People should do everything intensely and diligently. Yes. That’s right. Beatrice, who was nodding in agreement with these words right now, was actually quite far from a diligent daily life.

She greatly enjoyed meeting people, throwing parties, and being admired.

Rather than living a regular life, her daily routine consisted of suffering from hangovers, waking up late in the afternoon, barely managing to cure her hangover, lounging around while catching up on social gossip, and then, once she felt energized, immediately getting dressed up and going out to dinner parties or balls.

But it wasn’t just her pretty face that made her the flower of high society.

To be honest, even that stupid Kaella de Chasser has a decent face, but there are no men who like her. The men who are interested are honestly interested in the Ostein duchy title and wealth that Kaella will inherit, not Kaella herself.

“She brought an obscenely large amount. Is she showing off because she’s rich?”

Beatrice boldly snuck into the Grand Duke’s bedroom, taking advantage of the confusion from the sudden attack. Right now, Kaella was going around with a string of maids in tow, thoroughly inspecting Lucenford Castle.

She was very busy, urging the chef to prepare food to send to the soldiers, dispatching doctors to Pueten Fortress, and so on, so no one had time to come to the Grand Duke’s bedroom.

So there was no worry of getting caught even if Beatrice rummaged through Kaella’s things a bit now.

“If she brought things like this, why isn’t she wearing them?”

As expected of the only daughter of the Ostein ducal family. They say the late emperor particularly loved his son, so even though he was illegitimate, he gave him a large fortune, and diamonds and precious pearls were just rolling around.

Beatrice tried on a pearl necklace and put a bracelet woven with diamonds on her wrist.

These were all jewels that Beatrice also owned. But somehow, Kaella’s seemed to have larger stones, be more delicate, and sparkle more.

It’s always the case that other people’s things seem more desirable. Isn’t it thrilling and enjoyable to take them away?

“Kaella, you’ve finally become something.”

Beatrice searched the bedroom, finally finding and opening what she was most curious about, after laying out and trying several thin metal tools in the keyhole that a professional thief might use.

A well-preserved diamond ring was revealed, flaunting its brilliance even on this rainy day. Without hesitation, Beatrice took out the ring, which was larger than any she had ever seen before, and tried it on her finger.

It didn’t fit her finger since it was custom-made for Kaella, but it still looked good on her.

“This is perfect for me.”

Beatrice, who had been admiring it with her hand stretched out, narrowed her eyes sharply.

“Peon should have brought me something like this out of guilt before getting married.”

Wiping her mouth clean, how could she let that foolish Kaella wear something like this? Beatrice, who had already been properly put in her place for trying to use the Grand Duchess’s bedroom first, glared at the diamond with a fierce gaze.

She couldn’t stop coughing. Where on earth did Kaella get this? From the Duke of Ostein? Or could it be that Peon gave it to her?

“…Why does this idiot…”

Why does she have something better than her after getting married?

Beatrice found it extremely unpleasant. Once an idiot, always an idiot. That Kaella de Chasser. That stupid girl subtly grated on her nerves at every turn.

Of all things, she happened to be the Emperor’s niece, so Beatrice couldn’t completely crush her in the end. She could make Kaella cry plenty without crossing the line, but it still wasn’t as much as she wanted.

Honestly, after they grew up, she didn’t care either way. Kaella had long since fallen out of Beatrice’s sphere of interest. She was originally an uninteresting girl, and since she often went down to Ostein, they only crossed paths in high society for a few months out of the year at most.

So she honestly thought Kaella marrying Peon was a good match. Weren’t Peon, who was so infatuated with her that he couldn’t come to his senses, and Kaella, who was hopelessly and stupidly in love with such a Peon, equally foolish?

In the end, she was very satisfied thinking that even if they got married, they wouldn’t be able to escape from none other than Beatrice.

That is, until Peon cut Beatrice off completely, and Kaella treated her like a mistress.

She wouldn’t leave it at that. Beatrice, her eyes turning cold, began to search Kaella’s bedroom again like a skilled thief. She had a knack for stealing and taking things.

*

Heavy rain poured down, making it impossible to see even an inch ahead. While it was welcome rain this spring, it was also strange.

“It’s unusual, we haven’t had rain like this in the past few years.”

People muttered, looking up at the sky. It was the worst conditions for battle.

Of course, the Lucenford soldiers, who had ample experience fighting even in heavier snowfall than this, would never retreat, but Kaella was most concerned about the scout’s report that the enemies seemed to have invaded with determination.

