Subjugating the Female General (31)
It was the following morning before Adrian approached Dong-hyun's camp. She came riding in splendid armor, looking exactly as she had when they first met—so commanding and majestic that it was almost impossible to believe she had endured so much.
"You've been through a lot. You must have ridden through the night."
At Dong-hyun's kind words, Adrian's face flushed red. It was as if she could feel his heart completely, just as it was.
"I'm all right. Something like this isn't hard at all."
In truth, Adrian's stamina was so immense that going three days without sleep was nothing to her.
"Come here."
When Dong-hyun opened his arms, Adrian nestled softly into his embrace. Her ears burned scarlet, and the heart of the woman in his arms was pounding so hard it seemed ready to burst. The feeling of becoming a girl in love only made her more embarrassed.
"You've suffered so much."
Dong-hyun patted the back of the woman who was now completely his, offering her comfort. She had endured countless hardships. Perhaps this quest had changed Adrian's fate entirely. It had all started because of that bastard Ailes, and Dong-hyun felt a pang of guilt that she had been forced to suffer things she never should have faced.
He had carried out the quest on Serién's commission, so he had been desperate himself—but a sliver of apology had lingered in one corner of his heart. He had buried that feeling deep. If he allowed himself compassion for someone he meant to subjugate, he would never be able to be cruel enough. And then he would fail to break them. So only now, with Adrian completely his, did he finally take that feeling out and give it voice.
Something surged in Adrian's chest at his words. She had suffered a great deal, and she had felt shame. But now that she had decided to offer him everything, she simply accepted the care he showed her.
After their brief reunion, Dong-hyun and Adrian immediately set the troops in motion. The Kairan Kingdom had already begun to move, and time was running short. Dong-hyun asked if they could march at once, and Adrian accepted without hesitation. This was for her family, after all. With Adrian among them, the army advanced even faster.
House Wendelin felt like a house of mourning. The great name of the Wendelin dukedom had long since vanished.
When Adrian had still been there, the manor had been filled with servants. Now, nearly all of them had fled. The moment rumors spread that the Kairan Kingdom had branded House Wendelin as traitors and dispatched an army, almost every servant abandoned the estate. They hadn't simply left. They had stripped the house of anything of value and run. Teresa, Adrian's mother, and Arisa, her younger sister, hadn't even dared to stop them. They were lucky the fleeing servants hadn't harmed them on the way out.
"Arisa... you at least must flee. Quickly."
"But what about you, Mother?"
"I will remain here."
"That's absurd. Let's run away together."
Arisa shook her head, refusing stubbornly. But Teresa spoke to her daughter with a calm face.
"When the Kairan royal army storms this house and finds no one, they will surely send pursuers. I will take responsibility for all of this. You at least must escape."
"Hic... no... we have to go together..."
Arisa understood what her mother meant, but she could not bring herself to leave her behind.
"Your sister is surely still alive somewhere. Find her. If anyone can restore our house, it's Adrian."
Tears spilled from Teresa's eyes as well. She did not truly believe Adrian was still alive. But she said it anyway, knowing Arisa would never leave otherwise. Only then did Arisa nod.
"Mother... you have to stay alive. I'll find my sister and come back to save you."
"Yes, my daughter. I believe you. We will meet again, alive."
They clung to each other, weeping. Time was short, so Teresa sent Arisa away. Through her tears, she burned the image of her daughter leaving the manor into her eyes.
Perhaps... no, almost certainly, this would be the last she ever saw of her child. She had lost her husband young, then found hope in her eldest daughter's growth—only to lose Adrian as well, becoming the last lady of the ancient House Wendelin. The last thing she could do was keep Arisa alive, so that something of the line might continue.
The reason Teresa did not use the dagger she had kept close to her heart was simple. If she took her own life here, they would surely send hunters after Arisa. If she remained and endured whatever torment came—if she was executed as the lady of House Wendelin—then the Kairan Kingdom would have no reason to hunt Arisa so desperately. That was her belief.
How did our House Wendelin come to this... My love... if you are in heaven, please watch over us...
She had never once resented the husband who had gone first. She had loved him that much; he had been a good man. All she wanted was for him to protect them.
About a day after Arisa fled, an army led by Duke Silvestri Crops stormed House Wendelin. From the moment they entered the Wendelin duchy, no force stood in their way.
Even after Adrian vanished, troops had remained to defend the territory—but the instant word came that House Wendelin had been charged with treason and an army was coming, they too scattered one by one. The elite soldiers who had sworn loyalty to Adrian had already dispersed when she was taken.
Duke Crops's army crossed the duchy as if it were unclaimed land. The Wendelin duchy had been a rich and peaceful place. From the previous duke down to Adrian, its rulers had been capable. The residents watched the passing army with anxious eyes, but none had the courage to resist. They had heard the news of treason. To get involved would mean not only their own execution, but their families' as well.
And so the invaders reached House Wendelin without a single loss. They stationed soldiers in front of the manor. Had the household resisted stubbornly or talked back, they might have looted the place—but with the lord of the Wendelin duchy gone, Duke Crops or his sons might well divide the territory among themselves. It was a prosperous land. There was no need to harm the residents.
After posting the soldiers, Duke Crops entered House Wendelin with only a few of his knights. The one who greeted them there was Teresa Wendelin, alone. She met them with her head held high.
"Duke Crops. It's been a long time. About five years, is it?"
Teresa had withdrawn from public life after her husband's death, but she had faced Duke Silvestri on several occasions. In fact, when Teresa had still been a maiden, both House Wendelin and House Crops had wanted her. She had chosen House Wendelin. Duke Silvestri had a sly streak; her husband's character had been far superior.
"Kahahaha. Does that beauty of yours simply refuse to age? You're still as stunning as ever."
Duke Silvestri treated her without the slightest restraint.
"We have never plotted treason. I will explain everything clearly to His Majesty the King. Please withdraw."
Teresa spoke with dignity. But Duke Silvestri's manner did not change.
"Hmm? Boys. Why is this bitch still standing there so proudly?"
At his words, the two knights behind him walked toward Teresa.
"Watch your tongue!!"
Teresa snapped, but the knights did not stop. They seized her body with casual force, twisted her arms, and forced her to her knees.
"Aagh!!"
A short scream tore from Teresa as the knight's brutal strength wrenched both her arms behind her back and drove her to the floor.
"Hmmm... thirty years ago, was it? When I proposed to you, you chose Leon. Do you still not regret that choice?"
Standing before the kneeling Teresa, Duke Silvestri dredged up the old rejection.
"Of course not. I have never once regretted marrying him. He was a magnificent man. Unlike you."
She lifted her chin and glared at him as she spoke. It was the pride befitting the lady of House Wendelin.
"Kahahat. That's right. You were that kind of woman. Caught up in romance and fairy tales, with no sense of reality. That's why you've ended up like this."
He flicked a glance at the knights. They began tearing Teresa's clothes to shreds.
"Kyaaah!! What are you doing!!"
She had not expected him to go this far. Teresa screamed. But the knights' hands showed not a shred of mercy. In an instant every garment, down to her underclothes, was ripped to tatters, and she was left completely naked, forced to her knees before Duke Silvestri.