horse close to my father's.
"Yes, I'm Layla Winsley. I've been married for quite some time now, so I should be called Duchzan, but I'm going to go by Winsley for a while."
I tried to speak as cleverly as possible, but it didn't work on my father.
"How did you end up here in the North? Have you forgotten that your stubborn marriage made you another master of the North?"
My father was a man of integrity, a man who valued honor and uprightness. It seems that for him, it wasn't right for Grand Duchess Duchzan to join Winsley's army.
“I received permission from His Highness the Grand Duke. He was worried, but didn’t stop me.”
"Even if His Highness the Grand Duke grants permission, the people of Duchzan are your people. You must not forget your duty. Do you truly not trust your father? Are you afraid that I, who protected the border, would die in a mere act of subduing the demonic beasts?"
I smiled. But listening to my father's words, my insides felt like they were churning. Yes, Father will not die in this battle to subdue the demons.
Although the Count of Winsley's achievements were never fully recognized, the battle against the demons was a resounding victory. It was such a complete victory that no demons were left.
My family isn't so weak that they can't be defeated by demons. But we couldn't defeat humans who are even more vicious than demons.
"I'll explain slowly. First, calm down. If you're this angry, what can I say?"
I wiped the smile from my face and spoke in a low voice so that only my father could hear.
“Someone is trying to frame the Count of Winsley during this expedition.”
My father straightened his back and stared straight ahead. Knowing his upright nature, I knew he wouldn't be easily swayed by my words. And his unwavering gaze proved it.
"That doesn't mean we can ignore the suffering of our people. Furthermore, if we are upright under heaven, the truth will be revealed."
Listening to my father, I felt a surge of frustration. The innocence of the Count of Winsley would never be proven. Members were killed, the family was persecuted, and even I, the last of the bloodline, would die.
But it was clear that trying to persuade my father this way would be futile. It was a future only I knew, and that meant I had no evidence to convince him in any way.
I sighed and offered another reason. There was only one justification I needed to convince my father.
“Why do you think they want to frame the Count of Winsley?”
“...How can we know the dark hearts of such people?”
“To look down on the throne.”
Father still looked ahead. But ripples appeared in his calm, lake-like eyes.
Father slowly raised his right hand slightly above his head. "Chuck, chuck, chuck." As all the soldiers stopped marching, the surroundings quickly became quiet.
I looked at my father with eyes filled with pity. I had to convince him. A sorrowful voice escaped my lips without me realizing it.
“Please listen to my story. I ask this not as the Grand Duchess of Duchzan, but as my father’s daughter.”
Since there was no answer from my father, I slowly lowered my head and bit my lower lip.
Couldn't I convince my father with this much? As I was pondering that, my father slowly reached out and wrapped his hand around my shoulder.
“It’s time for the soldiers to rest.”
At my father's words, I calmly raised my head. He left the line first and walked toward the shade of a large tree. I gave Ruin a nod and followed him there.
My father looked at me with his back to me and his forehead stained with green.
“Yes, who dares to look down on the throne?”
Although Count Winsley's army had set out before me, they were numerous, and I was alone. If I hurried, there was no way I couldn't catch up.
And after a long run, a procession of armored soldiers came into view in the distance. Some of them were carrying tall banners, blue banners with silver emblems belonging to the Count of Winsley.
I used all my strength to ride my horse and catch up with them.
“Listen. I’ll tell you what to do next.”
I spoke to a soldier trudging along in the last row. I was wearing a robe pulled over my head and was dressed somewhat shabbily, having run for quite some time. The soldier glanced at me and waved his arm in annoyance.
“It’s dangerous. Don’t run alongside the procession. You could get hurt, whether you’re a horse or a person.”
I stared blankly at the soldier's actions, then lowered my robe. The blond hair concealed within the robe flowed to the side, then blew into the air with the wind. As I looked down at him with my green eyes, the soldier's eyes widened.
