Chapter 3: As You Said, War Changes People.
Chapter 3: As You Said, War Changes People.
Chapter 3
The ballroom went quiet for a brief moment.
No, to be precise, the air inside the ballroom grew heavy.
The young nobles and noble ladies began to gauge the Empress's mood.
Eleonora Arteria.
The Empress of the Arcadion Empire.
In the original novel, she was the wise wife who tamed the tyrant Emperor.
And the woman to whom Ernst von Eisenwald had dedicated his entire life.
Such a woman had approached him first and called his name with familiarity.
Yet, Ernst's response was cold.
Her Majesty the Empress.
This single phrase created an eight-year distance between the two.
"Ern..."
Eleonora's smile wavered.
"Why are you acting so stiff? Between us."
"A subject must show proper respect to Her Majesty the Empress."
"A subject, you say."
Eleonora laughed softly.
It was a laugh forced to soften the atmosphere.
"You didn't call me that when we were young. You used to play pranks on me. We even played in the garden together."
"Did we."
Ernst did not particularly respond.
That was the memory of this body.
It was not the memory of Seo Jinwoo.
The young Ernst had loved Eleonora.
He had gone to the northern front on his own, fearing he would be a hindrance to Eleonora's path to becoming Empress.
And the result.
Eight years.
The Black Rift and the invasion of the Demons.
Blood, ash, and frozen corpses.
Melted armor and the screams of comrades heard every night.
Seo Jinwoo had paid the price for all of that.
"You've changed a lot. War... it seems to change people a lot."
Eleonora took a step closer.
"But you've returned safely, so that's enough. I'm truly relieved."
Moisture welled up in her red eyes.
The noble ladies around them held their breath again.
"To think Her Majesty the Empress still cherishes Grand Duke Ernst-nim like that."
"What a beautiful friendship."
"No. It might not just be friendship."
The envious gazes of the young nobles and the admiring gazes of the noble ladies poured down together.
"It was... very hard, wasn't it...? Ern...?"
The Empress's whisper spread like the scent of flowers.
Ernst laughed inwardly as he heard that whisper.
'A beautiful friendship?'
What a joke.
A woman who hadn't sent a single letter in eight years was now showing tears.
"Ern. Would you like to dance a song with me?"
Just then, Eleonora held out her hand.
"Did the Empress-nim ask for a dance first?"
"My goodness... Her Majesty doesn't even glance at other men besides His Majesty the Emperor, does she?"
"I envy Grand Duke Ernst-nim..."
The young nobles and noble ladies looked at this fairytale-like scene with envy.
"Hmm."
However, Walter's gaze hardened at the Empress's proposal.
Eileen also watched Ernst from afar.
The Empress was someone who held skeptical views about the military.
Given Ernst's upright character, he could have easily refused.
But at this moment, the entire ballroom was watching them.
The Empress's request.
The war hero's answer.
A place where that single choice became politics.
The capital was such a place.
Ernst slowly reached out his hand.
He felt a sense of revulsion, but Ernst was a soldier.
He knew well enough that sometimes, one must endure things they dislike.
"It is an honor, Your Majesty the Empress."
Eleonora's hand rested on his.
The orchestra changed the tune.
A soft waltz melody filled the ballroom.
As the two moved to the center, the nobles naturally stepped back.
The light of the chandelier flowed over Eleonora's blonde hair.
The hem of her white dress brushed against the marble floor.
It was certainly a beautiful scene.
A scene that wouldn't be out of place as an illustration if this were a romance fantasy novel.
'Like children playing.'
But Ernst felt no emotion.
His hands were hands that had held a sword.
Those feet were feet that had stepped on corpses to advance.
His eyes were more accustomed to burning walls than flower decorations.
"Ern."
Eleonora whispered lowly.
"I missed you so much."
"That is too kind of you."
"You're saying that again."
She pouted her lips slightly.
Her eyebrows arched as if she didn't like it.
"Call me like you used to. Ellie."
