Ch.124Chimera (2)

“Would Caden accept that?”

“I don’t know. But I want to try.”

“……”

Riana and Asena were sitting in a corner of the room, having a secret conversation.

The Praester Family’s Territory felt so empty after many people had left, making them cautious that their voices might echo.

Riana wasn’t looking at Asena.

Asena could understand Riana. At the same time, she couldn’t let go of Caden either.

“…I understand.”

After a long wait, Riana spoke quietly.

“…Thank you.”

Once the persuasion was over, Asena immediately stood up.

Before leaving the room, she thanked Riana once more and slipped out into the hallway.

Again, that cold corridor returned.

When Caden disappeared, her world lost its light. A colder, gloomier world approached her.

She was enduring with only the thought that Caden would return.

Since all the gathered families had experience in warfare, she had no choice but to believe they would take good care of her brother.

…Of course, she didn’t know how long she would have to wait. In this indefinite waiting, she could only long for his warmth again.

Suddenly, she found herself imagining what would have happened if he had never entered her life.

…Perhaps she would have lived without knowing human emotions.

It was Caden who had revived her dying positive emotions.

Hope. Trust. Joy. Happiness… to excitement. Ecstasy. Thrill. Love.

He would never know how much his existence in this world was changing her.

.

.

.

Asena later went to find Daisy.

Finding her wasn’t easy. After dining with Riana, Daisy must have felt the need to do something, as she had been working like a maid.

She eagerly offered help wherever she could, and as a result, she began to receive much love from the household members.

While she mainly took care of Caden during war preparations, now that they had left, she was busy with menial tasks.

“Daisy.”

Asena found Daisy at a stream outside the territory.

Several maids followed behind Asena.

Daisy was laughing while doing laundry with other maids. When Asena appeared, she wiped the soap off her face and stood up.

“…Asena.”

The servants doing laundry beside Daisy also flinched in surprise and bowed their heads.

They seemed to suddenly realize that Daisy, whom they had been friendly with, was someone who could speak informally to their family head.

“Daisy, I need to talk to you for a moment.”

****

Daisy put down her laundry, untied the cloth from her head, and followed Asena.

Asena’s servants laid out a mat where she had requested, and the two noblewomen sat facing each other.

Daisy spoke first.

“…Is there news about Caden?”

“……”

Asena shook her head.

“…The war might be happening right now. We’ll have to wait a bit longer for news.”

“……”

“That’s not what I came to talk about.”

“…Asena, if it’s about what happened in the Naita Forest… I’m reflecting on it… please forgive me just this once—”

“—It’s not that either.”

Daisy’s eyes, which had been growing increasingly gloomy, opened wide again.

Regarding the incident at Naita Forest where Caden had gone missing, Asena had nothing to say. Now that Caden had returned alive, that wasn’t what she wanted to discuss.

Feeling Daisy’s gaze, Asena asked directly.

“…Daisy, is it true that you can marry my brother?”

“…Huh?”

Daisy’s expression became blank again. A drop of sweat rolled down her forehead, perhaps from the heat while doing laundry.

“…Grandmother and your brother… that’s one thing. But your father doesn’t seem to want my brother who has become a commoner. Isn’t that right?”

Daisy couldn’t find words to respond. She stammered, expressing her urgent feelings.

“F-Father made a mistake. When Caden returns to the Praester family—”

“—My brother won’t return to the Praester family.”

Asena said firmly. It was one of several matters she had decided through long conversations with her grandmother.

To begin with, Caden didn’t seem to want to return… and there was an alternative.

“…He won’t return to the Praester family, Daisy.”

She repeated those words once more.

“…Oh.”

Daisy’s eyes wandered and trembled.

Though Asena tried not to show it, Daisy could once again feel how much she changed depending on Caden’s presence.

When Caden was around, Asena couldn’t move an inch, but without him… she was resolute and sharp.

Daisy tried again to find words.

“…B-but that’s okay.”

“Why?”

“…F-Father isn’t someone who would repeat the mistake he made with Lady Riana twice. So… he won’t oppose the marriage anymore.”

“What mistake are you talking about?”

“…Well… actions that upset Lady Riana…”

“How will your father upset my grandmother in the future?”

“…Huh? If he cancels the marriage… then…”

Even as she spoke, Daisy could tell things were getting strangely twisted.

Asena opened her mouth to directly address Daisy’s uneasiness.

“…Grandmother wants this marriage arrangement to be broken. She’s not doing so out of consideration for my brother’s feelings.”

“………”

“If the families agree to cancel the marriage… wouldn’t that actually be a good thing?”

Daisy’s eyes lost focus. Her lips opened and closed repeatedly, but no words came out. Deep down, Daisy also had her concerns.

Watching her, Asena felt a strange emotion.

This was what Asena had originally wanted. Even knowing she had no right to feel this way, that ugly and selfish part of her wanted to see this scene.

The downfall of the woman who tried to claim her brother.

The despair on her face upon hearing she couldn’t be with him.

Asena knew how disgusting she was. Nevertheless, she couldn’t control how her heart felt regardless of her will.

She still wanted to have Caden all to herself.

But… in the end, Asena sighed. Suppressing her feelings, she spoke the words she had to say. All of this was for herself.

She was the one who needed to lower her posture.

“…Let me help you.”

“…What?”