When the soldier who recognized me called out loudly, “Miss!”, the other soldiers around him joined in with startled expressions.
“Oh my goodness, Miss!”
I smiled at those who recognized me. But the soldier who called me "Miss" was immediately struck on the back of the head. Then, the soldier who had struck him with all his might turned to me and greeted me politely.
“Your Highness, what is happening here?”
Since they had probably trained in the same space before, it wouldn't be a bad idea to treat them comfortably, but this was the way to go. I dismounted and faced them.
"What's going on? I'm also a member of the Count of Winsley. I've come to join the expedition."
Several soldiers gasped in admiration at my words. In my past life, I wanted to join the subjugation campaign, but Kaiser's interference prevented me from doing so. Therefore, I felt a sense of pride in the way the soldiers looked at me.
This time, I won't evade. I won't just stand there like a fool. I'll fight, win, and come back alive.
“Tell them I’m coming.”
“I will do as you instruct.”
My horse was too tired to run any further. Just getting here, even walking with me, was a great achievement.
I stroked the neck of the horse that trotted beside me and watched the soldier pass the word forward.
The word traveled from back to front, and then back again, taking longer than I expected. I drank water and joined the ranks of soldiers.
“Your Highness, you are truly dignified now.”
“You’re so dignified. What does that mean?”
“But you were a bit of a tomboy when you were at the Count’s residence.”
The soldiers called me "Your Highness the Grand Duchess," but I didn't find it particularly uncomfortable. I felt a warm, nostalgic sense of nostalgia, as if I'd returned to the old days, and didn't scold them.
However, I did not stop them from making a lot of noise among themselves, saying things like they were bad manners or something.
For no other reason than their endless bickering kept me from getting bored.
After a while, I saw a sturdy brown horse approaching from ahead. Riding it was a boy who looked just like me. The boy frowned at me, then jumped off the horse.
“Sister!”
Adam stood before me, his reins firmly in his grasp. He seemed to have grown significantly in height, as if he were standing higher than me. I was startled by the change.
Come to think of it, I've never seen Adam this big in my previous life. That's because I never got to meet him.
Thinking about it made my heart ache, and I felt like crying. I bit my lower lip to hold back my tears.
Adam grumbled, as if my behavior seemed different to him.
“You know you did something wrong, yet you still chase me here?”
I slammed my brother's head into his mouth as he spoke ill of me. Adam could have easily dodged it, but he didn't.
"Ouch!"
“What kind of habit are you using, Sister? Have I come to a place I shouldn’t be?”
When the soldiers were making a fuss, I would just laugh without saying a word, but when I started nagging Adam, the soldiers burst into laughter.
Adam blushed and rubbed his head. Seeing him like this, my heart, which had been fluttering, calmed as I realized how young he still was.
I spoke confidently, my hands on my hips.
"I'm Layla Duchzan, but I'm still the eldest daughter of the Margrave Winsley. Of course, I should be here. I deserve to be here."
Adam stuck out his lower lip. His expression was more concerned than displeased.
"Who says you're not qualified? You're probably busy with work up north, so I don't want to make you come too."
My eyes widened at those words. I hadn't expected Adam to be thinking something like that. His earlobes turned bright red, as if embarrassed by my reaction.
“Father was angry, too. He said he looked like an old man who needed protection.”
“He’ll be seeing his grandchildren soon, right? He's a grandfather, right?”
This time, Adam's eyes widened like a rabbit's. His face flushed red, and his mouth opened and closed repeatedly. Seeing my younger brother like this never got old, and it was consistently adorable.
“What? Sister, no way...”
“That’s the plan.”
I grinned and snatched the reins from Adam. Then, without even a moment's hesitation, I mounted his horse.
“Huh? What are you doing!”
“I heard my father is angry. I should go and appease him.”
“Then me?”
“Come back when you recover my horse.”
Adam chuckled in disbelief at my words, then waved his hand. It seemed like he was telling me to go. Compared to the always neat and tidy Ruin, Adam had a more boisterous disposition.
