Chapter 94

When Julian stepped forward, Sir Chris seemed extremely flustered, gripping his horse’s reins tightly. Chris immediately dismounted and performed a knight’s bow.

“Chris Jenna, knight of the Imperial Army, greets the Grand Duke of Zan.”

“You weren’t that respectful to my wife.”

Julian looked down at him coldly from his horse as he spoke. Only then did Sir Chris offer a formal greeting to me as well.

“… I greet the Grand Duchess of Zan.”

His voice carried a hint of humiliation, making the greeting feel worse than if I hadn’t received it.

I didn’t raise him. Still standing protectively by my side, Julian spoke in an icy voice.

“What brings you out here in the middle of the night? Dragging the entire Imperial Army and causing a commotion.”

Since Julian hadn’t permitted him to stand, Chris remained on one knee as he answered.

“I received a report. It said that the Count of Winsley was moving suspiciously with his troops. When we arrived here, just as the report stated, we found an army, and they seemed to be working on something…”

Julian laughed incredulously, a short laugh that was anything but pleasant. Even for someone like me, standing by his side, it felt like we were walking on thin ice.

“Count Melin didn’t provide proper supplies to the Winsley family’s troops. It was such an unjust act that we heard about it from the Heira merchant guild, who then supplied us with goods. We’re organizing those supplies now, and you’re saying we should stop even that?“

“… I can’t make any judgments based solely on your word, Your Grace.”

“Then confirm it yourself. But you will enter alone. We’ve suffered unjust treatment, so you should face the same unfair treatment.”

Julian referred to the Winsley family’s troops as “ours.“ He didn’t draw any distinction between the Zan family and the Winsley family.

I stifled a laugh that threatened to escape, keeping my face stern.

“I’ll verify it.”

Chris insisted on confirming things for himself. That determination showed that he wasn’t easily shaken. He stood and began to inspect the goods we were organizing.

Most of it was dried meat, clothes, blankets—nothing dangerous or suspicious. It was indeed regular supplies.

“Do you see anything suspicious?“ Julian asked in a haughty tone, and Chris, with a pained expression, had no choice but to answer.

“No, Your Grace.“

“Then it was all just a misunderstanding.“

“Yes.“

“Now tell me who made that hasty report.”

At Julian’s command, Chris’s fingers trembled. But, as expected of a seasoned knight, his voice was steady when he spoke.

“It was an anonymous report. I do not know who sent it.“

“So, you acted on an unknown report and falsely accused the Count of Winsley?“

“That’s…”

“Causing division among allies. And to falsely accuse Count Winsley, who is highly trusted by His Majesty the Emperor, is something I cannot overlook. I’ll report this directly to the Imperial Palace.“

“Y-Your Grace!”

Chris urgently called out to Julian, but he didn’t even glance back, walking out of the forest. There was nothing more for him to do here.

I, too, turned to follow him but paused briefly to glance back at Chris. He hung his head in despair. I gave him a small smile before leaving.

Julian waited for me to catch up, then turned his head.

“We have many enemies.“

“Indeed. If Garon hadn’t told us, we wouldn’t have known.“

“Garon?“

“The squire who stole credit from his comrades. He turned out to be one of Princess Abigail’s people. For ten years, no less. And yet, after all those years, he confessed everything to me. He even said that his role was to lead the Winsley army here. I needed to confirm if what he said was true. We must find out just how deep Princess Abigail’s influence runs.“

“I see.”

Julian looked out over the vast plains.

“It seems the real enemy here isn’t the beasts.”

I agreed with him to my core. Fighting beasts might cost us our lives, but at least it had a clear end.

But people could hide in the shadows, and the more straightforward you tried to be, the more likely you were to find an arrow in your back. That’s why humans were far more dangerous—and far more terrifying—than beasts.

* * *

A joint meeting on the beast subjugation campaign was held the next day. Only key figures from each family and the Imperial Palace were in attendance. From the Imperial side, the chief commander, Sir Chris, from the day before, and a few other knights were present.

The Sasha family had a similar presence to the Imperial faction, but in contrast, the Eriant and Winsley families brought their children as part of the delegation.

Throughout the meeting, Shuan glanced at me several times.

