Chapter 5 – Part 3

Knock. Knock Knock.

“Enter.”

At the impatient knock, Ailon raised one eyebrow.

His auburn hair glowed redder in the setting sun.

“Your Highness.”

“Carly, what’s the suddenness?”

He sounded more than a little annoyed at the interruption to his rest. Carly shrugged her shoulders, and then nonchalantly told him what she needed.

“It’s urgent, so I ask for your patience, and I’m sure His Royal Highness knows someone, Lieutenant Anne Riley.”

The prince nodded

Of course he knew.

She was the woman beloved by Evan Davis.

“Why?”

“Miss Anne says she needs to see you. Of course, if it were a simple request, I wouldn’t have come all the way here. She seems to be in shock from the imminent danger.”

A puzzled look crossed Ailon’s face.

In truth, he might have already suspected. Having experienced unexpected tragedies on the battlefield once, he knew such things could happen again.

On the other hand, it was heartbreaking.

He remembered how he had spoken ill of Evan Davis, saying that he hoped Evan would end in tragedy as well.

Ailon’s fingertips twitched slightly, and he paced uneasily.

When he reached Carly’s room, he frowned at the sight of Anne Riley.

To Evan Davis’s eyes, she looked like a flagship.

Dirt and blood clung to her torn forehead in a jumble.

Normally, she’d be washing it off with fresh water. ….

Despite being a medic, she didn’t seem to take good care of herself.

“You’re… in a bad condition, shouldn’t you be treated first?”

“Your Highness.”

“…….”

“I was chasing after the Imperial army because I had an urgent matter to deliver to the commander, and when I saw your aide near the battlefield, I had to hurry back to Dehart Castle.”

Anne’s eyes were full of firearms as she spoke, even through her fatigue. Ailon wanted to turn away from her, afraid of the words that would come out of her mouth.

“I remember what you once told me, Your Highness.”

“Didn’t I make it clear to you that once the war is over, your relationship will be no better than that of a lowly insect, and I despise it.”

Anne could never forget the faint contempt in Ailon’s voice.

But she was not at all intimidated.

In the extreme conditions of war, he had seen many who expressed blind rage or fell into endless despair.

He guessed that Anne’s emotions were probably due to the war, not genuine animosity.

“However, the hatred towards Commander Evan Davis is not present in your words. I dare say, it’s the animosity generated by the situation.”

“…….”

Ailon gritted his teeth, unable to respond to the cutting comment.

“Whatever you say, I wish for this war to end in victory for the Terran Empire. Even if we lose, it doesn’t matter to us peasants as long as this d*mn war ends and we can live on.”

“Is that so? Yet, money seems quite important to you.”

“…I don’t need money exchanged for Commander Evan’s death.”

Anne bit her tongue to keep from crying more, and looked up at Prince Ailon.

“So what is it you wish to say?”

“Your Highness will please believe me when I say this.”

“…….”

At Ailon’s unresponsive gaze, Anne met his eyes and spoke boldly.

“Connor Johannes, Your Majesty’s aide, has been taking drugs like Herban and Mechat.”

“What?”

The words startled Carly.

Consumption of Herban and Mechat was a capital offense in the Terran Empire.

Just mentioning their names could lead to punishment.

“The drug abuse is severe.”

“I’m afraid I agree, Miss Anne, and those two drugs don’t work as painkillers in wartime.”

It was the expected response.

Anne gently closed her eyes and recounted the sights she’d seen in the mountains.

“I was about a day or so from Dehart Castle when I saw Connor Johannes talking to a man. It seemed like he had sold information in exchange for the drugs more than once. The man took the information and disappeared, and Connor immediately inhaled the drugs right there.”

Ailon’s smile faded at the seriousness with which Anne spoke of what she had seen.

“Think about it, Your Highness. Were all the defeats so far as devastating as this? Has every battle been unwinnable?”

Ailon’s fingertips trembled. A battle worth losing, a battle worth winning. The difference was a piece of paper.

And it was the fierce information warfare beneath the water that made the difference.

