Chapter 91

Since the conversation was about tea, it was only natural for her to look at the teacup. However, Liliana felt a twinge of guilt, as if something was bothering her conscience.

Liliana sipped the warm tea to calm her nerves before turning to Helio.

“Your Majesty, please have some tea. You haven’t had time to drink anything, have you?”

“I suppose so.”

Despite Liliana’s concern, Helio sat at the table as if everything were normal.

Yet, Liliana felt uneasy for no reason, so she changed the subject before Helio could ask about the tea.

“I’ve been looking into the Gathis River recently, but it’s not as easy as I thought.“

“If it’s too difficult, you can stop. This country has seen its fair share of wars, and there’s no way we’ll lose to the Sagreen Kingdom.”

Helio spoke as if it were no big deal. Liliana wasn’t busy investigating because she feared the empire would lose to the Sagreen Kingdom.

In fact, this war might leave the Sagreen Kingdom weakened or even absorbed completely.

From the beginning, Sagreen’s challenge to the empire was like a puppy barking at a tiger, unaware of the danger.

“But, Your Majesty, you’re going to lead the troops, right?“

“I always have.“

“Even so, I don’t like it. I want to find a way to end this war before you go into battle yourself.”

Liliana was resolute.

Helio regarded her with unfamiliar eyes. Since his days as a prince, he had constantly been on the battlefield, and few opposed his participation.

Not even his mother, the Empress Dowager, or the knights sworn to Helio’s service had objected.

The knights relied heavily on him, and morale soared whenever he joined the front lines, raising the entire army’s spirits.

Even after becoming emperor, those who protested his involvement in battles were more concerned about political affairs than his personal well-being.

Duke Gabriel often pretended to worry about Helio while attempting to hasten his marriage to Beatty.

No, there had been someone…

A vivid memory flashed in Helio’s mind, and Liliana’s image overlapped with someone else. Although their appearances differed, the light in their kind, steadfast eyes was the same.

Helio remembered the other pair of eyes had long since faded like a sun setting into the night, but here Liliana was, facing him directly.

Helio didn’t want to crush Liliana’s hopes. After taking a slow sip of tea, he finally spoke.

“If we can end the war with minimal cost, that would be ideal.”

At this, Liliana smiled brightly and grasped Helio’s hand.

“Right?”

Helio looked at her flushed cheeks and desired to take her back to bed.

He wanted to see her laugh, cry, get flustered, and breathe heavily—her face shifting with each emotion.

But…

‘She’s too thin.’

Helio glanced at Liliana’s hand covering his own back. She had always been slender, but she seemed even more frail lately with the war and everything going on. When he’d lifted her earlier, she was so light that it had startled him, though he hadn’t shown it.

He didn’t want to see her grow any thinner or suffer more than she already had. Suppressing his desire, Helio let her enjoy this moment of peace.

* * *

Duke Gabriel arrived at the lower reaches of the Gathis River much later than expected.

Despite several urgent requests from the imperial forces already stationed there, urging him to hurry due to escalating border conflicts, he had consistently ignored them.

It wasn’t until Helio issued a direct warning that Duke Gabriel had to depart in haste.

“Damn it! Why should I, a duke of the empire, have to march to war?”

It wasn’t uncommon for nobles to participate in battles in the empire’s history, but it was rare for a grand noble like a duke.

However, with Helio personally leading troops whenever wars intensified, Duke Gabriel couldn’t evade the duty either.

Grumbling the whole way, Duke Gabriel finally arrived at the border late in the evening. Though the knights had prepared a grand welcome for him, he ignored them and went straight to bed.

The next day, he awoke at noon, his eyes cold and indifferent. Clicking his tongue in disdain, he muttered as if disgusted by the situation.

“It’s absurd that this great empire has to wage war against such a weak nation! And it’s ridiculous that I, Duke Gabriel, had to come down to this backwater! If only I could marry off my daughter and have an heir to inherit the throne, things would be much easier!”

None of the people around him dared to refute his words, but deep down, they all thought Duke Gabriel was pathetic.

Border skirmishes were to be expected, and as the empire expanded, so did the number of conflicts in those regions.

The Carlo Empire had never lost a war, a testament to Helio’s prowess.

Yet, the empire faced repeated invasions mainly because of the corrupt pillar of Duke Gabriel.

The other knights present were acutely aware of his incompetence. Still, the power Duke Gabriel had inherited from his predecessor was so great that none of the knight orders, except for the Imperial Guard, could stand up to him.

Turning to the Imperial Guard wasn’t an option; it was a purely merit-based order.

