Chapter 113
“R-Raymond!”
The person I collided with was none other than Raymond.
When I faced that familiar face I had missed even in my dreams, tears immediately welled up in my eyes.
“I told you I wouldn’t leave it at that, didn’t I?”
Looking at me, soaked in emotion, he gave a reliable smile. Even in this chaotic situation, he looked relaxed. I stared at him blankly before snapping back to my senses and shouting urgently.
“You can’t be here. I told you through Okhee, didn’t I? That this is a trap disguised as a wedding!”
Kyle had expected Raymond to appear leading his forces. In fact, he had even found it surprising that Raymond had held out until this day. The reason he had let me meet Raymond one last time was to provoke him. Of course Kyle would be delighted that Raymond had shown up at a trap he had dug so openly.
“No.”
However, Raymond didn’t budge at my words. Since he had shown up despite ignoring my warning, he clearly wasn’t someone whose resolve would be shaken by a few extra words.
“The trap’s already been destroyed.”
“What?”
“I took care of everything and came here.”
Raymond pointed with his finger to the opposite side of the wedding hall. When I turned to look, I saw Raymond’s subordinates flushing out all the Imperial soldiers who had been lying in ambush.
“Preparation isn’t something only Kyle does. And besides.”
Raymond pulled me into his arms with one arm while drawing his sword with the other. The solid chest I unintentionally pressed against felt broad and made my heart race.
“I don’t want peace built on your sacrifice.”
At Raymond’s words, my chest tightened and trembled. How long had I yearned for this embrace? I threw away the hard, precarious resolve I had built up until now and wrapped both arms tightly around Raymond’s waist. As the shell I had used to imprison my emotions shattered with a crash, my chest felt as if it had been blown wide open, refreshingly light.
But then a groan broke the emotional moment from above.
“Ugh. E… Eileen.”
“Yes?”
“I can’t breathe. Hug me a little more gently.”
“Ah, I’m sorry.”
It seemed I had used all my strength in my emotional state. Startled, I quickly loosened my arms, but he immediately wrapped my arms back around his waist. Buried against him like a koala, I asked,
“Raymond. What about my parents?”
“I moved them to a safe place in advance. The knights who took them earlier are on our side.”
I had thought their faces looked familiar. Securing my parents’ safety first so there would be no restraints on movement—his meticulous planning made me admire him.
“Eileen.”
“Yes?”
When Raymond called my name in a serious voice, I lifted my head to look at him. His expression was unwavering.
“Today’s event will not be called the Emperor’s wedding, but the Wedding Revolution. Today, you will return with me.”
He declared it in a firm voice. I had waited so long and wanted this so desperately that tears pricked my eyes. The hands holding onto Raymond clenched tightly into fists. My favorite—this time, I never want to let you go. For the first time, I acknowledged the voice deep in my heart.
Just then, the surroundings grew noisy once more. People murmured, then it sounded as though they were shouting together.
“Lady Cowett!”
“Lady Eileen!”
They were calling for me. I stepped out of his embrace and turned my head. I saw the Grand Duke’s subordinates—Melas, Evan, the novel members Eden, Drew, Chloe, Nix whom I had met at the factory, On and Pan of Nevilest, and many other familiar faces—all shouting toward me.
“Everyone! Why are you all here?!”
I shouted until my throat felt torn in my urgency, but they all wore broad smiles. Anyone could see they were happy to see me.
“Let’s all go back together!”
“We’re family, aren’t we? You have to become the Grand Duchess!”
“You’re my benefactor, my lady!”
“Everyone…”
Overwhelmed with emotion, I covered my mouth with both hands.
In the distance, I could also see Adrien, Navien, and the knights of the Run family. Adrien in particular was shouting my name loudly while waving his hands high in the air.
“Eileen! It’s me, Adrien!”
“Stop waving around and fight already.”
Navien, who had been deflecting attacks that Adrien failed to block while waving, finally struck his back and shouted.
Behind them, I could also see the Night Watch. At that moment, following Kyle’s orders, troops were being deployed toward the garden, but Jetren, Nad, and their subordinates were smashing them down brutally with maces.
“Yahoo!”
“Have a taste of this, you bastards!”
Judging by the wide smiles on their faces, it seemed they were venting the stress they had endured while restraining themselves during their time as informants. Having finally gotten the chance to fulfill a long-held goal, they looked exhilarated.
As I looked over our allies one by one, Raymond leaned close and informed me in a low voice.
“Eileen. Stay with the Archmage. I’ll go fight for a bit.”
“What? Niyan?”
