24.

“…Killing the bride chosen by the king would be treason.”

“That’s true.”

“…Lady Lavinia, are you sure you’re not still tired?”

Edgick asked flatly, eyeing her as if wondering whether she was speaking nonsense on purpose.

Lavinia merely wagged her finger.

“Ah, knights. Always so straightforward. Sir Edgick, you’re no different. Perhaps it’s because of your noble status?”

Edgick opened his mouth, ready to argue.

“What do you mean, I only use straightforward tactics? I’m perfectly capable of being underhanded when necessary—”

But Lavinia cut him off.

“Why not just arrange for an accident?”

“……”

“……”

“……”

A flaw in their thinking.

“…Are you suggesting assassination?”

Leofric felt a headache coming on, pressing his hands against his face.

“The marriage talks would be off, wouldn’t they?”

Lavinia rested her chin in her palm and smiled sweetly.

Brutally pragmatic.

“…Well, technically, yes.”

Edgick looked distressed.

“Why didn’t I think of that? Am I truly such a principled man?”

The method was efficient.

Practical.

And yet, the thought of it filled him with an unexpected sense of repulsion.

It wasn’t a battle.

It would be killing someone for convenience.

“…The princess is a symbol of unity between Ledetian and Thornfeld. We can’t just dispose of her.”

Part of him also felt pity.

She, too, was only a pawn in this political marriage.

“Then what other way is there to break it?”

Lavinia’s careless tone cut through the room.

Even Jinpetsu, who was usually unfazed, sat in rigid silence.

Tactics on the battlefield were one thing—this was not his expertise.

Edgick rubbed his smooth chin, as if stroking an invisible beard.

“See? I told you—Prince Lucian has no reason to take her back. And yet, he still abandoned her for Princess Freya…”

“Oh no, that’s wrong.”

Lavinia’s eyes sparkled.

She leaned forward slightly, lowering her voice as if revealing a thrilling secret.

“There are rumors that Prince Lucian was truly in love with the princess. He was actively involved in the engagement negotiations and even argued with his father about it after the war.”

“During the time the engagement was being discussed, Lucian was part of the Salem delegation sent to Ledetian.”

“…Wait, how do you know that? You just said you weren’t sure about King Wintran’s situation.”

Edgick’s suspicion sharpened.

Lavinia tilted her head, laughing.

“Sir Edgick. No matter how secretive the palace may be, love stories always find their way out. They’re romantic, after all. Everyone likes to imagine how a princess and prince will wed.”

“Try falling in love sometime. Or even just a one-sided love. Then you’ll understand why these rumors spread much faster.”

She tapped Edgick’s nose teasingly.

Edgick jerked back, scowling.

“…That was a joke.”

Lavinia shrugged.

“Before the war, Salem Kingdom was practically an enemy state. We made sure to plant deep spies there. Some even reached the king’s personal attendants.”

Unlike Wintran, whom Leofric had always trusted and had no reason to plant spies near, they had been thorough in monitoring enemy nations.

“…Why is that prince so devoted to her?”

Leofric asked, grimacing.

Lavinia tapped her chin, momentarily furrowing her brows in thought.

“Everyone knows they were childhood friends at the academy. There are even rumors they were secretly lovers back then. But I think that’s just romanticized nonsense.”

“Bored noblewomen love adding fairytale endings to stories.”

…Secret lovers?

Even if it was unlikely, did the princess care for him?

Was that why she had barely reacted when he had held her that day?

Had she already given her heart to someone else?

Was she waiting for that prince to rescue her?

Was that why she had shoved that hairpin in his face so brazenly?

A dramatic plot unfolded in his mind.

She stabs the enemy general.

Her secret lover, the prince, arrives to save her.

…Had she refused marriage not just because he was the enemy, but because she was already promised to another?

His thoughts spun.

“What the hell am I thinking?”

His own ridiculous musings startled him.

Then—

“So, I suppose you’ll be getting married after all.”

