A grand mansion located in the heart of the Belford capital, Lurenze, this is the luxurious honeymoon home of Celine and the Lieutenant Colonel. Artwork adorns the hallways, and the walls are adorned with expensive paintings in gold frames.
The master bedroom was equally splendid. A large wedding photograph hung there, and the bedding, carpets, and furniture inlaid with gold leaf and ivory were of the finest quality. Yet, Celine was always alone there.
Celine bathed and dressed beautifully, waiting for the lieutenant colonel to return. Her appearance, reflected in the vanity mirror, was as beautiful as ever. Clear, smooth skin, harmonious features on a small face, and platinum blonde hair as brilliant as sunlight framing a long, deer-like neck. Everyone admired her, but in front of the lieutenant colonel, appearances paled in comparison.
The maid who was bathing her and combing her hair was full of compliments, but Celine smiled politely and gestured for them to leave.
The lieutenant colonel always returned to the mansion late after dinner. He hadn't set foot in the bedroom since his marriage. Rumors circulated among the servants that he hadn't even been there on their wedding night, leaving her feeling unwelcome. But because she was such a kind and hospitable hostess, they simply felt sorry for her rather than gossiping about it.
Celine waited for him again, who did not come into the bedroom until late at night.
“This can’t go on.”
She muttered, suppressing the loneliness that was building up. Even if she achieved her goal of marriage, she realized that nothing would change if she just sat still.
Finally, she went to the lieutenant colonel's office herself. He sat at his desk, looked at her for a moment, then returned his gaze to his paperwork. Celine still didn't know what to call him. Even though they were married, the gap between them felt unbridgeable.
“Colonel, are you busy?”
“Go ahead.”
"I think my father knows we're estranged. He contacted me and asked me to come to his home because he had something to tell me."
“Is that so?”
“If this continues, he might bring up the topic of divorce.”
He had an indifferent expression even at the word divorce.
“If you want to follow your father’s will, there’s nothing I can do.”
His tone was completely unconcerned. His indifference and indifference had already wounded her hundreds of times, but she hadn't dulled her pain. Clutching her chest, now etched with fresh wounds, she forced a smile and asked.
“Shouldn’t we have a child?”
"Isn't this more like a contract marriage? I don't think you even asked for children."
“There was no promise not to have children. Given the circumstances, it was simply necessary...”
Having a child as a means to an end, out of necessity? Even though it was her own words, she shook her head, her eyes tightly shut, a surge of misery welling up in her.
“Now that we're married, we should at least try.”
The lieutenant colonel sighed. Celine felt as if he was taking a step further away with each sigh. Even though he hadn't started anything with her other than marriage, his tired expression and bored tone were unbearable.
"Aren't we doing well? Each in our own positions, doing our own thing without interfering with each other, and even saving our own lives. We're already married and living together. What more can you do?"
"We're worse off than anyone else. Please, at least try to open your heart to me. Diana is happily married to the person she loves. There's nothing left to worry about. Can't we be happy too?"
“Happiness...”
The lieutenant colonel muttered, his gaze cast downward. His voice, trailing off, finally settled into silence. Celine found the disconnection unbearable.
"This is a suggestion I'm making for your benefit. It's pathetic and humiliating to be the first to say this, but it's out of genuine concern for you. Please don't forget that my father is in opposition to His Excellency the Prime Minister."
Celine's green eyes, struggling to dispel the loneliness, welled up with sorrowful tears. The lieutenant colonel's eyebrows shot up crookedly as he watched her hastily turn around, wiping her tears away and lowering her head.
"Even though it started like that, my heart is sincere. I just wish you'd look at me properly, just once."
Her face, turned away and lamenting sorrowfully, was nowhere to be seen. She, too, could not see the lieutenant colonel.
“You don’t have to worry about my safety.”
The lieutenant colonel stood up from his seat, having gathered and organized his papers. He added with a sigh in his voice.
“I appreciate your concern, but I wish you had been more concerned about yourself, ma’am.”
Led by seven nations from the Guiana continent, including Medea, numerous participating and supporting nations formed a new coalition of nations dedicated to ending the war and achieving world peace. Key coalition members were elected as permanent members of the board of directors of the international peace organization and passed new international law.
