Leanne’s face was flushed, probably from running at full speed.
“My knights are securing an escape route as we speak.”
She spoke quickly, striding towards Theodor.
“Lady Marte is nowhere to be seen. You must go first, Your Grace.”
“…….”
Theodor didn’t respond. He just stared at Leanne with those glazed, unfocused eyes as she approached him.
“Your Grace! Did you not hear me?”
Increasingly frustrated, Leanne raised her voice.
“The soldiers have entered! You must leave immediately -“
“And who do you think you are to give me orders?”
“Your Grace?”
“Everyone thinks they can look down on me. Yes, yes. I see. Because I refuse to do as they say.”
Leanne’s eyes widened in shock at his words.
Then, with a look of clear displeasure, Theodor swung his sword.
“Get… away!”
“Ah!”
As Leanne hastily tried to avoid his reckless swings, the tip of his blade caught her dress, tearing it with a sharp rip.
“Ugh!”
Bang!
As she hurriedly stepped back, she hit the wall, banging her head against it. At the same time, her carefully pinned up hair unravelled, cascading down in loose waves.
Dodging a few more reckless blows, she quickly ended up in a dishevelled and tattered state.
“Your Grace! This is not the time for this! You must calm down immediately!”
Leanne, who had been speaking with firm resolve, suddenly stiffened. Her eyes went to Elliope and Kallian.
In her haste, she had only just become aware of their presence.
“Viscount Elsen.”
Leanne slowly called out to Kallian, her trembling voice carrying a hint of hope.
“I heard you had gone missing, yet here you are, returned.”
“…Yes.”
“I’m glad to see you safe. Truly, I mean it.”
Leanne’s gaze immediately shifted to Theodor, who was swaying unsteadily, his mind clearly unravelling.
His unfocused, hazy eyes darted wildly as he swung his sword aimlessly through the air several more times.
At a glance, it was obvious that he was no longer in his right mind.
“Hahaha!”
Theodor finally burst into laughter before collapsing against the wall with a long, weary sigh.
His arms and legs flailed weakly, as if they were no longer under his control.
“Princess.”
Theodor’s eyes shifted back to Elliope.
“Yes… my princess.”
“…….”
“The princess was my bride, wasn’t she? Yes.”
His murmured words faded quickly, fading into nothingness.
Soon Theodor fell silent, but his eyes remained sharp, filled with an eerie intensity.
Leanne watched him closely before placing a hand over her chest and turning to Kallian, her gaze filled with desperation, as if clinging to a lifeline.
“I have heard that you, Viscount Elsen, are one of the few who can advise Grand Duke Ilmos.”
“…….”
“Please, help us. The Grand Duke is not in his right mind.”
At these words, Theodor turned blankly to look at Leanne – then suddenly let out a laugh.
“What are you talking about? I am remarkably sane.”
When he smiled, blood burst from his gums and trickled down, staining his entire mouth.
It was a disturbingly grotesque sight.
Seeing this, Leanne trembled slightly before speaking again.
“We must flee. The army is coming. As one of the Grand Duke’s most loyal retainers, only you can get him to safety.”
Kallian tilted his head slightly at Leanne’s words. Then, after a short pause, he spoke in a calm, detached tone.
“That would be quite difficult, Your Highness.”
“What?”
Leanne’s expression went blank in an instant. She looked between Theodor and Kallian, stumbling over her words.
“B-But…”
“I have not come here to escort His Grace to safety… but to imprison him.”
At these words, Leanne’s face turned deathly pale.
“Then… the army that is said to be approaching…”
“Yes. That is my army.”
“Th-That can’t be…”
Kallian looked at her with an unreadable expression.
“You didn’t know, did you, Your Highness?”
“…….”
“No one told you, Your Highness?”
“This… This is treason against the Grand Duke. It’s usurpation.”
“So it seems.”
Saying this, Kallian wrapped an arm around Elliope’s waist, his gaze fixed on Theodor the whole time.
Then, as he pressed his lips gently against the crown of Elliope’s head, he shifted his eyes to look at Leanne.
Elliope slowly lifted her eyes to meet Leanne’s.
Meanwhile, Theodor’s eyes glinted with irritation, as if displeased that Elliope had looked away from him – but he did nothing more than stare.
“Lady Leanne.”
As always, Elliope responded with polite formality and a slight nod.
Leanne hesitated for a moment, as if choosing her words carefully, before finally speaking again.
“You’re bringing an army to capture Grand Duke Ilmos?”
“…….”
“As I said, this is treason against the Grand Duke. It’s usurpation.”
Elliope found the words amusing.
She knew very well now who the real usurper was, who the real traitor and liar had always been.
And yet it was she and Kallian who were accused of treason – it was ridiculous.
