Ch.223Chapter 223. The Thread of Fate

As if the world had stopped, in Luna’s frozen vision—

That man appeared.

A white-haired man. The strategist. The first person who joined our army when no one else cared.

The one who promised to give me the world—Swen.

Luna remembered every single word she had exchanged with Swen.

Of course, she also remembered exactly what she herself had said.

Swen knew.

That Serpina was her enemy, Lunarian’s enemy. He also knew that Serpina was the one who brutally killed her sister, who had been the unrecognized concubine of the Crown Prince.

So, knowing all these circumstances… he couldn’t possibly be helping Serpina of his own volition.

After all, Lord Swen was my strategist alone. It would be contradictory for someone who existed solely for me to work for my enemy. At least, that’s how it was in Luna’s mind.

Wasn’t he the one who promised to bring me the world? Didn’t he say he would stay by my side forever, barring any unforeseen circumstances?

Lord Swen couldn’t possibly be wrong.

The idea of Swen willingly helping Serpina… made no sense.

This wasn’t just Luna being unable to comprehend the situation.

It was simply too obvious. Like the sun rising in the east and setting in the west—that kind of natural phenomenon.

So, if Swen was truly helping Serpina, it would be as absurd as the sun rising in the west.

After thinking that far, the conclusion naturally compressed into one:

‘Lord Swen… must be being blackmailed.’

That’s it!

If Lord Swen is being blackmailed by that detestable woman.

If his life is being threatened, then all of this started to make sense.

‘Lord Swen…!!’

Thud.

Luna collapsed where she stood.

‘Because Lord Swen would never help someone like Serpina of his own accord… Surely, he must be under threat of losing his life, or something equally severe. He has no choice but to cooperate with her.’

Thinking this way, everything seemed to fall into place with surprising clarity.

But at the same time… there was nothing she could do about the ache in the corner of her heart.

‘Lord Swen… for me, for our army, you sacrificed yourself alone, and now… you’re suffering under that utterly wicked woman.’

And I didn’t even know.

I was wondering why you hadn’t returned, such foolish thoughts.

Perhaps.

The thought that being imprisoned in an underground dungeon might have been better than working under her made tears well up again.

After all, from Lord Swen’s perspective, working for Serpina must have been an enormous humiliation.

But Lord Swen had to survive. Because he had promised me. Because he was the one who swore to keep that promise.

Just as I had always pictured Lord Swen… Lord Swen must have been picturing me too.

It was too late.

She felt that the timing of the uprising was far too late.

She should have revealed herself sooner, even if it meant using more vicious methods, abandoning honor and trust long ago, even a day earlier.

While Lord Swen was enduring humiliation beyond description working under Serpina… she had been waiting here for the right justification, as if she were some noble swan. The thought made her feel utterly pathetic.

‘This can’t go on…!’

“…Violet.”

“!!!!”

Violet, who had been unable to utter a word, involuntarily stepped back, feeling a chill she had never experienced before in her life.

Luna’s eyes… were dead.

The woman who had always looked at her, at everyone, with warm eyes… now seemed like a different person, as if possessed by something.

“This is no time to be standing around. Let’s prepare for war immediately. We can’t… keep him waiting any longer.”

“Yes…? Waiting… no, who, who shouldn’t be kept waiting?”

“…”

At that moment.

Tears began to flow from Luna’s eyes.

“Lu-Luna, my lady…?”

“Lord Swen is… even now, even now… under that devil of a woman.”

“Groaning in pain… being blackmailed, doing work he doesn’t want to do… suffering under Serpina.”

“So… I, I can’t… I can’t waste any more precious time. Even at this very moment… with every minute, every second that passes, the pain Lord Swen must be feeling is immense…!”

“Ah… I…”

Honestly.

Addressing Luna in her current state was quite difficult for Violet, still a novice strategist—

Nevertheless, she had to speak up. After all, she couldn’t quite understand Luna’s story.

“May I say something, if you don’t mind…?”

“…?”

“That… um, is Lord Swen being under Serpina’s command… such a painful thing?”

“Of course it is!!”

Before Violet could finish speaking, Luna shouted angrily.

Luna screaming at her like that. It was an incredibly disheveled appearance that she had never seen before.

“I… well, that…”

However.

No matter how strange her lord’s behavior might be, she had to say what needed to be said.

That was what she believed to be the right path for a strategist.

“This Swen person is currently, in Serpina’s army… um…”

“…”

“He… seems to be doing quite well, from what I’ve heard…?”

“…”

“There are rumors that he’s receiving considerable favor from Serpina…”

Violet closed her eyes and bowed her head, simply waiting for Luna to respond.

How long the silence continued.

Finally, Luna’s ice-cold voice struck her ears like a blow.

“That’s a false rumor.”

“…Pardon? Could I… perhaps ask for your basis?”

She thought that Luna would explain the basis in an easy-to-understand tone, but.

“It has to be false, doesn’t it?”

