Chapter 64

“Come to think of it, the battle at the border this time has been going on for quite a while.”

A plump, pale-skinned lady immediately chimed in.

“Oh my, you’re right. Isn’t this the first time a battle has lasted this long?”

“Yes, yes. I heard the Royal Knight Order has also been dispatched this time, so it must be different from before.”

“You didn’t know? They say it’s quite fierce this time. The bandits are even using tactics as if they’ve had military training.”

“What? I thought they were just common thugs?”

“Yes. I’m really worried. I wonder if everyone will be safe. I heard Baroness Dorte’s husband was dispatched, too.”

“Heavens, really? Baroness Dorte loves her husband dearly, she must be so worried.”

One lady leaned in slightly and whispered as if sharing a secret.

“I heard there’s a real strategist among the bandits. Maybe that’s why?”

“My, Lady Lubli, where do you hear such things? I can never get my hands on news like that.”

In response to the compliment, Lady Lubli, covered her mouth with a fan and laughed softly, shrugging her shoulders.

“My husband is close with Sir Louis of the Royal Knight Order. Sir Louis didn’t go out this time, but I heard a few things.”

“Then, is there anyone who got hurt in this battle?”

Ellen carefully hid her concern and asked. Lady Lubli tapped her lips with the fan and answered after a thoughtful pause.

“It’s unfortunate, but I heard one knight was killed.”

Her heart dropped to her feet and her blood ran cold. Her hand gripping the teacup trembled, but her expression stayed unchanged. Ellen took care not to let her voice shake as she asked,

“Do you know who that knight was?”

Ellen prayed it wasn’t Lennox. Thankfully, another name came from the lady’s lips.

“Sir Raillet, third son of the Earl Orte family.”

“Oh my, wasn’t he Earl Orte’s most beloved child? That’s truly tragic.”

Ellen felt her heart settle again, her blood circulating as her heart, which had dropped, returned to its steady beat.

“Now, let’s talk about something brighter.”

“Yes, let’s. By the way, did you hear? At the recent ball…”

As Lady Lubli changed the subject, the atmosphere quickly became cheerful again. Ellen smiled and responded appropriately to the ladies’ conversation, but her discomfort didn’t easily fade.

In the end, it was another knight, not Lennox, who had died, but Ellen couldn’t feel relieved.

At first, she tried to trust Lennox—he was the champion of the autumn tournament, an outstanding knight. She tried to comfort herself. But as the days passed, only bad rumors circulated, and Ellen couldn’t keep her composure.

Jack, the errand boy, had returned several times, but only brought the news that Lennox was safe; he hadn’t brought a single letter or note from Lennox. Ellen pressed him to bring even a scrap of a note, but Jack only shook his head, saying he couldn’t enter the battle zone.

On the third week after Lennox had gone to the battlefield,

“My Lady, Jack says he wishes to see you.”

“Let him in.”

Ellen closed the book she couldn’t focus on and immediately had Jack come to her room. As Jack entered, bowing, Ellen opened her drawer and tossed a pouch to him before he could pick it up.

“News?”

“Well, about that…”

Jack brought bad news. The fighting at the border had ended, but another battle had flared up in a different region, and Lennox had been sent there by the King’s order, unable to return.

“I see. You may go.”

“Yes, yes. Then…”

Jack, eyeing her, took the pouch and left. Ellen stared blankly at her half-empty teacup. Even before Jack finished speaking, her mind went numb and her mouth dried up with anxiety.

“Emma…”

“Yes, My Lady.”

Emma, who had been watching Ellen with concern, quickly answered. Ellen mouthed words several times, trying to speak, but nothing came out.

‘What was I going to say… What was it I meant to say…’

She opened and closed her mouth repeatedly. Her arm knocked the teacup, sending tea splashing through the air and crashing to the floor.

“My Lady!”

Emma cried out and rushed to support Ellen, who collapsed onto the table. Ellen couldn’t see or feel Emma supporting her, nor the shards of broken teacup on the floor, nor her skirt soaked in tea.

