Chapter 177: Return
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 177: Return
After the Count and his two sons left for the Northern Continent expedition, it was Countess Mone de Dresden who led the Dresden family.
The old woman, her graying hair tied up so that not a single strand was out of place, had an unyielding, stern-faced air about her.
Once the meeting room door closed and the advisors were seated around the round table, she began.
“Is there still no word from the Count?”
“My apologies.”
The vassal in charge of the port bowed his head. It had already been a month since they had lost contact with the Count.
The last message they had received was news of the Pope’s defeat—the greatest obstacle to securing the Northern Continent’s throne—and the capture of the royal capital.
All that remained was to deal with the Pope and his remnants, and then either negotiate with their ally, Duke Signir, or fight one last battle to achieve the expedition’s goal.
But at that most crucial moment, all contact had ceased.
Instead, after a month, news arrived that Allen was returning. There was no explanation as to why communication with the Count had been cut off, nor any update on the Northern Continent expedition.
That was the topic of today’s meeting.
“Given the lack of any mention, it seems the Baron is also unaware that contact was lost. The communication ship must have unfortunately sunk in an accident.”
The Dresden family were the rulers of the western sea. As such, their vassals knew well the nature of the sea, which was more fickle than a teenage girl.
“Is there any need to worry? The fact that a powerful asset like the Baron is withdrawing is surely proof that things on the Northern Continent have concluded successfully, is it not?”
The fact that the last message had been good news supported the vassal’s assumption.
“It could be because of Bronx II. Didn’t Sir Andrei of Quaran go to the Northern Continent himself to report that the King’s allied army of five thousand was marching on Roxwood, and he has yet to return?”
Though delayed by unforeseen obstacles, the King’s army had now reached Roxwood.
Adeleade was currently staying in the inner castle precisely because she had come to request Dresden’s support against the King’s forces.
“What do you all make of the King’s claim that the princess is a witch? Didn’t an unseasonable downpour actually cause the river to flood, halting their advance?”
“It is strange. That region is famous for its lack of rain.”
“There were rumors that those around the princess all met unfortunate ends.”
“I’ve heard that rumor as well. But they were all deaths from illness or accidents, so it’s a bit of a stretch to blame the princess.”
The advisory council was unconcerned.
Had they coveted Quaran as per the original history and been shattered by Eleanor’s power, it would have been a different story. But for now, it was someone else’s problem.
Furthermore, the church, which should have been the most aggressive on this issue, remained silent, strengthening the belief that the King had fabricated a flimsy pretext.
“I believe we should be more wary of the King’s ambition. A king who has raised an army of five thousand will not be satisfied with merely executing a princess.”
“Hmm… I agree. With our forces depleted by the Northern Continent expedition, Dresden must look like a tempting meal to the King.”
“Perhaps we were his target from the very beginning.”
The council was more wary of Bronx II. Hadn’t this energetic king shown his ambition before?
“Enough. The agenda for this meeting is the loss of contact with the expeditionary force and the Baron’s return. The King’s greed will only reach us after he has brought down the Tobalts family. It will not be too late to discuss it then.”
Countess Mone de Dresden reined in the meeting, which was straying from its topic.
“Do you believe there is a problem?” the Herald, who like her had been listening quietly, asked cautiously.
“After the scheduled contact at two-week intervals was missed, we immediately sent a message. Yet, even after another two weeks, no reply came.”
The sea may be fickle, but the probability of communication ships sinking consecutively was low.
“Furthermore, the Count had two reasons for bringing the Baron on the Northern Continent expedition. The first was that he would be a great help. The second was to prevent the Baron from targeting a vulnerable Dresden while we were away.”
“Hmm…”
As the advisors let out low groans, Countess Mone de Dresden looked around at them and spoke.
“You all know it. The Count himself declared that the Baron could not be trusted.”
The son of a humble knightly family had, in just a few years, become a feudal lord powerful enough to make even a Margrave wary.
Although his methods had been flawless, the result was an extremely threatening neighbor.
