Chapter 63…
Old Grudges
“New sister.”
When Chloe arrived, Eileen set down the documents she had been reviewing. She looked up to greet her, and Chloe handed her a single missive. At the sword illustrated on the letter, tension rose across Eileen’s face. A letter marked with a sword—there was only one kind. It was from the battlefield.
“I hear you’ve won this duel as well.”
Chloe said as she sat on the sofa, while Eileen opened the letter to read. Chloe hadn’t checked the letter first; she had heard the news already.
“It’s been three months since your brother left, right?”
Eileen lightly nodded as she read the detailed account of the events on the battlefield. Chloe counted on her fingers and summarized what had happened so far.
“Three clashes, and three victories. That’s quite impressive.”
Counting on her fingers wasn’t really necessary. There had been one battle each month, and the victories of the Grand Duke had been brought as if to show off. It was like a much-needed rain after the prolonged, sluggish war. Or maybe “rain” wasn’t the right word—it was blood money, at least to the enemy.
“Do you know what rumors are spreading in the kingdom?”
Chloe had gone so far as to hear news from the kingdom while she was at it. Eileen looked up from the letter at Chloe, who spoke as if she had been waiting.
“They hope the war ends quickly. Even if their own country loses.”
It was an incomprehensible statement. From the kingdom’s point of view, shouldn’t they want to seize victory at any cost?
Seeing Eileen’s expression, Chloe laughed knowingly.
“With all the supplies and provisions being sent to the battlefield, their backs must be breaking. They might have cared if they were winning, but they keep losing. Meanwhile, their families are sent to the front lines, and they’re worried sick. And yet, the empire’s commander keeps winning by beheading only their generals. So, they’d rather you win quickly.”
Eileen returned her attention to the letter. Indeed, the pattern of the battles had been similar all three times: short, precise strikes with minimal casualties, all targeting the duel-leading commander. Strategies that one would only read about in books, Lloyd executed boldly—and showed results.
“Still, it’d be best if the war ended quickly.”
Chloe’s sigh echoed Eileen’s own wish. But wishing alone wouldn’t make it happen.
In the future Eileen knew, the war ended one year after the Grand Duke’s involvement. She calculated when Lloyd would return based on that.
Eight or nine months from now, roughly.
Since in the original timeline Lloyd had left a month later, the difference would be about a month or two.
Eileen put the letter in the drawer and returned to the documents she had been reviewing. Once she finished marking them with her seal and name and set them aside, Chloe’s face lit up.
“New sister, are you done with your work now?”
“Seems like it,” Eileen replied.
She skimmed her desk and nodded. The urgent documents had been taken care of by the clerks; only the central stack remained to complete her tasks for the day.
“Then how about we go to the lake? It’s the most beautiful right now. We come here around this time every year, but I really want to show it to you this year.”
“I’ll just deliver this first.”
Eileen showed what she was holding and stood. Chloe followed, excited.
“I knew you’d say that, so I’ve already sent everything there. I even told the villa in advance. Let’s have some fun.”
Eileen smiled at Chloe’s enthusiasm and nodded. The Grand Duke’s family owned a large lake in the mountains. Normally it was open to anyone, but visits were controlled when it came to direct family members like themselves.
“Wouldn’t it be nice to sit by the lake, have tea, and enjoy the breeze?”
Chloe clasped her hands and beamed. Eileen nodded—not for the lake, but because Chloe’s childlike excitement was adorable.
“Today feels like it’s going to be a special day.”
Unlike Chloe’s expectation, Eileen simply hoped for the day to pass as any other.
Eileen was taking the documents to the laboratory where the accelerant had been studied. The accelerant had already been entirely disposed of, leaving the lab empty.
She still hadn’t revealed anything about her accelerant to them. What Lloyd wanted was the finished product, not the formula. That alone was enough for him to support her research, but she hadn’t executed anything yet.
When would be the right time…?
As Eileen walked, pondering this, she sensed someone approaching. She looked up, and her expression stiffened.
Elder Alan.
Elder Alan, approaching from the opposite direction, also noticed her and twitched his lips. The accelerant incident had created a subtle barrier between them. Eileen could never forget the way he looked at her when she returned from the palace: a gaze full of restrained anger, as if he would tear her apart without hesitation.
She waited to see what he would do. Without Lloyd, he would likely try to eliminate her on the spot. Yet, surprisingly, he did nothing.
That man won’t reflect on his actions just because of this.
Eileen concealed her thoughts and greeted him first. Elder Alan stared her down rather than returning the greeting. Eileen, receiving no response, concluded she had nothing more to say and passed him.
“By the way…”
Elder Alan spoke abruptly, making Eileen stop. He seemed to have just remembered something.
“It seems the Grand Duchess has nothing to do. I heard you dismissed a clerk for no reason?”
It was Zech’s story. Eileen answered calmly, as if it were nothing special.
“Some materials went missing during the disposal of the accelerant. The clerk in the annex took them, so he was punished accordingly. No one would dismiss a clerk without reason, even if they have nothing to do.”
At her precise explanation, Elder Alan twitched his nose. Eileen’s manner—neither aggressive nor gentle—was irritating.
“Is it simply for that reason?”
“There was another reason as well. Curious?”
Elder Alan chuckled dryly, as if saying he would reveal it if she wanted to hear.
“On what basis do you act like this?”
Eileen looked at him, clearly puzzled.
“There’s no one here to protect Your Majesty. Yet you have the audacity to treat me this way?”
In the absence of the Grand Duke, Elder Alan sought to intimidate her.
“I’ve been watching to see how Your Majesty would handle it, and it’s astonishing. You act as if you are the Grand Duke himself, while the stabilizer remains unchanged and shakes the Grand Duke’s household even more.”
Elder Alan emphasized once more, as if to snap Eileen out of her illusion.
“Your Majesty… you are not the Grand Duke. The Grand Duke is on the battlefield.”
“If the Grand Duke isn’t here, then I, the Grand Duchess, will take his place. Does his being on the battlefield make me any less the Grand Duchess?”
Eileen spoke as soon as he finished, showing no fear of his threats.
“I am still the Grand Duchess and not someone to be intimidated by an elder. So do not insult me twice.”
“Insult? You speak boldly. What if I do not stand idly by?”
Eileen answered his question with a purer smile.
“Wouldn’t it be a shame to waste everything we’ve built so far?”
Old grudges subtly surfaced between them, but the stakes were different. Having lost her entire family and household, Eileen would not be satisfied by merely clashing with Elder Alan.
The moment I see any weakness, your neck will be mine.
She had watched him this long for that exact moment. As long as Elder Alan remained passive, so would she. One clash—one clash—would decide the victor.
Without another word, Eileen left Elder Alan staring at her retreating figure.
He looked after her, impressed that she had dared to issue a warning that could push him to the ground.
Do you really think you can lay a finger on me?
A thin smile appeared on his lips. He had been waiting for her long enough to prepare the battlefield properly.
“Survive this time, if fortune favors you.”
Today, the Grand Duchess disappears.
