I witnessed the deaths of fifty-three soldiers and finished visiting the wounded before returning to Viscount Dunham’s mansion.
Accompanied by Al and Ray, I walked down the deserted corridors towards the room prepared for me. The banquet was still ongoing in the hall, and I could hear lively music and laughter.
Outside, bonfires were lit, and soldiers were celebrating their victory.
Victory is a strange thing. On the one hand, there is the feast of victory, and on the other, there are those who are wounded, who cry out in pain, and who die.
Of course, it’s natural to celebrate survival and victory. Those who survived have the right to rejoice. They drink and sing, remembering their fallen comrades.
As I listened to the victory songs, I thought about arranging a mass funeral for those who died in battle. At that moment, I realized I didn’t know the exact number of war casualties.
“By the way, Ray. You received a report while we were visiting the wounded, didn’t you?”
I remembered the report. Ray had received it because my hands were full at the time. It was probably from Teacher Quins and Teacher Welly.
“Yes, that’s correct. It’s a report from Teacher Quins.”
“Show it to me, there’s something I need to take care of.”
I reached out my gloved hand to Ray.
But Ray didn’t hand over the report.
“Ray, give it to me.”
“No, you must be exhausted. You haven’t been sleeping well recently.”
Even though I ordered him, Ray pointed out my fatigue instead of giving me the report.
“That’s the same for you two, isn’t it?”
“We are trained for this. Besides, visiting the wounded has taken a toll on your mind, hasn’t it?”
Ray correctly identified my mental exhaustion. Indeed, witnessing deaths is tough. But I didn’t want my weakness pointed out by a soldier.
“Be quiet. Just give it to me. There are things I need to do today.”
I asserted my right as commander. But my loyal knight didn’t comply.
In books and plays, my orders are absolute, with loyalty so deep they’d kiss my feet. But in reality, there’s this disobedience. Books and plays are full of lies.
“Don’t you understand that Teacher Quins and Teacher Welly’s reports are urgent?”
I mentioned my mentors. Their reports are always accurate and should be reviewed immediately.
“These are the words of the teachers. Lady Romelia, since you must be tired, it’s fine to look at this report tomorrow. They also said there are no problems, so please rest easy.”
I frowned at the words I heard from Ray.
“Even so, there are tasks only I can handle. Hand it over quickly.”
I tried to take the report from Ray, but he held it above his head, out of my reach. With his tall stature, there was no way I could reach it.
“Hey, Ray. Give it to me. Sit down!”
I commanded him to kneel, but Ray didn’t comply.
“Al, say something to him.”
I turned to Al, who was watching. Only Al could stand up to Ray.
However, the man who led the Cashew Guard scratched his chin and looked away from me.
“Well, isn’t Ray right? I think you should rest.”
Even Al betrayed me. I had no allies.
“Also, Captain Rome, I hate to say it, but you look pale. If that’s how you look with makeup, it’s pretty bad. Can you make the right decisions with such a tired body?”
With Al saying this, I couldn’t argue anymore.
“Understood. But please, at least show me the casualty report. I can’t sleep without knowing that.”
I asked about the casualties from the recent battle, which were likely listed in the report. I needed to know how many died under my command.
“Honestly, I think it’s better not to know before you sleep.”
Al muttered, but he looked at Ray with a resigned expression. Ray reluctantly opened the report.
“Seven hundred and twenty-nine.”
Ray answered briefly with the number of casualties.
But I didn’t just want to hear the numbers. I reached out, indicating with my eyes for him to give me the report listing the fallen soldiers.
“Just this.”
Ray reluctantly handed me a single sheet from the stack of reports. It listed about a hundred casualties from the Cashew Guard. Most of the fallen were allied soldiers who had come from the provinces. Including those who died from their injuries, nearly eight hundred soldiers were lost.
Considering we faced a superior enemy, keeping the losses under a thousand could be seen as a great victory.
But human lives aren’t just numbers. Each of them had a life of their own, yet they gathered in response to my call and fought bravely.
I bowed my head in silence, mourning the soldiers’ deaths.
