Chapter 1
The Ransheen Fortress, standing in the frigid northern lands, is a frontier stronghold constructed by the founding king of the Kingdom of Russell.
A small town was built beside the fortress, where members of the national army live to repel those who would invade the border.
The regular duties of the national army are not much different from those of knights stationed in the royal capital.
From morning to night, they train, confirm formation placements for wartime, and restock the armory.
In addition, they also have administrative tasks such as reviewing reports from surveillance units sent beyond the border and patrol units in the area, as well as preparing documents to be submitted to the royal capital.
However, during wartime, this peaceful atmosphere changes drastically.
Sleep and meals are taken in shifts, guards are posted day and night at the fortress, and they are constantly armed and under tension, ready to fight at any moment.
Sometimes battles end quickly, other times they drag on, and maintaining mental stability becomes a critical duty to prevent anyone from snapping under pressure.
Such is the life of the national army, not glamorous, but crawling along the ground.
Even within that army, in the office of the colonel who, despite being young, is entrusted with the hellish frontier fortress, tension filled the air even though it wasn't wartime, and seasoned warriors found themselves wanting to flee barefoot.
Tap... tap... tap...
The superior officer had been glaring at a letter in hand for over fifteen minutes while tapping the desk with the tip of a pen.
Wondering whether it was okay to speak up, Roberto, the subordinate, was deeply conflicted.
Holding a stack of documents that kept arriving one after another, he glanced at his coworkers in the same room as if pleading for help, but none of them met his eyes.
No, that's not right. It's not that they didn't meet his eyes—they were deliberately lowering their faces in an exaggerated manner to avoid it.
Tap... tap... tap...
What in the world was written in the letter addressed to their superior that had arrived early this morning...?
Judging by the signature and seal on the envelope, it was undoubtedly a letter from the superior's family home in the royal capital.
(What the hell is written in there? Why would they send something that ruins the superior's mood during this insanely busy morning!? If possible, do it at the end of the day!)
As the tapping sound gradually grew louder, Roberto's glare at the letter intensified.
Tap... tap... thunk!
When Roberto saw the pen tip finally bend and a small hole appear in the desk, he swallowed a scream and instinctively stepped back the moment the superior slowly raised her face.
"......It's from home. Apparently, there's going to be an engagement announcement at the mansion in the royal capital in a month."
Hearing the incredibly low voice, Roberto tilted his head (Engagement announcement? Now?).
This superior had been engaged since childhood, and that introduction should have already happened long ago.
(......Are they doing it again to make a grander announcement?)
Unlike before, the superior was no longer just a count's daughter—she was now revered almost religiously by nobles of high rank. In neighboring countries, hearing her name either made people tremble or try to win her over.
That's how famous the national army colonel known as the 'Brutal King of the Frontier Fortress' was.
Since she hadn't returned home, she probably hadn't seen her fiancé either, and there might be many who didn't even know she was engaged...
As Roberto nodded along... it was as if the superior read his thoughts and shook her head side to side.
"It's not mine. It's my stepsister's."
"Ahh......"
Now that she mentioned it, he vaguely recalled she had a stepsister... and when Roberto clapped his hands in realization, the superior snapped the pen she was holding in half.
Watching the pen fragments scatter and fall onto the letter on the desk, Roberto shivered.
"The partner is the man who used to be my fiancé... Apparently, I've been dumped."
The sound of heads snapping up echoed as everyone turned their gaze to the superior, and Roberto dropped the stack of documents he was holding.
"Come back... Hah, they want me to come back?"
(Ah, those guys are dead.)
Everyone silently echoed the same thought and averted their eyes from the superior, who wore a fearless smile.
At Ransheen Fortress, where a mere two hundred soldiers were stationed to defend the border, there was a colonel with long, beautiful silver hair, jewel-like red eyes, a handsome face, and a tall, slender figure—an appearance that seemed to embody every woman's ideal.
But she was terrifyingly strong, brutal, and had an incredibly foul mouth to top it off.
Survivors from the enemy nation's unit that attacked the fortress in a midnight raid reportedly said, upon seeing their comrades beheaded under the moonlight by the mesmerizing colonel, 'It was like a nightmare...'
That colonel, who bore the disgraceful nickname of 'brutal' and more, was Celestia Rotisch, a nineteen-year-old count's daughter.