“You’re returning this year?”
"Yes."
The old lady bowed her head. The Zakhar dress the old lady was wearing was of quite high quality, and the heavy and dignified dark blue suit her well. There was just a sense of discomfort.
On the side where the old lady bowed her head, there was a woman with her blonde hair in a messy bun, and she was wearing a much shabby dress than the old lady's.
The robe he was wearing showed signs of being worn for a long time, and there were traces of it being patched with leather in places.
The lace hanging down the sleeves was worn out, and the threads were untied. The palm was speckled with black graphite.
But the owner of that hand had sharper eyes than anyone else.
Her golden eyes, the color of fine honey, shone intelligently, and her blonde hair, which fell over her straight forehead, was as shiny as a freshly baked apple pie.
It was Reinhardt.
Reinhardt tried to press the parchment with his fingertips on the parchment, which did not spread well, but almost erased the letters, so he said "Oops" and picked up the end. It was a letter from the walls of northern Glencia that the old lady had just handed over.
The content was simple.
It was a story that the guards, including Dietrich, who had been dispatched to the north, and Wilhelm would return after two and a half years, or three years to be exact. Reinhardt chuckled.
“When will you come?”
“Considering the time the letter was written, it seems that two weeks are left at the longest.”
"aha."
Reinhardt lightly tossed the parchment onto the desk. It was a light gesture.
“I can pick up a lot of apple cider that I bought a while ago!”
“I bought it for cooking.”
The old lady answered harshly. Reinhardt laughed heartily and banged on his desk.
“Oh, don't be stingy, ma'am. Can’t we buy some more cooking wine?”
“It seems more stingy to serve cooking alcohol to the knights who returned from hard work than that.”
“Ah, you should save that much. You don't even know the taste of alcohol when you're drunk anyway."
The now twenty-seven-year-old queen stood up with a smile on her face.
“I guess I can take this opportunity to go to the carpet in the castle! Let's go with this excuse!”
The old lady was still expressionless, but there was a slight smile in her eyes. He was Mrs. Sarah of the Luden estate.
"no."
"why!"
“We need to sharpen the hinges of the castle gates.”
"Damn it! Can we save a little less now?”
said the old lady—Sarah—with a raised eyebrow.
"And I have to order the Viscount's dress as well."
Reinhardt groaned.
“I don’t even meet people anyway.”
“Isn’t Sir Ernst a man?”
“What is it, Dietrich… … .”
The old lady held out her hand. He didn't want to hear any more. Reinhardt narrowed his eyes.
“Why don’t you seem to be getting more and more disobedient each year, ma’am?”
"I'm just saving time to reconsider the absurd proposals of my lord as the years go by."
Reinhardt was shot. The old lady gracefully bowed her head and withdrew.
Time flies by like a lightning bolt, even if you're not aware of it. Summer roses bloomed twice in Luden Manor. Spring has passed three times.
And, it was the third summer.
***
Nathantine willingly offered the Raylan Marsh for Wilhelm's rent. He could say that it was a truly outstanding deal for Reinhardt. A boy he picked up on the way to Luden's estate was exchanged for Raylan Marsh.
And as expected, Baron Nathantine regretted hitting the ground after about two months.
Viscount Feildon - Reinhardt - began digging peat in the Leylan Marsh, which he had paid for as a knight's rent. In the Northeast, bullets were worth almost as much as gold.
Nathantine sent an envoy to express the question of how bullets could come out of a marsh.
Apparently, he seemed to have paid an excessive price, so he said to return half of it. To that, Reinhardt gave a shameless answer.
<What did you do without reading a book written by a member of the imperial family?>
In Lil Alanquez's [Description of Cold Lands], the presence of peat in the marsh was clearly documented. It was full of swindler-like stories about magic and dragons, but at least the first part was a faithfully written book. Nathantine gnashed his teeth. The former crown princess saw and memorized the imperial family's library, and she was convinced that she had taken the wetland away from me.
Although the circumstances were different, the results were not significantly different. Reinhardt excitedly sold the peat. Peat, hard, soft and durable, was far more valuable than black coal, at least in the North and Northeast. Reinhardt gave priority to the supply of peat to the people of his territories.
In the summer, when food was offered, it was replaced with peat, but the rate was ridiculously cheap. A grain of wheat was exchanged for a grain of peat, so the villagers stored as much peat as they needed and kept the winter warm.
The forests of Luden, which often became bare mountains before winter, began to maintain their integrity even in winter. Luden got a little warmer. As word spread, the people of the neighboring provinces migrated. The absence of 15 guards was quickly filled.
Is that all?
After making liquor from peat with a unique scent and sending it to the capital, lovers arose. Yeongji became a little richer.
As soon as he could afford it, the deposed lord who had been kicked out of the capital gave Sarah a good cloth as a gift.
The officials of the estate, who were always worried that the lord would have an accident, gradually changed their thoughts about Reinhardt. Reinhardt was a generous lord to those around him.
'That's what I learned at Helka.'
In his previous life, even though Reinhardt had 3,000 private soldiers in a large territory the size of Helka, rumors did not spread even to the capital because of his virtue.
Reinhardt was a decent lord in his previous life. He gave money to people and gave generously to them. Of course, it wasn't for people. It was only for me and for revenge. People who benefited from Reinhardt closed their eyes even when they saw the size of the enlisted soldiers.
The results that came back were good, so there was no reason not to do it in this life. This was especially true in Luden. Since no one is on Reinhardt's side, shouldn't he be free of money?
Reinhardt still had two dresses, but Mrs. Sarah had three new ones. As the number of territories increased, the recruited guards were provided with new knives and wheat. This year, as a New Year's gift, he was able to send good quality pepper to his vassals instead of octagons. Even in the capital, he had to pay a lot of gold to buy that much pepper.
As the years passed, even Nathantine stopped beating his chest, because the battles with the northern barbarians had gotten quite a bit longer. From the year Dietrich and Wilhelm took part.
The war would usually begin in the spring and end before midsummer. It's because summer crops grow and harvest begins around that time in the north. The savages would return to their territories for the late summer harvest.
But there were variables.
'Wilhelm... … .'
As it was far from the capital, Reinhardt was able to receive quite a lot of information without hindrance. Of course, that was only possible because she had sold her peat and had freed up her funds. In her first year, she wondered why Wilhelm and Dietrich weren't coming back, and it wasn't until winter that she got the proper information.
The war was prolonged because of none other than Wilhelm.
The northern savages need a strong focal point to live in the frozen land, turning their backs on the monsters of the Fram Mountains. There is a warchief selected by the heads of the seven tribes. The warchief was now old, and his son was the next likely warchief. If all went well, the barbarians had retreated to harvest in late summer, and the following year the son would have been crowned the new warchief.
However, Wilhelm killed the warchief's son and got rid of it. It was just before the late summer retreat.
No one knew how that was possible. But it happened.
Wilhelm took the name of Nathantine and killed the son of the barbarian warchief. The supply and demand hung on the wall of Glencia Castle in the northern outpost. As a result, Nathantine received a very large war dividend. Enough to make up for the loss of Raylan Marsh.