In response, Belford's Prime Minister Damien Groenendael actively advocated for participation as a peace union nation, but the opposition argued against it, citing that the nation would be the first target of Frogen while it had not yet recovered from its losses.
They emphasized the growing criticism among Belfordians that they were a defeated nation, having lost many of their colonies. They also emphasized the significance of Frogen's absorption of the Presidency and its unification, raising the possibility that they might become the final victorious nation and vehemently insisting that they should join them and receive the ceded territory.
Peace and conquest. The moment when the power of international relations was divided into two spheres. This marked the dawn of a world war, a total war of unprecedented scale.
Belford is torn between King and Queen. Which card will he draw?
The headline of an article in a newspaper on my desk described the internal conflict within the country in a single line. The page containing the detailed article fluttered in the wind that passed through the window, eventually turning to the next page.
Amidst the scent of wood and paper that enveloped the study, a middle-aged man with graying hair sat like a guest behind a stack of books. He asked his daughter, who had stopped by her parents' house, a weighty question.
“My daughter, I want to ask you if you are satisfied with your married life.”
The beautiful woman, her platinum hair neatly tied up, answered with her back straight and her head held high.
“I’m satisfied, Father.”
“From what I heard.”
A worried wrinkle appeared between the admiral's brows as he took off the gold-rimmed glasses he was wearing.
“I said no.”
Celine remained unfazed by the blatant denial. Her green eyes, a vibrant hue, stared at her father.
“Even if that’s the case, what are you going to do about it?”
"Divorce is no blemish. You're young and beautiful. The eldest son of Duke Conrad, a promising politician, has shown interest in you. By now, you must have realized that marriage is useless and that effort alone won't do the trick, Celine."
"Father."
She no longer addressed him with the familiar title of "Dad." She stared at the admiral with a distant, unfamiliar tone, her eyes suddenly changed.
“If something happens to my husband, I won’t stay still.”
Admiral Claire noticed her gritting her teeth as he observed her twisted lips. He sighed, leaned back against the chair, and lifted his chin.
"The heart isn't something you can achieve through effort. No matter how hard you try, it's all for naught. Even my own existence."
“Are you referring to Queen Grace II of Medea, or my mother?”
He sat up straight and gave a bitter smile.
"Both, I guess. At least it was right to choose the one who loved me."
Celine's face turned pale and distorted, clearly showing her displeasure.
"Anyway, it's my job to do this. I don't want to hear any advice from my father in that regard."
"You have no right to say such things, do you?" The meaning was clear, even without a word being spoken. The admiral lifted his teacup and asked, taking a sip.
“You love him very much. What a pity.”
“Why am I so pitiful? It’s already happened.”
"It's like the ending of the fairy tales I read to you as a child. Those books don't tell you what happens after marriage. After that, it's up to the adults."
Celine slumped her shoulders and let out a hollow laugh.
“I know that much. I’m not a child anymore.”
“Celine. I want you to be happy.”
"My happiness can't be your happiness. Neither can unhappiness. There's no reason for you to feel guilty about me anymore, nor is there any need for you to feel responsible for my happiness. Now, I live an independent life as someone's wife."
"Independence?"
The admiral rose from his seat, approached her menacingly, and placed his hand on her slender shoulder. He looked down at his daughter with furious eyes, his voice dropping to a low pitch.
"If you wanted to be independent from me, you should have seduced him, plotted a scheme, or somehow won his heart. What father would ignore that kind of treatment for his daughter?"
“Ahaha.”
Celine covered her mouth and burst out laughing.
“You’re afraid I’ll end up like my mother. That’s the kind of man my father was.”
“I already know that it has happened.”
The admiral's voice, suppressed by intense anger, faltered. Celine stared at him with a blank expression before turning away.
"Unlike my father, my husband has a sense of responsibility. He doesn't flirt with other women, and he treats me like his wife."
Those were the words of his daughter, who had turned away coldly. After she left the room, the admiral looked at the last sentence of the letter someone had sent.