‘We must keep the final escape route in mind.’

They had to think about how much worse the worst situation could get.

Kaella always carried a small vial of poison with her, but she had to send the maids who came with her from Ostein back alive. So she kept in mind places where the maids could escape, and where children, women, and the elderly could take refuge.

Although no one would know anyway, Kaella, now in her 5th year as Grand Duchess, knew quite a bit about Lucenford Castle. Of course, she didn’t know the details due to being so ostracized by the locals, and most of her knowledge was vague, but still.

Of course, Peon was such an excellent warrior that such worries were unnecessary. He had survived even when the demons controlled by the evil dragon Ghasalante went on a rampage, and he was such a brilliant tactician that foreign tribes cursed his name.

But his life was not connected to Kaella’s. They say husband and wife are one body, but they were the exception. So they each had to find their own way to survive.

“Don’t worry too much, everyone. They say the Grand Duke has never been defeated, and battles are everyday occurrences in Lucenford.”

Kaella worked calmly while comforting the very anxious maids.

As someone who was only looking for a chance to die, she had to reluctantly do her duties at times like this in order to die well. Surprisingly, it was the memories she wanted to discard that moved her body that lacked the will to move.

However, that didn’t mean Kaella was doing her best like before she wanted to die.

Anyway, the battle had begun, foreign tribes had invaded from the north, and people were anxious. It was only natural to prevent it from leading to mass slaughter. Just that much.

If it had been before she wanted to die, she would have anxiously run around looking for things to do, but Kaella only did the minimum of what needed to be done. After all, the soldiers would take care of the war on their own, and the best the Grand Duchess could do was prepare for any contingencies.

‘Was I hated back then because I was too pushy?’

The habitual speculation continued this time as well. Why was she hated? What made them dislike her? Why? Why?

No matter how curious she was, she would never know the reason because she was the one who was hated, not the one who hated. Or, she had learned that some malice has no reason at all. That was enough. Stop dwelling on it.

“We must make thorough preparations for everything.”

“Yes, understood, Your Grace!”

The head maid also rolled up her sleeves and busily ran around. The wives of Lucenford who had sent their husbands to the battlefield did not grieve.

They had to prepare even for the case of battle breaking out in Lucenford. They drew up water, prepared plenty of oil, and didn’t forget to carefully hide the most important seeds.

It rained all day. It was long past the time when everyone was anxiously waiting for news from Pueten Fortress.

“A messenger! A messenger has come!”

The soldier standing in the rain, looking into the distance, shouted loudly. The tightly closed door that Kaella had shut opened slightly, and through that gap, the messenger who had ridden in on horseback rushed in. The messenger ran straight into Lucenford Castle.

“Your Grace!”

Kaella stood up with a start. While the soldiers took the horse that had run in and gave it water to drink and feed to eat, the messenger sought out Kaella, who was guarding the castle alone.

“I have a report for Your Grace!”

Her fingertips had gone cold. The chilling cold of the spring rain that penetrated to the bone felt particularly freezing. Kaella faced the messenger who had run in. The messenger knelt on one knee before her.

“His Grace the Grand Duke ordered me to report to Your Grace! The foreign tribes that have gathered at Pueten are not just the Volga, but an alliance of Bainland, Volga, and Delgard. Their numbers are enormous. Siege towers are pounding at the gates of Pueten. The vanguard is Halfdan, son of Keral of Bainland.”

Gasps broke out here and there, and Lord Renard quickly explained to Kaella.

“He is the son of the ruler of Bainland. He is known for his great strength and has killed countless of our Lucenford people, so if he is leading the vanguard, it means they have come with determination this time.”

“The number of casualties has already exceeded a hundred, and His Grace the Grand Duke is fighting with his own sword. His Grace has ordered the deployment of Eilak, Damar, Roos, and Seriol.”

Upon hearing that the battle had begun, the local nobles who had immediately packed their military gear and were waiting at Lucenford Castle stepped forward as their names were called.

“We will rush to Pueten!”

“Damar will depart immediately!”

Lucenford revered martial arts and admired brave warriors. The elderly nobles took pride in rushing to protect this land and their families without delay at the Grand Duke’s call.

“We are doing our best to prevent the fortress gates from being breached. His Grace said he will ensure there is no retreat to Lucenford. He also said that since Your Grace is currently in charge of Lucenford Castle, he entrusts everything to you.”