That wasn't all. The warchief did not retreat. He took the tribes under his command and set out to attack Glencia. Barbarian shamans using magic came forward and sacrificed their wrists to break down the walls of Glencia. Naturally, the Empire could not bite its soldiers.
The fighting in the north continued in the spring of the following year. through summer and into fall. The northern barbarians gave up harvesting and fought. Eyes were opened to plunder the northern front, but it was not easy. It was because of Nathantine's Wilhelm, no, Luden's Wilhelm.
Everyone said that they stuck out their tongues when they saw that young knight who was not even twenty years old but fought like a veteran and like a mad dog. He killed the warchief's son, and furthermore, when he drove the warchief to the very end in the Battle of Winter and missed it, the Marshal of Glencia admired it.
It is said that the Marquis suggested to Wilhelm that if your master is Nathantine, he will pay for it, so that he will come under my command. Upon hearing the news, Reinhardt's blood almost gushed out.
'You crazy old man! Where are you trying to eat someone else's thing!'
Of course, Dietrich wouldn't let that happen. Dietrich revealed that Wilhelm was a rental engineer for Luden's estate. Also,
“Old Wilhelm told Marquis Glencia that he would never change owners. The Marquis regretted it, but said that it was worth it if it was Rinke's daughter.”
It was a letter from Dietrich. When Reinhardt received the letter, he said he smiled with satisfaction. Her Wilhelm had only been with her for a couple of seasons, but seemed to have behaved like her well-tamed dog. Since Wilhelm was on the battlefield with Nathantine's name on it, it was not easy to get in touch with Luden. Thus, most of the current situation was delivered by Dietrich.
Dietrich expressed some concerns in the letter announcing his possible return.
“Except for his tendency to act too blindly on the battlefield, he has grown into a very good knight. But as a non-knight soldier, it's the worst. I think you raised me too much. I can't get along well with other soldiers. It is Ernst's disgrace to have my first pupil look like this.”
The letter I sent last early spring was the last. Dietrich said in a letter that the war was likely to end soon. Six of the seven chieftains of the barbarians have already died, and most of the tribes have been cut off. And since everyone went a little further into the frozen land to pursue the warchief, it would be difficult to contact them.
“I got a letter from my brother. It is said that the brother-in-law gave birth to a child. When this tedious draft is over, give me a vacation. Wouldn't you like to see your nephew's face?"
In the package that contained the letter was another message scrawled in a short, twisted scrawl on a piece of cloth.
“Every day I look at the sword and think of you.”
It was obvious whose handwriting it was. Reinhardt cried a little when she saw the piece of cloth. It was because I missed you.
Then, on that evening, when the hinges of the castle gates and the viscount's new custom-made dress were discussed, bad news flew in.
It was the news of the death of a person who only knew that the war would end and return safely.
Dietrich Ernst.
***
Sarah's daughter Mark was the first of the guards to return. It was because of an emergency. She held out a red envelope with her miserable face, wearing the Imperial Army's military uniform, not the uniform of a guardsman she had worn and left two and a half years ago.
It was news that the second son of the Ernst family had died at the end of the war that was thought to be over.
"d… … . Say it again. what?"
“Viscount!”
Reinhardt grabbed Marc's Imperial Army uniform by the collar and shook it. Marc was very tall, but he swayed like a leaf when Reinhardt shook him.
“Lord Ernst, the tide of the battle suddenly turned… … .”
"Do not lie!"
“Barbarians flocked to both sides at the same time. The walls of Glencia were about to collapse, and reinforcements couldn't reach the outpost a little further from Glencia... … .”
Marc spoke sparsely with tears in his brown eyes. Marc's face, who had been running nonstop to tell him what had happened only a week ago, was completely frozen from the cold of the winter mountains, and he was miserable. Seeing that face, Reinhardt collapsed in vain.
"Nonsense… … .”
“Bondy Sir Wilhelm decided to go to the aid of Sir Ernst. But the walls of Glencia were dangerous. Of course, that's where the people of the Marginal Territory are evacuated... … .”
It was a big mistake that the savages had no hope and put their minds at ease. While the Margrave of Glencia was away for a while, the vicious warchief attacked in the direction where the people of the Marquis had evacuated. It was already wrong to fight against the empire, so he must have felt that even the people of the empire would be slaughtered.
While evacuating the villagers to the eastern wall of the castle, which had been torn down by a long war, no one thought that barbarians would attack there. It was because one had to either break through the castle head-on or turn around and climb a high mountain for two whole days to reach it.
However, the barbarians, including the chieftain, crossed the mountain all night. A small number of warriors were placed in front of the castle, but at night they tricked the number with torches. It was a diversion operation.
“Sir Wilhelm had to choose. Is it Sir Ernst or the locals... … .”
“I heard there were no soldiers there!”
Reinhardt wrote evil. Mark shook his head.
“All forces were concentrated on the outer wall in front. Sir Wilhelm was moving his troops separately to assist Sir Ernst, who was already fighting the barbarians at the outpost, and found the warchief crossing the mountain... … .”
Tears welled up in Reinhardt's eyes, then dripped down. In the end, Wilhelm chose to protect the people. He didn't know that there was a war chief among the barbarians who crossed the mountain, so he must have thought they were a minority. Even if I go to the outpost after dealing with them, it won't be too late.
“I was originally in Sir Dietrich's unit, but that day I was in Sir Wilhelm's unit to lead the way to join. Sir Wilhelm was going to quickly deal with the barbarians and go to Sir Ernst. But there was a warchief... … .”
The warchief immediately recognized Wilhelm, who had killed his son. The veteran, who had reigned as an enemy of the empire for 30 years, roared and attacked to kill Wilhelm. It was only natural that the fight would be prolonged. When the fight was over and Wilhelm cut the head of the warchief with an axe, the dawn broke.
Glencia, and furthermore, the Empire finally put an end to the fight against the barbarians.
And Dietrich's life at the outpost was also over.
"iced coffee… … .”
Reinhardt covered his face and cried like a beast.
A hoarse sound came from the throat. There was a constant boiling sound. After hitting her chest, I punched her on the floor. Ahhh! Dietrich! Reinhardt ripped his tapestry and rolled it around. He gasped for breath, and tears flowed like rain.
“Dietrich!”
<Anyway, you raised me too much. I can't get along well with other soldiers. It's Ernst's disgrace that my first pupil was like this.>
It was only during the day that I looked back at the letter and snorted and laughed. However, the person who wrote the letter had already become a cold corpse a week ago. She seemed to be laughing and enjoying herself while reading the letter from her corpse.
<I received a letter from my brother. It is said that the brother-in-law gave birth to a child. When this tedious draft is over, give me a vacation. Wouldn't you like to see your nephew's face?>
“Aaaagh!”
Reinhardt finally screamed. Ah, Dietrich. my childhood friend. Lying on the same bed as her childhood and listening to Rinke Hu's old stories, her friend stretched her neck under the hand of a barbarian.