The words that came were too frigid.

Luna, who had always looked at her with warm eyes… now spoke with a sharp tone that seemed like it would cut if touched, her eyes dead.

“Of all people, Lord Swen couldn’t possibly be happy under that cursed Serpina.”

“Favor or whatever… it’s all wordplay. Just a form of vicious torment. Intimidating people, bringing them under her control, manipulating them as she pleases for her enjoyment. Lord Swen has merely been caught up in it. By spreading such detestable false rumors, Lord Swen will only be placed in an even more difficult situation.”

“She’s vicious. To an unspeakable degree… the lowest of humans.”

After saying that much, Luna let out a short sigh.

A glint flashed in her ruby-red eyes.

Violet… faced with this sight, couldn’t bring herself to explain more of what she had investigated.

“Violet. You believed such things because you didn’t know better. But, the feelings with which Lord Swen left our side. The feelings with which he…”

At this point, her tears were now dripping steadily onto the floor.

It was a first. Luna, who had always maintained a gentle but undeniable charisma, crying so sorrowfully.

“The feelings with which… he must be working under that enemy-like woman, if you knew… you would never believe such things.”

“My lord. I was just—”

“They’re all false rumors.”

Luna cut off Violet’s words.

“I don’t know what you’ve heard, but they’re all just false rumors. I hope Violet also learns the wisdom to filter what she hears from now on. Understood?”

Whether fortunately or not, Luna’s voice had become affectionate again.

No, the voice was indeed that of the affectionate Luna, but… she seemed like a different person.

This person is—

“Do you understand?”

—frightening…!

“…Y-Yes, my lord. I… I apologize for my rudeness.”

“It’s alright, Violet. As long as you understand. We’re going to be quite busy from now on, so Violet should also prepare herself. Understood?”

“Yes, yes ma’am.”

“Good.”

Watching Luna’s back as she silently rose and walked away, Violet fell into thought.

As soon as Violet heard the keyword “young man with white hair,” she immediately searched for veteran warriors who had spent time in the northern continent.

Fortunately, she was able to meet an elderly man who had worked for Serpina’s army until recently before retiring due to age and returning to his hometown, and heard the detailed story.

The man said that since he was just an ordinary general not particularly involved in central politics, it was all just rumors, but—

It seemed certain that the man called Swen was indeed receiving Serpina’s favor.

No, it was beyond mere favor. There were even rumors that Swen, a handsome man, had ensnared Serpina like a fox.

Not only that. The female knight who came over to Serpina’s army with Swen had received an exceptionally high rank at an unprecedented speed.

So… according to Luna, this man Swen was being blackmailed and working under Serpina against his will.

But would someone normally show favor to such a person and keep them close? If the goal was to torment him, would it be possible to give a high position to someone he brought along?

Unable to voice the questions arising in her mind, she recalled Luna’s unprecedentedly cold expression just now.

Why?

Who on earth was this white-haired magician… this man called Swen?

What was he to Luna that he could so thoroughly disturb Luna, who always maintained her gentleness and dignity?

At that moment, the young Violet sensed it.

If her lord Luna—Lunarian—were to go astray, it would almost certainly be connected to that being called Swen.

And.

Luna, leaving Violet behind, wiped away the tears flowing down her sleeve as she left the palace, making another vow.

I was foolish, Lord Swen.

So.

I won’t leave you in pain and suffering any longer.

‘I’ll deal with the Karelia army as quickly as possible.’

‘Somehow unify the southern continent… then advance to the central continent.’

The Aeshus army, presumed to have sold out Lord Swen.

And the Serpina army, who is forcibly blackmailing Lord Swen…

Luna slowly opened her hand.

A pale white hand. A delicate hand that had not yet been stained with much blood, unsuitable for one called a lord.

She thought.

That meeting Lord Swen was fate.

After all, he was the one who had bet everything on her from the moment they first met. More than Brans, more than Aeshus, and more than Serpina, he believed that I could unify the continent.

He was the one who showed me that hope.

In Luna’s hand, there still clearly existed—

The thread of fate connecting her and Lord Swen.

Although invisible to our eyes, she had never forgotten for a moment that she had been connected to him since the moment they parted.

Yes.

What might be lacking… perhaps, is blood.

Only after thoroughly soaking her hands in red blood… would the “fate” connecting her to Lord Swen reveal itself, dyed crimson.

So, I will, by any means necessary, deal with them with my own hands.

‘Lord Swen. Please wait just a little longer. I, Luna… will save you…♥’

So.

Please, just wait a little longer…!

* * *

At the same time as Luna and Violet’s strange conversation, at Einhart Castle.

“However, there is something I wish to ask of you.”

Serpina, her golden eyes sparkling brightly toward Swen, opens her mouth in an exceedingly gentle tone.

“Become my husband, Swen.”

—Although it was quite far from Luna’s expectations, he was indeed in a rather troublesome situation.