Chapter 42: The Flower of Lawrence (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 42: The Flower of Lawrence (3)
The connection was established through magic communication.
As Roman's image materialized in the air, Flora sat across from him, her expression taut with tension.
"A way to save Lawrence from this crisis. What exactly is it?"
She didn't beat around the bush. With Lawrence's soldiers dying outside the walls at this very moment, she desperately needed a solution.
[Since you're asking so directly, I'll be frank. I intend to take revenge on the Barco family for personal reasons. The decision has already been made; at this point, it's simply a matter of timing. That is why I contacted you. If the Lawrence family agrees to cooperate with my plan, I will advance my schedule and crush the Barco family alongside you.]
Roman's proposal was entirely unexpected.
For Lawrence, it was an oasis in the desert, but Flora knew there was a catch.
"...What do we have to do?"
[It's simple. Sacrifice yourselves for the plan. If the Lawrence family is willing to bleed first and set the stage, I swear on the name of Roman Dmitry that I will do everything in my power to help you. For our conversation to proceed, you must first promise me that.]
Sacrifice.
It was a heavy word. Flora's brow twitched.
Roman Dmitry was a man with incredibly clear boundaries. Just as he had readily accepted their broken engagement, he was now making it clear that he would never sacrifice himself for a stranger. If she followed her heart, she would have slapped away his outstretched hand. Roman's very existence was a sore spot for Flora; just speaking with him made an inexplicable, turbulent emotion boil deep inside her.
But she had no choice.
Pushed to the edge of a cliff, they had to be prepared to make sacrifices.
He made this offer knowing exactly how desperate we are. Even if he shamelessly demands our sacrifice, Roman Dmitry is the only one who has reached out to Lawrence. We cannot afford to reject him.
She clenched her fists. Her pride had been discarded long ago. The only thing that mattered to Flora now was her family's safety.
Looking straight into Roman's eyes, she said, "I promise. As long as it protects my family, I will do whatever it takes."
[There is one more thing you must promise.]
"Speak."
[My participation in this war will cause a great deal of controversy later. Because our engagement was broken, I have no justification to intervene, and the Central Government connections backing the Barco family will certainly raise issues. Therefore, there is something you must do. If you truly want the Lawrence family to be safe, give me a justification to enter this war.]
Justification.
At first, she didn't understand what he meant. But as Roman elaborated, Flora found it impossible to maintain her composure.
The conversation ended. She hadn't accepted the proposal yet.
With Roman's parting words that he would wait exactly thirty minutes, Flora walked toward the castle walls with heavy steps.
Is accepting Roman's proposal truly the right choice?
Roman's explanation had been shocking.
"The Barco family orchestrated a plot to drive a wedge between Dmitry and Lawrence. While I was drunk, they arranged for me to be in the same room as Emily Barco, a branch member of their family, and used that as leverage to pressure us into breaking the engagement. That is my personal reason for seeking revenge against them, and it is also how you will provide me with my justification.
"Claim that Antony Barco assaulted you. Even though nothing happened between you two, you must declare that his assault made it impossible to proceed with the marriage to Dmitry, which is why the engagement was broken. Your reputation will hit rock bottom because of this. Your beautiful title as the 'Flower of Lawrence' will be shattered, and the consecutive scandals of a broken engagement and an assault will be fatal in the aristocratic world. However, if you sacrifice your standing as a noble daughter, you will gain the one crucial thing needed to resolve Lawrence's crisis."
Remembering those words, her hands trembled.
It was a reality that Flora could not easily accept, but she refused to avert her eyes like a coward. She was no greenhouse flower. In the face of cold reality, Flora was prepared to give up everything.
"And that is the justification for me to intervene in this war. I never forgive those who touch my people. It was true for Blood Fang, and it is no different now. If the assault occurred before the engagement was broken, then you, Flora Lawrence, were still one of my people. If you promise me this one thing, I will make sure Antony Barco never looks at you with lustful eyes again."
My people.
Her heart skipped a beat. Even though this was a transaction for mutual benefit, Roman was acknowledging that Flora would have been considered one of his own had the engagement not been broken.
He truly was an enigmatic man. Roman was willing to undertake the dangerous task of making an enemy out of the Barco family for that justification alone.
Boom!
Crash!
"The wall has collapsed!"
"Hurry, bring the iron barricades!"
In the brief moment she had been away, chaos had erupted on the walls.
A section of the ramparts had crumbled under the continuous bombardment of the Flares. In the distance, Barco's soldiers could be seen surging forward like a tide. Lawrence wouldn't hold out much longer. Stripped of the wall's advantage, they were no match for the enemy in either quality or quantity. It was only a matter of time before the estate fell.
The situation was bleak.
With flames erupting everywhere she looked, Flora rushed to the defensive line and began firing arrows alongside the soldiers.
Thwack!
"Argh!"
Below the wall, one of the charging soldiers collapsed.
Flora quickly nocked another arrow. A dull ache throbbed in her fingers, a testament to how relentlessly she had practiced over the past few days. But that didn't matter right now. Ripping away the cumbersome fabric of her skirt, Flora shifted into a proper stance to draw her bow and shouted fiercely to the soldiers.
