#91
“Your Highness.”
Duke Duvain, spotting Enrique, bowed his head slightly in greeting.
“Time is of the essence, so deploy quickly,” Enrique said in a loud voice, meant to be heard. Duke Duvain glanced at the Ruben soldiers with troubled eyes. Enrique didn’t miss where the Duke’s gaze landed. There stood the commander leading the Ruben soldiers tasked with guarding the rear base.
Their eyes met. As if he had been waiting for this, the commander spoke up.
“I apologize, Your Highness. Our Ruben soldiers have received orders to guard the rear base. Therefore, please forgive us for being unable to follow your command.”
“Your Ruben soldiers? We are currently allied forces. The Crown Prince and I are each responsible for the front and rear as Commanders-in-Chief. Are you saying that disobeying my order is not a violation of military command?”
“But we are Rubenians.”
The commander’s tone sharpened. Enrique had no intention of wasting time arguing with him. The longer they delayed, the more Shamier soldiers would die. And if Shamier’s line broke, there was a high chance that the ongoing siege would suffer a major blow and fail.
Enrique grasped the handle of the whip he wore instead of a sword. Without mercy, he lashed it towards the Ruben commander.
Crack-!
“Ugh!”
A sharp whipping sound was followed by a groan. Enrique swung the whip again at the commander, whose face now bore a wound.
Thwack-!
This time the whip struck the commander’s chest. While the armor would prevent serious injury, the act of being whipped itself was a great insult and punishment.
“This man has repeatedly disobeyed the Commander-in-Chief’s orders. Take him away and detain him immediately!”
At Enrique’s shout, the guard knights swiftly moved to force the commander to his knees and bind him. Enrique could sense the strong dissatisfaction in the eyes of the Ruben soldiers witnessing this. But pretending not to notice, he called out to them in a firm voice.
“You are not Rubenians now! And I am not simply the Crown Prince of Shamier! We are allied forces fighting together, staking our fates and lives! Baron’s reinforcements are approaching! The unit that was blocking the supply route is now risking their lives to stop Baron’s reinforcements! If they break through, their next target will be Francia Castle, where your comrades are fighting and bleeding! You said you were ordered to guard the rear?! This is precisely how you protect their backs! Do you understand?!”
At Enrique’s shout, the dissatisfaction in the Ruben soldiers’ eyes gradually faded. No, the sense of insult remained, but they seemed to recognize the necessity of following orders.
“Duke Duvain, lead the troops and deploy immediately!”
Enrique loudly passed command to Duke Duvain and stepped back.
Duke Duvain surveyed the allied forces and gave the order to deploy. A considerable number of troops began to move. Enrique stood firmly in the nearly emptied base, gazing at Francia Castle and the backs of the allied forces moving around behind the castle.
If only he weren’t pregnant, it would have been his role to lead the reinforcements. Feeling frustrated that this was all he could do, a surge of resentment welled up inside him.
*
With Duke Duvain deployed, his duties naturally fell to Enrique. Enrique led his guard knights, inspecting the base and overseeing the treatment of the wounded. As the battle intensified, the number of wounded being brought in steadily increased. Their pain-filled screams and groans pierced the ears, while the pungent smell of blood and various filth permeated the air.
“The gate has opened-! Your Highness! The castle gate has opened!”
A soldier came running, shouting at the top of his lungs. Enrique quickly raised his head to look at the castle. Indeed, the sturdy and heavy castle gate that had been closed was now half open.
Waaaaaah-!!
Troops that hadn’t been able to enter via ladders, siege towers, or through broken walls could be seen pouring through the gate with a roar. The siege was entering its final stages.
The walls, with black smoke rising here and there, had long since lost their original color, now covered in blood. Sunset was already settling over the wide plain. The gray castle, blood-stained against the backdrop of the plain bathed in red sunset, seemed to herald the devastation of war.
Enrique clenched his fists, worrying about Anture’s safety and simultaneously about the situation of the allied forces battling the Baron army on the opposite side of the castle. He stared intently at Baron’s flag flying atop the castle. The moment the allied forces’ flag was raised there would mark the victory of the siege.
How long he stood there, watching like that.
The red sunset reached its peak, scattering his vision. He saw Baron’s flag, which had been flying high, being lowered. And a moment later, the flag of the allied forces, half-embroidered with Ruben’s emblem and half with Shamier’s, rose up the flagpole.
Waaaaaaaaah-!!!!
An enormous cheer erupted from the direction of the castle. Those busy moving about the base also began to shout victory cheers upon seeing the allied forces’ flag raised over the castle.
To capture the castle in just one day since the full-scale siege began….
Enrique felt a thrill, along with a bit of wariness, at the latent power of the Ruben army. At the same time, he also felt certain that they could surely win this war against the Baron and Monta alliance. Surrounded by those continually shouting victory cries, Enrique too felt his heart growing hot. The taste of victory was as hot as a ball of fire, and just as sweet.
Even after the castle fell, there were still scattered groups fighting, refusing to accept defeat. Small and large disturbances continued within the castle. It wasn’t until the sun had completely set and night had deepened that things were mostly settled. Only then could Enrique enter the castle.
Surrounded by his guard knights, the path he rode on horseback was a mess of bright red blood and bodies that hadn’t yet been cleared away. Here and there, he could see prisoners kneeling, bound. While Enrique shuddered at the carnage of war, he also savored the exhilaration of victory that those in power might feel.
Ahead, the brightly torch-lit castle entrance came into view. Anture, surrounded by his knights, was waiting for Enrique.
Anture’s armor, with only his helmet removed, was covered in blood. Nevertheless, seeing him smiling with victory, it seemed none of the blood was his own. Anture strode over and extended both hands. Enrique didn’t refuse his support, allowing Anture to help him dismount.
“Aren’t you tired?” Anture asked. His voice was gentle, but still tinged with the intense excitement left after a day of battle.
“Compared to you who fought directly?” Enrique said, walking shoulder to shoulder with Anture. There was a hint of regret in his voice for having to guard the rear while Anture was roaming the enemy lines alone.
The corridors inside the castle were also full of battle traces everywhere. It was impossible to tell whether the red beneath their feet was a carpet or if it had turned red from being soaked in blood. But Enrique stepped forward without hesitation, treading on that red carpet. As a ruler who would govern a country in the future, it was only right that he should know that the red carpet under his feet was not always made of soft fabric, but sometimes of the blood of his people.
“I’ve had the lord’s bedroom prepared. It’s late, so let’s rest for today.”
“What about the lord?”
Enrique asked instead of answering.
“He refused to surrender and resisted to the end, dying heroically. We plan to send his body back to Baron with proper respect.”
“I see. He deserves such treatment.”
Enrique nodded.
“What about the prisoners?”
“Most of the knights are already dead, and the families of the lord and nobles are being held separately.”
“To release them for ransom?”
“It’s profitable. I’ll leave the ransom negotiations entirely to you.”
“Understood.”
As they exchanged business-like words, Anture suddenly furrowed his brow. Enrique stopped his leisurely walk down the corridor.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
As Enrique asked, Anture suddenly reached out. Before Enrique could react, Anture carefully lifted him into his arms.
“What are you doing!”
Enrique, startled, pulled at Anture’s hair as if trying to tear it out. He could see their guard knights, following in a line behind them, discreetly averting their gazes.
“You’re shaking slightly and you didn’t even realize it? You’ve been commanding the rear all day without rest, food, or drink, right? Of course your body is strained.”
Anture’s quiet voice carried a hint of anger. Only then did Enrique look at his own hand. It was trembling very slightly. Probably his whole body was like that.
