MFTR 78

Chapter 78

 They Must Have Come to Take My Lady Away!

“Indeed, the empire is different from the kingdom. This grand ducal castle… it’s even more magnificent than the royal palace….”

Luke looked a little overwhelmed, which made Jeon let out a faint chuckle.

Having only recently joined the royal knights, Luke’s pure and straightforward nature had quickly won him the affection of the other knights.

Even the stoic Jeon, who wasn’t easily swayed, had come to think of him as a younger brother of sorts. Naturally, Anette, who had a soft spot for her knights, surely felt the same.

But the moment she came to mind, Jeon’s smile disappeared out of habit.

Originally, he had planned to travel to the Alkane Empire alone.

But as soon as news spread that he had been ordered by the king to go to the empire, Luke came to him.

〈Please take me with you. I must… I must see the princess.〉

Luke carried a heavy guilt, believing that Anette had been forced to resign her position as commander of the knights because of him.

When he heard she was to be wed for the sake of an alliance, to a man shrouded in terrifying rumors, he had nearly wanted to die.

And then, when he learned that the royal family had decided not only to maintain the alliance marriage with the Alkane Empire but also to request military support from the Grand Duke of Harzent, his despair deepened.

He realized there was no chance Anette could return. And so Luke quit the royal knights.

For him—who had lost his entire family to a monster attack in his childhood and had long dreamed of becoming a knight—it was a crushing choice. But his goal had changed.

Even if he could no longer be a knight, he wanted to dedicate his life to Anette, the woman who had once saved him, who had slain countless monsters, and who had protected the people of the kingdom.

Yet once he resigned, reality struck: a mere commoner could not possibly approach Anette, now destined to become the grand duchess. So he turned to Jeon, begging to be taken along.

Jeon hadn’t agreed easily. He remembered Marquis Millard’s advice, which still weighed deeply on his heart.

Perhaps it was too late, but if he didn’t seize the moment now, he might never have another chance.

After all, it was only a political marriage. There was no way she would find true happiness in it.

She would simply live in another land, in solitude again.

If he were to take Anette away, chaos would surely follow, but as the marquis had said, the kingdom would not collapse. Princess Brigitte was still there—somehow, the alliance would endure.

And even if it didn’t, Jeon found that he didn’t care anymore.

The kingdom of Heyworth had used Anette like a tool and cast her aside like a dog. He wanted revenge for that.

So once his resolve to leave with her solidified, he debated whether to allow Luke to come.

In the end, he agreed.

Luke was someone he could trust.

More importantly, Anette’s wishes had to come first.

Convincing someone as responsible as she was would not be easy. But if Luke were by her side urging her to leave as well, perhaps she might find the courage.

Jeon watched Luke fidget nervously, oddly hopeful for once.

What would he have done if he’d come here alone? The young man’s worry was written all over his face.

When their eyes met, Luke straightened his shoulders awkwardly, as if caught off guard.

“Still, it’s nothing compared to the imperial palace. That’s the grandest and most splendid place I’ve ever seen.”

“Really?”

“Yes, sir!”

Luke answered with excitement, but Jeon’s expression tightened.

He regretted wasting time stopping by the palace before coming here.

The Heyworth royal family had explicitly ordered him to go there first.

They had assumed that, since the marriage was not yet fully finalized, the request for support had to be made with the emperor’s approval. They believed that if the emperor himself commanded it, the grand duke could not refuse, even if he disliked the idea.

But—

〈Troops to subdue monsters? I hold no authority to command the grand duke’s knights. You’ll have to ask him directly.〉

The emperor, with the air of a scholarly gentleman, dismissed the request so cleanly that Jeon couldn’t even press further.

But that was not the real problem.

〈Wait… are you saying the princess is staying at the grand duke’s castle?〉

He had assumed Anette would remain at the imperial palace until the wedding. But she had already gone to the grand duke’s castle.

Yes, he had heard rumors the marriage had been postponed after she was injured during a monster attack. But he had never imagined she would be recuperating there.

Worry welled up inside him, mingled with relief that the wedding was delayed, and yet a strange bitterness gnawed at him.