“…I’ll help you… marry my brother.”

Daisy was about to eagerly take the bait, but then checked again who was making the offer.

Asena Praester.

Given that she also loved Caden, she wouldn’t make such an offer without expecting something in return.

Sure enough, Asena continued.

“…But I need your help too.”

Daisy hesitated before speaking. There didn’t seem to be many other options.

“…What kind of help…?”

This time, Asena took her time. It seemed difficult for her to say as well.

“……….Even if my brother accepts another woman besides Judy, please understand.”

“…….”

Daisy could quickly guess who the “other woman” Asena was referring to might be.

She also quickly understood why Asena was doing this. All the puzzle pieces fit together.

Daisy recalled the feelings she once had toward Asena.

Having recently faced a marriage crisis herself, she could empathize with the women who had grown distant from Caden. Through that pain… she felt sorry for the twins.

With those feelings, Daisy, who had been under pressure until just moments ago, could now shed a layer and look directly at Asena.

Though Asena was making her proposal confidently, Daisy could see the desperation within. From the trembling in her eyes that wasn’t visible before, to her tense hands.

Asena was now helping her… and asking for permission.

As a woman, she couldn’t know whom Caden loved most, but as a person, Daisy knew whom Caden cherished most.

And that treasure of Caden’s was now asking her for a favor.

“…What do you plan to do?”

She asked.

Daisy took one step further, asking about Asena’s plan.

“…What’s your plan…?”

Asena slowly revealed her cards.

“……….I’m thinking of establishing… a new family for my brother.”

****

Even amid the chaos of war, my eyes surveyed the battle situation.

No matter how great the difference in military strength, the enemy soldiers also carried weapons that could kill.

Though we were overwhelming them, Praester soldiers were also falling one by one.

Among them was one of Lawrence’s subordinates who had been waving the flag to boost morale.

“Dale!! Ugh…!”

Lawrence took just a moment to mourn the young man’s death… then grabbed the falling Praester flag and held it high.

At the same time, he raised his voice to boost the morale of soldiers who might falter.

“We’ve almost subdued them!! Just a little more effort!!”

Hearing his voice from the bloody frontline, the Praester soldiers rallied once more.

Lawrence was right. Their charge was almost absurdly reckless, and Payne’s soldiers were falling several times faster than our own.

Soldiers were still pouring out of the open castle gate, but even that would soon end, I knew.

Nevertheless, I couldn’t let my guard down.

“Regroup!!”

At my command, Lawrence’s last remaining subordinate blew the horn.

-Bwooo! Bwooo! Bwooo!

At the three-blast signal, the scattered soldiers began to gather again.

“Judy! Stay close!”

“I know!”

The well-trained soldiers found their positions.

It seemed we just needed to gather our strength and deliver the final blow to Payne.

At that moment, another commotion entered the battle.

From the distant right ridge, the screams of soldiers grew harsher.

That was where the Lins family was positioned.

The Lins family… and the siege weapons were there.

From there, a messenger carrying the Lins family flag galloped toward us.

“Lawrence! Protect the messenger!”

“Archers!!”

I didn’t want to lose the Lins messenger in this already chaotic situation.

The Lins messenger, supported by soldiers, rushed to us with rough breathing and dismay.

“Haa..! Haa..! C-Caden, sir! Enemy reinforcements have appeared..!”

“What?”

“We can’t even see their flag to identify them..! But they appeared suddenly from behind…! All I know is that their numbers are large..!”

-‘Fire!!’

While we were talking, urgent shouts came from the direction of the Lins family.

Looking in that direction, I saw that one of the four siege weapons we had prepared was catching fire.

Lawrence urgently informed me.

“Caden, sir…! If we lose the siege weapons… the war will be prolonged..! I think we need to change our plan and go protect them…!”

The siege weapons were one of our strongest cards. Until these mysterious enemy troops appeared… things had been flowing too favorably for us.

According to our original plan, we would use the siege weapons to break down the walls and push in.

But if those siege weapons were destroyed, we would have no choice but to attack the castle while enduring a rain of arrows. Or, we could lay siege until they starved inside.

Neither option was acceptable.

“Lawrence.”

I made my decision.

“Yes…!”

“Abandon the siege weapons. Let’s break through the castle now.”

“What..?”

Whoever the reinforcements were, they couldn’t defeat our alliance unless they were the Ice family. And there was no way it could be the Ice family.

As such, their goal must be to destroy the siege weapons and prolong the war… it was better to end it here.

Having been caught off guard by the reinforcement card, we needed to make up the difference with force.

My gaze fixed on the open castle gate.

Payne’s soldiers were still rushing out to help their side, but their momentum wasn’t the same as before.

“We just need to break through the open gate…!”

Actually, we didn’t even need to scale the castle. Since Payne had committed to an all-out battle, if we could just cut off their retreat, we could deliver a fatal blow.

While Lawrence was considering, another siege weapon caught fire.

His head turned from the siege weapons to the castle gate, and finally, he nodded.

“Yes..!”

Then I turned to Judy.

“…Judy, do you really have to follow?”

“Wherever you go, I go.”

I looked into her eyes for a long time, then nodded.

“Hyah!”

I shook the reins and started forward.

Lawrence’s voice resonated among the soldiers.

“Charge toward the castle!! Cut off Payne’s breath now!!”