There was no guarantee that Dresden would not follow the precedent of the many families that had fallen before Allen.
The Herald spoke up in agreement.
“The Countess is right. The Baron did indeed leave his forces behind. Had the King not taken military action, those forces would have posed a great threat to us.”
“But they are in the midst of marriage talks… In fact, didn’t his daughter come to request support as if she were already the mistress of the Tobalts household?”
Countess Mone shook her head.
“Even if they were married, we must not let our guard down. Greed can sometimes make people cast aside even blood ties without a second thought.”
“Then your refusal of the young lady’s request was also…?”
Dresden and Allen were in an interdependent relationship.
If the King’s army easily crushed Allen’s forces, the next target would be Dresden, just as the council feared.
Considering that, it would have been logical to accept Adeleade’s request for aid. Yet, Countess Mone had refused as if it wasn’t even worth considering.
She had used the pretext of having no spare forces after sending another wave of reinforcements to the Northern Continent, but the fundamental reason was her distrust of Allen.
There was one more reason.
“While the Baron’s forces hold back the King’s advance, we must conserve our strength and prepare for what comes next.”
What if the Baron’s forces and the King’s army annihilated each other? Then they could easily devour Allen’s power, which was like a castle built on sand.
It’s said that married couples grow to resemble each other. The Countess, who had spent half a century with the Count, also possessed a cunning mind for schemes.
“Umm…”
Having seen through the Countess’s deep scheme, the advisors exchanged glances.
They had no reason to object. If they swallowed Allen’s territory, their own domains would more than double in size.
Countess Mone rose to her feet and delivered her conclusion.
“The Count, who does not trust the Baron, has not only allowed him to return alone but has also fallen out of contact. Something has clearly gone wrong.”
“Therefore, we will not intervene in the war between the King and the Baron. We will also quickly restore the strength we expended on the Northern Continent expedition and prepare for what follows.”
Countess Mone de Dresden suspected that something had happened to the expeditionary force, but she never imagined that the Count and both her sons were dead.
No, perhaps she was deliberately turning a blind eye to that possibility. For her own safety.
@
“See? I told you we’d be on time.”
The captain tipped his hat and preened. He had earned the right. Despite the constant rain, they had arrived three days ahead of schedule.
He had managed it even though the sea fog must have made it difficult to navigate by the stars. It was to be expected of the man the Dresden family employed as their fleet commander.
“Can you help me next time as well?”
I was tempted to recruit him. I would need a skilled captain for my journey to the Eastern Continent before long.
“Anytime! Just say the word!”
The captain acted as if he would give me his own liver if I asked. Then again, anyone with a bit of sense would be wary of me after seeing the coffins loaded onto the ship.
“Hey, catch!”
While I was saying my goodbyes to the captain, the sailors who had disembarked first wrapped the mooring ropes around the bollards. The ship, which had been rocking with every wave, finally stabilized.
A gangway was soon set up, completing the preparations for disembarking. I promised the captain we would meet again and went ashore with Isabel and Cynthia.
But the port, which should have been bustling in the middle of the day, was strangely quiet. To be precise, there were many people, but they were all holding their breath and staring at one spot.
It was as if time had stopped. And there was a reason for it.
In the middle of an open space that would normally be filled with cargo from arriving ships stood a woman in a white dress intricately woven with purple patterns.
The golden hair and slightly reddish eyes visible under her umbrella were incredibly familiar. She strode toward me and immediately burrowed into my arms.
“Brother-!”
“Aenya…?”
My hands hovered awkwardly in the air, not embracing her. I was stunned.
It was because she looked so different from the Aenya I knew. The most striking change was her height; she now came up to my chest.
But the moment Aenya dropped her parasol and looked up at me, I realized my mistake. The biggest change was in her appearance.
All traces of youth had vanished, replaced by a mature young woman. It was as if the fatal beauty from my memories had stepped right out of a game.
“What’s with that dumb look on your face? Why? Did I get too pretty?”
However, the mischievous eyes and sly smile were exactly the same as the Aenya I knew.