I was aware of it, but I didn’t return his gaze or show any sign of noticing him. Instead, Julian seemed increasingly displeased. During a brief break in the meeting, Julian expressed his frustration to me.

“That Eriant heir keeps staring at you.“

“He must be having another whimsical thought. Wondering if he should repay his debt or not, or what he should do to lessen his guilt.”

“It’s not that.“

“Then what is it?”

I looked at Julian, pretending not to understand, and he sighed.

“I can’t tell if you’re quick-witted or slow.”

Only then did I understand what Julian meant. Smiling playfully, I asked,

“Are we talking about that again? What if Lord Eriant really does like me? Are you worried I’ll just run off with him?“

“I won’t let that happen.“

Julian’s response was firmer than I expected. He was always gentle with me, so seeing him like this made my heart race. Wanting to tease him, I said something I didn’t even mean.

“But what if I did?“

“Are you trying to tease your husband?“

“Hahaha.”

I didn’t bother hiding my amusement and laughed openly. Julian looked at me affectionately. He brushed a strand of hair behind my ear and smiled, a vivid smile I could see through his masked expression.

“I’d bring you back. No matter what.”

Just as I was lost in the sweetness of his whisper, the break ended, and the meeting resumed. Discussions continued on the next objective and the preparations needed.

After the meeting, Julian and I were about to leave the room when Shuan, watching us throughout the session, approached us from the stairs leading outside.

“Your Grace, Grand Duke of Zan, and Your Grace, Grand Duchess of Zan, greetings.”

Julian stood protectively in front of me, clearly wary of Shuan. However, Shuan wasn’t looking at me—his attention was on Julian.

“Your Grace, may I have a word with you?”

At Shuan’s request, Julian glanced at me as if seeking permission. When I nodded, Shuan led Julian to a corner of the building to speak. While they talked, I shook my head.

“See? I told you. There’s no way Shuan likes me.”

He was probably just nervous about speaking to the Duke. I crossed my arms and waited for Julian, who returned soon after the conversation ended. As Julian walked toward me, Shuan slightly bowed in my direction and quickly left. I nodded back and took Julian’s hand.

“What did you talk about?”

Julian’s serious expression made me ask with concern. Was it something grave? What if that bothersome man had said something to upset him?

I was certain Julian would share everything with me, but to my surprise, he shook his head.

“I’ll tell you later.“

“Huh? You won’t tell me?“

“I didn’t say I wouldn’t tell you—just later.”

Julian simply repeated, “Later.“ Feeling disappointed, I stopped, and Julian tried to lift me into his arms.

I shrieked and ran away, and Julian followed with long strides. Laughing, I dodged him by circling around, trying not to get caught.

Even though the beast subjugation wasn’t over yet, just having Julian by my side made it possible for me to laugh and have fun. When I was with him, I felt like I hadn’t experienced any despair. I was free.

* * *

Mariane came around lunchtime to inform us that there were some leftover supplies. Most of the surplus was food that would soon spoil.

We couldn’t force the soldiers to eat all of it; if we left it, it would all go to waste in a few days.

After some thought, I decided to send the food to the farthest village in the territory. We had already sold the surplus lowly to nearby towns, giving them some life.

It seemed fitting to help the distant villages without any assistance. The most desperate town was said to be Duran.

So, Julian, Hella, a few soldiers, and I headed for Duran. It was located in the northernmost part of the Melin territory, where the temperature was colder.

I quietly checked the list of supplies as I wrapped myself in the blanket Julian had kindly given me.

“Maybe we should have brought more blankets.“

“The soldiers will leave their gear behind once the subjugation ends.“

“That’s a great idea.”

Julian and I were chatting about the supplies as our carriage traveled along the road when we saw people hurriedly riding toward us on horses and donkeys. I instructed Hella to go and speak with them. She quickly approached, conversed with them, and returned to the carriage to report.

“Your Grace, Grand Duchess of Zan, the village of Duran has been attacked by beasts!”

So the beasts had been quiet for a while, only to be on the move again! I immediately sent one soldier back to the main base to request reinforcements and ordered the others to hurry.

There was no way civilians could fend off the beasts. My heart raced with urgency.

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