"...The fact that you're the daughter-in-law of the Duke's Prime Minister will remain unchanged. By the way, when do you plan on starting the hunt? I'm very much looking forward to it. - Vincenzo Andrea Conrad."
Nanny Janet had baked Celine's favorite apple pie and prepared it with tea upon hearing Celine was coming. Celine, returning to her room after a long absence since her wedding, looked around with a gloomy expression at the untouched scenery inside.
“It hasn’t changed at all. It’s like the room of someone who will return soon.”
"He missed you very much. He was also very upset to hear that you two weren't on good terms."
“That’s just a pretext and an excuse, Nanny.”
Celine muttered softly, sitting on the bed, clutching a large doll to her chest. Janet took her hand, her eyes filled with concern.
“Are you still not open to it?”
“If you try, it will work out. I will save him.”
“You want to save him?”
"...Yes?"
Janet's eyes widened at the sudden words. Celine looked at her with a blank expression.
"Nanny. Contact Duke Rotsilt and ask him to grant us asylum as citizens of Medea. Even though he's of mixed blood, he's of noble Medea blood, so he deserves protection."
“Miss, what is that... exile...?”
"This incompetent country will surely be defeated. Right now, it's safer there than in a neutral country. So, let's go to Medea with me, Nanny. Isn't it time we stopped doing that?"
Celine smiled gently at Janet's pale face. She took Janet's wrinkled hand and rubbed it against her cheek as she continued.
"My nanny was my mother. You loved me, and you were a precious person I cherished. I felt it would be dangerous for me to contact Diana separately. That's why I'm asking my nanny."
Janet, looking at her silky, round cheeks and her pretty, curved eyes, remembered her lovely smile from when she was a newborn, and hugged her and patted her on the back.
"You are my precious child, my own daughter. I will contact Duke Rotsilt."
"A black dog left alone in the pitch-black darkness. I wished the moon in the sky would guide the black dog across the sea to where the brilliant sun rises."
Janet's article, submitted to the Belford newspaper, was relayed to Noah via Molly. After confirming her request for asylum assistance, he asked his wife.
Whether to help them or turn away from them.
The master bedroom was equally splendid. A large wedding photograph hung there, and the bedding, carpets, and furniture inlaid with gold leaf and ivory were of the finest quality. Yet, Celine was always alone there.
Celine bathed and dressed beautifully, waiting for the lieutenant colonel to return. Her appearance, reflected in the vanity mirror, was as beautiful as ever. Clear, smooth skin, harmonious features on a small face, and platinum blonde hair as brilliant as sunlight framing a long, deer-like neck. Everyone admired her, but in front of the lieutenant colonel, appearances paled in comparison.
The maid who was bathing her and combing her hair was full of compliments, but Celine smiled politely and gestured for them to leave.
The lieutenant colonel always returned to the mansion late after dinner. He hadn't set foot in the bedroom since his marriage. Rumors circulated among the servants that he hadn't even been there on their wedding night, leaving her feeling unwelcome. But because she was such a kind and hospitable hostess, they simply felt sorry for her rather than gossiping about it.
Celine waited for him again, who did not come into the bedroom until late at night.
“This can’t go on.”
She muttered, suppressing the loneliness that was building up. Even if she achieved her goal of marriage, she realized that nothing would change if she just sat still.
Finally, she went to the lieutenant colonel's office herself. He sat at his desk, looked at her for a moment, then returned his gaze to his paperwork. Celine still didn't know what to call him. Even though they were married, the gap between them felt unbridgeable.
“Colonel, are you busy?”
“Go ahead.”
"I think my father knows we're estranged. He contacted me and asked me to come to his home because he had something to tell me."
“Is that so?”
“If this continues, he might bring up the topic of divorce.”
He had an indifferent expression even at the word divorce.
“If you want to follow your father’s will, there’s nothing I can do.”
His tone was completely unconcerned. His indifference and indifference had already wounded her hundreds of times, but she hadn't dulled her pain. Clutching her chest, now etched with fresh wounds, she forced a smile and asked.
“Shouldn’t we have a child?”
