A Bitter Taste of Victory
Aquite Castle stood north of Ileang. It was a high fortress. One river away and it was the Blesk Empire. Pushing all the way here meant a true crisis had struck the kingdom.
The place was brutal. Even in summer the air felt sharp and cold.
Philippe VII, who had fled to Aquite to escape the enemy, received the news from messengers all across the land.
If the kingdom had not been on the brink, he would have looked like a spider waiting in the center with threads spread everywhere.
Yet the king who was about to fall looked pathetic, clinging to everything he could.
The news of victory at Ileang had arrived less than two days after Jeanne had slain Nicolas.
The king’s intelligence network was better than Mathias’s. Even if La Rochelle was under his rule, no one was faster than the king in the north.
He heard the good news but did not announce it.
He knew the soldiers’ win would give hope to the people, yet he stayed silent.
Only after Gaspard’s official dispatch arrived did the news reach the people of Aquite Castle.
Even hearing of the victory, the king’s face did not lighten like it had at the Jede battle.
“Gaspard has done a great service,” he said.
One sentence. It boiled down the fight at Ileang to nothing.
He ignored the exhaustion of soldiers who had not slept properly, the knights’ blood and souls poured into destroying siege weapons, and the struggle for victory.
Above all, he said not a single word of contempt for the princess who had slain the enemy commander.
Raphael, sensing something was wrong, added softly.
“Her Highness Jeanne has slain the enemy commander Nicolas.”
“Ah, I see. She has fulfilled her duty as a knight. She has found a fitting place for herself.”
The words sounded like praise yet not praise.
Raphael lifted his head to see the king’s face and was startled, then lowered it again. The king’s eyes were as cold as ice driven into ice.
“However, with only the knights’ strength, defeating the enemy completely will be difficult. How ready is the foreign minister for travel to the Empire?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. As soon as the order is given, I will depart immediately.”
“Prepare to leave at once. Go and meet the Emperor of the Empire as soon as possible. Inform him of our troubles and request military aid.”
“I will obey.”
The meeting ended there.
After the quick audience, Philippe VII returned to the best room in Aquite Castle. The old fortress was not as grand as La Rochelle or even Ileang.
A gloomy atmosphere seemed to seep from the walls. The heavy, stuffy air made anyone feel unpleasant just by staying.
Alone in his room, the king fell into deep thought.
“Why… why did I react like that?”
There was no need to reject Jeanne. Why did he feel that way? He could not understand himself.
He had seventeen children. With so many, it was hard to pay attention to each one. Especially Jeanne, she had never been close to him.
She fought hard on the front lines now. He would simply leave her be until she was of a suitable age for marriage.
“But why does something keep irritating me?”
Philippe recalled Jeanne.
Among his seventeen children, she resembled him most. Apart from the blue eyes that he barely remembered from her mother, she carried the king’s blood without doubt.
Watching the image of Jeanne in his mind, the king realized something.
“Those eyes.”
None of his children, not even the eldest Louis or the beloved Charles, could meet his gaze directly. That was why he did not know what their eyes looked like.
But Jeanne always looked at him with defiant eyes. Those bold, clear blue eyes were seared into his memory.
He hated arrogance. And to him, Jeanne was arrogant enough.
“No. Even if I say that, it is only the blood of a minor. Since I said she would be my sword, I will simply use her as a sword.”
Philippe poured wine for himself. Wine was the best way to ease his unease.
***
Raphael, who had succeeded Divine as the new foreign minister, was on his first official duty. He had to travel to the Blesk Empire as an envoy and request reinforcements.
Raphael returned to his temporary residence with heavy steps. He began packing his bags so they could leave immediately when the envoy party was ready.
He shoved clothes into the bag, found it too full, pulled them out, and rearranged them repeatedly. He did not seem to think of folding them neatly.
While packing hard, Raphael heard the door open. He continued packing without looking to see who it was.
“What is the matter here?”
“What do you mean? My friend is going far away. Of course I came to see him off.”
The visitor was Raphael’s friend, Simon.
Although Raphael was close with Divine, Simon had grown up with him since childhood. They were the best of friends, each one’s equal.
Simon, who had come for his friend, handed Raphael a handkerchief.
“What is this?”
“A handkerchief my wife embroidered.”
“No matter how many people I meet, a friend’s wife is…?”
He had not asked out of suspicion. It was not another gift. A handkerchief? Simon must have known the meaning behind it.
“Hey, stop overthinking. I requested it.”
Since he himself had asked his wife to make it, the meaning was Simon’s own. Raphael could guess why he had prepared such an odd gift.
“Usually a handkerchief for safe return is something a lady receives from a knight.”
“Take care of yourself while you go to the Empire.”
“I see. Thank you. I will accept it with a smile.”
Raphael smiled and tied the handkerchief in one corner of the bag.
