Chapter 48 : To a House with Nothing (5)

In that hellish place she never wanted to remember again, she had run forward, focusing only on surviving. In that battle, honor or pride surely had no place.

For Wolfgang, fighting was the only means and method of survival. 

If there had been another way, she would have gladly chosen it. 

Unfortunately, such luck never came her way.

For a brief moment, her blood had boiled, and she had made a mistake. 

With a deep sigh, Wolfgang expelled every last bit of the lingering emotions. 

Emotional actions were of no help. 

The exhaustion of emotions only poisons one another in the end. 

Especially since Mirina was still an innocent child, unaware of the world. 

It wouldn’t have been a problem if she had just let it slide…

“The feeling of reopening past wounds… I couldn’t stand it. I see, I haven’t fully escaped my past yet.”

But self-blame ends here. 

Blaming oneself and reflecting can wait until later. 

What matters now is recognizing the problem and fixing it. 

Only then can one move forward, Wolfgang believed.

Now, where should she start solving this?

No.

How did it end up like this?

In a situation she hadn’t anticipated at all, Wolfgang continued to feel a sharp headache from the inside of her skull. 

Of course, she had survived the Winter War at the forefront. 

Nothing small could induce a headache for her. 

So, what exactly was causing her such a headache?

It was none other than the women’s battle of wills before her.

“Do you have no shame? To bow your head so quickly after losing.”

“To keep one’s word is the honor and pride of a noble. I don’t know about the lowly ones, though.”

“…It seems we need to settle this once more.”

“That’s exactly what I wanted. I’m certain I won’t lose this time.”

“…”

Mirina’s golden hair, shining like the sun, swayed confidently. 

It seemed she genuinely believed she could defeat Galina, despite the enormous gap between them.

How did these two end up having a battle of wills?

The situation goes back about an hour.

After Mirina’s fight, Duke Frost formed an alliance with Wolfgang. The most powerful force within the Frost Duke household at the time was none other than Mirina Frost.

She had played with Mirina as though she were a toy. 

At least her strength had been proven. 

Of course, there was no denying that everything might be a trap. However…

[A powerless noble must surrender to the flow of time. The fall of the Frost family has already begun.]

[Then why form an alliance?]

[…At least having a companion on the way feels less lonely.]

It was said that the Frost Duke household had suffered much at the hands of the Saintess, more than expected. 

From the unilateral broken engagement and banishment that occurred ten years ago, to even the loss of their successor.

[Wasn’t Theodore supposed to be the next Duke?]

[It’s customary to give the heir’s position to the legitimate successor. But after Theodore’s defeat, the child, in his despair, was seduced by the Saintess and betrayed the family.]

[… .]

[Because of that, we spent too much time dealing with internal issues. By the time we raised our heads again, we had already lost all the glory of the Duke’s house.]

They had lost so much that they couldn’t even counterattack. 

Any attempt at retaliation would have only resulted in further losses. 

Instead, they had sided with Prince Zaid, the opposing faction to the Saintess.

However, even though the Frost Duke household had allied with Prince Zaid, the political situation now was overwhelmingly controlled by Saintess Jeanne with 70% of the power. 

This showed just how weak the Duke’s house had become.

Naturally, frequent changes in the family’s heir was never a good thing. 

Policies that had been made in accordance with that heir had to be revised, which diminished the influence of the family in the outside world.

But after ten years of struggles, they had finally stabilized the family under the leadership of Theodore. 

Now, he was abandoning the position of heir and betraying the kingdom to join the empire?

At this point, even the Duke had to accept the inevitable. He was well aware that the family’s decline had already begun. 

The only reason he hadn’t accepted it until now was because he didn’t want to acknowledge it.

[Don’t pity me.]

[I haven’t said anything.]

[When you’re my age, you can read someone’s mind just by looking at their face. And the man in front of you is a monster who sacrificed people for the family. If you show any openings, he might tear you apart.]

