Herban Kingdom (4) - An Unwanted Betrothal
The carriage was silent the entire way to Hartman village. Even though Katia and Tiar were reuniting after a long time, neither spoke a single word. It would be more accurate to say they had no room to. The boiling anxiety, restlessness, and worry over it all seemed to make even the sound of their breathing feel deafening.
"W-we've arrived. You'll have to walk the rest of the way from here." The coachman, sensing the taut tension, stopped the carriage and glanced back nervously as he spoke.
The pair stepped down and raced toward the village without a word between them. Katia vanished like a bolt of lightning, prompting Tiar to marvel at the sight.
Katia unnie...! She's so fast!
Katia, pouring every ounce of strength into her sprint, reached the village entrance in moments. The guard post stood empty, and she sensed no human presence nearby.
"......"
With sharp eyes, Katia advanced inside and searched for any trace of people. Soon she detected a presence at the village center and quickly headed that way.
"K-Katia!" Taron shouted when he spotted her. A severe injury marked his shoulder, and he was in the middle of treating it. All the villagers seemed to have gathered here, filling the area with a restless crowd. Some were untying others' bonds, while people rejoiced, froze in terror, or comforted crying children—each reacting in their own way.
Katia approached Taron. The villagers, aware of her accomplishments, looked at her with surprise, but the heavy atmosphere kept anyone from speaking.
"I've heard the situation. Where did they go?" Katia asked, holding back the words she truly wanted to say.
"I don't know. They looked ready to kill us at any moment, but suddenly they withdrew from the village."
"...Where is Ray?"
Katia's gaze darted around urgently, but he was nowhere to be seen. Taron opened his mouth with difficulty.
"It was too far to hear clearly... but from the circumstances, it seems Ray sacrificed himself to save us..."
"...What do you mean?"
"He was taken by the Black Swan Knights."
Thud!
For a moment, Katia felt as if a hammer had struck her head. Just then, Tiar arrived late and came running.
"Unnie!"
"Tiar..."
"What happened? The enemy? Where's Ray?"
"......"
Katia closed her mouth. She needed to coldly piece together a plan for what to do next, yet her mind had gone completely blank.
Thump.
In the end, Katia sank to the ground. Taron rose and explained the situation to Tiar in her place.
"I-I see..."
Tiar grew just as downcast as Katia. It was fortunate the villagers were safe, but Ray's fate—the one they perhaps valued even more—had fallen into uncertainty. The two fell silent, and as if contagious, the village filled with nothing but heavy stillness.
How long had that silence lasted?
Clip-clop. Clip-clop. The sound of horses walking echoed. Clank. Clank. The clashing of armor followed. After that came the noisy chatter of soldiers, and at the head of the column, Rafael Vaster dismounted and surveyed the surroundings.
"It's clear there was an ambush."
If the Black Swan Knights had truly come, their purpose in striking this place was obvious: the life of Katia, who was returning to her hometown. Rafael had sent word to the kingdom and hastily formed a unit to follow her.
Yet what filled his eyes upon entering the village was the forlorn back of Katia sitting collapsed on the ground.
"......"
Rafael, who had always admired her upright, cold, and composed nature, found this version of her utterly shocking. Pitiful. Heartbreaking. He wanted to wrap those fragile shoulders in his arms right then and there. A suffocating impulse shook him.
Could this be an opportunity granted by the heavens? The thought circled through his mind.
But Rafael barely restrained the urge. He did not want to turn her sorrow into his own chance.
"Investigate the damage. Treat the injured, then assess the full situation."
"Yes!"
After issuing the order, Rafael approached Katia and gazed at her back.
"Sir Katia."
"......"
Katia remained lost in a daze. She seemed to lack even the strength to answer.
"Stand up at once. What kind of display is this?"
"......"
"This isn't like you at all. Assessing the situation and acting immediately is one of your ironclad principles, is it not?"
"......"
"Stand up immediately. This is an order from the crown prince."
"......"
Suddenly Katia lifted her head. She turned around. The eyes that had always been cold now carried the wistful look of a woman.
"...!"
Rafael felt a deep throb in his chest once more. The desire to protect Katia flooded his mind completely.
Katia slowly rose to her feet. After taking one deep breath, she apologized to Rafael.
"I'm sorry. I showed you an unsightly side of myself."
"N-no, not at all."
Her clumsy, honest apology revealed yet another facet of her. Rafael's heart beat faster.
"I'll report what I know. The Black Swan Knights launched a surprise attack on Hartman village. Casualties still need to be confirmed, but there are no deaths. However, there is one person missing."
Katia's voice trailed off. Rafael tilted his head.
