“We have to go down a bit to the east. A riverside village full of birch sawmills. I will continue to circle the eastern part of the duke’s residence.”
Michael recited the agenda without taking out his notebook.
I was terrified at the thought that there was still a long way to go. I grumbled as soon as I got into the glass carriage.
“The clothes are too heavy.”
“It’s natural because it’s a princess’ evening dress. If you don’t like it, go to the village chapel and borrow wedding dresses worn by over 100 people.”
Michael responded. Again, in an annoying way.
Maybe he didn’t like the way I was dressed up prettily as he had been grumpy since morning.
I decided to save my energy, instead of replying, I brought my feet near the man and kicked him in the side.
And I smiled broadly at him, who frowned.
“Did you have a good chat with the border rebels while I was smiling over there?”
“…I did.”
Michael answered gently while stroking his side, which was kicked by the tip of my shoe.
It was amazing.
It was only for a short time that I went to the reception of the villagers and drew attention, but Michael achieved the purpose of coming to this village.
“As expected, you’re a quick worker. Indeed, my attendant.”
I joked and threw myself onto the carriage couch.
Four years ago, I asked Benny’s permission and made Michael my attendant.
It was the best justification to protect him.
I didn’t expect much, but Michael did a great job as an attendant.
He was so capable that my daily life was almost inconvenient without him.
“…Should I massage your feet?”
The man glanced at the shoes next to him instead of writing something down in a notebook full of my schedule.
My feet were aching, but I shook my head.
“No need. I’ll ask Benny when I get back to the Duke’s Castle.”
I didn’t really mean what I said.
After all, I couldn’t keep Benny next to me when he was busy hosting the wedding guests.
This was a flat refusal. Since we’re no longer children
“What if someone sees it? You are not my husband.”
Dalgutak, dalgutak. The carriage departed.
Through the frosted window, I could see village children following the carriage procession.
Michael tapped his feet, then he lowered the carriage curtain as if he was about to tear it apart.
Perhaps people’s attention was irritating, but his expression was worse than when I kicked him in the side.
“Who can see?”
The man spoke angrily and buried his nose in his notebook. I blinked in confusion.
“So you’re going to massage me since no one’s watching now?
“No.”
“Why did you suddenly change your words?”
I playfully poked his thigh with the tip of my shoe.
Michael exclaimed, holding back.
“Just ask your husband, because I’m busy!”
His face turned red. I giggled in glee.
“You really haven’t changed a bit.”
Michael grew up to be a devilishly beautiful young man, but he still had a cat-like temper.
It meant that the fun of bullying was the same.
‘I guess I view Michael as a friend.’
I hate to admit it, but I really do.
Soon, the world around me would change like the flip of a hand.
In such an unstable situation, Michael, who was no different from before, brought me great relief just by being there.
“…You have changed a lot.”
Michael mumbled, resting his head on the curtain.
“Yes?”
“You have become beautiful.”
As he tapped his finger on the notebook, he repeated the words as if they couldn’t be heard.
“You’re getting prettier.”
Dalgatak, dalgatak.
The carriage wheels rattled away.
I didn’t say anything until we reached the destination, and then I joked when the carriage stopped.
“Are you now sorry for what you did to me?”
It was a question I had asked once before.
Knowing that Michael had no regrets for what he had done, I left the carriage without waiting for an answer.
Then, an unexpected word came from behind.
“…I will live for you.”
The powerless oath became increasingly firm, as if it was a threat.
“I will live for you, and I will die by your side.”
Michael’s expression was not visible because it was covered by the carriage curtain.
Only one fact was known.
He was regretting what he had done to me. On top of that, deeply.
“….”
I looked at the silhouette reflected on the curtain and moved forward.
“Do whatever you feel like.”
Michael chose a place to live and a place to die.
Not of anyone’s will, but of his own will. So I was only supporting my friend’s decision.
“Live the life you want, Michael.”
Please have a perfect life for yourself. That would be nice.
“…….”
Michael got off the carriage without a word and followed me.
That man was my only attendant.
And five steps behind me was the nest he had found.
***
The marriage of the nobility was not an individual event, but an event for all residents of the territory.
Usually, if the husband would be a live-in son-in-law, the husband would enter the wife’s house in a carriage procession, and in the process, he would be welcomed throughout the territory.