‘Lennox…’

All that mattered was that Lennox hadn’t returned.

From that moment, Ellen’s life completely fell apart.

“My Lady, please try this.”

“I don’t want anything.”

“You’ve barely eaten anything for days.”

“I’m sorry. I really can’t eat.”

Emma looked sadly at Ellen, who had grown thin and pale over the past few days. When Ellen stubbornly shook her head, Emma had no choice but to take the food away.

‘Lennox.’

Ellen mouthed his name with her dry lips.

She could hardly eat. She couldn’t sleep easily at night. Even when she managed to sleep, it was shallow and filled with nightmares, waking her repeatedly.

She hoped Lennox might come during the night. From early dawn until morning, and late at night before sleeping, she waited endlessly by the window, hoping Lennox would come and greet her with his usual smile.

She missed him. She longed for Lennox, wanted to feel his warmth. But the stronger this feeling grew, the more sharply she felt his absence, leaving her empty and lonely. Many times, she begged her father to bring Lennox back. Pride meant nothing to her. But each time, Ellen was coldly turned away.

‘Lennox. Are you safe? Please, someone, anyone, tell me he’s safe…’

She was so worried about Lennox she thought she’d go mad. She had never been apart from him for so long. Even when Lennox had gone to conflict zones before, he always wrote her letters. But this time was different. Her father had sent Lennox away to die, and Ellen hadn’t received even one letter. She hadn’t heard any news directly from him.

Ellen grew thinner and more haggard with worry for Lennox. Her once soft, moist skin turned dry, and her lips cracked. Jack still hadn’t brought even a single note. With each passing day, the fact that Lennox wasn’t beside her didn’t become familiar; instead, the suffocating emptiness and loneliness grew worse.

She told herself she shouldn’t be like this, that she needed to manage the household in her mother’s place, but her grip on the pen weakened, and ink smeared across the white paper again and again.

On the day marking one month and a half since Lennox went to war, Emma announced the arrival of the person Ellen had desperately awaited.

“My Lady, Jack is here.”

“Let him in at once.”

Ellen, slumped weakly over her desk, absently watching petals scattered over her papers, quickly tidied her clothes and sat up as straight as she could. Her once rosy cheeks were pale, almost corpse-like. Jack, entering the room, clicked his tongue inwardly at Ellen’s haggard appearance. Though she tried to sit properly, her noble black eyes flickered with unstable hope and anxiety.

“My Lady, I’ve come to…”

“News?”

Ellen got straight to the point. Jack, bowing politely, scratched his head.

“Oh dear, My Lady. Let me catch my breath for a moment.”

“Go ahead.”

Ellen tried to keep her expression steady but watched Jack anxiously. Jack, feeling the pressure of her gaze, took a deep breath. With a very troubled look, he deliberately delayed speaking. For Ellen, the few seconds he hesitated felt like decades, every nerve on edge, dreading bad news. For Jack, it was only a brief moment; for Ellen, it was an eternity. At last, Jack spoke with difficulty.

“Sir Lennon was seriously injured in the recent campaign. Sir Lennon…”

“…….”

Ellen thought she saw Jack’s face harden for a moment. She vaguely heard Emma calling out “My Lady” nearby. The world’s lights went out. All of Ellen’s nerves went dark. Her mind was buried in darkness.

* * *

Jack left Ellen’s room with a quiet sigh. He walked away with heavy steps and glanced back. The noble lady, so pale she could faint at any moment, somehow managed to sit upright. The maid supported her, worried she might collapse, but the noble lady kept her back straight to the end, even signaling for Jack to leave.

“Tsk…”

Jack clicked his tongue, feeling sorry for Ellen.

Even Jack, who delivered news for profit, pitied Ellen. The way she desperately pressed him for even a single line of a note from Lennox was heartbreaking.

Jack had told her that Lennox was seriously injured as instructed, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that he’d done something terribly wrong.

Jack rummaged through his coat and pulled out a thick letter. The envelope was stained and hastily scrawled with short writing.

Lennox Lennon

It was a letter from Lennox to Ellen.