Chapter 428: The Battle for Dmitry (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 428: The Battle for Dmitry (4)
Ares's betrayal.
It was a fatal blow.
As the castle gates crumbled and enemies poured through, Rodwell Dmitry stood his ground amidst fiercely raging flames. His presence was overwhelming. He exuded a monstrous aura, determined not to let a single enemy pass. But as time wore on, he was bound to hit his limit.
Slash!
Whoosh!
Another head flew into the air.
Flames erupted, sweeping across the battlefield, but the enemy immediately rushed in to fill the void. They left him no room to catch his breath. He couldn't let it end like this. Every battle in this war against the Kronos Empire had been won through Roman Dmitry's individual strength. This time, Rodwell refused to hold his brother back.
He had to hold out.
If he could just buy enough time, the Luna Kingdom's reinforcements would arrive.
The flames swirling around Rodwell swept away the charging soldiers in an instant.
Whoosh!
It was a chaotic melee.
He lost himself in the carnage. Slashing and dodging on pure instinct, he abandoned all logic and ran wild like a savage beast. Fear filled the eyes of the Kronos soldiers. Though they were forced to attack, they already looked at Rodwell Dmitry as if he were a demon.
It was then.
A very familiar voice pierced through Rodwell's heightened senses.
"Support Rodwell Dmitry! If the gates fall, it's over! Squad One, follow me and focus on covering fire!"
Boom!
Whoosh!
Magic exploded across the vanguard.
Whipping his head toward the ramparts, he saw Flora Lawrence. She had been stationed on the left wall, but was now leading a detachment of troops to support the gate. She had taken the initiative. After securing the left wall's defenses, she had convinced her superiors that the gate desperately needed reinforcement.
This hadn't been part of the plan.
Just as a Kronos knight launched a surprise attack on Rodwell, a fierce gust of wind swept down from the ramparts.
Thwack!
An arrow pierced the knight's forehead.
It was Flora Lawrence.
Keeping her eyes locked on Rodwell, she rapidly eliminated the surrounding threats to keep him from falling. A strange emotion stirred within him. While her actions could easily be dismissed as a necessary tactical decision to win the war, he felt deeply grateful that she had noticed his plight amidst the chaotic turmoil.
He turned his gaze back to the front.
Now was the time to focus on the reality before him.
Gritting his teeth, Rodwell charged forward, fighting desperately in a space swirling with blood and fire.
Ultimately,
They won the war.
But as the price of victory, a severely wounded Rodwell Dmitry was immediately carried off to the infirmary.
* * *
There was a grim reality behind their glorious victory.
The wounded, including Rodwell, were moved to the infirmary. The casualties were so vast that filling several buildings wasn't enough. Even among the injured, Rodwell's condition was critical. Having pushed far past his limits in battle, his life force had severely weakened from the horrific wounds covering his body.
He didn't wake up for a long time.
Days later,
When Rodwell finally regained consciousness, the first thing he saw was his mother weeping over him.
...I am truly a disappointing son.
He thought of Cairo's Western Front.
He had lost an eye there.
Seeing his mother's heartbroken face back then, he had vowed to become stronger so he would never cause her such pain again. But reality was cruel. The enemies Dmitry faced were simply too powerful. For someone who wasn't an absolute powerhouse like Roman Dmitry, he could achieve nothing without putting his life on the line.
He gently stroked his mother's hair.
Since he couldn't promise that this would never happen again, the best he could do was comfort her in her grief.
Over the next few days, however,
Rodwell heard some strange things.
Whenever people came to visit him, they all mentioned one specific person, almost as if they had planned it beforehand.
The first was Knight Commander Jonathan.
"Young Master Rodwell, it was a truly close call. If Flora Lawrence hadn't quickly assessed the situation and provided timely support, there's no telling what might have happened to you. Please, never overexert yourself like this again."
Only then did he realize that Flora had personally contacted the commanders and strongly insisted on sending support to aid him. In hindsight, it had been the perfect tactical decision. Because she had firmly secured the left wall's defenses before reinforcing the gate, Dmitry's walls hadn't fallen despite the unexpected variable of Ares's betrayal.