Without knowing it, she was laughing in the sun. The peat sold well, she said, rejoicing. Marquis said that he coveted his knight and joked that he couldn't eat someone else's things with his balls.
eat it with a ball
Dietrich died on the battlefield because of those who value other people's lives like that.
I can't even see my nephew's face.
hee hee, hee hee Reinhardt was tormented as he tore his chest. Mark also stood up and cried. Mrs. Sarah stood behind her and wiped the tears with her sleeve. The old lady also remembers her pleasant article.
“… … Wilhelm, Wilhelm is.”
Mark answered with a hoarse voice to the question that came back after a while.
“For three days… … You must have guarded Sir Ernst's coffin. I hurriedly set off to deliver the news... … .”
"I see… … .”
Reinhardt answered with a voice full of tears while sitting on the floor. Again "Huh... … .” and her cry was about to burst out, so she buried her face in her hands. The old lady hurriedly brought a glass of water, but it didn't even work.
nothing was at hand. Dietrich Ernst came to this barren and harsh estate for his friend who was betrayed by the Crown Prince. And after suffering for three years, he died on the battlefield. He had no luxury whatsoever.
Where is such an absurd and miserable death?
Besides, the death was none other than himself. She cried for two whole nights. When she closed her eyes, the thought of her sweet green eyes prevented her from falling asleep.
***
It was a month later that the eleven guards and one knight returned to Luden Manor.
When the 12 men in imperial army uniforms returned to the middle of the road where summer roses were in full bloom, the villagers ran out barefoot to meet them.
And while all the residents of the province ran out and hugged their children, husbands and wives and cried, there were people standing in the dark. Long and tall, a soft furry cloak draped over hard, wide shoulders. All the villagers who glanced at the black hair and the face with a deep sigh thought of death. Amidst the weeping, he raised his black eyes and looked right in front of him.
She was standing in the innermost part of the courtyard of the castle, the place left after the villagers ran out.
Reinhardt.
Seeing the woman staring at him with her mouth closed as she stood upright, unable to cry or laugh, the man slightly opened her mouth as if she were crying or laughing. Her tears welled up in her women's gold, and she slowly moved her steps towards the man.
There was a slight hint of welcome in the man's eyes. At the same time, he reached out to the woman, but Reinhardt passed by as if he hadn't even seen him. The man's eyes widened as he turned around. The place where Reinhardt's steps landed was the coffin.
A coffin with nothing in it. It was the coffin with only Dietrich's name engraved on the coffin lid because they couldn't even find the body. Because it was freshly made on the battlefield, it was just a board made of wood with no decorations engraved on it.
The man put his hand between her armpits and supported her as she tried to sit down helplessly. Reinhardt's bewildered eyes met the man. Black eyes, black hair. The scar on the eyebrows, visible through the shaking hair from supporting Reinhardt.
Reinhardt's eyes blurred again. She couldn't even cry after her eyes met his. The man knew that she would blame herself and blame herself for being shameless.
The lord of Luden got up slowly and brushed the dirt off his dress. And standing upright, he held on to each of the guards and congratulated them for their hard work. He handed over the indemnity and gifts he had prepared, and a certificate promising to let the manor land be rented free of charge for 10 years. Flowers bloomed on the faces of the guards.
It was a crucible of cheers.
Except for two people.
***
The Ernst family did not receive Dietrich's coffin.
It was a seemingly cold letter, saying that since he died as a knight of Luden, he deserved to be buried in Luden, but Reinhardt read the inside of the letter. He said he would not accept a coffin without a body. Instead, Ernst's eldest son came to Luden.
He didn't leave any of those common mementos, so the soldier serving Dietrich barely managed to find a helmet.
He put the helmet in the coffin and buried it. Dietrich's older brother, Baden Ernst, did not shed a tear the entire time the coffin was buried. He only stared blankly at the coffin and Reinhardt alternately. Nonetheless, he said as he left his funeral.
“My brother chose you, and this is just the result. I respect Dietrich's choice.”
Reinhardt had no answer other than to bow his head.
After holding a funeral without a body all day, my whole body was weak. After his funeral, Reinhardt, who went back to his room, sat in a state of dismay.
'People are so cunning.'
After hearing of Dietrich's death, he cried every day for three days with heartbreaking sorrow. And he barely ate. For the next week, I cried as soon as I woke up and before I went to bed. The week that followed I cried occasionally.
I felt very cunning for not shedding a single tear when I faced the coffin without a corpse. Of course, I felt like crying a little when I saw the person who snatched me, but that's... … .
Reinhardt stopped thinking and bit his lip. It was because thinking about him now would make my head too complicated.
'That kid... … I'm back. yes.'
It didn't even catch my eye. It was because the coffin returned with only the name engraved on it without a body made it futile and absurd. It occurred to her that she had been so cruel to a child who had returned after fighting for two and a half years in an unknown place.
She thought she should get up right now to praise and hug her child, but she didn't have the strength to get up.
'Let's sleep a little bit and wake up.'
I was busy preparing for the funeral. Twelve guards returned. Before that, there had been three deaths in two and a half years.
Their funeral, like Dietrich's, was held in a grand manner, so it was insane. In addition, some guests, including Baden Ernst, had to be accommodated. It seemed that Nathantine was also present out of courtesy.
'… … The fox from Glencia also came.'
It was unexpected that the son of Margrave of Glencia was also present. Thanks to this, Reinhardt had to drench himself in the face of an unexpected big shot.
'Some clothes... … .'
The clothes that were hastily tailored for the funeral had to be tightened with lace-ups because there was no time to match them. Her laces were on her back, making it very difficult for her to untie by herself. Reinhardt put his hand behind his back, but couldn't get enough of it, so he sighed heavily. The pulses in her body were untied and it was difficult to even untie the strings.
Sigh.
Just then, I heard the bedroom door open. It was definitely Troe, her young maid. After Yeongji's housekeeping improved a bit, the bedroom maid used to come in to look after her bed around this time. Reinhardt whispered softly, not having the energy to turn his head back.
“It is you. I'm sorry, but could you loosen the strap on my back?”
There was a thud, a sound.
'Somehow Troe seems to be walking heavy today. That's right, there must have been no time to open your eyes because of the funeral... … .'
With that thought in mind, Reinhardt raised his hand to untie his hair. A wide, warm palm touched her back. Reinhardt was stunned involuntarily.
“… … Is that what you asked me to do?”
A heavy, quiet breath settled in my ears. she was thrilled It wasn't Troe's light and bright. Reinhardt tilted the nape of his neck in the opposite direction without realizing it. It was because the man's hot breath felt unbearably chilly at that moment.
When Reinhardt turned her head, what was in front of her gaze was darkness. Very pitch black, hot, dark.
“… … Wilhelm.”
Boy. Reinhardt had clearly called Wilhelm that way.
It was originally a dark impression. However, that darkness was close to the barrenness peculiar to children who couldn't grow up in a family without eating and growing up, so Reinhardt was always happy with that darkness. As she hugged her boy, her smile brightened like a flower blooming.