"I cannot commit such rudeness to Her Majesty the Empress."
"Rudeness? I'm saying it's fine."
"This is a ballroom."
Ernst was calm.
"It is a place where His Majesty the Emperor and the nobles are all watching."
"Haa."
Eleonora sighed softly.
"You've become so boring, too."
"As you said, war changes people."
"Ah... the Emperor is like that too."
Eleonora muttered so quietly it was almost inaudible.
"You're a buzzkill too."
At that moment.
"....!"
Ernst's feet stopped for a brief second.
'A buzzkill?'
It wasn't a word from this world.
That word, at least, hadn't been translated.
A word the nobles couldn't understand.
A word from Earth that Eleonora had let slip unintentionally.
'No way.'
Ernst's black eyes slowly sank.
That word was no coincidence.
'You're a buzzkill too.'
'You're a buzzkill too.'
'You're a buzzkill too.'
.
.
.
The Emperor too.
Ernst too.
The Empress had spoken exactly like that, as if evaluating characters she knew.
In that instant, the puzzle pieces fell into place.
The war that had changed from the original.
The supply issues that had dragged on for eight years.
The Empress's hostility toward the Northern Army.
The claim that the war continued because the military was too strong.
The rumors of signing a peace treaty with the Demons.
And now, these words.
'Eleonora Arteria.'
Ernst looked at the Empress's face.
'Don't tell me you were a transmigrator too.'
The surprise was short-lived.
What filled the space afterward was cold anger.
Seo Jinwoo had lived in hell for eight years.
Eleonora had lived in the Platinum Palace as the Empress.
One person had buried the corpses of soldiers in front of the Black Rift.
The other had spent her time in the Imperial Palace critiquing the original characters.
The difference was too stark.
"Why are you like that?"
Eleonora tilted her head.
"I heard you were injured. Is your body still not well?"
"It is not that."
Ernst moved his feet again.
"My wound just twinged for a moment."
"Don't overdo it. The war is over now, isn't it?"
"Is that so."
"Yes. I'm going to end the war now."
Eleonora smiled softly.
"Because I'm going to make it happen."
Ernst did not answer.
In the meantime, the song ended.
The nobles applauded.
Eleonora let go of his hand with a satisfied smile.
"There will be a speech in a little while. Please make sure to listen, Ern."
"Yes, Your Majesty the Empress."
At those words, Eleonora's smile wavered slightly again.
She couldn't feel even a shred of affection from the original sub-male lead.
Ernst wasn't even looking at her anymore.
Emperor Julian Arcadion stepped onto the podium.
"Long live the Emperor!"
All eyes in the ballroom turned toward the Emperor.
Empress Eleonora stood beside him.
Duke Lorenzo Arteria and the senior members of the Aristocratic Council stood behind them.
"Today is a day for."
The Emperor's voice rang out.
"The Imperial Army that led the eight-year war against the Demons to victory."
Applause erupted.
"The warriors of the Northern Wall Territory were the shield of the Empire. Because of you, Arcadion did not fall."
"Long live the Imperial Army!"
"Long live Grand Duke Eisenwald!"
The young nobles and noble ladies cheered.
It was enough to shake the ceiling of the Platinum Palace.
'Ernst... you managed to return without dying.'
Julian's gaze reached Ernst.
Jealousy flickered in those eyes.
A young Swordmaster.
A war hero who had defeated a Great Duke of the Demon Realm.
A man who had just danced a waltz with the Empress he loved.
Above all, the Empress's childhood friend.
The Emperor couldn't possibly not know that fact.
No, even if he didn't know, he couldn't help but feel it.
At this moment, the Empress was looking at Ernst more than at the Emperor.
'Why did a guy like that have to return as a war hero?'
Julian's lips stiffened.
The Ernst he knew was a half-wit who lived and died by the Empress's words.
"Your Majesty...? Please, ease your mind. Okay?"
However, Eleonora soon grabbed his arm gently.