The word marriage snapped Leofric out of his spiraling thoughts.

It felt like Lavinia had read his mind.

For a brief moment, he choked on nothing.

Lavinia watched Leofric cough and choke for a moment, her expression turning skeptical.

“…Leo? Are you alright?”

The other knights nearly choked themselves.

It still sent chills down their spines whenever they heard anyone call their formidable commander so sweetly.

Even if she was his mistress, the audacity of Lavinia always impressed them.

“…I’m fine. Must be a cold.”

Leofric brushed it off.

But Lavinia wasn’t done.

“No matter how I look at it, marriage is the fastest option. Unless, of course, the princess has an accident.”

“Hold on—Lady Lavinia. What exactly do you plan to do with the commander if he gets married?”

“At least he’d be able to leave. After the marriage, just let her stay in the palace. Plenty of noble marriages work that way.”

The knights fell silent.

Lavinia’s perspective was utterly practical.

Unlike knights who followed rules and honor, she had survived in a world where strategy and cunning were the only weapons that mattered.

“I don’t like that kind of marriage.”

Leofric laughed lightly, his tone lazy but sharp.

“If the engagement can’t be broken, and if the king has made up his mind—”

He had chosen to abandon me.

Something heavy settled in Leofric’s chest.

His heartbeat felt oddly strained, as if something were pressing down on it.

“…Then it means surrender.”

His voice rang hollow.

It meant raising the white flag.

Accepting the order, leaving this place, and stepping into a future where everything promised to him had already turned to dust.

Losing not just his titles and recognition—

But Wintran’s trust.

Going back to being nothing.

A man who had once lost everything, fought his way up, only to have it all taken again.

“At least I’d be alive. The knights would be safe. My lands would expand. …And I’d have a bride.”

“…….”

His voice carried a bitter humor.

A mockery of himself.

Silence hung heavy in the room.

“To return alive, having sacrificed everything I once fought for.”

Then what had all of this been for?

What had he risked his life for?

What had he made others risk their lives for?

The Black Wolf Knights were among the best, but even they had suffered losses.

Faces of the fallen flickered in his mind.

They hadn’t died for honor.

They had died for him.

For Leofric Helton.

For Wintran, whom he had believed in.

“…Unfortunately, I don’t think I can live properly like that.”

A blue fire seemed to spark in Leofric’s eyes.

His hands clenched tightly, fingers interwoven, his knuckles turning white.

His chest burned with something—something he couldn’t quite name.

Betrayal? Disappointment? Resentment? Anger? Maybe all of them at once.

It clung to his mind like a thick, black fog.

Then—he smiled.

But it was a dangerous smile.

“If I’m going to leave, I need to make a stop first.”

“…Commander.”

Jinpetsu called to him, quietly.

It was obvious now that Wintran had abandoned them.

And yet, the commander still refused to let go.

But Leofric raised a hand, stopping him.

“It’s not about that.”

His tone was final.

“There’s something I need to take back.”

The knights did not understand.

Lavinia, too, looked at him in confusion.

Only one person lowered his gaze.

Edgick.

Because he was the only one here who knew the truth.

Leofric Helton could not survive unless he returned to the capital.

Only Leofric and Edgick knew why.

Even Jinpetsu was kept in the dark.

His loyal vice-commander hesitated, then carefully asked—

“Is it that important?”

“It is.”

“…….”

Leofric’s tone was sharp, as if it could cut through steel.

Speaking with Wintran was no longer the priority.

Of course, he still wanted answers.

If Wintran were to look him in the eye and tell him to leave, perhaps it wouldn’t hurt this much.

If he were given a reason, maybe he wouldn’t have to live the rest of his life doubting.

But that was no longer why he needed to go to the capital.

There was something there—something that would keep him alive.

“From now on, we focus on how to get to the capital. Forget about breaking the engagement.”

“……”

“……”

“Then…”

Leofric’s smile turned even colder.

“If necessary—”

“I’ll go through with the marriage.”