However, Reinhardt felt that the face in front of her really couldn't be called a boy anymore.
"Yeah."
The person who answered her quietly was completely different from what she remembered. When the man supported Reinhardt in front of Dietrich's coffin, she couldn't see him properly because of her heartbreaking sadness.
But now that I saw him right in front of my nose. Reinhardt sensed that there was something in her eyes that she had not known until now, and that she had covered up even though she felt it a little.
“… … I didn't know it was you.”
I thought that the boy I met after three years had become a man before I knew it. The light from the log fire in the fireplace illuminated the scarlet, stocky shoulders, jet-black hair, and skin slightly burnt from the battlefield. The round cheeks, which were like a child, went somewhere, and the chin with an emaciated and thick line took its place. The moment he saw the shadow under his sharp chin sway darkly, Reinhardt asked himself from before.
Are you a man?
Can I just call him a man? Reinhardt's intuition said it was like the kind of stupidity in trying to determine the sex of a beast he encountered in the forest. Rather than whether the creature looking this way is male or female, isn't it more important to distinguish whether it is a beast of prey or not?
Nonetheless, the sadness and weariness weighed down her gut feeling that she was dangerously struggling. A headache arose in her head and Reinhardt pressed his forehead. Wilhelm, who had been on her back, carefully placed her hand on her waist and straightened her slanted body on her side. And he immediately fell to his knees in front of her. In that wind, the danger that Reinhardt felt for a moment completely disappeared.
“Sorry… … is."
The young man mumbled for a moment as he tried to apologize. slow-paced speech. The tension that Reinhardt had a moment ago was relieved. It's because the way he spoke was still young. Reinhard shook his head lightly, shaking off the darkness he had witnessed for a moment. must have been misunderstood
"no. Come to think of it, I was distracted and forgot to call you. sorry."
After apologizing, Reinhardt took a long breath and spit out his name.
“Wilhelm.”
The young man's eyes fluttered in confusion at the sound of his name being called again. The shadow I had just seen disappeared, leaving only moisture. Reinhardt was convinced. He said what he saw was just an illusion.
"Sorry. I heard the news of Dietrich a long time ago... … . When I look at the coffin, my heart hurts as if it were being sliced.”
The watery black eyes immediately lowered their eyelids as if trying to erase them, then lifted them up again. Seeing the blinking eyes as if they were blinking, Reinhardt was barely relieved.
It will be sad. This kid will also be confused.
It was clear that there was sadness like flames in those hot, jet-black eyes. Reinhardt herself had experienced it once, so she was sure. When she lost her father, Reinhardt herself was overcome with uncontrollable passion and grief. Her feelings when she lost the person she loved the most in the world were immense. Anger and sorrow, hatred and vengeance came together in her, mixed together and unable to separate them. If so, she should have vomited it up. But the devastation that followed and the emptiness she didn't know what to do with made her miss the time to vent her anger properly.
Moreover, it was hard to shake off the thought that it was my fault, so the girl in the previous life had dried up with hatred for 15 years.
So there's no way this kid wouldn't do that.
Besides… … .
<Sir Wilhelm had to choose. Is it Sir Ernst or the locals... … .>
Marc's words came to mind. Reinhardt's eyes wet again.
“Oh, my God. What is this... … .”
“… … Viscount.”
A man kneeling in front of her called out to her as if she was embarrassed. But Reinhardt was faster. She wiped her eyes roughly with the palm of her hand and quickly sat down on one knee in front of her kneeling boy, making eye contact with her. She and she took his hand.
"I'm sorry, Wilhelm."
“… … .”
The man opened his mouth slightly in surprise, then closed it. Reinhardt pressed the upper left breast with his other hand before finally speaking.
“You are also sad and surprised, but I do not take care of you… … .”
“Viscount.”
“The Viscount, my God. Wilhelm. Who taught you that?”
Reinhardt put his hand on Wilhelm's cheek as if he had never heard such heinous words. Wilhelm trembled in surprise. Reinhardt closed his eyes and pulled Wilhelm into a hug.
"sorry. I threw you away... … .”
“No, no… … .”
The man stammered, saying the same thing. Reinhardt hugged Wilhelm with her arms wide open, but her breasts, which were so wide that her fingertips couldn't even reach, felt strangely far away. She is holding the boy she loves, but it feels as if the boy has gone somewhere. She put strength in my hand. The man holding her flinched.
Dietrich said that the boy would grow up in the future. Even in his letter he wrote that he would be really surprised if he saw Wilhelm. However, when Reinhardt met Wilhelm, his regret grew. She still remembers that dirty little child. Her whole body was dried out, and her wrists were in her hands in handfuls as she washed in her bath.
The little boy has grown so much. Now, the boy's forearms were so thick that Reinhardt couldn't contain them even if he held them with both hands. However, he is not an adult just because he has a big body. The pain Reinhardt felt when he lost his father was still vivid.
Even she was the one who threw the child into the battlefield without knowing how big it was.
'It must be the first breakup for this kid.'
Reinhardt was ashamed and sad that she had left Wilhelm's sorrow alone and was drunk only with her own sorrow. Wilhelm said that he had kept the empty coffin without Dietrich's body for three days. He would be sad just to look at the coffin, but he couldn't even fathom the immense heartache the boy must have felt next to it.
She let go of the hand that had embraced Wilhelm and raised her gaze. She had to look up at how tall she was while she was gone, even on her knees. She was a little burnt and ran her hand over the bruised cheek. The man was taken aback. Her long black hair was tied behind her back. Two fingers of hair fell to the nape of her neck.
Was there no one to cut my hair on the battlefield?
Suddenly, Dietrich remembered the time she laughed innocently while cutting Wilhelm's hair, and she again fell into deep sorrow and shed tears.
"Sorry. I'm sorry, Wilhelm... … .”
Reinhardt repeated the same words. Wilhelm looked down at her for a long time, then carefully reached out his hand and pulled her by the waist.
“Don’t talk like that.”
“… … Wilhelm.”
The smell of dry grass wafted from the young man, who must have returned from the still cold, windy mountain. Wilhelm hugged her slowly. Until then, Wilhelm's breath had stopped, but Reinhardt also reached out and embraced him, and as if relieved, let out a long breath. Then, with his other hand, he supported Reinhardt's back and held him firmly in his arms.
“Just say you’re back.”
“… … yes."
you are older than me Another tear rolled down Reinhardt's cheek, leaving a water stain on Wilhelm's chest.
“Welcome back, Wilhelm. Thank god. well come back... … .”
"I missed you."
“Yes, I missed you too.”
“I missed you, Line.”
The young man continued to whisper softly in her ear. You have no idea how much I missed you. Every dark night, I miss you. line… … .
The woman hugged the young man and cried. The young man did not cry. It just held her tighter. The young man continued to whisper in her ear until she fell asleep, exhausted from her weeping.
Thanks for telling me you're lucky.
line.
I… … .
The words did not follow.