"Missing?"
"It appears the Black Swan Knights dragged him away when they left the village. His name is Ray. He grew up in this village."
"......"
Ray. Come to think of it, when he had spoken with the girl who seemed to be Katia's sister at the lord's castle, that name had come up.
Are they acquainted? Could it be the friend she mentioned back then?
He wanted to press for details, but fearing it would look strange, Rafael held back.
"I see. If they took him, there must be a reason. We'll investigate that later... My guess is that their true target in raiding this place was you, Sir Katia. I never trusted the marriage alliance, but to think they would move so quickly and strike us in the back like this."
"......"
"We must reinforce the perimeter and return to the palace at once. There's no telling what might happen next."
Rafael mounted his horse again. Katia took the mount a soldier offered and joined the returning column.
Slowly, Katia turned to look back at the village. She had been certain she would see him, yet everything had crumbled into emptiness.
"......"
Grip.
Suddenly Katia clenched the reins with crushing force. The startled horse neighed and reared onto its hind legs.
"Sir Katia...?"
The nearby soldiers and Rafael turned toward her in alarm. Katia calmed the horse and quietly felt the emotions boiling inside her as she thought.
You've done something interesting. Taking the person most precious to me.
Herban Kingdom. Black Swan Knights. And their commander, Viola Kalbern.
We will meet soon.
And I will make certain you pay the price.
No matter what screams you utter, I will never forgive you.
So... until then...
Please stay alive.
Ray... I'm begging you....
Suppressing her rage and worry, Katia spoke in a calm voice.
"It's nothing."
As Katia urged her horse forward, the halted column began moving once more.
The warm morning sunlight felt the same as always. Yet the unfamiliar softness of the bed and blankets jolted me awake.
I sat bolt upright and looked around. A spacious room. Luxurious furniture. Sunlight filtering through the curtains. Even the peaceful silence. Everything felt disorienting.
Then it happened.
Knock. Knock.
Someone rapped on the door and entered.
"Oh? You're awake?"
Unlike her uniformed appearance before, Viola now wore a light black dress. She set a silver tray on the bedside table and sat in the chair.
"I was so~ worried, you know. Do you realize how many days you were unconscious? To hold on in that state... Your mental strength really is impressive, Kael."
"......"
"Ah, your real name is Ray? I heard it while we were pulling out of the village. I'll call you Ray from now on. Hehe."
"What did you do with the people?"
I had accepted her words and immediately lost consciousness, so anxiety gnawed at me. She gave a subtle smile.
"What do you think I did?"
"......"
"Ah ah, don't look at me with such scary eyes. Hehe. Don't worry. I didn't kill a single person."
"...I see."
The tension in my chest eased a little. That was truly a relief.
"This is my mansion. It's where I live and stay."
Viola stood and pulled back the curtains. A garden came into view below the window.
"Ray will be living here from now on."
"...What's your scheme?"
"Scheme? Hoho. I'll tell you that honestly later. For now, focus only on recovering."
"......"
It was difficult to accept her goodwill. After all, I had witnessed her monstrous strength and madness firsthand when we clashed.
She hummed as she sat back down, tapping the blanket over me with her fingers like piano keys.
"You know~? Want to hear the story? Our original goal was to ambush Katia, kill her, or take her alive. Oh, that's right. That was your hometown too, Ray, so you two must know each other quite well~?"
"No."
It was better to hide what could be hidden. Viola shrugged.
"Well, even if you are acquainted, it doesn't matter now that you're in my hands, Ray. Hehe. Anyway, what I was going to say is that I got thoroughly chewed out by the king and my father. I knew they'd be angry, but I didn't expect them to explode quite that much~ Honestly, I have zero interest in whatever happens between Bartion and the Herban Kingdom~"
"......"
I listened quietly.
"So while making excuses, I ended up lying."
"...?"
"I told them I found my prince in that village and fell head over heels. That I became so infatuated the mission and everything else disappeared from my sight."
"......"
Viola leaned her face closer.
"Actually, Ray and I have known each other since the past, but right now we're not even friends, are we? It's true I have feelings for you, but it seems you don't feel the same at all~ Yet once I told that lie, things snowballed. So this might feel sudden, but listen carefully."
Viola's eyes grew serious.
"Before long, our engagement ceremony will be held."
"...."
"My father cherishes me greatly, so he's quite terrifying. Hehe. Anyway, that's how things turned out. To keep your life, you should focus entirely on recovering. The medicine and water are on the tray, so take them properly, okay?"
Viola, apparently delighted by something, stood up humming and left the room.
I couldn't make sense of the situation unfolding around me.
Engagement...?