The second,
Was his father, Romero Dmitry.
"The Lawrence family sent various medicinal herbs for your treatment. We owe them a great debt. I heard Flora Lawrence personally went out of her way to procure them with great difficulty, so make sure you thank her later."
He didn't think much of it at first.
But when the third person—the healer who came to check on his wounds—spoke up, Rodwell finally realized the common thread.
"Oh, Lady Flora isn't here today? She's gone through so much trouble lately. She came by every single day to check on your wounds, and she would nag us endlessly if she noticed even the slightest thing off. But thanks to her, you were able to recover quickly. And you know, Lady Flora's heart is just as beautiful as her face. She even brought snacks for us healers from time to time."
While he had been unconscious,
Flora Lawrence had been by his side.
A strange feeling washed over him.
It made him view her in a new light, but he still didn't allow himself to think of her romantically. Flora Lawrence had, after all, been Roman Dmitry's betrothed. Even if their broken engagement had severed that connection, noble society wouldn't simply pretend it never happened.
It was a relationship that couldn't even begin.
That was the reality for Rodwell Dmitry and Flora Lawrence.
Yet, as time passed,
When Rihanna Dmitry brought up the topic of marriage...
To his utter bewilderment, the very first person who came to Rodwell's mind was Flora Lawrence.
* * *
The human heart requires a catalyst.
The moment he realized he had feelings for Flora Lawrence, Rodwell fell into deep turmoil.
I have harbored feelings I shouldn't have.
A broken engagement.
It was a label bound to cause trouble in noble society, and her former fiancé was none other than his own brother—the Emperor of the Dmitry Empire, Roman Dmitry. The future of any relationship with Flora Lawrence was painfully obvious. People would whisper, and scandalous rumors might even spread, questioning the true reason behind the original engagement's cancellation.
He couldn't even blame them.
If he were an outsider, the story of a younger brother taking his older brother's former fiancée wouldn't sit well with him either.
He retraced his thoughts.
How had he come to harbor such feelings?
Looking back, his bond with Flora hadn't been forged overnight.
On Cairo's Western Front, he had fought alongside her to hold back the Kronos Empire, and they had continued to build their connection through numerous subsequent battles. They had gradually accepted each other. As they synchronized their movements on the battlefield, they had unconsciously recognized the other's true character.
It was a bond forged over years.
When Rodwell was about to lose his eye, Flora had tried to stop him. When he collapsed while defending the gates, she had watched over his sickbed. Perhaps, blinded by the prejudice surrounding the broken engagement, they had actively tried to ignore each other. If Roman Dmitry hadn't stepped forward back then, a political marriage would have defined Flora's relationship with the family from the start. But once the tangled threads of their fates had settled, their dynamic was no longer the same.
He accepted reality.
If—
Just if—
He were to spend his life with someone, Rodwell wanted Flora Lawrence by his side.
Just as they had on Cairo's Western Front.
Just as they had during the total war against the Kronos Empire.
He felt a certain conviction that no matter what problems arose, they wouldn't matter as long as she was with him.
He agonized over it all night.
It was a relationship no one would welcome, and Flora herself had no idea how he felt. It was a truly ridiculous situation—getting so incredibly serious all by himself over a romance that didn't even exist yet.
Late that evening,
Rodwell set off.
Now that he knew his true feelings, he could no longer ignore them.
To open up new possibilities for the future, he went to find his brother and confessed what was in his heart.
And to him, Roman Dmitry simply said:
"Once, I was called the Fool of Dmitry. I caused all sorts of trouble, but those who accepted the newly changed me did not judge me based on past prejudices. Rodwell, just as my shameful history is all in the past, so is everything else. The nickname 'The Fool of Dmitry,' and even my broken engagement."
Roman looked at Rodwell.
With calm eyes, he lent strength to his brother's choice.
"If you are asking for my thoughts, I trust you. Do what you wish. Whatever you choose, and whatever people might whisper, Rodwell Dmitry is my brother."