"Isn't this more like a contract marriage? I don't think you even asked for children."
“There was no promise not to have children. Given the circumstances, it was simply necessary...”
Having a child as a means to an end, out of necessity? Even though it was her own words, she shook her head, her eyes tightly shut, a surge of misery welling up in her.
“Now that we're married, we should at least try.”
The lieutenant colonel sighed. Celine felt as if he was taking a step further away with each sigh. Even though he hadn't started anything with her other than marriage, his tired expression and bored tone were unbearable.
"Aren't we doing well? Each in our own positions, doing our own thing without interfering with each other, and even saving our own lives. We're already married and living together. What more can you do?"
"We're worse off than anyone else. Please, at least try to open your heart to me. Diana is happily married to the person she loves. There's nothing left to worry about. Can't we be happy too?"
“Happiness...”
The lieutenant colonel muttered, his gaze cast downward. His voice, trailing off, finally settled into silence. Celine found the disconnection unbearable.
"This is a suggestion I'm making for your benefit. It's pathetic and humiliating to be the first to say this, but it's out of genuine concern for you. Please don't forget that my father is in opposition to His Excellency the Prime Minister."
Celine's green eyes, struggling to dispel the loneliness, welled up with sorrowful tears. The lieutenant colonel's eyebrows shot up crookedly as he watched her hastily turn around, wiping her tears away and lowering her head.
"Even though it started like that, my heart is sincere. I just wish you'd look at me properly, just once."
Her face, turned away and lamenting sorrowfully, was nowhere to be seen. She, too, could not see the lieutenant colonel.
“You don’t have to worry about my safety.”
The lieutenant colonel stood up from his seat, having gathered and organized his papers. He added with a sigh in his voice.
“I appreciate your concern, but I wish you had been more concerned about yourself, ma’am.”
***
Led by seven nations from the Guiana continent, including Medea, numerous participating and supporting nations formed a new coalition of nations dedicated to ending the war and achieving world peace. Key coalition members were elected as permanent members of the board of directors of the international peace organization and passed new international law.
In response, Belford's Prime Minister Damien Groenendael actively advocated for participation as a peace union nation, but the opposition argued against it, citing that the nation would be the first target of Frogen while it had not yet recovered from its losses.
They emphasized the growing criticism among Belfordians that they were a defeated nation, having lost many of their colonies. They also emphasized the significance of Frogen's absorption of the Presidency and its unification, raising the possibility that they might become the final victorious nation and vehemently insisting that they should join them and receive the ceded territory.
Peace and conquest. The moment when the power of international relations was divided into two spheres. This marked the dawn of a world war, a total war of unprecedented scale.
Belford is torn between King and Queen. Which card will he draw?
The headline of an article in a newspaper on my desk described the internal conflict within the country in a single line. The page containing the detailed article fluttered in the wind that passed through the window, eventually turning to the next page.
Amidst the scent of wood and paper that enveloped the study, a middle-aged man with graying hair sat like a guest behind a stack of books. He asked his daughter, who had stopped by her parents' house, a weighty question.
“My daughter, I want to ask you if you are satisfied with your married life.”
The beautiful woman, her platinum hair neatly tied up, answered with her back straight and her head held high.
“I’m satisfied, Father.”
“From what I heard.”
A worried wrinkle appeared between the admiral's brows as he took off the gold-rimmed glasses he was wearing.
“I said no.”
Celine remained unfazed by the blatant denial. Her green eyes, a vibrant hue, stared at her father.
“Even if that’s the case, what are you going to do about it?”
"Divorce is no blemish. You're young and beautiful. The eldest son of Duke Conrad, a promising politician, has shown interest in you. By now, you must have realized that marriage is useless and that effort alone won't do the trick, Celine."
"Father."
She no longer addressed him with the familiar title of "Dad." She stared at the admiral with a distant, unfamiliar tone, her eyes suddenly changed.
“If something happens to my husband, I won’t stay still.”
Admiral Claire noticed her gritting her teeth as he observed her twisted lips. He sighed, leaned back against the chair, and lifted his chin.
"The heart isn't something you can achieve through effort. No matter how hard you try, it's all for naught. Even my own existence."
