Dana’s letter arrived at the royal palace in the capital Larnas a few days later. Upon reading the letter, Bridget crumpled it up and threw it away without realizing.

“This is absurd!”

The angry words that escaped her lips were in rapid Etrangian.

Located in the western part of the continent, the Etrang Kingdom was currently the country with the second-longest history after the Holy Kingdom of Vicanthus. It was also a powerful nation equipped with a fertile climate and land, as well as formidable national power.

The people of Etrang overflowed with pride in their kingdom that had continued for such a long time. This was no different for Bridget, who was originally a princess of Etrang.

That’s why she was furious. An Etrang princess receiving unfavorable treatment in a foreign country? And because of her Etrang origins? Who would dare to do such a thing!

“A mere woman from a borderland duchy daring to do such things to royalty blessed by Vican? Preposterous!”

Sitting beside Bridget in the reception room were ladies-in-waiting from both Etrang nobility and Rowen. While they did learn Vicanthian, the common language of the continent, in Etrang Kingdom, they primarily used their own language, Etrangian.

For ladies-in-waiting serving the queen who had strong pride in her homeland, Etrangian was a basic qualification. They responded to Bridget’s words in fluent Etrangian.

“But there are actually such stories. They say Cladimien didn’t invite Crown Prince Friedrich when discussing with her ministers. If that’s how they treat the Crown Prince, imagine how they treat his wife?”

“I heard that once she only spoke in Ritzian with her ladies-in-waiting when Crown Princess Charlotte was present. It must have been to isolate her from the conversation.”

Bridget let out a loud, derisive laugh. Ha! This was the kind of childish scheme one would expect from country bumpkins from a duchy. Surely a member of the royal family wouldn’t have married a prince of another country without being prepared for such things. Shaking her head, Bridget spoke with disbelief.

“What is Charlotte doing! She always acted so superior when she was young, and now she can’t even handle one woman from a duchy!”

Bridget glanced at Dana’s letter that had rolled across the floor, bit her lip, and gestured for it to be brought back. A lady-in-waiting hurriedly retrieved the crumpled letter, smoothed it out, and handed it to Bridget.

Bridget clicked her tongue as she looked at the letter again. Then she fell into thought. While Dana hadn’t written specifically about why Charlotte was being mistreated, Bridget could guess the reason.

‘Aunt Yvonne. And Cladimien.’

Yvonne, the former queen of Heinz who had been Cladimien’s rival, was originally a princess of Etrang. She was the youngest sister of the current Etrang King Robert III, which made her Bridget and Charlotte’s aunt. Therefore, Crown Prince Friedrich and Charlotte were both cousins and spouses.

Cladimien would naturally dislike Friedrich, her rival’s son and the first prince of the former king, and would certainly dislike Charlotte as well. Perhaps she disliked Charlotte even more than Friedrich. Charlotte’s presence would constantly remind Cladimien of Yvonne’s existence.

It was her father King Robert III’s decision to send Charlotte to such a Heinz royal family. And truthfully, Bridget didn’t care much whether Charlotte, who always acted superior despite being the younger sister, was being mistreated in Heinz or not. However.

Bridget looked at the contents about her son Elias written in Dana’s letter. Thinking about her son’s future, she felt she couldn’t just leave Cladimien alone.

Her son would grow up to become the king of Rowen. If at that time, the king of the neighboring Heinz Kingdom was still Cladimien. Or if it was her son Ergart? How would Cladimien and her son, who held a complex against the Etrang royal family, act?

Rowen shared a border with Heinz. Dangerous situations like the current one could arise at any time. Who knows when Heinz, which was already provoking conflicts now, would cast another shadow over the future of the kingdom her son would rule?

As a mother, how could she leave such a dangerous impurity right next to her son’s future? Thinking about her son’s future as king, it seemed better if Friedrich inherited the throne of Heinz.

Though she didn’t like how Duke of Khalid received attention instead of her son at the prince’s birth celebration, he was still just a commoner after all. As Dana wrote in her letter, once Elias with his perfect bloodline ascended to the throne, he would merely be her son’s subject, not worth paying attention to.

But Cladimien and Prince Ergart were different. Cladimien was a cunning woman who made her son, who wasn’t of noble birth, into a prince. She was also a vicious woman who had managed to secure the position of queen.

‘We need to break Cladimien’s spirit.’

