“As you know, sometimes family can be the cruelest.”

The woman reacted immediately to the words implying her father. Ophelia saw the instinctive aversion to her father settling on Anika’s expression.

“My elder brother was like that too. He did things without hesitation that shouldn’t be done even between people who don’t share a drop of blood.”

And Ophelia briefly wondered if she should say this to Anika. Since Anika wasn’t that close of a friend to her.

But she had no power. She hadn’t seen the merchants and Egelbahmot nobles she associated with in her previous life, and among the Edegrun nobles, there wasn’t a single person she could trust.

Starlet, the only person she could freely handle, was dead. His death didn’t end with just losing one of her allies.

Would the pirates under Starlet view the Aglante royal family favorably?

It was no different than making one more enemy. Salode knew this too, but cut Starlet’s neck for the sake of public sentiment. Since Idren’s support base was the people, it was unavoidable.

And even that Salode was not on her side. In the end, Ophelia was in a situation where she had to draw at least one person to her side.

Anika was an appropriate counterpart who appeared to her in such a situation.

Then one secret, it’s not such a high price, is it?

Ophelia, having made her decision, opened her mouth.

“Actually, before marrying the king, I had a fiancé. Although he wasn’t someone I chose of my own will, he was a very kind man.”

Walking down the corridor after finishing her conversation with the queen, Anika organized in her mind the things she had heard. What the queen had told her was quite shocking.

“My elder brother killed my fiancé and brought a man who could pay a satisfactory bride price for him.”

The queen’s expression was calm as she said this.

“I don’t resent my husband. If it weren’t for him, I would have remained in that terrible palace.”

Why did her mother’s face overlap with that face?

It wasn’t just her mother. Her younger cousin, aunt, childhood friend she was close to when young. Countless female acquaintances who had to marry under the sway of the men in their families flickered in her mind.

Among them, there were those who said exactly the same thing as the queen.

“Still, compared to father, my husband is much better.”

Her childhood friend who had said that killed her husband a year later and then took her own life.

It’s not that she thought the queen would do that. Anika knew how much the king cherished his wife.

So unlike her dead friend’s words, the queen’s statement that she didn’t resent her husband was probably true.

But the fact that she was happy didn’t mean she had chosen that happiness herself.

Realizing this fact, Anika unknowingly felt pity for the queen. She had seen many women swayed by marriage, and among them was her own mother.

And her mother fought against her husband to not pass on her own fate to her daughter.

Because it was freedom gained as a result of that resistance, while enjoying it, Anika inevitably felt pity for women who experienced the same fate as her mother.

“I’ve said unnecessary things.”

When the queen said that and turned her head, Anika read the resignation permeating her tone.

It was then that her mouth moved without her knowing.

“No.”

It was a moment when familiarity with the queen’s fate crossed over reason more than the thought of using her.

“I didn’t kiss your hand last time, did I? Please speak comfortably anytime.”

“……”

“If there’s anything I can help with… that too.”

The queen stared at her with sapphire blue eyes and smiled faintly. Then she sent her out.

Although she didn’t cry or speak weakly, Anika thought she looked even more powerless.

It was then. Someone bumped their body into her shoulder.

Surprised, Anika caught the staggering person. It was a young woman with brown hair draped to one side.

Judging by the dress made of high-quality fabric she was wearing, she seemed to be of quite high status, but the woman’s face was completely tear-stained.

Wiping her thoroughly wet face with a gentle expression, the woman bowed her head to her.

“I’m, I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s alright.”

And Anika took out a handkerchief from her bosom. She couldn’t just pass by when she saw someone crying.

After placing it in the woman’s hand, Anika carefully asked.

“Are, are you alright?”

The woman who received the handkerchief looked at it once, then at her once, and twisted her face even more.

Seeing the teardrops gathering at the corners of her eyes grow larger, Anika finally embraced the woman.

“Here, come this way first.”