Unaware of Elliope’s thoughts, Leanne’s expression hardened as she spoke again, her tone almost scolding.
“Why do you always act so recklessly? If you do, the balance will collapse!”
“The delicate balance between the Empire, the Grand Duchy and Seor-it will all be thrown into chaos!”
“Balance, you say.”
As she spoke, Elliope turned her eyes to Theodor, who was still struggling, barely holding on to his senses.
In response, Theodor met her eyes with a sly, mocking smile.
Elliope unconsciously curled her lips into a smile.
“What a remarkable balance, Lady Leanne.”
“…….”
“A balance where it doesn’t matter what happens to the Grand Duchy as long as the Imperial Family benefits.”
“That is…”
“A balance where you appease the Grand Duke by sacrificing a useless Imperial Princess and using the situation to your advantage.”
Even Leanne couldn’t argue with those words.
Her clenched fists turned pale from the pressure of her grip.
“Is this what humans usually call balance?”
“Elliope, I…”
“I always thought it was called sacrifice.”
Leanne’s shock was obvious – words like that were completely unexpected from a woman who had always been quiet and docile.
For some reason, Elliope found even this amusing and offered a faint smile.
“…sacrifice, you say. What on earth made you think of that? Since when?”
“Who knows?”
“Could it be… from the moment you were sent here?”
“I am not sure myself.”
“Did you come here with bad intentions from the beginning? Was it for revenge?”
Elliope slowly closed her eyes, then opened them.
They knew.
They knew perfectly well that she had every reason to want revenge.
But in her previous life she had been too stupid – too passive – to think, to act, to do anything.
Even the Imperial Family had expected her to harbor feelings of vengeance, but instead she had simply withered away, unable to do anything but fade into nothingness.
Once again she felt a sense of pity and self-loathing.
Elliope answered honestly.
“I didn’t really have any great intentions driven by revenge.”
She felt Kallian’s warmth as he held her waist.
“But since my loyal dog gave me the opportunity…”
“……”
“There was no reason not to take it.”
At her words, Kallian let out a long sigh and gently pressed his lips to her hair.
There seemed to be a sense of pride in her reaction. Leanne, who had been watching in disbelief, suddenly screamed in a panicked tone.
“But it can’t be! You’re just venting your anger!”
“Venting my anger, you say?”
“Who benefits if this balance is broken? The Empire could be in danger!”
“At least the people of the Grand Duchy, who have suffered under Grand Duke Ilmos, will probably benefit.”
Leanne bit her lower lip so hard it turned pale. After a moment, she hesitantly opened her mouth to speak.
“I… I understand. I understand how you feel.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I understand that you want to do this. I understand you’re angry.”
“…….”
“I’m in the same position as you.”
At her words, Elliope tilted her head slowly. She couldn’t quite understand what was being said, because it didn’t make any sense at all.
“You’re saying our situations are the same?”
“Yes. You and I aren’t that different.”
Leanne took a deep breath, as if to convince Elliope.
“I know you were sent here instead of me.”
“Ah.”
Elliope replied without emotion. Leanne watched Elliope’s reaction for a moment before continuing.
“But that’s because… I was a product ready to go to a better place.”
Leanne spoke with a calm expression, but the pain she felt was evident in her eyes as she spoke.
“I was meant to be part of a higher circle, not in the Grand Duchy of Ilmos. I was meant to marry a ruler from another country, or a man from a powerful family in the Empire.”
Leanne’s long eyelashes shimmered as they caught the light from the flames outside. Her green eyes, much like Elliope’s, were fixed on her earnestly.
“Yes. To be honest, it’s not that the Grand Duchy of Ilmos isn’t important… but there was a certain ambiguity about my coming here. It wasn’t exactly the best fit for me.”
“…….”
“But for you it was different. For you…”
“So you’re saying it was a great honour for a maid’s daughter, an illegitimate child like me, to become a Grand Duchess.”
Elliope’s answer was not exactly refuted by Leanne. Taking a deep breath, Leanne replied.
“Yes. My bloodline was worth more, so I couldn’t be wasted here. You were chosen only because your worth was less.”
Leanne continued, her eyes filled with sadness.
“In the end, we were just a commodity for the Empire. You and I.”
“A commodity.”
“Yes, a commodity.”
Leanne replied calmly, her eyes asking if Elliope already knew that.
“You may have been unhappy, but I’m no different. I’m just looking for a slightly better match.”
“…….”
“So stop doing this.”
Leanne continued, her eyes full of desperation.
“You’re not the only one who’s unhappy, right?”
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penthesulia
Leanne is the only other woman in this I’ve noticed who has actual character depth and nuance. I like that she’s done that way but I also feel like the story would have benefited if Charlotte had more depth as well.