Thus, even knights with great family backgrounds but lesser skills had all gathered under Duke Gabriel’s command.

The captain of the Gabriel Knights laughed heartily, attempting to console the duke.

“We’ll finish this trivial battle quickly and return, won’t we?“

“Tsk! Bringing half the knights along is ridiculous. We could defeat that rabble with just ten men,“ Duke Gabriel muttered in frustration.

But he knew Helio wouldn’t let it slide if he tried that, so he begrudgingly brought half the knights along, although it wounded his pride.

“Think of it as a vacation, Your Grace. Relax, and before you know it, we’ll be on our way back.“

“Of course! Handle it as you see fit,“ Duke Gabriel said dismissively, leaving everything in the hands of the knight captain. He then retreated to his opulent tent—far too luxurious to be part of a war camp—and never emerged again.

No doubt, inside, he was indulging in all kinds of excesses, drinking heavily and behaving in ways he couldn’t dare to in the capital.

The knight captain didn’t mind the situation. Though Duke Gabriel was a fool, he wholeheartedly agreed that the Sagreen Kingdom’s army was nothing more than a ragtag bunch of weaklings.

Once they claimed victory in this trivial battle, Duke Gabriel would undoubtedly exaggerate his achievements, and his reputation would rise along with it. The thought made him feel less irritated about being in this backwater.

The captain grinned to himself before suddenly adopting a stern expression and shouting, “What are you waiting for? Start the training immediately! And you there, round up all the local mercenaries and spirit summoners!”

The knights around him, hiding their displeasure, hurried off in all directions, eager to avoid being berated or struck by the captain.

The knight captain stood in the middle of a wide clearing, puffing out his chest. In contrast, the knights before him showed little enthusiasm.

Just as the captain was about to scold them, a knight who had gone to fetch the spirit summoners came rushing back and whispered nervously in the captain’s ear.

“The spirit summoners… they’re gone.“

“What?“ The captain’s voice turned sharp. A second knight, who had gone to check on the mercenaries, approached with a pale face and quietly added, “The mercenaries took the spirit summoners and crossed the mountains. It seems they’re heading back to the capital.“

“What nonsense is this! Bring them back immediately! And keep it quiet!“

“Y-yes, sir!”

A few knights were preparing to arm themselves and head toward the mountains when one of them noticed smoke rising from the tent where their food supplies were stored. Alarmed, he pointed toward the smoke, and the other knights quickly turned to look. A sense of panic began to spread.

“F-fire!”

The fleeing mercenaries and spirit summoners were no longer the issue. If their supplies were destroyed, they’d have no way to win the battle, no matter how weak their enemy was.

As the knights rushed to extinguish the fire, arrows rained down on them from every direction.

Even though they wore armor, there were too many arrows for the knights to block them all.

“It’s the arrows of the Sagreen Kingdom!“ someone shouted from the ground, lying prone. These were the sharp, sturdy arrows that could only be produced by the skilled craftsmen of the Sagreen Kingdom.

“When did they cross the river?“

“Was it during His Grace’s welcome party last night?“

“Who was on watch? Who let this happen?!”

Panic gripped the knights as they realized they were as good as dead, but, to their surprise, the hail of arrows gradually subsided.

The knights, still pinned to the ground, began to raise their heads one by one. The Sagreen soldiers, seemingly indifferent to them, turned away.

Even more astonishing was the sight of the enemy ranks collapsing rapidly.

Seizing the moment, the imperial knights sprang to their feet and attacked the enemy from behind. Before long, they found themselves facing their own comrades.

“Capture all survivors! Check for any dead or injured—leave no one behind!“ a voice boomed from the frontlines.

A middle-aged knight, watching the scene, muttered, “Duke Gabriel?”

But the Duke Gabriel he referred to wasn’t the current duke. He was thinking of the former Duke Gabriel, whom he had seen decades ago.

Rubbing the dust from his eyes, the knight clearly saw the man at the front. It was not the duke himself but one of his grandsons—Vail Gabriel.

Vail quickly surveyed the battlefield, his eyes sharp and calculating. But the person he was searching for wasn’t anywhere in sight.

A well-dressed knight ran up to him and saluted, touching his chest. “Sir Vail! It seems Duke Gabriel has already fled.“

“He must be safe, then.“

Vail’s eyes turned cold.

“For a moment, I feared he might have died too easily. What a relief that he’s still alive.”

TL NOTE: Visit and bookmark the story at dusk blossoms for more advanced chapters and updates of its latest release.