***
There was no body, so no tomb could be built. Reinhardt made one of his tombstones and put them in the most visible hill from his office. Only one name was engraved: Dietrich Ernst.
She didn't cry anymore after that day. She wasn't sad anymore. It was because all sorts of things were blocking Reinhardt's eyes before he could fully enjoy her sorrow. The first to express her troubles was Mrs. Sarah.
“The distinguished guests are not returning.”
"Who?"
“… … Sir Pernaha Glencia, son of Margrave of Glencia, and Baron Nathantine.”
Reinhardt furrowed his brow.
“Nathantine, Wilhelm will feel sorry for you. And that fox from Glencia?”
“He said he really wants to see the Viscount… … .”
It had already been a week since Dietrich's funeral. Although wealthy, Luden still did not escape her poverty. The longer these distinguished guests stay, the more money Reinhardt will have to spend.
It is not because the food for the VIPs is rare and expensive. Reinhardt didn't want to save face, so whether it was Fernaha Glencia or Baron Nathantine, he was eating potato soup and cornbread just like Reinhardt.
However, it was a big problem that the VIPs brought more than one family member. The chef, who only had to make 30 servings of potato soup a day, was dying because his arm hurt from making almost 60 servings. The chef's arm is also an arm, but it was a big deal for the castle's food storage to empty at a frightening rate.
It's late summer, but harvest is still far away. It is the point at which the stocked density is almost exhausted. I caught things like summer rabbits and managed to hold on somehow, but that was the limit. Only people Even the horses, ate the straw terribly. When Reinhardt heard that Sir Pernaha's horse, Thunder, was eating all the straw for the five donkeys of Luden Castle every day, Reinhardt stood up.
“Soon it will be autumn, so the donkeys have to plow the fields and carry stones to block the winter wind. You can't let the donkeys eat food like a sir's warhorse.”
“… … Did you really call me for that?"
Pernaha Glencia was perplexed to hear her order to celebrate. It was probably the first human being to drive out the 'Glencia Fox' because of the donkey's food.
'It's my first time too!'
Reinhardt thought so and crossed his arms. Only in her previous life was she rich, she is the one who fed a thousand warhorses. But now she was more urgent to plow the potato field in front of the castle. On the land where the potatoes were harvested, red radishes must be planted to grow throughout the winter, but if this happened, even the seeds from the crops would be eaten away by the diners.
“Otherwise, why am I meeting you?”
It was a very disrespectful attitude. In terms of title, Fernaha Glencia, the son of the Margrave of Glencia, was just an ordinary knight. He hadn't even inherited the title yet, so Reinhardt had nothing to lose. … … On paper.
'Of course, there's no way that the next Marquis would have a guy giving this shit.'
Michel Alanquez also treated the Marquis of Glencia with proper etiquette. Because in her past life, her northern savages dominated her until she was forty. She said that without the Marquis of Glencia, the northern part of the empire would open a passage for barbarians. But now it's a little different. Because of Wilhelm.
'Since the notorious warchief and his son all died at the hands of Wilhelm... … .'
The barbarians will not be able to raise their heads to the borders of the Empire for the time being. During the three-year war, the number of barbarians rapidly decreased, and the center also disappeared. So it was only natural that Reinhardt could be arrogant towards Pernaha Glencia.
It was obvious that the reason Lord Glencia was sitting in front of her, wiping his sweat while being humiliated saying that the feed of his warhorses was a waste, was Wilhelm. It was as expected. Pernaha Glencia made a serious proposal to her.
“I’ll give you 100,000 alanques.”
100,000 Alanques was enough to feed 3,000 Helka soldiers for 6 months in a previous life. Of course, in terms of Luden's territory, he would be able to live for 10 years. However, Reinhardt showed an expression in front of Pernaha Glencia, who had a serious face, saying that he would give away 100,000 Alankes.
“Whose nose did you put that on?”
It was a very rough diplomatic method for a lord of a territory.
Fernaha Glencia was a cheerful-looking young man with scarlet hair and freckles on her cheeks, but at once she furrowed her brow in bewilderment at Reinhardt's words.
“A 100,000 Alanke is quite an excessive amount to put on the nose.”
“I don’t think it is my nose.”
Reinhardt sat down on a chair in the office with an attitude that was even arrogant. It was because she had no intention of accepting Pernaha Glencia's offer in the first place. The sooner the negotiations broke down, the better.
However, it was the first time Pernaha Glencia had been treated like this, and her face turned red with embarrassment. So he protested.
“With 100,000 Alankes, Luden’s estate will be well-fed for 10 years.”
“Sir Glencia.”
She looked at Lord Glencia nonchalantly.
“Is there any calculation method whereby the buyer dares to overestimate the amount the seller wants first and says that this will be enough?”
“… … I'm sorry if I offended you.”
The man sighed. Reinhardt put his chin on his chin and smiled.
"Yes. Our estate is poor. To the extent that I, as the lord, take care of the amount of straw that one of your warhorses eats up.”
“… … .”
“But I don’t even think that 100,000 Alanke is the ransom for a knight who exterminated the barbarian warchief.”
“… … How much do you want then?”
Pernaha Glencia sighed. He had only one reason to stay here. As Reinhardt expected, the Marquis of Glencia also coveted Wilhelm.
He said that he didn't like Wilhelm until he killed the warchief's son in the beginning. Of course, this was the information Reinhardt obtained with the money he earned from selling peat.
'But I'm sure the knight who cut off the warchief's head would be greedy.'
Lord Glencia wanted Wilhelm to be incorporated as a knight in her domain, not as a hired knight. Usually, there are only two ways to recruit a knight belonging to a territory. Either pay the knight's price to recruit the lord, or make the knight himself take the Three Oaths of Chevalier in the traditional way.
Chevalier's three oaths originate from the first emperor, Amaryllis, and her knights. The knight of Amaryllis was originally a knight who served another lord, but in order to serve Amaryllis, she abandoned her former lord and vowed to dedicate her life to Amaryllis. Chevalier's oath was a knight's own life, so any lord had to respect it. However, it was an old method that was not often used because it demanded extreme poverty from the knight himself.
So, all Lord Glencia could do was negotiate a ransom between Reinhardt and Wilhelm.
“Sir Glencia. I am sure you know very well what I am.”
But Reinhardt had no intention of selling Wilhelm. Once was enough. From the beginning, she felt reluctant to rent Wilhelm, and the result of her return was disastrous.
Of course, not only because of the result. For a few pennies, there was no reason to lose Bill Colonna, an Imperial war hero, from my grasp.
It's money, you can sell peat and increase manpower even a little bit. The number of immigrants increased, and this year, for the first time, they decided to grind corn into powder. Although Youngji's growth is slow, she will find another way. Anyway, money has to be earned. But people couldn't replace it.
“… … If you're talking about being in the imperial family, I know... … .”
"Yes. Well, it's useless now, but it is. I’m not talking about selling someone I care about with 100,000 coins.”
Of course, it was a bit shameless at the point of sending Wilhelm as a rental driver.
But what do you know?