But I couldn’t stay sad forever. There were things I had to do. For now, I should rest as they suggested. To work again tomorrow, I needed to rest today.
“Let’s go.”
I arrived in front of the prepared room. Inside, my maids Leila and Tetis should be waiting.
Once inside, I just needed to remove my makeup, change out of my dress, and lie down on the soft bed. It had been a long time since I slept in a bed. During the relentless marches, we couldn’t even carry tents. Just sleeping on a soft bed felt like heaven.
Al and Ray, who accompanied me to the room, didn’t leave immediately but stood in front of the door.
“Are you two on duty tonight?”
“Yes, we’ll switch with others later.”
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Ray answered when I asked. Whenever I slept, someone from the Rome Squad always stood guard in my bedroom.
In the romantic novels about me, there are always stories of affairs with the knights on guard. But in reality, that never happened, and no man ever entered my bedroom.
Even though I’ve been in a male-dominated environment since forming the knights, I’ve never felt endangered as a woman. I always kept a dagger under my pillow, ready to kill any miscreant, but I’ve never had to use it.
“By the way, Captain Rome. About what we talked about earlier.”
Just as I was about to say goodnight and enter my room, Al spoke up.
“Earlier?”
“The marriage talk. No matter who you marry, I’ll make sure you’re happy.”
I reflected on Al’s words and thought them over.
“Al, don’t you think that’s a strange way to propose?”
I tilted my head.
If he said, “Marry me, and I’ll make you happy,” it would be quite passionate. But saying he’ll ensure my happiness no matter who I marry? What does that mean?
“I don’t intend to get involved with you romantically. But I’ll ensure you’re happy, no matter who you marry.”
Al answered confidently.
“Specifically, how?”
“I’ll kill anyone who threatens your happiness and remove all obstacles.”
Al declared, clenching his fist.
Hmm, that’s heavy love.
“Ray, say something.”
“Indeed, Al. You’re wrong.”
Cool-headed Ray pointed out Al’s mistake.
“No matter who Romelia marries, Ray here will make her happy. is a mistake.”
Al glared back at Ray with clenched fists.
“Well, I didn’t know you could talk so big.”
“You’re the only one who doesn’t know. Everyone else knows.”
Ray countered Al’s provocation. These two, really.
“Stop it.”
I intervened before they started fighting. They straightened up immediately.
“Yes, we’ll stop.”
They answered in unison and ceased their quarrel.
Really, are these two friends or foes? But continuing the marriage talk seemed pointless.
“More importantly, in today’s battle, we managed to defeat most of the Demon King’s army left in this country.”
I changed the subject, talking about today’s achievements.
It was a fierce battle, but this victory was significant. With this battle, most of the Demon King’s army remaining in Lionel Kingdom were defeated.
“Exterminating the Demon King’s army has been our long-cherished goal. But achieving it might make the royal family see us as a problem. I’m considering disbanding the allied forces soon. Be prepared for that.”
When I mentioned disbanding, Al and Ray exchanged looks.
“Lady Romelia, you’ve been talking about disbanding for a while. Are you really going to do it?”
Ray asked anxiously.
“Yes, I am. With the Demon King’s army gone, there’s no reason to maintain the allied forces. However, the alliance itself will remain. In these troubled times, the nobles need to stay united. The alliance will serve as a good reason for that.”
I briefly explained to the two.
The so-called Romelia Alliance would complete its initial purpose and transform into something new.
For me, I wanted to use this alliance as my base. But I couldn’t afford to be seen as a threat by the royal family. Temporarily disbanding the allied forces was necessary.
“What will happen to us?”
Al looked worried, his usual bravado gone.
“Don’t worry about the future. Our relationship won’t change much. We’ll return to Cashew for training until we’re needed again.”
“Training? Captain Rome’s training is tough.”
Al grimaced while laughing.
“Don’t be so soft. But don’t worry. We’ll need our strength again soon.”
I made a little prediction, looking at the northern night sky.
Far beyond this sky to the north was the stronghold of the demons, Rovan.
I didn’t think the Demon King’s army would stay quiet.
No, maybe they were already preparing their counterattack.
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