She must have been a very frail person. Last fall, when he last saw her, she had noticeably recovered, but there was no guarantee that something hadn't happened in the interim. He quenched his thirst with strong wine.
“Excuse me.”
How long had he been standing there, facing the cold wind blowing down from the mountains? A familiar voice came from afar. Barcas turned his head and squinted his eyes as he spotted Edric Rubon slowly traversing the valley on horseback. The man, having passed the checkpoint and approached the railing, raised his head and shouted in his characteristically cheerful voice.
"Congratulations on your victory, Your Excellency. Thanks to you, the Imperial Army will be able to easily occupy the central region of Balto."
"What is the current situation of the Imperial Army?"
"The main force has passed through the southern plains and reached the rebel stronghold of Amazigh. At this rate, we will be able to capture Blodar House, where Duke Heimdall is encamped, within three or four months."
He took another sip of wine and nodded slightly at the knight.
"Come inside, and I'll give you one errand."
The man, who had been looking up at him with curious eyes, dismounted from his saddle and entered through the gate. Barcas descended the watchtower steps and motioned for the man to follow.
The man followed the group, dragging the bag, and asked.
"What are you trying to make me do?"
"Go to the capital and deliver a letter."
Barcas, passing through the resting mounted warriors of House Sheerkhan and entering the barracks, spoke calmly. The man who stopped at the door gave him a disgruntled expression.
"Another letter? Does everyone think I'm some kind of messenger?"
"This is a letter to His Majesty the Emperor. I can't tell just anyone, can I?"
Barcas, responding dryly, pulled out a chair and sat down at a desk set up inside the military barracks. The knight, who had tied his horse in front of the barracks and entered, scratched the back of his head and grumbled.
"The main unit has already submitted a report on the situation. Is there a reason Your Excellency is submitting a separate report?"
"What I'm sending isn't a battle report or anything like that."
Barcas, who had spread out a clean sheet of parchment and secured it with a paperweight, picked up his quill and spoke.
"I intend to ask His Majesty to propose a meeting with the Northern Noble Alliance."
Edric frowned as if he couldn't understand.
"Isn't this a war that's almost won? Is there any reason Your Excellency should be the first to intervene at this point?"
"At this point, I have to reach out even more first."
He added as he filled his quill with ink and wrote the letter in a flowing handwriting.
"If you don't intend to wipe out the Balto people, it's best to show mercy when you have the chance. If you propose to punish only the ringleaders of the rebellion and turn a blind eye to the rest, everyone will naturally turn their backs on the Heimdall family."
"However, if we forgive traitors so easily, the prestige of the empire may be damaged. Later, even grown feudal lords may harbor rebellious feelings..."
"A prolonged war will only increase resentment towards the Empire. The northerners have already seen their castles and lands stained with blood by the Imperial army. If they do not show tolerance at this point, they will remain enemies of the Empire forever."
Barcas, who had finished the letter in an instant, melted red wax and poured it onto the envelope. Edric Rubon, who had been watching silently, rubbed the back of his neck and sighed.
"I understand what you mean. But if His Highness the Crown Prince finds out about this, there will be chaos. He is already running wild, threatening to wipe out all the traitors."
"So, it would be better if His Highness the Crown Prince didn't know."
Barcas stamped the letter, handed it to the man, and spoke. Only then did Edric Rubon's face turn pale as he realized he had been entrusted with delivering a secret message to the Imperial Commander-in-Chief. He groaned.
"You already know that you are disliked by His Highness the Crown Prince. Why did you send a messenger from the Sheerkhan family when you could have sent one to me?"
"In these times, if a messenger from the Grand Duke's family moves, all eyes will be on him. It's only natural for the Royal Guard to meet His Majesty. This meeting must be held with the intention of defeat."
The knight, unable to find a rebuttal, grinned and reluctantly accepted the letter. A heavy sigh escaped his lips.
"If the day comes when I cannot resist the Crown Prince's nagging and leave the Knights, Your Excellency must accept me."
Without responding, Barcas gestured with his chin as if to tell him to leave. Then, the man, who had been sulking, suddenly broke into a mischievous smile.
"Very well. If Your Excellency, the Grand Duke, is unwilling to accept me, I will ask Her Highness the Grand Duchess."
This time, Barcas, who was preparing a new letter to send to his vassals, paused and turned to look at him. The man shrugged and added.
"When we met last time, Her Highness said she would hire me as her escort if I had nowhere to go."
"Ha. When was that a story?"
Barcas shook his head as if he found it ridiculous.
"You take what she said in passing at face value... You're more naive than you look."
"She said it wasn't just empty words."
The man responded angrily.
"Her Highness said that just two months ago. Perhaps she felt sorry for me, carrying letters here and there, so she suggested that I become her bodyguard."
"You met my wife two months ago?"
When Barcas spoke without a sword, the man flinched and stiffened his shoulders. After observing him for a moment, the man muttered an excuse.
"I had to visit Kalmor a while ago to recruit technicians. We just happened to run into each other then."
"How did you happen to run into my wife, who only lives in the castle?"
A look of indignation crossed the man's face at the question, which seemed to be a probing question. He retorted, as if he found the claim ridiculous.
"Who says Her Highness only stays inside the castle? Do you think that's possible when she has a wolf the size of a stallion? It seems like Her Highness comes out of the castle almost every day because of that guy. It was in the fields south of Raedgo Castle that I encountered her."
Barcas frowned.
Now that he thinks about it, he remembers that about four months ago, he had received a letter from her asking permission to take the wolf outside. He agreed, on the condition that she bring a large escort.
To be honest, he didn't want her to step out of the castle even once, but he couldn't ignore the first letter she sent him.
'I thought it would be just a once or twice trip to change the mood...'
Barcas felt his nerves tense up, pressing his temples together. Then he felt Edric Rubon's gaze intently studying him. Barcas shot him a sharp glare.
"What?"
“No, I thought you might allow Her Highness to raise a monster.”
Barcas was about to reply that he hadn't specifically given permission, but then he shut his mouth. It was practically tacit approval.
He leaned his shoulder against the back of the chair and ran a rather rough hand through his hair.
When he first heard reports that she had begun raising dire wolf pups, he planned to deal with them immediately. Even if they were pups, a monster is still a monster. He had absolutely no intention of keeping such a dangerous creature by her side.
But the moment he saw her basking in the summer sun, holding a small animal in her arms, he couldn't help but turn away without saying a word.
The woman who had always looked miserable since losing her child was smiling happily.
A bitter taste rose in his throat as he recalled the bitter feeling he felt when he saw that sight. He was so insecure that he thought she was truly fine.
Barcas, who was chewing over that fact again, asked with a hint of bitterness.
"Does my wife look healthy?"
“She looked very nice.”
Edric said brightly.
"I don't remember seeing her so lively, even when she was staying at the palace. It was clear that the monster was making her happy."
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