"Attack! We will never fall!"
In that moment, Flora realized something. From the instant she stepped onto this battlefield, her life as an ignorant noble daughter was over.
"Hendel!"
It was her maid's name. As Hendel ran toward her with a terrified face, Flora spoke, her eyes locked onto her next target.
"Contact Roman Dmitry right now. Tell him I agree to whatever terms he wants. Tell him to wipe out those damn Barco bastards immediately. I refuse to become Antony Barco's concubine."
She had made her decision. From this moment on, Flora would live a new life.
* * *
Click.
Roman cut off the magic communication.
Hearing the news that Flora had accepted the proposal, Chris, who had been watching the situation unfold beside him, asked, "Are we attacking immediately?"
Roman and his soldiers were stationed not far from Lawrence. If he gave the order now, they could provide immediate assistance, but Roman had no intention of rushing.
"No. We will watch a little longer."
"If we drag our feet, Lawrence might fall. Barco has deployed Flares for the siege. Their firepower isn't something Lawrence can withstand. If you truly intend to help Lawrence and thwart Barco's plans, we must attack the enemy's rear right now to give them room to breathe."
It was sound advice. Chris had studied military strategy; he knew Lawrence had been pushed to the brink.
However, Roman thought differently.
"Why should I care about that?"
"...Pardon?"
"Whether Lawrence falls or not is of no concern to me. Even if the walls collapse and Barco's forces overrun them, Lawrence will fight to the death. They will hold out for at least an hour. What I want is to reap the maximum benefit with the minimum damage from this conflict between Lawrence and Barco."
It was a ruthless statement. Completely discarding human conscience, he thought only of practical gain.
"Chris."
"Yes."
"There is something you must keep in mind if you are to follow me. To me, preventing a single drop of blood from one of my people is far more important than the lives of hundreds of strangers. Many people in Lawrence will die in this battle today. But that is the consequence of following an incompetent leader. Unlike him, I have no intention of forcing meaningless sacrifices upon those who have sworn loyalty to me. So, rest for now. When the time comes for us to step in—bought by Lawrence's sacrifice—we will have to shed blood."
"...Understood."
Chris nodded. Now he knew for certain.
Roman Dmitry. He might be utterly ruthless to outsiders, but he was a man truly worthy of one's sworn loyalty.
* * *
Atop the castle walls, the situation was deteriorating rapidly.
With Barco's army pressing right up to their noses, Flora approached Viscount Lawrence.
"Father! We must open the gates right now and face Barco's army head-on!"
"What are you talking about?!"
Open the gates? To Viscount Lawrence, it was an unthinkable suggestion. But with no time to explain in detail, Flora pressed her father, her tone firm.
"Roman Dmitry just promised to help us via magic communication. The only reason we can't withstand Barco's attack is because of those Flares. If we open the gates now and distract the enemy, Roman Dmitry will lead his forces to destroy them."
"Why on earth would Roman Dmitry do that?"
"There's no time to explain. But I am certain that Roman Dmitry is a man of his word."
Viscount Lawrence's mind spun in confusion.
Roman Dmitry. Having briefly seen him during the Blood Fang incident, he knew Roman was no ordinary young master. The way he had stood, looking straight at him, had been brimming with absolute confidence. Just as Flora said, he did not seem like a man who would go back on his word.
The problem was, he had no reason to help Lawrence. If anything, he should harbor ill will over the broken engagement. There was no conceivable reason for Roman Dmitry to assist them.
Is trusting Roman Dmitry and opening the gates truly the right choice? According to my daughter, Roman intends to help us with his own strength, without relying on his family's power. But our opponent is the Barco family. No matter how much we distract them, breaking through their trained troops and the elites of the Berge Mercenary Group to reach the Flares is a near-impossible task. Besides, if he doesn't know how to use Aura, he won't even be able to destroy the Flares in the first place.
He couldn't make a decision.
At this crossroads of life and death, Viscount Lawrence was weak. He was naturally faint-hearted; the more dangerous the situation, the more he lacked the resolve to make the right judgment.
Then, Flora spoke again.
"Father—no, Dad. We are already fighting a losing battle. The moment we chose to fight to the death, we staked everything on this war. If we cannot defeat Barco today, the Lawrence family will be erased from the history of the Cairo Kingdom. So please, trust me. Receiving Roman Dmitry's help and destroying those Flares is our only way to survive."
Flora pleaded desperately.
Only then did Viscount Lawrence truly look at his daughter. The armor over her upper body was blackened by soot and ash, and her torn skirt fluttered in the wind. Her hands tightly gripped a bow.
While he, the head of the family, was too weak to make a decision, Flora had stepped up and found a way to solve their crisis.
He chose to believe her. His only daughter.
Overcoming his fear, Viscount Lawrence roared to his soldiers, "Open the gates immediately! Roman Dmitry has promised to aid us! Charge out of the gates and strike down the heinous villains of Barco!"
The heavy iron gates swung wide open.
Just as Roman had planned, Lawrence chose to sacrifice themselves to set the stage.