That day,
Rodwell Dmitry fully accepted his own feelings.
* * *
She was taken aback.
Although she had suspected Flora Lawrence, hearing the name out loud left Rihanna Dmitry unable to react.
I had a feeling, but still...
In truth, she had noticed the signs.
She hadn't thought their relationship had progressed, but she had found it unusual how attentively Flora cared for Rodwell while he was unconscious. It was an emotion that went far beyond mere comradeship. Though the two of them seemed unaware of their own feelings, the unusual atmosphere had been plain to see from an outsider's perspective.
She understood.
The complex reality made it difficult for either of them to easily accept such a relationship.
Rihanna spoke up.
"Are you planning to marry Flora?"
"...It is merely a one-sided feeling for now. After listening to you, Mother, I went to my brother and confessed my heart. Then, I went to see Flora Lawrence. She told me that, as everyone knows, Dmitry and Lawrence have already drifted apart once due to the broken engagement, making it impossible to hastily speak of a relationship right now. I wouldn't have even realized my own feelings if you hadn't brought up marriage, Mother. I am not asking to discuss marriage with the Lawrence family immediately. I simply need time to properly sort out my feelings—to see whether we become something more, or remain comrades as we are now."
Flora's stance had been a clear rejection.
Rodwell and Flora.
The two of them were only at the very beginning.
What Rodwell was trying to say now was that he needed enough time to figure this relationship out.
Rihanna stared intently at her son's face.
She knew she should refuse.
Considering the prestige of the Dmitry Empire, public reputation, and various other complex political issues, this was something she shouldn't accept.
But she also knew.
She knew how Flora had conducted herself on the battlefield, and how much she had done for Rodwell. Come to think of it, Flora was the most ideal partner Rihanna could have wished for. No matter what happened in Arcadia, she felt that if Flora were with him, they could overcome anything.
She pondered for a long time.
After much deliberation, Rihanna spoke in a calm voice.
"The Lawrence family is a founding contributor of the Dmitry Empire. No matter what happened in the past, becoming in-laws with them is something to be celebrated. However, Rodwell, precisely because it is a relationship that has gone awry once before, you must proceed with the utmost caution. I heard that Flora Lawrence is also included in this expedition to Arcadia. Two years. Within that time, settle your relationship with Flora and tell me your decision. If you and Flora share the same feelings, I will gladly bless my son's future. But if your hearts still do not align by then, you must follow my wishes and seek a new match. Do you agree with your mother's terms?"
She took a step back.
If that was her son's wish,
She wanted to at least give him a chance.
Regardless of how their relationship with the Lawrence family had started, she had no desire to force her son's heart.
Understanding her feelings,
Rodwell spoke with deep sincerity.
"...Thank you, Mother."
* * *
At that same hour,
In the capital of Cairo.
Just as a battle of sorts had erupted around Rodwell, Lauren Dmitry was also drawing a great deal of attention.
However,
Lauren's situation was entirely different.
"Until Lauren Dmitry graduates from the Academy, we do not intend to discuss any matters regarding marriage."
That was the Dmitry family's official stance.
Because of this, attention naturally shifted to Rodwell, but not everyone was naive enough to just follow the crowd. The Dmitry family had only said they would suspend discussions on Lauren's marriage until graduation. In that case, couldn't they simply secure him beforehand and marry him off once he graduated?
People moved quickly.
And among them was a man whose life had been completely turned around thanks to Dmitry.
If I can just bring Lauren into our family... there could be no better situation than this.
Just the thought of it brought a smile to his face.
He, unlike the others, had a way to gain the upper hand.
It was then.
Knock, knock.
"Professor, may I come in?"
"Come on in."
The door opened, and Lauren Dmitry stepped inside.
The moment he saw Lauren's face, Henry Albert, a professor at the Cairo Royal Academy, beamed a bright smile.
"Ah, my lovely Lauren is here."
Abuse of authority.
Henry Albert was actively exploiting his position.