Chapter 169: The Victor’s Return 2

“I am…Freddie Mars. Please take good care of me, Lord Santana and Lady Caseross.”

Queen lowered her head deferentially before the two seated individuals.

Truthfully, she had never imagined a day would come when she would bow so to this pair – her ill-fated younger brother and the lowly knightess she had so disdained.

Yet here they now stood in the position of her ‘masters,’ issuing commands, as she could only endure this humiliation, unable even to reveal her true face in protest.

Oblivious to Queen’s inner turmoil, the blissfully unaware duo beamed at her affably.

“It has been a while since the wedding. As you have heard, we would like you to serve us for the foreseeable future. We appreciate your assistance.”

“Y-Yes… I, Freddie Mars, shall strive to serve the heir of Bohemia, Lord Santana Andreas, and the Dragonian princess, Lady Caseross Sophia Reymondy, to the utmost of my abilities.”

Forcing out those galling words scorched Queen’s soul as she strove to maintain her composure before them.

Then, regarding her warily mingled with curiosity, Santana posed a query:

“Now that I think about it… I have never seen your unveiled face, Freddie – not even at the wedding. If you would oblige, might you remove that mask?”

“W-What…? Why would…”

Caught off guard by Santana’s unexpected request, Queen reflexively betrayed her profound discomfiture.

Noting her reaction, Santana offered a mild smile as he elaborated:

“As your charge, I ought to be familiar with the face of my escort, should any contingencies arise. I mean no offense – merely a prudent precaution.”

“Uum…”

Unable to formulate a viable rebuttal to Santana’s reasoning, Queen could only acquiesce.

Her previous pretext of a disfiguring injury precluding mask removal might have sufficed at the wedding, but held no water in this context of protective service.

‘This damn situation… Of course it would come to this wretched pass…’

With trembling hands, Queen reluctantly grasped her mask, her mind awash with fervent desperation as she slowly unveiled her face.

And then…

“…”

“…”

An awkward silence ensued.

Gripped by a hammering tension that seemed to constrict her very heart, Queen cautiously studied her brother’s reaction.

After a tense moment observing her revealed visage, Santana averted his gaze with a slight cough before speaking.

“I…see. My apologies. You may replace your mask.”

‘Whew…’

Hastily redonning her mask with a profound inward sigh of relief, Queen had narrowly succeeded in the hurriedly acquired illusion magic she had recently mastered.

Unveiling her face had revealed not her true appearance, but rather that of an entirely different woman – scarred and utterly dissimilar to Queen’s actual features.

Though still unfamiliar with this novel sorcery and its inherent risks of failure, Queen could not help but feel relieved at having averted potential catastrophe.

‘That was far too close… Any misstep, and I would have been utterly ruined.’

Having concealed her identity from the pair before her, Queen remained oblivious to a critical fact:

While her ruse had indeed deceived the magically inept Santana and Caseross, another presence shared that room – one whose transcendent abilities far outstripped even Queen and her master, leaving them stunned by this illusion.

“Then we shall take our leave, Mother.”

“Very well. Stay safe, and do not hesitate to call upon me should you require any aid.”

The Marquise Catlena’s voice brimmed with palpable reluctance.

Witnessing her mother’s wistfulness, Caseross felt a fleeting pang of melancholy at the realization that she was truly departing this place forever.

‘So this is the feeling of leaving the very home I had once so desperately sought to escape…’

A sentiment utterly distinct from her past flight – her selfish resentment then contrasting starkly with her present bittersweet emotions.

Though she had absconded out of personal grievances, this place had nonetheless remained ‘home’ in her heart – a sanctuary she could return to at any time, where her family awaited her warmly.

Yet now, Caseross no longer perceived this realm as her ‘home.’

While her family would surely welcome her, her true home – the place where she would build a life with her husband – lay in Bohemia, not here.

Tinged with melancholy at departing this place she could no longer call home, yet simultaneously grateful for her mother’s steadfast affection despite their frequent clashes, Caseross embraced her with a wellspring of intermingled sentiments.

“…Mother…”

“You must thrive. You must live happily… For this is the path you have chosen to your happiness. You simply must…”

For a poignant moment, mother and daughter shared an exchange of love and bittersweet farewell.

Then, the carriage bearing Caseross and Santana departed Sophia, bound for Bohemia – a journey infused with both longing and trepidation, portending the coming storm.

The time spent in the Dragonian Empire had passed like a sweet dream.

Yet with its conclusion, I turned my thoughts to the impending maelstrom awaiting us.

However, this did not pertain to the forthcoming war itself.

The pressing matter demanding my immediate attention concerned the woman presently nestled contentedly at my side – Caseross herself.

‘Setting everything else aside, the mere revelation of our marriage is bound to spark an uproar, is it not?’

Had she been an utter stranger, perhaps not.

Yet within the halls of Bohemia’s royal palace, Caseross’s face was already well-known.

From my father, Count Tuahn, to my younger brother Desth, my family clearly recognized Caseross as the holy knight with whom I had forged close ties.

To unveil that this very woman was not only the Dragonian princess but now my lawfully wedded wife would undoubtedly provoke a seismic reaction, however predictable.

‘Well, no grave issues should arise from that revelation itself. The true complication lies with Estelle…’

Though Caseross unequivocally occupied the position of my official wife, I remained keenly aware of my obligations to Estelle, who had steadfastly loved and supported me through such efforts.

My promise to grant her concubine status stemmed from this recognition, an arrangement Caseross had sanctioned.

The quandary lay in how Estelle, believing our union to be a political marriage, would receive this revelation.

‘She was already aware of my affections for Caseross… Yet how will she process this culmination?’

Pondering this lingering romantic entanglement, I gently stroked Caseross’s silken tresses as she nestled contentedly in my embrace.