Departure
(Returning to the main plot… Iris’s mother at the rescue…)
“…Lady, is this okay?”
An elder maid that served at the Duke of Almeria for a long time, gives me clothes while asking that question.
It is a simple clothing similar to the uniforms that low rank knights wear. Something that can never be used by “the Duchess”.
“Well, fine.”
I remove the accessories and take off my dress.
Instead, I put on the clothes that she prepared.
Then tie my hair underneath in a casual way and wear the cloak.
Finally, I mounted the sword I got from the hidden room.
“… Are you going?”
Seeing me who came into the room with those clothes on, my husband asked.
“Yeah”
Neither I nor my husband continued talking.
Silence dominates the room.
Instead of opening our mouths, I and my husband were staring at each other.
…… Eyes often said more things than the mouth.
I want to talk with my husband … but, words never truly say what you deep inside you mean to say…
-I do not want to let you go, though I can’t stop you.- …. My husband’s eyes seemed to say so…
Surely, my husband feels the same as me.
…… I don’t want to leave, but I have to.
If something happens to my husband while I am away, I’d surely regret, but even… I must go.
To protect our precious daughter.
My husband would never say that, but I can see in his eyes that conflict.
I smiled like swallowing my thoughts, and then opened my mouth.
“… Do not be afraid … I will definitely live and come back to you husband… My only home and place of return is where my husband is.”
My husband also laughed at those words of mine.
“Oh… I believe you … It’s sad we can’t go together, but my heart is with you. The things you have to carry on your back, we’ll carry it together. I’ll protect you from everything that hinders your movements… The oath of our past will not change, so go and believe in me. I’ll have your back. “
“Yeah …I’m going, my husband”
Then I headed to Marquis Anderson.
Greetings at his mansion also passed so quickly…
“…I heard the situation from Iris”
My older brother cuts out the topic with a particularly tense voice.
“Yes, brother, sorry but …”
“… Your daughter is really well prepared, soldiers suddenly invaded the Duke of Almeria and created chaos, but Iris has already sent a request for reinforcements to the first prince and it passed. But..”
My older brother interrupted my words and said with a bitter smile.
“The soldiers are already convoked, but we can not do much.”
“Then it’s useless… What about numbers?”
“There are one hundred active soldiers, and those who ran through the battlefield with you once are all here.”
“Well, okay.”
I feel relieved at my brother’s words.
It was because he had not thought of honesty that he could get such a large number of staff at these times.
“But I have not given any orders yet, whether they follow or not depends on you.”
In the meantime, “Can you make them obey?” …Seemed to be what he was asking.
“Well, that’s fine… If they’re ordered by their master they’ll definitely listen to me, but this way they will not doubt me later and follow me until the end. If they don’t obey me as a head, it’s just a crowd of people in the battlefield… Is this not your concern? “
However, even if it concerns him, such a thing is expected.
I thought it was a matter of course I’d have to deal with this.
“… as usual, intuition does not work when it comes to fighting”
“Well, though the battlefield used to be your field so long ago …… Now you fight in social circles everyday as the Duchess not?”
“Oh, that’s also a battlefield for you?”
“…surely”
While my brother affirmed, I laughed.
“Well, good, really thank you, older brother”
“Just go, I’ll pry for both you and my niece.”
“Yeah”
Then I left the study in a good mood, and headed for the grounds where my brother’s men were gathered.