Vanessa reconsidered her plan to escape from Jurgen.

She had no specific method or anything. She had no place to turn for help.

She just vaguely thought she couldn’t marry this enigmatic man who burned with inexplicable hatred towards her. So she only thought about running away.

Vanessa belatedly realized that there was a flaw in that thinking.

Even if she wanted revenge on Declan, she had no power of her own.

‘I have nothing right now.’

Then she needed to find someone to help her… someone who would share her intentions.

‘If it’s a noble from Roengreen who isn’t favorable to Declan…’

Several figures came to mind immediately, but the most powerful among them was undoubtedly old Duke Evanwood.

Duke Evanwood had been a staunch loyalist to the Roengreen royal family since her father was alive, but for some reason he didn’t approve of Declan. That’s why he had submitted petitions several times asking to reconsider Declan’s right of succession to the throne.

However, at that time, Declan was a moderate crown prince who, although he caused a few minor problems, had no major flaws to criticize, so Duke Evanwood’s claims had no effect.

If her father had seriously listened to Duke Evanwood’s advice, Declan might have stepped down from the position of crown prince. And Vanessa would have become queen.

‘The public sentiment would have been uneasy, saying that a princess who brings misfortune had ascended to the throne.’

Well, at this point, all those assumptions are unnecessary. She wasn’t interested in the throne to begin with anyway.

‘The throne is an exhausting and tiring position. It appears like you can do anything, but in reality, there are limits to what you can actually do.’

Especially in an era ruled by an Emperor whose humanity is questionable, having reigned over the continent for more than 200 years.

‘…So, using Jurgen Drake would be the most ideal way to get revenge on Declan.’

After all, he is the undisputed ruler of the north, receiving the Emperor’s full favor.

‘Jurgen probably wouldn’t fear the southern kingdoms. He wouldn’t even need to.’

If she married Jurgen and relied on his authority… it wouldn’t be impossible to corner Declan.

But she didn’t want to do that.

It was questionable if it was even possible.

‘How could I persuade a man who says he hates me to take my side?’

So it’s better to give up any expectation of being able to use Jurgen from the start.

‘In the end, there’s only one way…’

To contact Duke Evanwood and ask for help.

For now, there’s no way to contact him. But things will be different in the capital… Because the Evanwood family has a townhouse in the capital.

‘It doesn’t have to be Duke Evanwood himself. It would be fine just to meet a servant of the Evanwood family. I can ask them to convey my intentions…’

The problem is the guards doubling as surveillance assigned to her. Renee and Garcia. How could she shake off those two?

‘Of all things, they’re both martial artists… It seems it’ll be tricky to lose them. I can’t think of any way at all.’

Vanessa sighed deeply, feeling at a loss, and cast her gaze out the window. The sun had already disappeared beyond the horizon, and a deep indigo darkness was creeping in from the opposite direction.

The next day, Vanessa heard news of Jurgen’s departure.

It seemed he intended to go directly to the Red Front before heading to the capital, to completely crush the forces of frost monsters.

Of course, there was no such thing as Vanessa seeing him off. She woke up too late for that, and besides, doing such a ‘real fiancée-like thing’ would only earn Jurgen’s mockery.

Still, it was a shame. Seeing off Jurgen as he left for the battlefield would have been perfect for executing the ‘first plan’.

Yes, the first plan.

It was the conclusion she had come to after thinking deeply last night. For now, act affectionately towards Jurgen to make him let his guard down.

Of course, Jurgen Drake was a sharp and cold-blooded man who seemed to see right through others’ intentions, so Vanessa’s plan might be utterly useless.

Still, it’s better than doing nothing. After all, to stab someone in the back, you need to make them lower their guard…

‘And one more thing.’

Since it was an opportune time with Jurgen away from the castle, Vanessa planned to pester Garcia to dig into Jurgen’s past. In as much detail as possible. From start to finish.

To find even one clue as to why Jurgen Drake hates her, why he’s executing this crazy plan to bind her in marriage and torment her to ruin.

“So, is this wine a bribe?”

Garcia sneered, holding up the wine bottle Vanessa had handed him. It was a top-quality fruit wine, which she had been able to obtain surprisingly easily by asking a kitchen servant. That servant probably thought Vanessa would drink it herself…

“You didn’t need to give me this, I would have answered anyway. After all, Your Highness is to become the Duchess.”

“……”

He should just gratefully accept what’s given, but he deliberately sneered. He’s truly an impertinent fellow. Vanessa glared sharply at Garcia.

“Well, anyway, since you’ve given it, I’ll drink it well. I like alcohol, you see.”

Grinning, Garcia removed the cork and poured the fruit wine into his glass with a gurgle. A sweet fragrance wafted from the deep purple liquid, but Vanessa didn’t feel like drinking. She wasn’t particularly fond of alcohol.

