Her eyes were empty and her back hurt. Honestly, every part of her body hurt so no matter what position she put herself in, every part of her ached.
She could understand why Claude came to the cottage in Cosoar more often than heading to the North.
The journey to Del Casa from the Capital, home of the Academy, was a fight against boredom, frustration, and pain. The train didnât stop unless it had to refuel. After getting off the train and then riding in the carriage for three days, Lia groaned at even a slight bump and couldnât bear the pain.
âDel Casa is completely dark.â
It was around the middle of Mount Veorbia, which was about 200 kilometers away from Tulures Station, where Wade switched from a horse to a carriage.
Thanks to that, Lia couldnât even stretch properly, being stuck between the two men. She dozed on and off repeatedly.
âThis is the Ihar familyâs territory and basically their nation. The people here treated Duke Ihar like a king. He transformed such a dangerous region into the most prosperous place in the Empire. So, it was only natural,â said Kieran.
âClaude must feel overwhelmed,â said Wade.
âHeâll still do well. Your Majesty, I sent the message to Geore.â
Kieran glanced at the dozing Lia and made her lean against his shoulder. Then Wade, who somehow leaned against Liaâs shoulder, sounded like a thug when he asked, âYouâre going to act like a spy?â
âNot at all. I just,â Keiran hesitated, âwanted to let them know.â
âAbout what?â
âEren Sergio was the one who planned this,â Kieran explained. âFor his own glory, Marquis Shelby wanted to swoop in and save the Emperor from being poisoned. That would put all the blame on Prince Ian. However, it didnât go according to plan and thatâs why the Duke was harmed.â
Wade nodded and squinted.
âThat means there would be a connection between Marquis Shelby and Eren Sergio,â surmised Wade.
âJust like you said, it could mean a change in the succession plan in Geore,â confirmed Kieran.
âWell that hothead probably wonât let go of his brother who tried to kill him. But, he wouldnât be stupid enough to start a riot.â
âSo, I request that you suggest an alliance with Prince Ian. No good will come with a prolonged war,â stated Kieran.
Lia couldnât open her eyes. She couldnât interrupt their conversation and she felt winded just listening to them. It was the first time Ianâs name sounded so scary.
She opened her eyes slightly and gulped a little while looking at the sunset. As they approached the neutral region, there was a faint smell of gunpowder.
âItâs the Empireâs army flag!â The scout who had gone ahead yelled, as they waved the Royal flag. They opened the carriage window.
The place was thick with the smell of gunpowder. Far away, there was a camp with the Empireâs flag.
They were in a neutral region now. Seeing bullets fly from in any direction would come as no surprise.
The soldier that had found the reinforcements saluted joyfully and moved toward the barricade. The horses kicked up dust as they moved across the border and a seemingly endless field stretched across the horizon.
They arrived at the Empireâs basecamp after dark.
Lia noticed that, out of a few hundred tents, there was the only one that had a flag.
But it was odd. The flag bore an eagle with its wings outspread holding clematis. This was not the Ihar crest with which she was familiar. Wade smiled proudly as he saw the flag waving majestically.
âIsnât the clematis the Ihar family crest?â asked Lia.
Wade chuckled at her question and pointed at the nearest flag.
âThe Ihar symbol is an eagle. The clematis belongs to the Duchess. Only the Mistress of the Ihar family, or the young lady that is to become the Mistress, can touch something that has clematis on it. Have you seen it before?â
Lia shook her head in panic.
âNo matter how much Marilyn wanted it, Claude didnât give it to her. That might be the reason why Marilyn is causing you trouble,â said Wade knowingly.
It had hidden meaning, but Lia wasnât listening to Wade anymore.
How angry must he have been to lose something so important?
Her hair stood on end just thinking about it.
The carriage finally stopped, and soldiers ran out to greet them.
She left the carriage with her heart thumping.
âGlory to His Majesty the Prince!â The soldiersâ shouts filled the sky. They cheered loudly as though it were a festival.
Lia covered her ears with her hands and looked around for Claude. But she couldnât find him among the crowd.
âI heard he was injured slightly. A bullet brushed past him. Heâs resting in his tent. Go there.â
âWhat?â asked Lia. âIs he hurt?â
âCanillia.â
Lia subconsciously held her breath and looked up at Kieran.
Canilliaâ
The sky sparkled as though someone had just sprinkled hundreds of stars across the heavens.
âIfâand itâs a big ifâsomething bad happens to you,â said Kieran, âremember the path you came down. I donât know what might happen. Justâ. If you feel like your life is in danger, turn around and run away without looking back. Canillia.â
âWhat do you mean?â
âYouâre smart, so you can remember, right?â
Lia nodded and had an odd feeling. Upon seeing the sadness in Kieranâs face, she couldnât question him anymore.
She felt that, to a degree, she understood what Kieran was trying to say and why he had brought her here.
Lia bit the inside of her lip hard. Kieran finally smiled and pushed her slightly towards one tent.
It was the largest and fanciest tent she had ever seen and a familiar face was waiting in front.
âSir Ivan.â
Ivan, who was staring far away with a stern look on his face, opened his mouth wide. Lia pointed at the tent, looking a little discouraged.
âMay I meet the Duke?â
Ivan, who couldnât hide surprise in his face, hurriedly stepped aside.
âThank you, Sir Ivan,â Lia said as she headed in.
âLaâ No, hurry in. Sir Canillian.â
Lia tilted her head and walked through the entrance of the tent.
The tent contained many different types of guns and a large table. Claude was in a small bed.
The only light was from an oil lantern that was about to burn out. She thought he was asleep, but he sighed and spoke.
âSeems like the Prince is here? Â Arriving so obnoxiously loud. Go tell him. That Iâm sleeping.â
Lia didnât know what to say to him; he was confusing her with a soldier.
She took out a letter Kieran gave her and carefully approached Claude.
Would it be possible to just leave the letter and leave?
She noticed a bandage around his waist as he was lying there with an arm covering his eyes.
They said the bullet brushed past him, butâ
Her heart sank as she saw faint traces of blood. Lia momentarily forgot the reason she was there and blankly stared at his injury. She was frightened thinking that this man could lose his life on a battlefield.
She moved her gaze after taking a deep breath and gulped.
âCanillian.â
He spoke her name!
His blue eyes were like jewels as he looked right at herâbut blanklyâlike he was dreaming. Then Claude called her name again.