[… You speak as though you’re talking about someone else.]

For now, since he had come in the name of Lana Frost, it didn’t feel real, but wasn’t the middle-aged man in front of her her father’s body? The Duke smiled and answered.

[That’s just my essence.]

He had created a family bond for the sake of the family. 

Nothing more, nothing less. 

The man who answered like that looked weary. However, there was no reason for Wolfgang to concern herself with his personal matters.

In the battlefield, showing pity only brings about anger. 

And Wolfgang saw this situation as a battlefield. 

Therefore, she exercised great caution. To win, without fail.

Wolfgang had secured the Duke’s authority. 

The right to use the family’s resources and manpower. 

While it was called a “right,” it was, in reality, closer to a seizure of power.

The Duke had already understood that the initiative had passed from him. He didn’t resist, and Wolfgang, in turn, sought to inform the next Duke, Mirina, of the situation.

“What if she resists?”

“I’ll try to persuade her.”

“And if she still resists?”

“If she goes too far… I’ll have no choice but to kill her.”

Wolfgang hadn’t obtained the right to use the Duke’s resources and manpower for nothing. 

Of course, she hadn’t planned on killing anyone from the start. 

She knew it was a difficult thing to accept.

But if persuasion failed or if resistance went too far, she was prepared to kill. It was harsh, but hesitation only led to death.

At that moment, she received a report that Mirina had regained consciousness after fainting. 

“Strike while the iron is hot,” Wolfgang thought, opening the door without hesitation.

And just as she did, the scene before her made her pause.

“You’re here, sister ♡.”

“…???”

As soon as the door opened, Mirina greeted her with a bright smile. 

The sudden change felt so awkward that Wolfgang almost got goosebumps.

And perhaps, this had triggered Galina’s temper. 

Mirina and Galina ended up in an all-out showdown for the title of “world’s number one fan.”

Well, it was better than a direct confrontation.

What had brought about this change in attitude?

She hardly remembered her sister.

She had been only four years old back then. 

Honestly, even remembering that much felt like a miracle. In her blurry memory, she had always played in her sister’s arms.

It was strange. Most of her childhood memories were blurry, but the memory of sleeping in her sister’s arms, listening to her read a story, remained vivid.

But that happiness didn’t last long. 

One day, the sister who had warmly held her disappeared, and from then on, the man they called “father” became obsessed with tearing the family apart.

[It’s for the family’s revival. Stop whining.]

[Ugh…!!]

[You still have a long way to go. Get up and grab your weapon.]

As a knight kingdom, the Frost Duke was once a highly skilled knight in his youth, and Mirina had to endure harsh training under him. 

She couldn’t seem to take it anymore.

She couldn’t accept that the legitimate heirs had been replaced by children born of concubines purchased with money. 

However, surprisingly, she hadn’t disliked the training that much.

Being strong was fun, and more than anything, it was beautiful. 

And if she could grow stronger, she could endure such harsh training. 

Fortunately, she had the talent for it.

Ten years.

In just ten years, she had become strong enough to overwhelm her father, the Duke, and she believed she could soon catch up to Theodore, the strongest knight in the kingdom.

And when she realized she could surpass the kingdom’s strongest guardian dragon, she felt a sense of boredom. 

But today, Mirina came face to face with a wall.

She couldn’t do it. 

She had used all her strength, but she couldn’t win. 

Now, there was nothing she could do. It was a massive wall she would never overcome, no matter how many years she trained.

“… Beautiful.”

Wolfgang, holding her by the neck with one hand, stared at her with sharp eyes. 

There was no hesitation, only a fierce and sharp force, as if she were a beast, intent on killing her opponent.

And, surprisingly, Mirina found beauty in that scene.

Was this the feeling of falling in love at first sight?

No one could match such perfect power.

The ideal end she had only dreamed of until now.

And so…

“Did you come, sister ♡?”

Mirina opened her arms, eager to embrace her sister.