Leaving only those words behind, he dashed forward. As I stared with wide eyes, a familiar voice sounded beside me.
“Hello, Lady Eileen.”
“Niyan!”
The last welcome face appeared right next to me. I had heard belatedly that he had been forcibly recalled by order of the Mage Tower Lord, which made me all the happier to see him.
“Were you released from the Mage Tower?”
“Yes. I barely made it in time.”
Niyan slowly raised his hand, glowing with light.
“Today, I’m participating not as a mage of the Imperial Palace nor as the next Mage Tower Lord, but as a member of the Night Watch.”
He snapped his fingers. Instantly, the swords of a group of Imperial soldiers fighting nearby suddenly turned into toy mallets. The Imperial soldiers, who had been fighting seriously, panicked and began to flee in confusion.
“I can’t attack directly, but tricks like this are possible.”
We laughed playfully at the sight. Then Niyan suddenly lifted his head and pointed toward the battlefield.
“Oh. One ally is coming from over there.”
“What? Ah—Poseidon!”
It was the horse the Emperor had given me as a gift. It was weaving through the battlefield, running straight toward me. When it arrived, it lifted its head high and neighed, “Hiiing.”
“Poseidon. Why are you here?”
“Hiiing.”
“He says he wants to follow you, Lady Eileen. It seems he chased after you once he realized you were leaving.”
“I see. Alright! You come with me too.”
When I stroked his mane, Poseidon shook his head happily.
“Then ride him and stay out of danger. I’ll move around a bit and come back.”
“Okay, Niyan.”
“Then.”
The moment Niyan saw me mount the horse, he disappeared in a teleport.
Carrying me, Poseidon skillfully slipped through the battlefield where enemies and allies were mixed together. If someone chased us, he shook them off, and if an enemy attacked, he sent them flying with a kick of his hind legs. Each time, I clung tightly to Poseidon’s neck, cheering him on with repeated praise.
After a while, Amelia appeared in the Imperial Palace garden. Behind her, I could see several members of Kagomisle following. Amelia had been made to focus solely on wedding preparations before being locked back in her room by Kyle, but it seemed the members had freed her. When Kagomisle members fighting on the battlefield saw Amelia appear, they began gathering toward her one by one.
“All Kagomisle forces, follow me!”
“Waaaah!!”
As she raised her sword and shouted powerfully, Kagomisle’s thunderous roar shook the air. At the same time, the morale of our allies surged. She truly had the charisma of a female protagonist.
Amelia and Kagomisle’s objective was clear. Their position was gradually moving closer to Kyle. The Imperial army, currently suffering a disadvantage, was struggling to deal with enemies while leaving the Emperor unattended. As a result, only minimal guards remained by Kyle’s side.
Amelia was clearly trying to take the Emperor hostage. She had her subordinates deal with the surrounding Imperial soldiers and charged alone toward Kyle. In response, two of the Emperor’s guards leapt out and began fighting her.
Sparks flew each time the blades clashed. The sound of swords striking echoed loudly in all directions. Even while facing two members of the Imperial Special Forces, Amelia was not pushed back at all. The Special Forces were restricted in their movements because they had to protect the Emperor, but more than that, Amelia’s skill was outstanding.
In particular, her technique of spinning gracefully as if dancing while gripping her sword’s hilt was superb. Overwhelmed by its power and speed, the enemies hesitated, unable to approach. Seizing that opening, Amelia drew a dagger from her bosom and stabbed vital points one after another.
“Ugh.”
After quickly dealing with the two of them, she walked toward the Emperor. Amelia’s gaze was fixed straight on Kyle without wavering.
At that moment, I saw Kyle’s expression. His eyes were wide as he stared at Amelia. But it wasn’t the expression of someone standing in the middle of a battlefield, on the verge of being taken hostage. His half-open mouth, flushed cheeks, and jaw frozen in astonishment as he forgot even to swallow—this was unmistakably the face of someone in love.
Others might find Kyle’s expression strange, but I knew exactly why he looked like that. At this very moment, the fate of the male lead and female lead had been activated.
For fate to come only now…!
The long-awaited, eagerly anticipated moment had finally arrived, yet a suffocating feeling came first. The war had already begun, and there was no turning back.
Even as Kyle was bound at the wrists by Amelia, his cheeks were flushed.
Anyone watching would completely misunderstand her intentions.
“Do not worry. We are here.”
At that moment, along with the sound of countless hooves, a booming voice spread across the battlefield.
At last, the real crisis arrived.
Reinforcements from another kingdom had reached the Imperial Palace garden.
