Jeffrey, who had been silently watching the march of the guards lined up in rows, turned around.

He opened the cigar box on the desk and held one in his hand, cutting off the end.

With dry eyes, he put the cut cigar in his mouth and lit it. The one who caught his gaze was Dennis.

The man, still with a businesslike face and neat appearance, greeted Jeffrey with a polite bow in response to his gaze.

Smoke rose from the lit cigar, and Jeffrey, removing it from between his lips, smiled.

Through the hazy and blurred vision, Jeffrey stared intently at Dennis and took a step back to sit on the windowsill.

“Did the Duke instruct you to check personally? How the war would end without any problems?”

As if not intending to deny it, Dennis briefly closed and opened his eyes.

Jeffrey, who had been silently watching the man’s unwavering face through the smoke, let out a low sigh.

The war preparations were coming to an end.

They were able to make thorough preparations based on the failure three months ago.

No matter what variables occur, this war will be fought. It’s a war desired by most of the Empire’s people and agreed upon by the nobles.

It was a situation created by throwing out the Kedilen card. There was no reason not to gladly use it.

However, what was worrying was the Duke’s concern. In fact, the Duke did not want the war to happen.

What he wanted was for Aden to step down from his position and place Beressa or someone under his influence in the seat of Duke Habertz.

There was no option for war in that plan.

Someone in the most superior position and with a definite social advantage wouldn’t make the foolish choice of taking on such a risk.

“The Duke sends his utmost trust and faith to His Majesty.”

“Trust and faith, is it.”

The combination of words that least suited their relationship created a sense of emptiness for a moment.

Brushing back his hair, Jeffrey stubbed out the half-smoked cigar in the ashtray and tilted his chin.

“Based on that trust and faith, what do you think about refusing to dispatch soldiers?”

No matter how different the Kan people were from 50 years ago, their bloodline hadn’t disappeared.

Their bravery and ferocity had been a great wall that the Empire couldn’t overcome for hundreds of years.

Moreover, it wasn’t just them who were different from 50 years ago. The Empire too had drastically reduced its military during the 50 years of peace.

Compared to the past when they maintained over 100,000 standing troops, it was now less than a quarter of that.

“If the remaining unconquered Kan people side with the Duke and rise up, the outcome of this war will be thrown into uncertainty. We need the Duke’s support for that contingency.”

“His Grace the Duke fully understands that point. However, as you know, the Duchy is officially classified as a foreign country. Supporting the Empire’s war activities could potentially invite danger. Moreover, the Duchy of Cellano and the Habertz Duchy are adjacent, centered on the Lenders River.”

Jeffrey, who had been watching Dennis calmly mixing excuses and explanations, crossed his arms with a hollow laugh.

Dennis, who had been continuing his explanation, closed his mouth at the stern gaze.

No matter what explanations were added, the fact that the Duke would not provide any support remained unchanged.

It was thoroughly a test for him.

The attitude of deciding how to treat him based on the results of this was beyond arrogance, to the point of being disgusting.

This much manipulation was enough. Moreover, wasn’t it because of the Duke’s request that Aden was targeted in the first place? Yet now he’s pulling out.

Jeffrey once again bit his lips at the rising thirst.

“I apologize, Your Highness. Please understand that I cannot give you a satisfactory answer.”

“…Well, it’s not for you to apologize. What is there for a cuckoo who only delivers messages to apologize for?”

Jeffrey twisted the corner of his mouth and turned to look out the window.

In the distance, he could see the soldiers lining up. The ultimatum, declaration of war, and then the announcement of war.

The Emperor’s condition was worsening day by day. There were predictions that he wouldn’t last the year.

Though his death wouldn’t be sad given he had been a trash of a father all his life, Jeffrey thought it would be good if he could hold on a little longer.

He wanted to avoid the unnecessary issue of imperial succession arising during the war.

“I hope all of this will be over before winter comes.”

By the time the heat subsides, everything will be over. Imagining the guillotine that would claim Aden’s head, Jeffrey’s eyes turned towards the far east with a cool smile.

The morning hours passed leisurely.

Until noon when the golden-tinged landscape changed to bright light, Ludmila’s daily routine of reading books and casually drinking tea was the very picture of tranquility.

As the sunlight pierced through the window, coloring the faintly dark interior with bright light, Ludmila, trying to avoid the sunlight, moved to a chair placed in the backyard.

