As we arrived at the Duchy of Katia, Bergamot’s husband, Damien Katia, welcomed us.
“Please, feel free to call me the acting head.”
Despite being in his fifties, he looked as young as someone in their thirties.
Considering Bergamot is in her sixties, one could only conclude that the husband matched the wife.
‘He seems very composed.’
Even though his wife had been kidnapped, he was entirely composed.
As expected of the acting head managing the duchy in Bergamot’s stead.
“That’s fine. But let’s hear what you have to say.”
“Yes.”
Damien led us to the office.
From a corner of the desk, he pulled out a piece of paper and showed it to us.
The content was simple.
[Darling! I’m going out for a bit, so go to bed without me!]
Very typical of Bergamot, it didn’t sound like she anticipated being kidnapped.
“After reading this letter, a day later, the Urgan tribe of the plains declared war, claiming to have captured my wife.”
“Declared war? Do you mean an actual war?”
“No, it was more like a threat to revoke the original treaty that the Empire forced upon the plains.”
“Come to think of it, it has already been eight years.”
When I was 19 years old.
Six years after the war started, one day, the Empire subdued the barbarians of the plains and forced them to sign a treaty.
Naturally, it was a treaty that was overwhelmingly advantageous to the Empire, allowing them to exploit the plains for six years under the so-called Original Treaty.
“What evidence do you have that the Duchess of Katia was kidnapped? Couldn’t they be lying?”
“They presented her hat as evidence.”
Damien snapped his fingers.
A blue mage hat appeared out of thin air.
“It’s definitely the Duchess Katia’s hat.”
I often saw that hat during classes. Moreover, Bergamot’s mana lingered on it.
“There are many cuts and punctures. It looks like it went through a battle.”
Upon closer inspection, though Epherna said there were cut and puncture marks, I had a different thought.
‘They are all arrow piercings.’
The marks that looked like cuts were merely grazes from arrows.
Using my perceptive abilities, it became clearer.
The numerous holes bore traces of the Autumn Wind.
‘…This is bad.’
Looking at him, I was certain this was retribution for something I did four years ago.
It began six years ago when the Original Treaty was signed, and I was ordered by the Second Prince to infiltrate and assassinate Temur, the Sky King of the Plains.
For two years, I watched for an opportunity to kill him, and when I was on the verge of success, I let him live. In other words, this kidnapping of Bergamot happened because I spared Temur’s life.
The bigger problem is that I am the only one who knows this.
Neither the Second Prince nor Schneider knows that I pretended to kill Temur and, in return, received the blessing of the Autumn Wind.
‘…How do I explain this?’
Epherna and Damien believe that Temur is dead. Of course, they do. I reported it that way.
But now, if the person who supposedly killed Temur says, ‘Actually, I didn’t kill him,’ what then?
Even Epherna won’t be able to protect me.
She would have to face Damien’s wrath, and if this reached the Imperial Palace, she wouldn’t escape blame either. So there is only one solution.
‘I handle this alone.’
Since the fact that Temur is alive must remain hidden, I’ll infiltrate the Urgan tribe alone and rescue Bergamot.
*****
A late night under a full moon.
In the office of the Duchy of Katia.
Damien sat in the chair his wife used to sit in, carefully stroking her hat that lay coldly there.
“…”
The blue hat was a gift he had given to Bergamot in their younger days.
The world believed that this hat was imbued with special abilities or made of unusual material, but in reality, it was an ordinary hat that could be bought at any market.
He gifted it to her 40 years ago.
He had taken magical measures to prevent weathering, so it looked intact at first glance, but closer inspection revealed worn parts that even magic couldn’t conceal.
“…I’ll have to buy her a new one when she returns.”
His wife was a free spirit. So free that she couldn’t stay confined in one place for more than a few days. Before they got married, she had even warned him.
-Are you prepared to be a househusband?
He thought it wouldn’t matter.
In his youth, he believed that as long as there was love, distance wouldn’t be an issue.
However.
As distance grows, so does the emotional gap.
That saying wasn’t something made up to sound wise.
The longer they were apart, the greater the sense of emptiness grew, turning into regret.
He had never complained.
She had warned him, after all.
Accepting her was his decision.
Knock. Knock.
“Come in.”
He responded to the sound of knocking.
The person who entered was Ern Astra, a member of the First Princess’s Personal Guard.
“I apologize for disturbing you at this late hour.”
“It’s all right.”
When asked about the main issue, Ern flashed a warm smile.
“I thought it would be better to be honest with you and seek your help.”
“With what?”
“I plan to rescue the Duchess Katia tomorrow night.”
“By yourself?”
“Yes.”
Damien looked puzzled.
“I’m sorry, but I cannot provide any details. Let’s just say it’s a personal matter.”
“Does the Princess know about this?”
“She would certainly object, so I am telling you in secret.”
Damien let out a deep breath, furrowing his brow.
A Personal Guard undertaking a significant mission without their master’s permission—what kind of situation was this?
“What kind of help do you need from me?”
“For a while, I will not be by the First Princess’s side. Though someone will be assigned to take my place, we need an excuse to avoid the Princess’s suspicion during my absence. I need your help to create that excuse.”
“What exactly do you want me to do?”
“Keep the Princess occupied.”
Damien couldn’t believe his ears.
He stared at Ern with a look that said, “What nonsense is this?”
“Please don’t misunderstand. I mean to keep her occupied voluntarily. If you could open the Grand Mage’s library for her, she would willingly stay there for two days.”
“But in this urgent situation, the Princess wouldn’t spend two days in the library.”
“Leave that to me; I will persuade her.”
“Hmm…”
He wasn’t asking for significant support.
The man before him claimed he would rescue Bergamot from the Urgan tribe of the plains if Damien just opened the library.
“May I ask why?”
“Sorry, I cannot tell you that. And this is not a proposal but a request. Please do as you see fit.”
If it were normal, I would have refused this request without even thinking about it.
Under normal circumstances, it would be a request Damien would refuse without a second thought.
However, Ern Astra was not just anyone but the man who killed Temur, the Sky King.
Temur was known as one of the plains’ kings alongside the Wild King. The fact that Ern, who killed such a strong figure, was personally going to rescue his wife was tempting to believe.
“Lord Astra.”
“Take your time to decide.”
“No, it’s not that.”
“Have you decided?”
“Yes. I will agree. I’ll open the library tomorrow morning.”
“Thank you. I will place the Princess in the library tomorrow morning and depart immediately after.”
“Understood.”
As their conversation ended, Ern turned to leave but suddenly stopped.
He had something personal to say and wanted to gain favor.
“You are warmer than I expected, Acting Head.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve heard much about you from the Duchess Katia. She said you were a cold but admirable person. It seems that’s not entirely true.”
“…”
“I thought you would take a long time to decide. I didn’t expect an answer tonight.”
“I made my decision because I trust you, Lord Astra.”
“Perhaps. But I believe your judgment was rather hasty. It means your heart is troubled.”
A troubled heart indicates a disturbed mind, meaning emotions are turbulent.
“The Duchess Katia is an active person. She probably wasn’t home much.”
That’s true.
She would come home once a month at best.
She often didn’t see her children’s faces before leaving.
“You must have accumulated a lot of frustration, yet your heart still beats for her. I find that admirable.”
Ern is a strong individual.
No matter how well Damien concealed his expressions and maintained his composure, Ern could sense his emotions from the beating of his heart alone.
Realizing his anxiety had been detected, Damien chuckled.
“It’s the karma of the one who fell in love first.”