It has already passed, and Pernaha Glencia is too noble to use the lowly method of whining, 'Why can't I sell it after lending it the other day!' The name Glencia's fox is a nickname that came from growing up close to resourceful, even though Pernaha Glencia is her knight. However, even the fox couldn't resist Reinhardt's straight attack method.
No. go back. doesn't exist. don't sell Out of stock. I won't sell it no matter how much you pay.
It is useless to discuss bargaining with a merchant who does not offer goods.
"then… … .”
“I have no idea.”
Reinhardt cut it off. Pernaha Glencia looked to her side, puzzled. There was none other than the main character of the topic, Wilhelm. Per Naha, Glencia had clearly guessed what she was going to say, so she brought Wilhelm on purpose.
Wilhelm stood behind the conversation between the two, expressionless throughout. Dietrich would have done it normally. The job of a knight of the territory to protect the lord.
The moment he thought that, the back of his head suddenly felt distant, so Reinhardt put strength into his fists. As his thin nails dug into his palms, he woke up a little.
“But, Lord Wilhelm.”
“… … Yes."
Wilhelm replied slowly. Pernaha Glencia put her hands together like a poor man pleading for recognition.
“I didn't want to say this because it seemed rude, but the Luden estate... … .”
“If it seems rude, then you shouldn’t.”
“… … There are no soldiers! What good is a knight without soldiers to command!”
Reinhard smiled and intervened between Pernaha's words, but Pernaha Glencia stubbornly pretended not to hear what she was saying and said everything she wanted to say. Reinhardt put his chin on his chin and laughed.
“You are rude.”
“If my warhorse is causing unprecedented damage to this territory anyway, wouldn't it be very noticeable if I added a little rudeness to it!”
'Wow. If I poke a needle into each of those freckles, will they run away? He speaks well.'
Thinking of that, Reinhardt shrugged. What Per Naha said to her was something she didn't bother to think about.
Yes.
Despite the increase in population, there were still only forty-two guards in Luden Manor. At least, it was increased to forty-two because those who had returned from the war had joined.
If this continues, Wilhelm will be no more and no less than Luden's alley leader with forty-two people. But that's it, he can buy a private soldier with money. Of course, raising an enlisted soldier would have to be a lot of work. More than anything… … .
“Miss Glencia.”
“Call me Sir. Now there is no upper or lower class among us.”
“Yes, Lord Glencia. I hate it.”
Wilhelm, who would have had Fernaha Glencia as his superior before the end of the war, quickly and swiftly rejected his offer. Pernaha made a desperate expression.
"why! Apart from the amount given to the Luden estate, Sir Wilhelm is paid 5,000 Alanke every year as a reward! And my little sister too! What a beauty!”
her. Reinhardt too sighed involuntarily at those words and widened his eyes. According to that word, the Marquis of Glencia coveted Wilhelm as her son-in-law. This is a bit of a surprise. But apart from that, Reinhardt tapped his fingers on the desk. It was a very nervous move.
'That's it, but you're secretly pretending to be pitiful and keep bargaining. Besides, did your sister's doctor ask?'
Reinhardt raised his eyebrows, but Wilhelm interrupted.
“I am not interested.”
“Is it the former or the latter? If my sister were to ask if it was only her family who saw her as a beauty, she would be recognized as a beauty by others... … .”
“Neither of you are interested.”
“Aaaaa.”
Pernaha pretended to be sorry and pretended to cry. It felt like her freckles had somehow thickened. Reinhardt grinned.
“Sorry, Baron Nathantine said something similar. And it was black.”
“Then rent!”
“No more.”
Reinhardt decided to kick out Pernaha Glencia for real. She told Pernaha Glencia to leave the castle after three days for the sake of the unfortunate Luden's donkeys. Sir Glencia shrugged her shoulders and trudged away. The door is closed.
“Glencia's fox has a very busy personality. It must have been difficult to have someone like that as your superior.”
It was a word to Wilhelm. Returning after closing the door, Wilhelm widened his eyes, then smiled lightly.
“It was fine.”
Ah, Wilhelm.
Reinhardt is a boy... … No, looking at the young man's face, I smiled in spite of myself. When he met Pernaha earlier, Wilhelm had a hard, angular, suffocating face. Maybe it's because of the sharper eyes that have gotten older? When Wilhelm said that he was not interested in Fernaha Glencia, even Reinhardt was a bit taken aback by his cold attitude. It was because he remembered his violent gaze, which he had only met once in his previous life.
However, after closing the door and turning around, Wilhelm's face showed a boyish beauty that he hadn't seen before. Just like when she was sixteen, Wilhelm showed her innocent and lovely face only in front of her. As soon as he saw that face, Reinhardt was relieved.
"Because he's like that, he was rather popular on the battlefield."
It was only then that Reinhardt was able to completely change his mind about the abyss-like darkness he had seen in Wilhelm's eyes the day he returned. It was probably because the inexperienced boy, who didn't know how to cope with the first breakup he had experienced in his life, surrounded the emptiness with sadness.
“Huh, what about you?”
“… … Me?"
Wilhelm stood next to her desk and tilted his head with a puzzled and innocent expression. The young man was wearing a newly tailored suit, a shirt made of fine cotton that looked good on him. His shoulders and chest have become very wide, and his height has grown enormously, so the shirt he had made in advance did not fit, so he urgently called a tailor to make a shirt.
When she gave him the shirt, Wilhelm said he liked it and said he would only wear it with a happy face.
"yes. You look so handsome. It must have been very popular with the female soldiers. Don't stand there, sit here. My leg hurts.”
“Oh, no… … .”
“Does your leg hurt?”
Wilhelm was slightly taken aback. His eyes, shining like fake jewels, wandered here and there.
“It’s not like that, popularity is… … .”
"lie. Anyway, your legs hurt.”
"My legs don't even hurt... … .”
“Sit down, for now.”
She sat Wilhelm down and brought out a large mirror from the inside. It was the copper mirror she had been using all along. I was going to cut her long hair like she did when she was little. Wilhelm looked at the mirror in front of her and tilted her head, but as soon as her hand dug into her hair, she stiffened her shoulders in embarrassment.
“Your bangs poke your eyes. I'll trim it up a bit."
"Fine… … .”
“I won’t be making recruit heads like before, so leave it to me. I cut other people's hair quite well now.”
At most, it was about cutting each other's hair with the maids in the castle, but over the past three years, my skills have improved considerably. She looked into the mirror and brushed Wilhelm's bangs. She saw a stunningly beautiful young man in the mirror.
He simply thought that he had become a man, that he had become a handsome young man, but Wilhelm, who shook off his sadness and saw him in the sunlight, was not a face that could be expressed that much. The dignified figure she saw briefly in her previous life seems to have been diluted by seeing it from a distance or in a portrait.
He fell well, and in a way, he had a face that could be called seductive. If Bill Colonna in his previous life had a stern figure full of muscles, the current Wilhelm was a little different. He grew up well and his hard body was the same, but his lines were sharp as if he had suffered a lot, and the ends of his eyes had long tails.
