episode_0192

*

A few days later.

As the sunlight tickled her cheeks, Serpina’s eyes opened little by little.

‘… … Umm… … .’

She got up lightly from her seat and stretched.

The pure white negligee barely covered her very feminine curves.

The first thing to do is take a bath.

After pouring in an appropriate amount of water and warming it up, I sat down and lightly made up my bedding while waiting for the water to warm up.

This and that are truly awkward things for the monarch of a country to do with his own hands.

Moreover, Serpina is not a feudal lord, but a member of the royal family of the old empire. Of course, she had to have three or four maids to help her with these chores, but she liked preparing herself.

This series of processes is a kind of ritual. Before starting my day as the successor to the Eingart family, I put aside the existence of ‘Serpina’.

Moreover, this bedroom is a forbidden area.

It was a very private space that no one other than Serpina could enter, and it was the only place where she could catch her breath.

Just like that, Serpina soaks herself in the wooden bathtub, leaning on a towel.

With the sound of water rising and overflowing, breath naturally came out from her pink lips.

Was it because of the particularly huge breasts? Only after the water overflows for a long time does silence come.

‘… … .’

As soon as I felt warm water on my skin, a man’s face suddenly came to mind.

The person who twice invaded the forbidden space that only she could enter.

‘Swen… … .’

Serpina blushed and even slightly dipped her mouth into the water.

The sound of bubbling bubbles represented her complicated mind.

My heart pounded every time I thought about that man.

Every time I thought about that man, my stomach tingled.

The first person to enter my bedroom.

The first person to visit the graves of my brothers with me.

He said he would protect me by my side.

He said he believed what I said.

and… … The secret he didn’t even tell Iren, he told only me.

The first thing I felt about him was curiosity. An unknown young man who keeps appearing in my dreams. I thought that I really wanted to meet the man who dropped the rock and put our military in a corner, to see what kind of person he was.

Next was greed. To be exact, greed for talent. Although Jenna was not an incompetent general, Swen was a man with overwhelming insight that could not be found in Serpina County. Considering that he first proposed a bet to me, the monarch of an enemy country, he was the type of person who had guts even if he did not have strength. Serpina was instinctively convinced that Swen was the person who would be an essential puzzle piece on her road to unification.

And then, what I feel now… … craving.

It’s not greed. It was a desire. A woman’s desire for a man that even the absolute being Serpina cannot resist. Very complex emotions, a mixture of curiosity, greed, and desire, were dominating her.

While my mind was confused due to the emotions I was experiencing for the first time in my life, this thought suddenly occurred to me.

He said he had an ability called ‘mind’s eye’.

In fact, everything he had said so far had been correct, so there was a high possibility that it was true.

but… …

Is he really using that ability for me?

“When crossing from Brans County to Aceers County, and… … His actions until he became the general of Brans County are unusual.”

It is said that before coming to Brans County, Swen was a small-time, weak country’s strategist who was tied up in a lone castle and declared surrender to Lin.

The gist of it was that the existing monarch abandoned himself as a sacrifice and ran away.

When I heard that story, I only vaguely thought, ‘It’s strange because a general with outstanding insight would never be stabbed in the back by the monarch of a weak country.’

Nowadays, isn’t there a very powerful mind called ‘mind’s eye’?

Is it correct to think that he, who has that level of ability, was so meekly abandoned by the monarch?

Or is it that he cannot see the outcome, such as whether he will be abandoned or not? In fact, he couldn’t predict as many things as he thought.

but… … Serpina’s intuition told her that Swen did not seem to have acted so sloppily.

“Maybe he… … ”

――He may be someone who has a much more complicated relationship between military and government than I thought.

This was an inference made based on numerous advice from soldiers in the Brans Army.

A monarch who suddenly took all his money, provisions, and troops and ran away.

Circumstances show that the trickster who once played a trick on Rin fell into her hands so easily.

It seemed like there was already quite a bit of talk in Brans County about how strange all of this was.

Of course, I can’t know for sure because it’s all a bit fuzzy, but… … Thinking back to Swen, who had constantly changed monarchs up until now, I was able to naturally come to one conclusion.

In his mind, there is someone else, not me.