Some battles were never expected to result in so many deaths.

Certainly, the child…. didn’t expect to die either.

But one thing was certain.

Connor was the head of a family that had served the Emperor for generations, and he had been by Ailon’s side since he was born.

There had been no battle so far that Connor Johannes hadn’t known about. In other words, the signs were pointing to Connor Johannes.

Why had no one suspected him after four years of fighting a war that would be over in just a year?

“I leave it to you to think of the rest, Your Highness.”

“Miss Anne, what are you doing?”

Anne straightened her cloak and put it on, her feet slightly stiff on the floor.

She wore a look that said she had finished what she had to do.

Ann was glad she could soon go to him.

With the commotion outside, Anne turned to leave the room, double-checking that the revolver was still in her arms.

“Anne Riley.”

“…….”

“If you go to Evan now, you might die. Aren’t you afraid?”

Anne looked at her own trembling body and thought maybe she was afraid.

But her mind was cold and calm. The thought that it would be fine to die if she could save him made her voice more composed than ever.

“You’re right, I’m not scared.”

Ailon stared for a long moment at the spot where Anne had left him.

It dawned on him that the reason the small child posing as a man had thrown herself at him might have been love, just as this woman had felt.

“Your Highness?”

Ailon knelt on the floor and bowed his head, having forgotten Carly Dehart was even there.

When he confirmed that the small droplets falling on his thighs came from his own eyes, the situation became uncontrollably emotional.

“Aaron….”

This name was also probably a pseudonym.

The child, who might not even have been named Aaron, was so clear and pure that as the operation drew near, the guilt of using him as bait grew.

Even as the day of the mission approached, Ailon patted her on the back to comfort her.

He misses her like crazy, reassuring him over and over that being used as bait doesn’t mean she has to die, that if everything goes according to plan, she’ll be fine.

When Ailon returned from the battle alone, there was no one around.

All he could remember was the plain of dead bodies, the smell of blood, and the sound of crows cawing everywhere.

It was very, very painful.

‘If Connor Johannes is the reason why our plan to end with one sacrifice has fallen apart….’

Unrefined anger flared in his eyes.

If what Anne Riley said was true, there would be blood in the streets, starting with Connor Johannes.

As she watched, Carly realized that the name ‘Aaron’ had been the name of the attendant who had been with Ferrell Klein. Tears filled her eyes as well.

The reason for the death of the one she loved might also have been because of Connor Johannes.

Otherwise, the arrogant Crown Prince would not be kneeling and crying.

Was it the horrific war? Or someone’s hidden schemes?

Both having lost loved ones, shed tears as they sharpened their blades of vengeance.

* * *

Anne Riley’s brow furrowed.

With the crown prince’s permission, she picked a random horse from the stable and set off at a brisk gallop. A cold breeze brushed her cheeks for a summer night.

Her ankle, which hadn’t hurt until she’d returned to the castle in the twilight of the evening, ached sharply.

In the pitch blackness, Anne’s small map and compass were all she had to guide her.

The thought of finding Evan in the worst possible conditions made her stomach turn, but she fixed her shoes and put them on.

BANG!

Someone, sensing her presence, cautiously fired a shot that echoed in her ears.

Her whole body stiffened for a moment, but Anne drew her revolver under her breath, and then slowly reined in her horse, surveying her surroundings.

It was a dark, starless night, with clouds hiding the moon.

In the wilderness, where nothing can be seen, the only options are to rely on the horse’s eyesight to navigate and camp.

‘I can’t stop here.’

Anne looked around, waiting for the right moment.

Of course, the opportunity would not come easily.

Her eyes, adjusted to the dark, moved diligently up and down.

BANG!

The second shot missed Anne by a considerable distance. Confirming this, Anne tightened her grip on the reins.

Clop-clop-clop—

The horse’s hoofbeats disclosed her location, but the darkness made it impossible for any of the enemy soldiers, however many there were, to hit her.

After running for a while, she got out of there.

Anne breathes a sigh of relief, having finally gotten out, even if she doesn’t know where she is.