If both of the couple’s families’ houses were close, they would deliberately turn around and visit the outskirts of the territory where it was difficult for the news of the marriage to reach.
This was a golden opportunity to make contact with the rebel forces, which were usually difficult to access.
The problem was that it was unclear who would play the role, me or Benny.
Benny was not a live-in son-in-law.
Born of Count Albert, he couldn’t accept Bauner’s name, and he didn’t even make such a request.
But that didn’t mean I could go to his house.
It was foolish to live somewhere other than the duke’s residence in a situation where there would be a great rebellion.
After agonizing over it, it was decided that my side would go around the territory.
Benny was worried that I might have a hard time, but this was the right thing to do.
“Phew…”
Returning to the Duke’s Castle, I went straight to my bedroom to change into a new dress.
While waiting for the larks, I went out to the terrace and looked out.
It was still snowing in the magically blooming flower garden, but many guests were admiring the scenery.
They were the knights who subjugated the monsters with Benny in the battle to retake the Western Continent, and they were conspirators who wanted to join Alan’s side and start a rebellion.
‘Indeed, it was a good choice that I was the one to go out. Benny would be more familiar to them.’
Our wedding wasn’t just a celebration of lovers.
It was the justification of gathering the rebel forces in one place.
Last year, it was a reception, and this year, it was a wedding.
Thanks to this, even when prominent and powerful people gathered in one place, the nobles of the imperial family wouldn’t doubt and suspect there was a conspiracy of rebellion.
“LIILYYYY!”
A knight with a familiar face in the flower garden waved his hand toward me.
A smile crept across my lips. I pulled myself out and greeted Pedro.
“Brother!”
Even though I just called him simply, Pedro smiled.
His loosely tied up curly hair flowed down his silver breastplate, and it looked very nice.
“Look, the imperial family is here!”
Pedro wrapped one arm around the dwarf man and ruffled his white hair.
His hair, as if it was being forcibly removed from the poor young man’s head, shook from side to side.
“Her Majesty the Emperor must have sent him to congratulate me.”
I smiled broadly and crossed my elbows on the terrace.
Upon my words, the imperial family member’s face became even paler.
I felt sorry for him, but I didn’t save him.
At the very least, he must be a spy who sneaked in to find evidence of treason.
‘Not a chance! Try catching the tail if you can.’
I stuck my tongue out towards the young man who was being teased by Pedro’s large hands.
The pure-blood royals were suspicious of what the Bauner family was doing, but they could not find conclusive evidence that they were rebels.
Unsurprisingly, the Bauner family did not use any correspondence or secret meeting places when colluding with their own forces.
It didn’t make sense, but thanks to Benny it was possible.
‘What can the Emperor do when we are talking in a nightmare created by the demon?’
The Bauner family laid the groundwork for the rebellion for three years, and at a reception last year, they fed Benny’s black magic to a certain ally.
And during the past year of preparing for war in earnest, he communicated with the conspirators in a way that left absolutely no evidence.
Thanks to this, the pure-blooded imperial family members could not directly pick on us while inflating their suspicions.
At best, they could only run wild using my marriage with Benny as an excuse.
‘I’m sure they’re anxious. If they want to frame the duke family with power equal to that of the imperial family for treason, they will have to collect solid evidence…’
The rebellion plan was running smoothly. So smoothly that I was rather anxious.
Even in the midst of the turmoil of the empire, Emperor Igdrasil never appeared before me.
“…….”
I rested my forehead and closed my eyes.
As I concentrated, black magic slowly spread out from my heart and enveloped my whole body.
‘Show me the future.’
As I had hoped, a single verse popped into my mind.
「Dozens of blades were lodged in his back.」
…It was meaningless.
I didn’t know who ‘he’ was, and a horribly dead body was a sight one would often see if war broke out.
I groaned, wrapped my hands around my head, and finally took back the black magic and opened my eyes.
‘Even after four years of practice, it’s still impossible to see the future from the point of view I want…’
A sigh came out.
Prophecy was a powerful force.
Garou and Benny, who had mastered almost all kinds of black magic, could not look into the future like I did.
At first I was proud, but soon I realized that my abilities were weaker than I thought.
I could not pinpoint the exact timing of the prophecy.
Plus, it was uncertain as to whether useful information could even be obtained from prophecy.
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