Soon, she made up her mind.

Lucilia flung open the carriage door and threatened:

“If you don’t stop right now, I’ll jump out!”

“M-my lady. You must seek safety first!”

“I’m already safe since we’ve passed through the gate. So stop the carriage!”

“J-just a moment! Whoa!”

Before it could fully stop, Lucilia jumped out, her white ceremonial dress fluttering.

She anxiously stared at the closed south gate and commanded with more authority than ever before:

“Gather all soldiers except the minimum guards needed! Everyone, including the knights stationed to protect the estate!”

“All of them, you say? We’ll be in trouble if they attack from another direction!”

The guard, obligated to protect Lucilia, didn’t back down easily.

Instead of saying aloud that this wasn’t a matter for a woman to interfere with, he tried to subdue her with a stern demeanor.

Having understood the Mrangel warriors’ intentions through their eyes, she had no time for a power struggle with the innocent guard.

Lucilia strained her neck and shouted:

“Only the righteous before God may stop me! If you’re not afraid of the consequences of spilling innocent blood, then stop me!”

Suddenly, dignity filled her desperate eyes.

Her pure white ceremonial dress fluttered in the wind, displaying the solemnity of a saint.

For a moment, silence fell.

While chaos reigned outside, the air surrounding her was eerily tranquil—a strange contrast.

The guard who had been confronting Lucilia took a step back and lowered his head. After exchanging glances with each other, the guards finally launched a flare to signal the emergency.

Then they ran off somewhere in perfect unison.

Lucilia also raised her voice:

“Open the gates immediately and evacuate people inside!”

Her voice rang out loudly without her realizing it. All she could think about was saving as many people as possible.

Lucilia kept shouting as she ran, not even noticing her white dress dragging in the dirt.

“Open the gate now, I said!”

Though she had issued commands abruptly, the truth was she had no ability to command troops.

Only then did Lucilia realize her position.

Currently, she had no authority. Sadly, she was no longer a saint either.

She had somehow succeeded in gathering troops, but she didn’t know if the soldiers would obey the commands of a supposed witch.

They might criticize her for acting out of place.

Lucilia pressed her forehead with both hands.

Aaron would arrive in two days.

The greenhouse fire alone was enough to make her blood run cold, and now an invasion by foreigners on top of that.

Her heart ached with distress. Her chest tightened, and her brain felt like it was being crushed.

It was at that very moment, while thinking of Aaron, that something flashed in her mind.

She did have authority.

Lucilia urged the hesitating soldiers:

“This is an order as the proxy of Knight Commander Aaron Artnal! Know that anyone who disobeys will be punished!”

Aaron had never valued Lucilia from the beginning. He would never have imagined she would get involved in military affairs.

Previously, Aaron had subtly informed her about the role of acting in the lord’s place during his absence.

With the baron bedridden, Aaron was effectively the lord, and in the current situation, there was no problem with her stepping in as his proxy.

She hadn’t known she could use this…

Even if Aaron questioned her upon his return, she had her reasons—saving people had to come first.

The Mrangel tribe’s purpose was to create “chaos,” and their range was near the south gate.

So it was fine to concentrate all forces at the south gate.

Though she had taken action, she wasn’t sure how to make it more efficient and immediate.

As her clenched hands trembled with anxiety, the guard captain ran to Lucilia.

“I’ll take command, so please go to the mansion!”

“The gate, shouldn’t we open the gate?”

“Understood. We’ll try to save as many people as possible while preventing them from passing through the castle gate. As you ordered, I’ll deploy all remaining knights, so please don’t worry.”

“Th-then I’ll leave it to you.”

Thankfully, the guard captain had listened to her.

Though she was concerned about the unarmed villagers and reluctant to leave, lingering here would only be a burden.

Honestly, she feared the layers of misfortune surrounding her more than the danger of invasion.

It seemed like the whole world was determined to attack her.

Tears of fear precariously formed and then fell heavily.

The corridor was extremely quiet.

It was like a different world.

In stark contrast to the chaos outside, it was so peaceful that it felt like a dream.

* * *

The moon waned, and a bluish halo spread ominously around it.

Lucilia crouched on the floor, hugging her knees.

She had been in a daze since returning to the mansion.

Her mind was foggy, making the day’s events seem distant. Fragments of memories connected—not changing her clothes and running downstairs again to find Hans and Karen.

No one told her about the situation.

They probably thought she might make a mistake and worsen the situation without Aaron’s instructions.

If only they would tell her whether the villagers were safe…

She spent the night sighing deeply with resentment.

She barely managed to sleep, determined to find out tomorrow, even if she had to threaten them.

A simple breakfast was set in the dining room.

She sat calmly in her chair and spread butter on toasted bread.

“Head maid.”

“Yes, my lady.”

“I’ll accept that you didn’t tell me yesterday due to the chaos, but you must know everything by now? Have all the foreigners been dealt with? What about the villagers?”

She fired questions one after another, as if daring her not to try evading them.

Though she expected at least some flustered reaction, the experienced head maid was too steadfast.

Far from being shaken, even her breathing remained stable.

“You will know by the end of today.”

It meant she wouldn’t tell her now.

She seemed to be reproaching Lucilia for moving troops recklessly. Despite this insubordination that should have warranted punishment from Lucilia, she couldn’t do it.

She couldn’t assert her authority as the lady of the house because Aaron would likely take Karen’s side.

Her pride hurt by Karen’s haughty attitude, she just kept poking at her bread.

She had no appetite, her eyes were dry, and her condition was terrible.

Just as she was nibbling to satisfy her hunger, Hans entered the dining room and bowed at the entrance.

“My lady, we’ve received word that the young master is arriving.”

“What?”

Lucilia pushed back her chair and stood up at the news of his earlier-than-scheduled return.

“When?”

“He will soon reach the north gate. He must have ridden through the night without rest after receiving reports of the enemy invasion through the communication network.”

Lucilia’s expression darkened.

Though her mind was foggy from lack of proper sleep, it was nothing compared to Aaron who had ridden through the night wind.

How indignant he must be. How on edge he must be now…

Though she feared facing him, it was inevitable.

Leaving the dining room, Lucilia ran straight to the front yard and anxiously waited for Aaron.

Shortly after, the sound of hoofbeats shaking the ground became increasingly clear.

Soon, Aaron appeared, accompanied by knights.

The fact that he didn’t slow down even after entering the front yard meant the situation was that urgent and serious.

His black fur cloak and dark hair fluttered in the wind. As Aaron’s figure became clearer in her vision, her heart shrank.

His imposing presence, his coolness, his chilling aura froze her heart.

Afraid of what expression he would show her, she swallowed dryly. Her toes curled with the desire to run away.

Just as she repeatedly consoled herself that running wouldn’t solve anything, surprisingly, relief welled up.

Aaron’s presence alone seemed to dispel the war clouds hanging over Tudra.

While various emotions stirred her heart, the rapidly approaching warhorse snorted and stopped at the mansion entrance.

Lucilia respectfully folded her hands.

“You must not have rested properly, rushing here so urgently? Would you like to eat first?”

Disappointed in herself for her unprepared first words, Lucilia regretted them.

With the situation so serious, how could food go down one’s throat?

It might appear as if she were standing apart and merely observing during this life-or-death moment of the foreign invasion.

Unable to see Aaron’s expression, she looked down at his mud-covered military boots.

“I’ll eat later.”

His rigid voice pressed heavily on the crown of her head.