The lines falling down the bridge of the nose and the lips were alluring enough to make even Reinhardt, who was not very interested in color yarn, flutter. It means that it is enough to shake the hearts of women.
Well, but the face doesn't feed the rice.
Reinhardt deliberately stroked the man's head and then tore it apart. Wilhelm was a little taken aback by the ruthless treatment he had when he was a boy, but then he smiled happily.
"line. You know what?”
"What?"
“Me, I fought only thinking about what you said.”
“… … what do you say?”
Reinhardt tilted his head.
“What did I say?”
“… … Please come back alive.”
Did I say that? Reinhardt rummaged through his memory in bewilderment.
<Life is fine. If you fall behind, it's all over. Got it?>
I'm pretty sure he said that.
Wilhelm rolled his black eyes and smiled. Then he grabbed the hand that was on top of my head and brought it down, rubbing it against my cheek. She was as cute as her dog. Reinhardt smiled involuntarily and caressed Wilhelm's cheek. Wilhelm stiffened for a moment.
“Come on, line.”
"yes?"
"I… … There is something I want.”
"What?"
“… … can you give it to me?”
The woman lightly tapped Wilhelm's shoulder with her other hand.
"I'll tell you what."
“… … Still, it's a bit difficult to say.”
"why?"
"just… … Just.”
Wilhelm looked at her in the mirror. The two were looking at each other through the mirror, but the black eyes in the mirror were staring at Reinhardt tenaciously. Reinhardt, who was almost hugging Wilhelm from behind, was startled. Somehow, I got goosebumps.
“… … I'll tell you later.”
“Well, it is natural for a lord to award a knight who has fought a great war. But if you say it too late, it won’t work.”
So she deliberately giggled and joked around. Her Wilhelm pinched her cheek and whispered above her, and the young man who lifted her face and looked up at her also smiled brightly and whispered.
"I'll tell you before it's too late."
"yes. It must be.”
“Yes, definitely.”
The young man's smile was so deep and seductive. Reinhardt thought it was like a summer rose blooming on the wall of a castle wall. A red rose that blooms at the end of a hot summer seduces people with its strong scent and large flowers, but the rough thorns hurt your hand the moment you carelessly touch it. She blamed herself a little again, saying that the strange longing that had been glimpsed in the young man's eyes was probably due to the long war. Of course she forgot even that after the scissoring started.
***
Pernaha Glencia was grumbling.
“No, if Thunder eats straw or something, how much do you say he eats?”
Pernaha's lieutenant, Alzen Stotgall, replied in a stern way.
“Originally, warhorses eat a lot.”
"In the first place, if it's a territory that has to pay attention to the amount of straw the warhorse eats, there's no reason to wear an article like that, right?"
“There are no hunting grounds in the territory, but are there only one or two nobles raising hunting dogs?”
There are many aristocrats who raise hounds with a pedigree, but not many among them really enjoy hunting. I just want to show off that hound. Pernaha, who understood Alzen's words, grumbled.
“If you sell that hound at a good price, aren’t there many nobles who would sell it?”
“Well, there won’t be people who refuse.”
The two were sitting in the guest room where Pernaha was staying. It was a guest room, but it was less than half the size of the room Pernaha Glencia stayed in at Glencia Castle. The Margrave of Glencia had a reputation for being poor, but even in the eyes of Pernaha Glencia, who grew up under the Marquis of Glencia, this room was a bit harsh.
The tapestry looked like it was 50 years old with a little bit of a lie, and the wind was blowing through the stone walls. The bedding still smelled good, probably because it was made with good straw this year, but even so, bedding with straw for a noble guest. Even if you are poor, there is a degree.
“It’s annoying, but I think I’ll tear off the blanket and feed the horse when I go home.”
"I do not know. If that happens, I think the bill will come to the Glencia Manor.”
Fernaha frowned and imagined. The woman somehow really seemed to be like that.
“I didn’t take it lightly just because I was an abolitionist… … . I was surprised that it was so different from what I had imagined.”
“I was surprised too.”
It was only less than four years ago that the deposed woman stabbed the crown prince, Michel Alanquez, who demanded a divorce. At that time, Pernaha Glencia was on her way to the capital instead of Marshal Glencia to pay her condolences at the news of her death.
Since the funeral of a general after Rinke usually takes about 10 days to take place, I passed through the crystal gate leisurely, but when I arrived in the capital, I was embarrassed to find out that the funeral story of Hu Rinke was completely covered and only the story of the crown prince's leg sickness.
'Who would have thought that I would visit the crown prince in the same outfit I went to pay condolences to.'
He couldn't even properly visit the prince. Anyway, she stabbed the person who wanted to get a divorce right away and was kicked out of the country... … .
“I thought you might be a stupid woman who only thinks about what’s right in front of you.”
"Well. I didn’t know you would be a mistress.”
“It’s more like a person who pretends to be a mistress rather than a mistress.”
Fernaha scratched the bridge of her nose.
“I would have endured for about a month if it had been a noble way of saying, ‘Please go back because it is inconvenient. But if you say it's hard to feed the horse, I'll be embarrassed."
“It must be funny to say that we pay for horse feed.”
"I'm not going to give you the real horse feed."
It is not uncommon for nobles to hand over accommodation fees when staying in poor estates. But in this case, the Marquis of Glencia has the face. Instead of paying a few hundred allanques for the horse's feed, it's only worth paying 5,000 allanques to save face. Of course, the Marquis of Glencia is not one to blink at that amount.
“You didn’t even bring that up to get the money.”
“You seem like a person who will take it in stride if you offer something.”
Alzen laughed out loud. Fernaha also agreed and laughed. She wasn't a nice woman anyway.
Reinhardt Delfina Rinke.
At the age of 12, she was engaged to the crown prince, and at the age of 18, she entered the imperial castle. She has been crown princess for six years, but she has no unusual circumstances. To the extent that Michelle, her Alainques, and her father, her Emperor, used her as an excuse to treat her Rinque Hu violently.
However, since Rinkehu was only called a general by the people of the empire, the saying that he was being eaten was something only a few nobles said. Even if he was the Marshal of Glencia, he was over sixty and he hadn't retired from the front line yet.
In any case, Reinhardt Delfina Rinke was not a woman who impressed the people of the empire very deeply or was not liked or disliked. She had heard that she had an affair with the crown prince, but it was not a big topic because all married couples in the imperial family were like that. So when she stabbed her crown prince, she said it was even more surprising.
However, when I met the lungs... … .
“I’ve been through all the prenatal battles… … right. Just like my mother.”
“You mean Madame Papier? Isn't that a great disrespect to a young woman... … .”
Alzen chose his words. Lady Papier, who should be called Countess Glencia, was from the Kingdom of Alloa, and was a great heroine.
As a warrior who can't be defeated by the Marquis of Glencia, he has been out on the battlefield with his troops on several occasions, but now he is recuperating from an arm injured on the battlefield. Even so, his spirit and disposition were still amazing.
“Besides, it doesn’t seem like a scary impression like Mrs. Papier’s… … .”