“You did get prettier. But… your chest is still the same.”
While she had grown unbelievably tall, her chest size hadn’t changed much from the last time I saw her.
Aenya’s brow furrowed. Still hugging me, she pinched my side and spoke in a rush.
“Hey! I’m definitely not small! Your women are just ridiculously huge. I’m above average, you know? Ah, is this really the first thing you have to bring up in our long-awaited reunion? You’re so mean!”
After grumbling for a while, Aenya’s gaze fell upon Isabel and Cynthia, who had disembarked behind me.
A smirk.
Her lips curled into a grin.
“Just like the womanizer you are, you’ve added more women? Two of them? But isn’t that one a bit dangerous? She’s too young, isn’t she?”
“She’s nineteen, despite how she looks.”
“Hmmm… is that so…”
Aenya left my embrace and stood before the two of them. Until that moment, they had been staring blankly at Aenya with shocked expressions.
The first to come to her senses was Cynthia, who had been through her fair share of trials.
“A-Are you the one he said was the prettiest…?”
Her eyes, which had never believed me when I said there were many prettier than her, trembled as if an earthquake had struck.
“What? My brother praised me behind my back? Hehe, he’s such a shy one.”
“I am Cynthia!”
Cynthia seemed to have instantly decided that confronting Aenya was impossible. The proof was in her deep bow.
After learning that Aenya was my biological sister, she bowed again, so low that her torso nearly touched her legs.
Of course, she didn’t forget to glare at me as if I were trash. Since I didn’t have much of an excuse on that front, I just shrugged.
“A b-betrayal…!”
Isabel seemed even more shocked by such a shrewd move.
Wasn’t it Cynthia who had first proposed that they, as people from the Northern Continent, should stick together when they spent the night in the same cabin? It was no wonder she was trembling.
But only for a moment.
“What’s this? Why is she so cute~?”
Aenya playfully poked and prodded her cheeks before pulling her into a hug, and Isabel’s face instantly brightened.
“Y-You’re beautiful too, sister…!”
Aenya’s beauty transcended gender. The look in Isabel’s eyes was even more heated than when she looked at me, enough to make me jealous.
Having captivated both of them in an instant, Aenya grinned at me and gave me a thumbs-up.
Meanwhile, the person who had helped Aenya reveal her perfected beauty in such a public place approached me a beat later.
“Master…”
Adeleade cautiously buried her face in my chest and began to sob.
“You’re alright, aren’t you? You are?”
To explain the deaths of the Count and his two sons, I had no choice but to tell her about Erik’s ambush.
What was unexpected was that she was more concerned about me than her own relatives, the Count and his sons.
“It seems I’ve made you worry.”
“I’m sorry…”
“For what?”
“My brother committed such an audacious act…”
Adeleade seemed to feel responsible for Erik’s ambush, simply because they shared the same blood.
I shook my head.
“How is that your fault? If anyone should apologize, it’s me. In the end, I couldn’t protect your father and two brothers.”
“Why would that be your fault, Master…”
Adeleade shook her head frantically. I gently stroked her back and stepped aside. The coffins were ready to be unloaded from the ship.
Soon, three coffins, each draped in a cloth embroidered with the Dresden crest, were lowered to the ground one by one.
The moment she saw the coffins, Adeleade began to tremble. Her father and two brothers had died all at once, and now her only remaining blood relative was her mother. Her reaction was understandable.
I held her tightly and kissed her.
“Don’t be too sad. I will love you enough for your lost family as well.”
“Master…”
Adeleade looked up at me with burning eyes. I patted her bottom and whispered.
“We’ll continue this later.”
“Yes…”
“What happened with the request for support?”
“My mother refused.”
“Refused?”
I couldn’t help but pause. She couldn’t possibly be unaware that if the King brought me down, Dresden would be next, yet she had still refused the request for aid.
How was I to interpret this? I had even lent a hand in the Northern Continent expedition as her prospective son-in-law. It seemed she was up to something.
Well, not that it would matter much anyway.