“You said you were curious about our Duke’s past, right?”

Garcia asked, lifting the wine bottle again after gulping down a glass. Vanessa nodded, watching him pour the wine like a waterfall.

“I’d like to hear it in detail, if possible. Everything you know and remember.”

“Hmm― My memory isn’t that good, you see. But I’ll try my best.”

It was an answer that made Vanessa regret giving the expensive wine as a bribe. Garcia chuckled, seeing Vanessa’s irritation plainly written on her face.

He poured another glass of wine and gulped it down, then spoke with a distant look in his eyes, as if reminiscing about the past.

“So… when I first met His Grace, let’s see, when was it? I don’t remember well, but it must have been well over 10 years ago. At that time, both of us were just little brats.”

Garcia raised his hand to show the height of a small child and grinned.

“Wilhelmina, Andrea, we all met then. We were all battle slaves.”

“Battle slaves? Jurgen… too?”

“Yes, we were. But you really don’t know, do you? This is quite a famous story.”

“……”

She had no idea. That Jurgen had been a battle slave…

To begin with, how did he, of ducal blood, end up falling to become a battle slave?

As if sensing the question that arose in Vanessa’s mind, Garcia added an explanation with a knowing expression.

“His Grace was sold as a battle slave because of the previous Duchess and her son. At first, His Grace didn’t reveal his origins, so we only found out later.”

“…The previous Duchess and her legitimate son sold Jurgen as a battle slave?”

“Yes, that’s what they say. I don’t know the details, but it seems they arranged for him to be reported as missing to avoid the previous Duke’s eyes and sold him to the battlefield. A little brat who hadn’t even hit puberty yet.”

“……”

It was a shocking story. But it was also a plausible one. In any noble family, children born out of wedlock generally met unfortunate fates…

‘Escal said that. The first thing Jurgen did when he became Duke was to eliminate the previous duchess and her son…’

That must have undoubtedly been revenge. Jurgen’s voice suddenly echoed in her head.

[Because that is my revenge, and the punishment I’m imposing on you.]

Right, it seemed he was the type to execute revenge thoroughly once he set his mind to it. Vanessa inevitably became afraid. What if I end up being killed like the previous duchess and her son?

…If that really happened, it would be unbelievably unfair. It might be understandable if she knew the reason, but she couldn’t fathom why Jurgen wanted revenge on her.

Even as Vanessa was lost in confusion, Garcia’s story continued smoothly.

“There were many boy soldiers forcibly brought to the battlefield besides us, but most of them died quickly. Only those who were born strong could survive. In that respect, His Grace was outstanding. Even then, His Grace was, how should I put it… so strong it made you wonder if he was even human, it didn’t seem like he could possibly die. It felt like he would survive to the end, even after we all died.”

“……”

“But… even His Grace couldn’t withstand a fierce battle that broke out one day, and he was severely injured. The scar probably remains even now. A large scar running like this― from the left shoulder down to the right waist across the back.”

“A scar…”

Vanessa recalled Jurgen’s n*ked body that she had inadvertently glimpsed at the inn during their journey. However, she couldn’t remember if there had been a scar. She had been so flustered at the time.

“Because of such a terrible injury, and to make matters worse, he was attacked by a frost monster with poison, His Grace was on the brink of death. But then…”

Garcia paused for a moment and stroked his chin with a puzzled expression.

“A foreign nobleman took His Grace in, they say. Intending to use him as a breeding stock after saving him? To deliberately buy a dying battle slave… I thought he must be a crazy nobleman. Or a pervert with a taste for children.”

Vanessa frowned slightly at the part about ‘a pervert with a taste for children’. If Jurgen really had suffered at the hands of such a person, his pessimistic and prickly personality would be understandable.

“So we lost all contact with His Grace for a year, and we didn’t even know if he was dead or alive. But then…”

Garcia’s eyes deepened as if he was searching a distant place as he trailed off, staring into space. As though even at this moment, he could vividly recall some scene from the past.

“One day suddenly, he appeared on the front lines. With eyes shining like gold.”

“……”

“In those golden irises, the stigmata of God had appeared. That day, His Grace single-handedly slaughtered all the enemies on the front line. It was a feat of arms that couldn’t possibly be achieved by human power. We only found out later that he had received the blessing of Vüs.”

“……”

“Even when asked what had happened during that year, he wouldn’t answer. He just bought all of us with gold from who knows where, and told us to fight as part of his mercenary group from then on.”

“……”

“After that… well, various things happened, but to summarize briefly― our mercenary group won consecutive victories on the ‘Red Front’ and achieved great merit, even catching the Emperor’s eye and receiving rewards, and His Grace was recognized as the heir to the Drake dukedom, leading to his current position.”