Was this why she felt a chill? There was nothing more ominous than a messenger dispatched from the fortress where the battle was taking place seeking out Kaella. The news that the Grand Duchess, who should not be involved, needed to know could only be the worst.

“Is His Grace uninjured?”

“His Grace is fine.”

“Anything else?”

“He said not to send Lord Renard. He said that protecting Your Grace is also very important, and even if Your Grace wants to send Lord Renard, you absolutely must not do so. He said several times that there must always be a knight to protect the lord of the castle, so it’s absolutely not allowed.”

It seems Peon had entered and exited Kaella’s mind even while fighting a battle far away. Kaella, who was about to send Lord Renard along right away, nodded.

“I understand. Anything else?”

“His Grace asked you to remember what he said when he left. That is all.”

What did Peon say when he left?

You don’t need to worry.

I will return victorious.

I won’t get hurt. I don’t get hurt.

He said such formal things. It was the first time Kaella had heard such common things that a husband says to his wife when departing for battle.

But the Lucenford nobles standing around her and people including Lord Renard all had expressions as if they thought some secret conversation had passed between the couple.

They looked at Kaella with fresh eyes, thinking, Our Grand Duke seems to care for Her Grace quite a bit. Kaella’s maids had expressions of near emotion.

‘No, it’s not like that…’

Unable to prevent people from misunderstanding as they pleased, and facing this kind of situation for the first time, Kaella glanced around slightly flustered. Then her eyes suddenly met those of Beatrice Lavallee, who was standing nearby.

Beatrice, who had not been seen all day, was staring intently at Kaella. She stared so fixedly, without blinking even once, that one might worry her eyes would fall out. Or it would not be inappropriate to say she was glaring.

Just then, Lady Fabiola Sirenster, the head maid who was standing close by, slightly moved her body to block Beatrice’s gaze. The piercing gaze towards Kaella was cut off.

“Good work. Those who have received orders, please depart for battle immediately. I pray for your success in battle.”

The clanking sound of armor moving was loud. The local nobles who had been called out said goodbye to their wives and children before mounting their horses in the rain.

As Kaella, acknowledged by Peon as the lady of the castle, saw them off, she suddenly recalled the day she first met them.

Eat! Please eat! If you slowly finish one plate bite by bite, before you know it you’ll be able to eat a whole basket of Tur berries. Right?

Ah. Peculiarly, Eilak, Damar, Roos, and Seriol were all people who had each said a word to her at the banquet where Kaella had collapsed.

To be precise, they were the ones with slightly less culpability who had slipped away after forcing Kaella to eat Tur berries, avoiding execution.

Both Lady Roos and Lady Damar, who turned their heads after sending off their husbands, were like that. Well, it’s natural for those with the privilege of sitting at the Grand Duke’s table to be deployed this time. Come to think of it, it wasn’t just a coincidence.

*

The offensive of those who had invaded with determination was fierce. Arrows rained down along with the rain, and they poured hot oil that they had barely managed to boil in this cold weather.

They showered fire arrows on top of that, but the cold rain quickly extinguished the fires. However, the rain also made the castle walls slippery and turned the ground in front of the gates into mud, making it difficult even to walk.

“Keep shooting without rest!”

Shouts, drums, and trumpet sounds echoed through the rain noise, as siege towers pounded on the gates.

Today, the Lucenford army had burned two siege towers. But the enemies had brought out siege towers again. It was their determination to break through Pueten even if it took all night.

“Your Grace, there was an explosion sound from the left castle wall!”

Would it just be siege towers? They would do anything to break through the walls and enter Lucenford. Peon, who already knew this, kept his eyes on the front line and gave orders.

“Deploy the reinforcements from Lucenford to the left wall as soon as they arrive. They should be nearly here.”

“Yes, sir!”

As the left wall crumbled, the foreign tribes pouring through the gap writhed in the pitch-black darkness. Blood mixed with rainwater as swords and spears tore flesh, and axes hacked, burying chunks of flesh in the mud.

Peon and everyone else here had been soaked to their undergarments for a long time. With nightfall, the cold would come and freeze everything around them.

In the chill that made teeth chatter, Peon alone gripped his sword nonchalantly and gazed into the distance.

Halfdan, son of Keral. He’s the one who delivered the hell Peon had been waiting for. And in this hell, those who dared to force dangerous food on the Grand Duchess would die miserably.

Ah. He can hear the sound of them arriving and being immediately deployed to the left wall. He can hear the shouts of the Bainland people constantly charging at the wall.

It was a delightful sound.