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Chapter 51
Linen entered the drawing room with her body slightly hunched, her face timid and withdrawn. Lady Yurein stood protectively beside her like a guardian.
“Please, sit comfortably.”
After hesitating for a moment, Linen perched herself at the very edge of the chair. She held paper and a pen in her hands. Judging by how they trembled, she seemed nervous.
Lady Yurein remained standing beside her. Linen looked up at her with eyes like a frightened calf and let out a small sigh of relief.
“Go ahead and eat.”
Linen stared at the table. After another moment of hesitation, she glanced toward Lady Yurein. I had heard she still liked sweets. When Lady Yurein gave a small nod, Linen slowly reached out and picked up one of the pastries.
Her cheeks puffed slightly as she chewed, but her face looked terribly thin. I had heard she had lost a lot of weight. The cute freckles scattered across her face and the braided pigtails framing her cheeks made her look even younger.
Seriously… someone did this to a child like her?
It was very much like a mother such as that woman. The weaker and more helpless the child, the harsher they were treated so they would learn obedience. If she had been cruel even to her own daughters, she would be even worse toward others.
I clicked my tongue inwardly at the cruelty and waited patiently while Linen ate. Then, when she brushed the crumbs from the corner of her mouth, I finally spoke.
“Linen, how would you feel about working as an aide?”
Since Linen had originally been a maid, there was nothing stopping her from serving as an assistant.
Linen stared at me in shock. Apparently Lady Yurein had not hinted at this beforehand. Linen opened and closed her mouth soundlessly before turning to look at Lady Yurein. Lady Yurein gently stroked her back.
Linen lowered her head. The hand holding the pen remained motionless. But judging by how her ears perked slightly, she was listening carefully to every word I said.
The trembling tip of the pen finally began to move across the paper.
[What kind of aide can’t even speak?]
The words were pressed heavily into the page. The sharp strokes almost scratched through the paper itself.
[I won’t be any help at all. I’m completely useless.]
That was how Linen saw herself.
[If you’re only pitying me, then I refuse.]
A small blot appeared on the page. It looked as though a tear had fallen there.
Linen was not angry. She was protecting herself before she could be hurt again.
“Linen.”
She lifted her head and looked at me.
“Do I look like the kind of person who employs others out of pity? I’m the Duchess. I’ve never once forgotten what that position means.”
Linen’s eyes shook slightly.
“I don’t handle matters like this based on sympathy. I genuinely need you. Someone who will never betray me.”
At those words, her expression wavered again.
“When people share the same enemy, alliances become stronger than ever.”
Linen bit down on her lip.
“And I’m sorry to say this, but when people see you, they’ll naturally lower their guard.”
I could see her hand tighten.
“I want to use that. And your unique situation actually benefits me. When the time comes, I think you’ll make an excellent double agent.”
Linen’s eyes widened.
“What I mean is that your circumstances are an advantage to me. And you should use me as your weapon too. Use me as a shield to protect yourself, and don’t hesitate to make full use of me. If you have demands, I may even grant them. There’s no one more suitable for the role I’m offering than you.”
After a long pause, her pen moved again.
[Who exactly is the Duchess’s enemy?]
The question left a cold heaviness in my chest.
They were once Roana’s family, but we had crossed a river too wide to ever return from.
“Petunia Hezest. And Hezest itself. The North as well.”
At my words, Linen’s eyes trembled violently. Hearing the name directly from my mouth seemed to awaken both fear and fury inside her at once.
I smiled bitterly.
How pathetic it was to share the blood of a woman like that.
Only after a long silence did Linen finally begin writing again.
[I’ll do it. I’ll work hard.]
“Good.”
Honestly, I still didn’t know whether Linen would truly become useful. But I trusted that Lady Yurein was not someone who would let sympathy cloud her judgment.
And when people are finally given something they must do, even their attitude begins to change.
Perhaps what Linen needed right now was not pity, but a place of her own.
A place where she could stand on her own feet.
In this estate, useless people were never protected. That was true anywhere.
Finding her place was something Linen herself would have to accomplish.
I hoped she would succeed.
For some reason, looking at Linen felt like seeing my past self—the version of me who had been crushed beneath the pressure of family and lived timidly even outside the home.
The headquarters of the Beryden Knights Order stood separately along the coastline.
Inside the office on the second floor sat a massive desk.
Morning sunlight slanted through half-drawn curtains, splitting the large map spread across the desk into two halves.
Cheres stood with his arms crossed, staring down at the map. It was a large military chart displaying the entirety of the South at a glance. Red dots marked the coastline, while blue flags were scattered throughout the inland territories.
Sir Bogus stood nearby, alongside the knights commander Wills and vice commander Temer.
“Report.”
“Our grain reserves currently amount to roughly three months’ worth of territorial consumption. Medicinal herbs are lower than that, and iron supplies are less than half sufficient.”
“Not enough.”
“Time is short. We’re gathering as much as possible.”
Cheres pointed toward the coastline—the eastern edge of the South, closest to the Lands Beyond.
He stared at the map with thoughtful eyes.
“Two of the three defensive strongholds require repairs. The remaining one can be used immediately, but its scale is too small. We’ve already ordered repairs to begin as soon as the weather warms. Construction is currently underway. Our direct knights alone won’t provide enough manpower. We’re considering recruiting volunteers from the territory’s residents. It would help if we could receive support from the imperial family, but……”
Bogus trailed off.
The red dots stretched along the coastline. Those were the routes where monsters would pour out once the Gates Beyond opened.
A disaster that returned without fail once every year.
And this year, they predicted the number of monsters would double.
Bogus let out a heavy sigh.
“It’s best not to expect that. The imperial family never interferes in southern affairs.”
Cheres replied coldly.
Bogus continued in a grim voice.
“The problem is that now even the North and the Central territories are beginning to move. The monsters may not be the only issue this time. There are only a few months left, Your Grace. This time, the scale will be different.”
Silence settled over the room.
Everyone present already knew that truth. Bogus had merely voiced it aloud again.
Wills, who had remained quiet until now, finally spoke.
“……Ten years ago, Your Grace’s parents perished during the war. Even with support from the imperial family. If we end up lacking manpower as well……”
Cheres let out a cold laugh.
“Perhaps they died precisely because they received support from the imperial family.”
“……What?”
“Even if outside forces are sent to assist us, keep the Central territories excluded as much as possible. Never forget that there may be enemies among our own side.”
“Ah……”
Commander Wills fell silent.
Cheres turned his gaze toward the window.
Beyond the curtains, the garden could be seen. At this time of year, the roses were in full bloom. Perhaps Roana was walking there with Hayden right now.
Hayden, who had only recently learned to walk, especially loved stepping across soft ground.
Those were the things Cheres wished to protect.
Someone’s happiness. Peace. Joy.
The burdens resting upon Cheres’ shoulders were things so beautiful.
At last, Cheres pulled his gaze away from the window.