I found that side of Adam endearing. I blew him a kiss and started running. Since I wasn't wearing my hood, all the soldiers could see me running alongside the procession.
“Oh, Miss?”
“Not a Miss, but Her Highness the Grand Duchess!”
Someone was having the same conversation I'd heard earlier. I gave a quick wave and quickly moved forward.
At the very vanguard, the elite knights of the Count of Winsley marched slowly on horseback. A little behind them, I could see the backs of my father and Ruin.
They heard the sound of approaching hooves, and one by one, they turned their heads to look behind them. And when my father saw me, I gave him the brightest smile I could muster.
“It’s been a while, Father. It’s nice to see you again, Ruin.”
“Layla Winsley!”
Father shouted loudly. Judging by the veins on his forehead, he was, as Adam had said, very angry.
But I wasn't as frightened or scared by that old voice as I used to be. I calmly rode my horse close to my father's.
"Yes, I'm Layla Winsley. I've been married for quite some time now, so I should be called Duchzan, but I'm going to go by Winsley for a while."
I tried to speak as cleverly as possible, but it didn't work on my father.
"How did you end up here in the North? Have you forgotten that your stubborn marriage made you another master of the North?"
My father was a man of integrity, a man who valued honor and uprightness. It seems that for him, it wasn't right for Grand Duchess Duchzan to join Winsley's army.
“I received permission from His Highness the Grand Duke. He was worried, but didn’t stop me.”
"Even if His Highness the Grand Duke grants permission, the people of Duchzan are your people. You must not forget your duty. Do you truly not trust your father? Are you afraid that I, who protected the border, would die in a mere act of subduing the demonic beasts?"
I smiled. But listening to my father's words, my insides felt like they were churning. Yes, Father will not die in this battle to subdue the demons.
Although the Count of Winsley's achievements were never fully recognized, the battle against the demons was a resounding victory. It was such a complete victory that no demons were left.
My family isn't so weak that they can't be defeated by demons. But we couldn't defeat humans who are even more vicious than demons.
"I'll explain slowly. First, calm down. If you're this angry, what can I say?"
I wiped the smile from my face and spoke in a low voice so that only my father could hear.
“Someone is trying to frame the Count of Winsley during this expedition.”
My father straightened his back and stared straight ahead. Knowing his upright nature, I knew he wouldn't be easily swayed by my words. And his unwavering gaze proved it.
"That doesn't mean we can ignore the suffering of our people. Furthermore, if we are upright under heaven, the truth will be revealed."
Listening to my father, I felt a surge of frustration. The innocence of the Count of Winsley would never be proven. Members were killed, the family was persecuted, and even I, the last of the bloodline, would die.
But it was clear that trying to persuade my father this way would be futile. It was a future only I knew, and that meant I had no evidence to convince him in any way.
I sighed and offered another reason. There was only one justification I needed to convince my father.
“Why do you think they want to frame the Count of Winsley?”
“...How can we know the dark hearts of such people?”
“To look down on the throne.”
Father still looked ahead. But ripples appeared in his calm, lake-like eyes.
Father slowly raised his right hand slightly above his head. "Chuck, chuck, chuck." As all the soldiers stopped marching, the surroundings quickly became quiet.
I looked at my father with eyes filled with pity. I had to convince him. A sorrowful voice escaped my lips without me realizing it.
“Please listen to my story. I ask this not as the Grand Duchess of Duchzan, but as my father’s daughter.”
Since there was no answer from my father, I slowly lowered my head and bit my lower lip.
Couldn't I convince my father with this much? As I was pondering that, my father slowly reached out and wrapped his hand around my shoulder.
“It’s time for the soldiers to rest.”
At my father's words, I calmly raised my head. He left the line first and walked toward the shade of a large tree. I gave Ruin a nod and followed him there.
My father looked at me with his back to me and his forehead stained with green.
“Yes, who dares to look down on the throne?”
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