Perhaps her father King Robert III had considered all this when arranging his daughters’ marriages this way. Crown Prince Friedrich needed to be helped to gain power and become king. Originally, she hadn’t cared about or given any thought to Heinz or Charlotte’s circumstances, but.

Having finished her thoughts, Bridget spoke in Vicanthian.

“I need to send letters.”

The ladies-in-waiting swiftly brought out pen and parchment and laid them before Bridget. Bridget picked up the pen and said.

“I’ll show that woman from the duchy the majesty of the Etrang royal family.”

Two letters would be sent. One to Etrang, and another to Heinz.

* * *

Kaiden saw the blonde woman getting married.

At the wedding venue, the blonde bride stood receiving applause. Watching this scene, Kaiden thought.

‘No.’

This couldn’t end like this.

However, he couldn’t stop the wedding, and there was nothing he could do. What remained was the thought that this was wrong, the desire to ruin it all, and…

Murderous intent toward the man standing behind the woman. Thoughts directed at the man barely visible behind the woman’s dress.

‘I must kill him.’

He couldn’t let that man live.

‘That man.’

That man who ruined everything. That…

Along with the murderous intent, Kaiden opened his eyes.

He had been sleeping in his darkened tent, and the dream of the wedding was now gone.

It was an unpleasant dream. Since he hadn’t properly seen any other weddings, it must have been Dana’s wedding. The wedding with the Heinz prince. Of all scenes, that one…

‘But…’

Suddenly Kaiden thought. Had Dana worn a green dress at that wedding ceremony…

‘No, she didn’t.’

There was no way he could be confused about this. Dana, standing next to the prince, had worn a red dress and a crown set with red jewels. Not a green dress like in the dream. Perhaps it was just jumbled up because it was a dream. That’s what Kaiden thought.

Mirbad Plains. Outside was still dark and it was midnight. Kaiden, made uneasy by the unwanted memories of the wedding, sat up in his bed. His bare upper body was fully exposed in the darkness.

Kaiden rubbed his face with his hands to fully wake his mind still drowsy with sleep. His body was hot from sweating without realizing it. After roughly fixing his hair that had become disheveled while sleeping, he picked up the matches placed next to the extinguished candle and lit it again.

The tent was empty and still dark even with one candle lit. The bed where Kaiden lay and the desk with maps on it were shrouded in darkness. The chain mail hanging on one side of the tent and the black plate armor pieces, helmet, and heavy sword were barely visible.

While such tent interiors had become familiar to him, the pattern on the black clothes meant to be worn over the armor was not the familiar Leonas pattern. It was the pattern symbolizing him as a Khalid knight. Something he had gained when marrying Dana. To him, it was a medal more meaningful than anything else. Kaiden stared at it blankly.

Sitting quietly, Kaiden took out a pen and parchment from the bedside table. The half-torn parchment had letters or sentences scattered here and there, written haphazardly.

It was something he kept looking at while carrying it around continuously after deciding to dedicate a poem to Dana. Along with the handkerchief Dana had given him, it was something he always carried wherever he went.

Looking at the letters scribbled on the parchment, Kaiden thought of Dana. While he wanted to write and give her a poem quickly, he wasn’t sure if he could write a proper poem. The priest had said something that could have been either comfort or criticism, saying that Dana wouldn’t expect a high level of poetry so he shouldn’t feel burdened.

‘Just aim to honestly convey your feelings.’

Honestly…

Holding the pen, Kaiden scribbled something small on the parchment. He tried to connect the scattered pieces of his heart and write sentences on the back page. He couldn’t tell whether it was good enough or not.

Kaiden kept holding the parchment and pen until dawn was almost over. Sitting on the bed, with his trained body exposed from not wearing a top, hunched over holding paper and pen, writing poetry. The arms with muscles that had moved without hesitation while holding iron-made weapons hesitated many times while holding just one pen.

Over the considerable time that passed, those arm muscles were only used when raised to mess up his hair. Every time he frowned and sighed, his split chest muscles and abs tensed. Those proofs of his training as a knight were of no help at all in writing poetry for Dana.

Outside gradually grew brighter. While listening to the sounds of awakened people moving busily outside, his attendant Yenton’s voice was heard from outside the tent.

“Lord Khalid, did you cough?”

Kaiden folded the pen and parchment with a thud and put them in the bedside table drawer. The time for pretending to be a poet that didn’t suit him was over. This was a conflict zone, and his forces were in confrontation with the dog-like Heinz army.

As Kaiden rose from his bed, he said.

“Come in.”

It was time to put on armor and take up his sword again.