Chapter 91
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 91
Lucas let out a sharp, mocking scoff.
“Since when have Easterners ever given a damn about peace?”
“It’s about time we started.”
A faint shadow of warning flickered across Tyron’s face. The cavalry warrior, his narrow eyes piercing as if reading Lucas’s very thoughts, continued with a grave expression.
“While His Excellency was bedridden, the unity of the East weakened noticeably. Meanwhile, the Zram people have been steadily expanding their influence. If those bastards launch a full-scale invasion, the East will be reduced to a sea of fire in an instant. This is no time to be squabbling over trivial matters.”
The crooked smirk Lucas had been wearing vanished.
“Aren’t you being a bit dramatic? The Zram are a nuisance, sure, but we have the most powerful cavalry in the Empire. What does it matter if some savages pushed to the fringes grow their numbers?”
“Even that cavalry is nothing more than a disorganized rabble without a strong leader.” Tyron let out a frustrated sigh. “While the Grand Duke has been away from the front lines, lords across the East have been carving out their own power. The warriors they command swear fealty to their own lords, not House Sieorkan. If those lords were to unite and rebel, the East would fracture in a heartbeat.”
Faced with this string of pessimistic predictions, Lucas’s expression hardened.
He was aware that some vassals were making suspicious moves, but he had never imagined the situation was as dire as Tyron described.
Lucas shot back, his tone stiffening. “If the vassals plot treason, the Imperial Palace won’t just sit idly by. House Sieorkan is a direct vassal of the Emperor. Defying the Grand Ducal House is no different from rebelling against the Roem Empire itself.”
“You don’t understand what I’m saying.” Tyron clicked his tongue roughly. “I’m saying we must ensure a rebellion never happens in the first place. By the time the Imperial Palace intervenes, the East will already be a shambles. We must restore discipline before it reaches that point.”
Lucas found no words to retort and fell silent. Watching him with a stern gaze, Tyron drove the point home.
“The inauguration of the new Grand Duke will be the catalyst that unites the East once more. You, too, must cooperate as a member of House Sieorkan.”
“...In the end, you’re just telling me to sit quietly and do as my brother says.”
“Is that not the inevitable fate of a second son?”
Tyron’s words carried a sharp sting. After glaring at him in silence, Lucas snapped his reins, shaking off the annoying lecture.
He was only fifteen. He didn’t want to worry about the complex politics of the East or his duties as a second son just yet. He spurred his horse forward ostentatiously.
As he shot across the plains, a vast pasture unfolded beneath the sun dipping toward the west. Stopping his horse at the crest of a hill, Lucas surveyed the hundreds of horses grazing peacefully before turning his mount toward a large campsite nearby.
As he approached a large tent that served as the assembly hall, a burly man dressed in a flamboyant coat ran out to greet him.
“Welcome! I’ve been waiting with bated breath for your arrival!”
He was a vassal of House Sieorkan whom Lucas knew well. Leaping nimbly from his saddle, Lucas called out energetically.
“Kun Badera! It’s been a while.”
“It has indeed, Young Master Lucas. You’ve grown quite a bit since we last met.”
“And you’ve put on even more weight.”
The man let out a boisterous laugh and roughly ruffled Lucas’s hair. “That sharp tongue of yours is the same as ever.” A relaxed smile played across his bearded face, but then he suddenly looked around. “By the way, where are the others? I heard the newly inaugurated Grand Duke would be arriving with the cavalry warriors...”
“They’ll be here soon.” Lucas gestured toward the hill with a disinterested shrug. “They were nagging me so much I just rode ahead.”
No sooner had he spoken than hundreds of cavalrymen appeared over the ridge.
Kun Badera immediately ordered the servants to prepare for the guests. Lucas also headed toward the hill to fulfill his duties.
Just then, Barkas stepped out of the traveling carriage that had arrived in front of the assembly hall.
Lucas, who had been running over to attend to him, suddenly skidded to a halt. The Second Imperial Princess was cradled in his brother’s arms.
Barkas, supporting the woman—who looked completely exhausted and limp—with one arm as if she weighed nothing, scanned the surroundings. “Where are we staying?”
Kun Badera, who had been staring blankly at the two, hurried over and bowed his head. “I—it is an honor to meet you, Your Excellency. I am Kun Badera, the one in charge of Your Excellency’s horses.”
Stammering with a face full of tension, the man turned and added, “Please, follow me. I will escort you to the quarters prepared for the two of you.”
Barkas, pressing the woman’s weakly drooping head against his shoulder, followed the man. After a moment’s hesitation, Lucas followed behind them.
The man led them to a large tent located in the center of the campsite. Inside the conical tent, which was covered in pitch-treated cloth, were a large bed and luxurious furniture.
After surveying the interior, Barkas laid the woman down on the wide bed and gave Lucas an order.
“Go and call an attendant. There should be a quarter-dwarf among Her Highness’s maids.”
“...I thought my job was to attend to you, Brother.”
Barkas, who was lowering the canopy over the bed, let out a dry, incredulous laugh. “And did I not just give you an order?”
“The task you’ve given me is a trivial errand for servants. My job is to look after your horse or your weapons...”
“Your job is to obey my instructions without a word.”
Barkas stood up and strode toward him. Lucas instinctively took a step back. Gripping Lucas’s shoulder with one hand, Barkas slowly brushed back the boy’s messy hair.
“Lucas, from now on, you will learn how to submit to me. It is a virtue you should have learned from the moment you first sat on a horse.”
Lucas froze, stiff as a mouse before a snake. Barkas peered into his face with a chilling gaze and added calmly, “From now on, if you talk back to me, you will face the appropriate consequences. Do you understand?”
Gulping hard, Lucas nodded slowly. Barkas gave a sharp nod of his chin.
“Then go and bring the maid at once.”
Lucas bolted out of the tent immediately. It seemed this tour was not going to be a pleasant outing after all. He trudged away, messily ruffling his hair in frustration.
* * *
A throbbing pain in her knees crawled up to her hips.
Tossing and turning on the thick sheets, Thalia forced her heavy eyelids open. A strange ceiling, flickering with firelight, filled her vision.
Blinking, Thalia slowly pushed herself up. Then, she suddenly realized she was wearing nothing but a thin linen slip and gasped in shock. She hurriedly felt her legs and found the bandages she had wrapped that morning. It seemed only her outer garments had been removed.
Just as she let out a small sigh of relief, she heard the faint sound of splashing water nearby. Thalia whipped her head around and froze at the sight of Barkas, shirtless, washing his face.
He scooped up water in his palms and ran them over the nape of his neck. Streams of clear water flowed slowly down the taut contours of his lean muscles. Thalia stared blankly at the sight before finally squeezing out a voice.
“W—what are you doing?”
Barkas, rubbing his face with wet hands, turned toward her. His pale, damp physique filled her vision. Thalia’s face turned bright red as she hurriedly pulled the blanket up to her chest.
“Why—why are you undressed! You pervert!”
Barkas looked down at her in silence and let out a heavy sigh. “I can hardly wash with my clothes on.”
“I—I mean, why are you washing in here...!”
Thalia let out a shrill cry, but her breath hitched in the next moment. Barkas had leaned over the bed and covered her mouth with one hand.
“Keep your voice down.”