"I understand, Empress. I must have been tired for a moment."
The Emperor's expression relaxed in an instant.
Ernst watched that scene.
'He's completely under the Empress's thumb.'
A man once called a tyrant.
The true protagonist of the original novel.
A man of iron and blood, also known as a conquering monarch.
But now, he had become a pathetic person who couldn't even maintain a proper gaze without the Empress.
"I thank the heroes of the Empire."
Following that, Eleonora stepped forward.
Her voice was soft.
"However, today, I do not wish to speak only of victory."
Ernst's eyebrows moved slightly.
"War is never beautiful. Someone loses a husband, someone loses a son, and someone loses their hometown."
It was true.
That part itself wasn't wrong.
"Therefore, we must now end the hatred."
The problem was what came next.
"The Arcadion Empire will pursue a new peace treaty with the Demons."
The ballroom stirred.
"What? With the Demons?"
"A peace treaty with those bastards?"
The faces of the Northern Army officers hardened.
The eyes of the Commander-in-Chief, Walter, turned fierce.
Ernst's adjutant, Eileen, stared at the Empress as if she had stopped breathing.
"That is correct."
Eleonora did not stop speaking.
"Now that the Demon Great Duke Balgras has fallen, it is the perfect opportunity for dialogue. A world where humans and demons can interact, trade, and shed no more blood. I want to create such a future."
Ernst did not smile.
Now that Balgras has fallen?
That wasn't an opportunity for dialogue.
It was an opportunity for annihilation.
Beyond the Black Rift, things were shaking.
Now that the Demon Great Duke was dead, the demon forces had lost their chain of command.
If the Empire gathered its strength, they could end the war that had lasted for hundreds of years.
And yet, they were signing a peace treaty?
The Demon King Asmodeon.
The other sub-male lead of the original novel.
A dangerous and alluring Demon King.
A character who was particularly popular with female readers.
'No way.'
Ernst's eyes turned cold.
'Is she doing this because she likes that character?'
Inside the ballroom, the nobles applauded.
It was the applause of those who did not know the battlefield.
Not a single person from the Northern Army clapped.
"And one more thing."
Eleonora smiled brightly.
"From now on, the Empire will discard old customs. Until now, the male-centered military has been authoritative and violent. From now on, we will open the path for women to advance into major positions, including the military. By doing so, we will create an advanced military that protects peace and freedom."
The female knights of the White Rose Knights raised their heads proudly.
"As expected of Her Majesty the Empress!"
"She is truly a progressive person!"
"Women can fight for the Empire too!"
"That's right! We must tear down and fix the male-centered system!"
At the Empress's declaration, the noble ladies cheered.
On the other hand.
The reaction of the Northern Army officers was completely different.
"An authoritative and violent military, huh... Heh..."
Walter, the Commander-in-Chief of the Northern Wall Territory, let out a hollow laugh, finding it too absurd.
The Imperial family and the Aristocratic Council—or to be more precise, the Empress.
Ever since she had been negative about compensation and treatment plans, Walter had suspected it.
That to the Empress and the nobles of this capital, the Northern Army was a dangerous group that could lash out at any moment.
"We spent our whole lives fighting to protect the Empire at the Northern Wall Territory. And now we are beings that harm the Empire?"
"We just fought with our lives on the line against the Demons... and now we're treated like criminals..."
The soldiers of the Northern Wall Territory were also greatly agitated.
Their past years were being entirely denied by the Empress.
'A male-centered military is authoritative and violent?'
Above all, it was Ernst who had gone coldly silent.
The military is a place that teaches you how to kill people.
Because there are men and there is a military, there is war, and women and children suffer.
'To think the woman who transmigrated into the original female lead is a crazy bitch.'
Ernst finally became certain.
Those types of women he had seen often enough when living on Earth before the transmigration.
The epitome of double standards.
This woman, the female lead of this romance fantasy novel and a transmigrator, was disgustingly one of those.
End of Chapter 3.