A peaceful morning with deep tranquility settled in.

With the sound of birds in the distance and a cool breeze blowing, it was a cozy atmosphere where one might fall asleep immediately upon closing their eyes.

“Ludmila.”

It was too precious a time for a man with sturdy, broad shoulders to be confined in a small house.

“Do you plan to stay at home all day?”

“Yes, for now.”

Ludmila’s voice was nonchalant as she answered without taking her eyes off the book.

Aden’s brow furrowed slightly at the calm response, but he didn’t seem to give up as he placed his hand on the backrest of the chair Ludmila was sitting on.

“All day?”

At the persistent question, Ludmila, who was reading the first paragraph of the turned page, rolled her eyes upward.

Her eyes, which had risen vertically, scanned Aden once before quietly closing the book.

“Are you bored?”

“Bored? Of course. But more than being bored, I want to do something else.”

“But as you can see, there’s nothing to do around here.”

It was a quiet rural village.

A place with nothing special except that five villages were attached to each other.

There weren’t many hobbies Aden could pursue here. There was no place for horseback riding, let alone a place to swing a sword.

Even her own hobbies since coming here were limited to cooking or reading.

“I think there is something.”

“What’s that?”

“The festival.”

At the short answer, Ludmila’s brow furrowed.

Go there? Though she didn’t say it out loud, the wavering of her eyes was enough of an answer.

As if closing the book wasn’t enough, Ludmila turned to face Aden, placing the book on her thigh.

“We’ve worked hard preparing for the festival, it would be a shame to just prepare and not participate. How about we go and enjoy it together?”

“After seeing that commotion yesterday, you still want to go?”

“Of course. That’s why I said I’d act as your fiancé, Ludmila, isn’t it?”

Ludmila let out a laugh at the formal speech that appeared again, just as it had yesterday.

Seeing him smiling as if he quite enjoyed playing the role of a gentlemanly soldier, Ludmila swallowed a sigh.

The festival. Ludmila didn’t like noisy places.

Having lived such a life all her life, she could do without participating in things like festivals.

Ludmila bit her lip at the sight of Aden tilting his chin as if asking what she thought, then let out a sigh.

Reflexively checking the calendar beyond the window, Ludmila narrowed her eyes.

It’s the third day today. Aden leaves in four days. Suddenly, thinking about it that way, the time seemed so short.

When she first heard it was a week, it seemed so long. Come to think of it, time always felt that way since meeting this man.

Even four months seemed long but was short.

Compared to that time, a week suddenly felt like an incredibly short time.

She had promised. To act as his fiancée. Ludmila nodded her head after letting out a sigh.

“Alright, let’s go.”

It wasn’t difficult to give that short time to the man sticking by her side with that excuse.

Ludmila slowly rose from her seat.

Quite a lot of people had gathered in Tenant Village where the festival was in full swing. Families, couples, and friends.

Aden and Ludmila, too, blended in as one of those groups as they looked around the festival grounds.

The two, who couldn’t stay in one place and wandered here and there, seemed out of place in this setting.

They looked more like people who had just visited the place rather than those enjoying the festival.

“How about getting a bit closer?”

Aden’s voice suddenly reached Ludmila, who was scanning the surroundings with dry eyes as if counting the number of stalls.

Turning her head, Ludmila looked around at Aden’s chin gesture.

“They’ll doubt if we’re really engaged.”

As he said, she could see several women who knew Ludmila whispering while observing them.

Ludmila, biting her lip, carefully approached, and Aden grinned and took her hand.

Ludmila, who had reflexively flinched, looked up to see Aden smiling with a rather sociable expression.

“We should do at least this much to look like fiancés, shouldn’t we?”

Though the hint of self-interest in his smile wasn’t entirely welcome, she felt that backing down now might lead to strange rumors.

Not wanting that either, she relaxed her hand in his grip.

Only then did Aden’s large, firm hand feel more distinctly present.

Silently looking at the large hand that seemed to have swallowed her own, Ludmila looked up at Aden.

“So.”

At her short voice, Aden’s gaze came down diagonally.

“What was your purpose in coming here today? Isn’t it time you told me?”

At her demanding gaze, Aden silently looked at her with a dry expression.

But that was only for a moment. Under the burning sun, his cool smile revealed itself over his raised lips.

“You’re seeing it right now, aren’t you?”

Aden’s eyes crinkled as he lightly shook their joined hands.

“This is the purpose.”