“I am my lord… … Because I trust you, Serpina.”

In those words, I felt a deeper sincerity than any other moment.

But was the master he was talking about really me?

Then why did they bother to add the name Serpina after them?

Of course, it would be roughly correct to interpret it as ‘I believe in my master, Serpina.’

till now.

When you said that you would speak diligently without caring who was on your mind.

At some point, Swen stopped denying what I said.

Who exactly is it?

Who is the ‘master’ that Swen has in mind?

Would Iren, who has been with us since Brans County, know?

However, that doesn’t mean you can’t just ask questions like that. I didn’t want to burden Irene right away. Not only was she an excellent general, but I also didn’t want to provoke her and be hated by Swen.

For sure.

I was definitely going to wait for him to slowly open his heart.

I promised myself that I would definitely win his heart no matter how many months or years passed… …

I felt my body growing hotter with impatience as if the warm gray eyes that were looking at me would disappear somewhere.

‘… … ha.’

After soaking for a while, Serpina slowly got out of the bathtub and finished her bath.

Get dressed up and surround yourself with a scent similar to the one you felt in your favorite childhood place.

The scent of citron was her armor. By wearing that armor, she was reborn not as Serpina, the soft-hearted youngest member of the royal family, but as Serpina von Eyngart, the golden-eyed absolute.

Finally, by wearing a hairpin with a characteristic shape on your head, you are ready to go.

“Welcome, my lord.”

After leaving the room, she headed to the royal castle, bowed lightly to those who greeted her, and headed to the throne.

The first thing I did as soon as I arrived at the royal castle was to receive a report on what had happened so far.

“There are no signs of rebels… … Is it.”

As I read the long report sent from Jenna, the soldiers came and reported the results of their work.

I was thinking that since I had nothing to give orders today, I would spend my time like this.

She received unexpected news.

“Master. A letter from General Irian has arrived.”

As for Irian, he was currently on patrol toward Kelstein following Swen’s advice.

Serpina accepted the letter the soldier handed her.

and… …

* * *

Turn back time, Roger Castle.

“My lord pointed me out?”

“Yes.”

Irian, who was in charge of the troops stationed at Rose Castle on behalf of Iren, tilted his head as if wondering.

“Aren’t there other generals who might need to search the territory?”

“Yes, but this is the lord’s will… … .”

“No, of course I have no intention of denying my lord’s will. However, do I really need to point out the predisposition and say that I have doubts about the choice? … .”

The adjutant who delivered the news to Irian, who was in trouble, spoke with a cautious expression.

“Well, that… … I guess that seems to be what the man meant.”

“That guy?”

“Did you say Swen? It is said that he has been spending a lot of time with his lord recently, and from what I heard, he seems to be giving various advice. There have been a lot of somewhat incomprehensible orders recently, and the story is going around that the man is involved in them all. Of course, it’s all just rumors… … .”

After hearing those words, Irian made an uncomfortable face and said.

“I see you again. I didn’t know that you would have the guts to post nonsense in front of me just to disparage people.”

“No, that’s… … That’s not what the small man meant to do.”

“I’ll forgive you this time, so you’d better be careful what you say in the future.”

“Yes, old times!”

“If you understand, please go and call General Beniel.”

“Okay.”

After sending his adjutant, Irian quietly fell into thought.

‘I don’t believe in malicious rumors, but… … Even if the rumor is true, if it’s Lord Swen, it’s trustworthy enough. There must be a reason why they singled out me and sent me there.’

Irian was also well aware of the strange rumors going around between Swen and his lord Serpina.

However, after the incident involving Zenith, my feelings are leaning toward Swen.

What reason would there be to disparage a man who could be her brother-in-law if the timing is right?

‘I’ll leave this place to Beniel and prepare to leave immediately.’

Even if it was someone else’s suggestion, it didn’t matter.

If something is ordered, just follow it.

That was Irian’s way of living.

* * *

Again, Eingart Castle.

Serpina, who received Irian’s letter, trembled slightly as if she could not believe it.

‘… … !!!’

Did you say, ‘Sending Irian is the most efficient way?’

Serpina vividly experienced the moment when the man’s words came true again.