He also regretted not being able to deliver the item Prince Franz had entrusted to him before leaving.

“This time, I really wanted to tell her congratulations….”

“Pardon, sir? What did you say?”

Jeon shook his head at Luke’s question.

And then, with a heavy groan, the enormous castle gates began to open.

The grand ducal castle, towering beyond the gates, finally revealed its full majesty.

While Luke froze in awe, a stern-looking man in formal attire stepped out.

He bowed slightly to Jeon and said:

“Welcome. I am Hubert, chief steward of House Harzent. Your identities have been verified—please, follow me inside.”

“Why would Heyworth suddenly….”

Anette pressed a small hand to her temple, as if struck by a headache, and paced frantically around the room.

She suddenly stopped and turned to Madam Hilda, who had been watching her with concern.

“Did you happen to hear why they came all the way here?”

“I don’t know the details, my lady. As soon as I heard from the steward, I rushed here to inform you. But I did hear that someone from Heyworth has come to deliver a message to His Grace.”

“So… what kind of message could it be….”

“I couldn’t say.”

Hilda smiled awkwardly, looking troubled.

Anette let out a faint sigh.

As she fretted, Larisa, who had been anxiously projecting her lady’s unease, suddenly blurted out:

“Could it be they came to take you back, my lady?”

“Huh?”

Anette gave a startled laugh and shook her head.

“No, that would never happen.”

There was no reason for Heyworth to recall her.

They didn’t even know she had fully recovered. To them, her worth boiled down to one thing alone.

“They must just be anxious because the wedding was postponed.”

Most likely they had come to check on her condition, to see when the marriage could finally take place.

That worried her. She couldn’t possibly appear before them in her current state.

“But surely there’s no need for such anxiety? The dowry has already been exchanged. Why send people all this way….”

Hilda hesitated, then carefully offered her thought.

The idea sounded plausible, and Anette mulled over it—until Larisa clenched her fists indignantly.

“No! They’ve definitely come to take my lady away!”

“I told you, that won’t happen….”

Anette waved her hands, trying to calm the flustered maid. But then she suddenly froze.

Her fingers twisted tightly in her skirt.

The only possible reason the Heyworths might come to retrieve her flashed through her mind.

“My lady? What’s wrong?”

Seeing her complexion darken, Hilda and Larisa rushed to her side.

“It’s just… perhaps… they might want to replace me with Brigitte. With my younger sister.”

Otherwise, why would Heyworth, who had shoved her into this marriage without hesitation, suddenly make a special trip to speak with the grand duke?

She imagined the king, regretting his decision after receiving the luxurious betrothal gifts from Alkane. She thought of Queen Esther, who might have succeeded in persuading Brigitte. Anette’s face grew heavy with dread.

“My lady, please, don’t assume the worst. Calm your heart first,” Hilda urged.

“She’s right. And even if Heyworth truly came with such intentions, His Grace would never accept such absurdity!” Larisa added fiercely.

“Yes! The very idea that His Grace would marry anyone but you—it’s unthinkable, impossible!”

“Besides, your betrothal has already been formally certified by the temple. It cannot be broken without just cause!”

Their fervent reassurances, however, did little to ease Anette’s expression.

She murmured bitterly:

“But if His Grace’s heart has changed, then perhaps….”

“No, never! He would never….”

Knock, knock.

Before Hilda could even finish, a knock sounded at the door.

It was unlikely Hubert had failed in his duty to manage Heyworth’s envoys, and yet tension filled the room all the same.

“It’s me.”

At the sound of the voice outside, Anette flinched.

She recognized it instantly—it was the grand duke.

In fact, not knowing had been easier. Now her whole body stiffened.

Larisa and Hilda exchanged worried glances as they watched their lady tense.

Without a moment to prepare herself, Anette found she could only bite her lip and nod at Larisa.

Larisa hurried to open the door, revealing Kardin standing there.

“……”

Even though the circumstances were awkward, Anette hadn’t seen him in two days. A part of her was secretly glad.

But when she saw his stern, unreadable expression, her eyes dropped to the floor on their own.