“Are you referring to Queen Grace II of Medea, or my mother?”
He sat up straight and gave a bitter smile.
"Both, I guess. At least it was right to choose the one who loved me."
Celine's face turned pale and distorted, clearly showing her displeasure.
"Anyway, it's my job to do this. I don't want to hear any advice from my father in that regard."
"You have no right to say such things, do you?" The meaning was clear, even without a word being spoken. The admiral lifted his teacup and asked, taking a sip.
“You love him very much. What a pity.”
“Why am I so pitiful? It’s already happened.”
"It's like the ending of the fairy tales I read to you as a child. Those books don't tell you what happens after marriage. After that, it's up to the adults."
Celine slumped her shoulders and let out a hollow laugh.
“I know that much. I’m not a child anymore.”
“Celine. I want you to be happy.”
"My happiness can't be your happiness. Neither can unhappiness. There's no reason for you to feel guilty about me anymore, nor is there any need for you to feel responsible for my happiness. Now, I live an independent life as someone's wife."
"Independence?"
The admiral rose from his seat, approached her menacingly, and placed his hand on her slender shoulder. He looked down at his daughter with furious eyes, his voice dropping to a low pitch.
"If you wanted to be independent from me, you should have seduced him, plotted a scheme, or somehow won his heart. What father would ignore that kind of treatment for his daughter?"
“Ahaha.”
Celine covered her mouth and burst out laughing.
“You’re afraid I’ll end up like my mother. That’s the kind of man my father was.”
“I already know that it has happened.”
The admiral's voice, suppressed by intense anger, faltered. Celine stared at him with a blank expression before turning away.
If only you hadn't committed that sin. How could you possibly love the daughter of the man who killed your mother?
Those were the words of his daughter, who had turned away coldly. After she left the room, the admiral looked at the last sentence of the letter someone had sent.
"...The fact that you're the daughter-in-law of the Duke's Prime Minister will remain unchanged. By the way, when do you plan on starting the hunt? I'm very much looking forward to it. - Vincenzo Andrea Conrad."
***
Nanny Janet had baked Celine's favorite apple pie and prepared it with tea upon hearing Celine was coming. Celine, returning to her room after a long absence since her wedding, looked around with a gloomy expression at the untouched scenery inside.
“It hasn’t changed at all. It’s like the room of someone who will return soon.”
"He missed you very much. He was also very upset to hear that you two weren't on good terms."
“That’s just a pretext and an excuse, Nanny.”
Celine muttered softly, sitting on the bed, clutching a large doll to her chest. Janet took her hand, her eyes filled with concern.
“Are you still not open to it?”
“If you try, it will work out. I will save him.”
“You want to save him?”
"Father intends to eliminate the Prime Minister. Next would be the Lieutenant Colonel and my eldest brother-in-law."
Janet's eyes widened at the sudden words. Celine looked at her with a blank expression.
"Nanny. Contact Duke Rotsilt and ask him to grant us asylum as citizens of Medea. Even though he's of mixed blood, he's of noble Medea blood, so he deserves protection."
“Miss, what is that... exile...?”
"This incompetent country will surely be defeated. Right now, it's safer there than in a neutral country. So, let's go to Medea with me, Nanny. Isn't it time we stopped doing that?"
Celine smiled gently at Janet's pale face. She took Janet's wrinkled hand and rubbed it against her cheek as she continued.
"My nanny was my mother. You loved me, and you were a precious person I cherished. I felt it would be dangerous for me to contact Diana separately. That's why I'm asking my nanny."
Janet, looking at her silky, round cheeks and her pretty, curved eyes, remembered her lovely smile from when she was a newborn, and hugged her and patted her on the back.
"You are my precious child, my own daughter. I will contact Duke Rotsilt."
***
"A black dog left alone in the pitch-black darkness. I wished the moon in the sky would guide the black dog across the sea to where the brilliant sun rises."
Janet's article, submitted to the Belford newspaper, was relayed to Noah via Molly. After confirming her request for asylum assistance, he asked his wife.
Whether to help them or turn away from them.
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