“No more than that.”
Fernaha ate her appetite.
“How… … It's embarrassing... … .”
“Ah, if that’s the case.”
Alzen also agreed with Pernaha's words. A woman named Reinhardt must have been in her thirties, but somehow she was able to connect and break negotiations, like noble ladies who had reached the end of their senior years. Especially the unstoppable part.
“How come you feel like you’re talking to an older person. Whether it's just cutting or being seasoned... … .”
There is a different reason why the young man with many freckles is nicknamed 'Glencia's Fox'. Since Glencia Manor is the same place as the center of the northern part, there are naturally many things to be removed from the surroundings. It was Pernaha Glencia who had been in charge of such negotiations.
Since most of Yeongji's housekeeping is taken care of by his wives, he met various wives who were ferna, but this was the first time. Most of the young wives postpone or avoid his embarrassing proposal.
"There's no place to talk about it anymore after you cut it off like that."
“What would you like?”
“What the heck.”
Pernaha is Mmm! and cheered up.
“I’ll bring a portrait of my younger sister and try again!”
Alzen had cloudy eyes. The third daughter of the Marquis of Glencia, who resembled the temperamental hair of her wife Papier, was very pretty, but nonetheless.
“Wouldn’t Sir Wilhelm be a good match for you?”
“What do you know, it’s not my marriage.”
“I am saying this because the young master's life seems more dangerous than Sir Wilhelm's married life... … .”
If someone hadn't knocked on the door at that moment, the topic of the two would have been 100 ways a younger sister murdered her older brother in an unwanted marriage.
But the chirp was too loud, and Pernaha and Alzen took their interest away from their sister's grudge against her brother.
"Who are you?"
At most, he thought, a maid or that old lady. It was almost time for dinner, and she thought it was a call to eat potato soup, but the words she heard from behind the door were unexpected.
“This is Wilhelm.”
Pernaha opened her eyes wide and whispered to Alzen.
“What, you mean the beginning of this thrilling tryst? Wasn't I rejected?"
“… … It turns out that he refused because he was in front of the lord, and in fact, didn't he also have feelings for Glencia?"
There was no reason for Wilhelm to visit them. If so, the only thing to do is to repeat the negotiations you had earlier in front of Lord Luden. Per Naha put her hand on her chest with a bright face and said to Alzen.
“I’m so excited right now.”
“Stop snoring and open the door.”
The young man waved his scarlet hair and pretended to breathe. Alzen got up from his chair and stood up. The door opened, and Wilhelm entered.
“Excuse me.”
“Oh, Sir Wilhelm. Meanwhile... … Did you cut your hair?”
When we met in front of the lord during the day, he had the same ponytail hair as he had seen on the battlefield, but now it has faded. Pernaha shook her hands and praised her frivolously.
“Hey, a tall person lives on. Very nice!”
"Thank you."
"Oh dear. It's still short.”
Pernaha smiled and pushed Wilhelm's waist to bring him inside and closed the door. Wilhelm entered his guest room and stood there, and Fernaha stood with his back to the door, smiling single.
“I had to listen to the lord, but the Luden estate seems to be very poor. She's not even a maid, and she uses Sir as her dinner messenger.”
“… … no."
"What? I thought those were the only things Sir Wilhelm had left for me.”
The man trembled. You left me a while ago and said, “Why did you come all the way here because you had something to say?” Wilhelm's brow furrowed slightly, then the corners of his mouth went up.
“I really wish it was only for that kind of business.”
“… … Nope?"
Pernaha laughed mischievously. Wilhelm also smiled. But Alzen pulled his mouth down like a catfish. It was dangerous. It was because Wilhelm's eyes weren't smiling.
'Ah, that's not a joke on my personality.'
Alzen knew Wilhelm roughly. It was because he had been in the same unit as Wilhelm since the beginning of the war.
When he had just joined the Glencia Manor and received combat training, he only thought he was quiet and had a dark personality. At that time, he didn't have much presence because of his not-so-grown body. However, Wilhelm mixed with the soldiers started to cause dissonance, and Alzen also began to understand Wilhelm.
The accidents Wilhelm caused were all the more memorable because they were difficult to understand from an ordinary person's point of view. Alzen, who was in the same unit, observed Wilhelm especially intently in order not to get caught up in him. And Alzen noticed what Wilhelm's expression was now.
That's the expression that a bastard makes when he's in trouble.
Alzen blinked quickly.
'Bocchan, what's wrong with that? If you touch it wrong, you'll get fucked.'
Since he had been an adjutant for a long time, Fernaha also understood Alzen's gaze and gave a slight wink.
'You mean you have a good feeling? nice! I'll explain my sister's beauty again!'
'No!'
Alzen groaned urgently. No, what would she do if she served as an aide for 10 years, she couldn't understand what I was saying.
In any case, the distance between the two and Wilhelm was too close, and the man took it for granted that the two were making meaningless glances. Wilhelm spoke in a rather sarcastic tone.
“I don’t know what the relationship between you two is, but seeing that you secretly wink in front of me, I must have interrupted the two of you in a friendly moment.”
“No!”
"no!"
It was blatant sarcasm, but it was enough to make Pernaha and Alzen resentful. Fernaha shouted again.
“I like that woman!”
“Even if I like all the men in the world, I don’t like you!”
“Why are you going there?! Do you like men more than that?!”
“No, so to speak! I like girls?!”
After the pathetic conversation, there was silence for a while. Wilhelm tilted his head slightly.
“If you need an agreement on sexual love and loyalty between the two of you, I will come back a little later.”
There was an obvious sneer on his face. Fernaha touched her forehead. I'm embarrassed.
"no. What kind of business did you come for? … .”
Although he was a bit embroiled in it and looked pathetic, if the man had even the slightest intention of joining Glencia, this trivial commotion could have made the atmosphere better. Pernaha smiled with a little hope. Wilhelm also smiled. It was a slightly different laugh from Pernaha.
“I’m here to make a deal.”
Also! Fernaha squeezed her fists inwardly.
He had heard it in passing from Dietrich, who had already died. Wilhelm lived as a savage, was saved by the lord, and even received a knighthood.
'I probably didn't do anything to say that I was going to Glencia in front of the favored lord. So sneak up behind... … .'
“As expected, Glencia’s conditions are okay, right? Because my sister is pretty. haha."
But his adjutant had a bad feeling. That bastard obviously had a sarcastic face, but what a deal. And as a result, Alzen's prediction was correct.
Wilhelm raised his chin with a cold expression he had never shown in front of Reinhardt before.
“I am not interested in your sister.”
“… … oh. Maybe. But still... … .”
“And I have no intention of belonging to Glencia.”
What is it, then why are you here? Fernaha almost made the same catfish mouth expression as Alzen earlier. Although she had to stop Pernaha before her name, the fox of Glencia, could barely make that expression. Wilhelm continued.
“I know Glencia's purpose. I will make it happen.”
Pernaha's chin almost fell out.
“But it is a condition that you come under me.”
Alzen closed his eyes. I knew you were that bastard.