Already the corner was filled with colorful handkerchiefs.
“Ah… you received all these in the meantime? As expected of Raphael.”
Simon scratched the back of his head. He had said he came quickly because he was thinking of his friend, but he had no idea other ladies would have gotten there first.
Raphael was no notorious rake. Simon shook his head.
After Raphael finished packing, Simon cleaned up the messy room. Then he brought up the topic to Raphael.
“His Majesty seems… um… uneasy?”
“What do you mean?”
“No, anyone can see that the main actor in the victory at Ileang is Her Highness Jeanne. Maybe it is a feeling of being pushed aside?”
“Is that so?”
“The fact that he specifically mentioned ‘a knight’s duty’ and confined Her Highness to that position makes it clear.”
Simon moved closer and lowered his voice.
“His Majesty is looking at Her Highness as a rival in power?”
Raphael shook his head.
“It does not seem that far yet. So far he has never given her any place. It may simply be that he does not like the idea of her becoming the successor.”
After saying it, Raphael hesitated.
‘It is improper, but when the kingdom is in danger, a successor is necessary. So that if something happens, they can respond.’
Immediately Raphael shook his head and erased the thought. It was more practical to worry about what to say at the Empire than to dwell on this now.
Simon, as if reading his mind, patted Raphael on the back.
“Go safely.”
“Yes, I will.”
Raphael replied with a grin.
***
One day had passed since Jeanne and her group arrived in La Rochelle.
Nael and Dane, who had enjoyed the La Rochelle night sea to the fullest, were still drunk and asleep even though the sun had risen long ago.
“You have come this far.”
Ethan clicked his tongue in disapproval and looked down at them.
They were staying at a residence prepared by the duke’s mansion. As high nobles, the rooms for guests were neat and tidy.
Ethan glanced at the clock on the wall, then kicked Nael and Dane with his foot. They remained asleep as if nothing was happening.
“Nael, sure. But even Dane.”
In the meantime, Ines, who had woken from the next room, entered. She had come because they were dawdling when they needed to go and train for battle on the ship.
Ines, who was thoroughly prepared, was already fully armed. She quickly assessed the situation and spoke to Ethan.
“Just kick them with your foot.”
Ethan looked troubled by her blunt words.
“No matter what, they are knights. Doing such a thing would damage their dignity.”
“They have already thrown away their dignity. What is the difference?”
“That may be true, but…”
“If Knight Ethan finds it difficult, I will do it.”
“Is there no other way besides kicking with the foot?”
Ethan asked Ines his opinion. While thinking, Ines drew a stiletto from her waist.
The stiletto was a narrow, sharp dagger good for piercing armor gaps. Most knights carried extra weapons, but it was unusual for her to carry many stilettos. Ines drew the blade and swept it across the edge of her shield.
Kiiiing—
A very unpleasant sound rang out as metal scraped against metal.
“Ugh…”
It was like the sound of dozens of ants crawling on his back. Ethan covered his ears in surprise.
“Aaaaaah!”
“Kiiieeeuh. Who is it?!”
Nael and Dane, shivering in pain, woke up trembling.
Only then did Ines stop and sheathe her stiletto again. Ethan shook his head with a dull ear to return to normal. The ringing in his ear still continued.
Ethan spoke to Ines.
“If you do that, the shield will be damaged, won’t it?”
Ines’s stiletto had been consumables from the start. That was why she carried many. Ethan, who knew that, let the blade dull.
But the shield was custom-made. As a knight who truly cared about weapons, he could not allow damage to others’ things like that.
“People are vulnerable to attacks using hearing. I asked the blacksmith to make it that way from the beginning.”
Ines was sometimes like a knight thorough in chivalry, and sometimes like the opposite. In battle her true nature showed. When defending she moved precisely and strictly, but when attacking she did not care about methods.
It was even said that some of her stilettos were poisoned. Whether true or not, it meant she had no intention of fighting chivalrously to begin with.
Was she acceptable as a mercenary? Raphael wondered about her origin, but Ines had never spoken of her past once. Even Dane, who had trained with her, did not know her childhood.
Nael, who jumped up, frowned with a hangover face and stood in front of Ines.
“Damn it! Hey! Are you picking a fight with me right now?”
“If you are awake, get ready to go. Of course, if you want to fight me, I will oblige.”
“Hmph, wait and see later.”
Nael went to change clothes with a swagger.
Dane sat on the floor with an awkward face.
He was on edge in case Nael and Ines collided. He had been ready to intervene, but it had gone smoothly.
Dane, who had sat for a while to catch his breath, pressed his forehead as his head throbbed and stood up.
“Ugh. The alcohol here really is strong.”
“That is why you should not have drunk so much.”
“Hehe, I got carried away by the atmosphere.”
“You should prepare quickly too. The captain is waiting.”
“Understood.”