It was easy for passersby to notice if a high-status woman cried in the corridor.

As it was, it seemed she had something hard enough to cry loudly about, and Anika didn’t want to let her become the subject of gossip.

Anika, who had taken the woman to a deserted outdoor garden, wiped the corners of her eyes.

“Would you like to go get some water?”

But the woman shook her head. Anika said, brushing back the brown hair stuck to her cheek.

“My name is Anika Rohos.”

“I, I am Si, Siana……”

She seemed to be that daughter that Gilrod Nebel had personally offered to the queen.

Perhaps they might have met briefly in the past.

Whatever the circumstances, it seemed she was having a hard time. Anika finished the introduction on behalf of her, who was still breathing a little heavily.

“You’re the young lady of Lerk.”

Then Siana nodded. Her white, thin skin had flushed, making her look even more pitiful.

“May I ask why you were crying so sorrowfully?”

Even if she knew the circumstances, she didn’t know whether she could help or not, but if she was crying enough to grab a passing person in the corridor, there was a high probability that she wanted to pour out her feelings to someone.

And her guess was right. Siana began to pour out the story in her heart as if she had been waiting.

“A, actually… Fa, Father…”

The words that followed haltingly were a plot she commonly knew. A father selling his daughter who doesn’t want to marry to a man he’s close with. A daughter who wants to somehow refuse a marriage where nothing falls to her share even though she’s the one being sold.

Because it was such a common tragedy, it was all the more desperate. There were only those falling in, with no one escaping.

Fully empathizing with why the woman had cried, Anika gently stroked her back.

“You must feel upset.”

“Yes, yes…”

“Actually, my father wasn’t such a good person either… so I empathize. Maybe I could have ended up in the same situation as you, Miss Siana.”

If only mother had been a little less stubborn, it would have happened long ago.

Poor woman. It would be nice if she could help, but Gilrod Nebel was someone she couldn’t touch.

It was then that Siana, who had been sniffling while leaning on her shoulder, suddenly opened her eyes wide.

“Th, then how did you escape?”

Reading the expectation on her face, Anika realized that Siana had misunderstood. The woman probably believed that she had overcome the marriage by her own power.

But that wasn’t the case. Anika, feeling awkward, told the truth.

“My father passed away.”

And Anika waited for Siana to be disappointed.

But the woman didn’t. The woman, who had roughly wiped her face, suddenly stood up from her seat.

“Th, thank you. I, I know what to do now.”

Th, then I’ll, I’ll be going in. The woman who bowed quickly moved away. Anika watched her retreating figure, still not grasping the situation. She wondered what she was being thanked for when she hadn’t provided any help.

But the doubt was momentary. Anyway, if she felt comforted, isn’t that good enough? Anika shrugged and got up from her seat. She would be staying in Edegrun for a while anyway, so she might meet her again if the opportunity arises.

Hator Rognak was the proud First Prince of Brinwell and an honorable warrior who would bring victory to his homeland.

Hator had no doubt that he would win in the war.

It wasn’t that he underestimated the king of Aglante. He was a usurper who had gained the throne through rebellion. Hator had heard some rumors about him a few times. They say he’s quite capable for his young age. It was clear he wasn’t ‘nothing’ as his name suggested.

But how could a man who couldn’t properly manage his own household win outside?

It was a well-known fact that the Aglante king hadn’t gained proper support even from his own subjects.

So he had no choice but to win this war. Hator thought about the night raid that would take place today, which would be the first step.

Two days ago, he confirmed through a spy planted inside Aglante where the king’s tent was located.

He intended to have Resda, his most cherished general, attack that place. Resda was a capable general. So even if he couldn’t capture the king, Soar, the general he cherished, could bring back his son’s head.

When a monarch loses a cherished general, they tend to waver. Hator lightly tapped the table inside the tent with his finger, thinking about how much impact Soar’s death would have on the young king.

It was then that screams were heard from outside.

“We’re under attack!”