“I realized, ah, I must have lived until now so I could devote my body and soul to work hard for this person.”
“Pfft…”
“Heh… agreed.”
“Didn’t some poor bastard start crying back then?”
“Wasn’t it Pedro?”
“It wasn’t, you bastard. It was you, Ashram!”
The mercenaries all burst into snickering laughter.
When the noise settled, Gregory carried on.
“I asked her if she wasn’t giving us too much money. I said, honestly, we fight out of loyalty to the Leader, so she didn’t need to go this far. And do you know what she said?”
It was obvious even without hearing it. She must have said something amazing. Amazing enough that all these rough, hard-to-manage mercenaries were moved. Zester looked at each of their faces and felt impressed all over again.
“‘Everyone who works in Greze deserves to be paid as much as they work. And among them, those who deserve the best treatment are naturally soldiers like you’.”
The lively way Gregory mimicked Cassia’s serious tone made them all burst into laughter again.
“‘I find it rather shameful that I can only use a few coins to acknowledge the fighting spirit of those who put their lives on the line on the battlefield so please don’t feel burdened’.”
“Gregory, that madman. He’s repeated that line a hundred times on the way back.”
“Pfft…”
“‘So long as you continue to fight for Greze, I have nothing more to ask.’ Puha!”
“Kyaa…”
“Hng…”
“Ah, of course, my lady! No matter what happens, even if it kills me, I’ll protect you—! Ahem.”
“That bastard said from now on he’ll give his loyalty to the Madam instead of you, Leader.”
Ashram, who had a surprisingly innocent and kind side despite his rough way of speaking, jabbed Zester in the side as he reported Gregory’s words. Zester gave a faint smile.
“Ah, of course. I work with Leader out of the endless camaraderie in my heart, but my true loyalty is dedicated to the Madam!”
“Same here. I’ve been grinding it out because of loyalty but y’know…”
Ashram made a money sign with his fingers and winked.
“Since she pays us as much as we work, I feel grateful and want to do even better.”
“Right, right. Even a squeaky wheel needs oil to run.”
“Ahem. Sorry I haven’t been able to take care of you much until now.”
Zester, who had been listening, muttered and scratched the back of his head sheepishly.
“Come on, Leader. You know us. If we didn’t want to, no loyalty or pay would’ve kept us. But it was worth it. We stuck it out, and now, we got to meet the Madam and get treated like this.”
Perhaps feeling a sudden wave of emotion, Gregory wiped the tip of his nose with his finger.
“Anyway, what I’m saying is our lives are finally opening up. We’ve decided to wrap up the mercenary band and settle here in Greze. Since the Madam promised stable support, I don’t think we’ll need to wander around like vagrants taking requests anymore.”
At Gregory’s words, Pedro and Ashram nodded in agreement.
Bertol’s eyes narrowed. Although only three of them were present now, it seemed likely that the entire Jackal Mercenary Corps would be absorbed into Greze as it was.
The Jackal Mercenaries, a group of skilled fighters known by everyone in the capital. Acquiring them entirely was significant.
‘She knows exactly what Greze needs. Her skill in handling subordinates is top tier, too. And she managed to bring the Jackals under Greze so easily?’
While Cassia’s ability was astonishing, Bertol felt an inward annoyance.
He himself had struggled greatly trying to turn these unruly mercenaries into Axios’s forces. Their answer was always the same. They preferred to remain free mercenaries rather than pledge loyalty to anyone.
Of course, the Jackal mercenaries probably didn’t come to Greze solely because of Cassia. They already had deep ties with Zester, and they likely decided to settle down only after Cassia helped organize the army and guaranteed a stable income.
However, even setting those reasons aside, the mercenaries’ current reaction was undeniably surprising. Their words of pledging loyalty to Cassia, whom they hadn’t known for long, didn’t sound like mere jokes.
Soothing those you employ to earn their loyalty was a talent in of itself. It was the part that Bertol, a man of dry character who acted coldly and strictly calculated gains and losses, found most difficult to achieve. If he had a perfect partner to fill that gap, that would be ideal.
Bertol suppressed the unidentifiable emotions rising within him and forced a smile.
“I feel this every time, but I think the Baron’s greatest fortune was taking the Baroness as his wife. Don’t you think so?”
Bertol looked straight at Zester.
“You are absolutely right.”
“Agreed.”
“Full stop!”
“Kukukuk…Ashram, you bloody bastard. Stop with the ‘full stop!’, I can’t stop laughing whenever you say that. Don’t do that.”
Gregory, Pedro, and Ashram spoke in turn, laughing.
“But fortune never just sits obediently at one’s side. To keep it, one must do your their best.”
Again, a meaningful remark. After dropping that line, Bertol calmly lifted his teacup.
The mercenaries didn’t think much of it, but Zester felt uneasy, his insides burning.
“Now Greze has nothing left to do but prosper, right?! Let’s have a toast to the Madam this evening, Leader!”
When Gregory added cheerfully, Zester forced a smile and nodded.
“Right.”
“By the way, Lord Count, you should hurry and find a Mistress for Axios too.”
Ashram leaned back in his chair as he spoke, but Pedro shook his head.
“Hey, that’s the Count’s business. The Leader, on the other hand… he’s far, very far from someone who can manage a territory alone. He absolutely needs someone like our lady.”
“You think so?”
“Lord Count isn’t someone who would bring just anyone into his castle. He’ll handle it well, so stop talking nonsense, you idiot.”
As Pedro scolded Ashram, Bertol smirked and raised his eyebrows.
“I am indeed waiting carefully for the future mistress of Axios, but lately, I have felt rather lonely.”
“Yes! That’s it! I don’t mean as a helper for ruling the territory! I mean as a partner for your soul! How can you live without a beautiful, lovely wife, my lord? Right?”
Gregory, who had married right after the imperial war ended, was still blissfully affectionate with his wife. At his excited reaction, Bertol nodded.
“I didn’t have much thought about it originally, but lately, I’ve felt especially lonely. Perhaps because I’ve been watching the Baron with his beautiful and clever wife.”
“You’ll definitely find someone amazing like our lady, Lord Count!”
“Thank you, Greg. But where can one easily find someone like the Baroness? I suspect I’ll have to struggle for a few more years.”
Bertol leaned back comfortably. His gaze was fixed solely on Zester, who sat opposite him.
Zester watched Bertol’s mouth in tense silence. Every word coming out of it grated on his nerves.
“A woman you’ll spend your whole life with shouldn’t be chosen lightly. Especially not if you’re a man like me, who governs a large territory. Do any of you happen to know the history of the Bert Empire? Specifically, about Bert II, still celebrated as the empire’s greatest ruler.”
“No? How would muscle-headed guys like us know another country’s history? I barely know our own.”
“Are you bragging, Greg?”
Ashram snickered and jabbed Gregory.
“He was the eldest son and first in line for the throne. And not once, whether as crown prince or emperor, did he get married.”
“What? Is that even possible?”
When Ashram asked in surprise, Bertol nodded.
“When the ministers urged him to take an empress, his answer was always the same. ‘There is only one woman who is perfect enough to rule this empire with me. I refuse to marry if not with her’.”
“Eh? Then why didn’t he just make that woman empress? He’s the emperor, no?”
Gregory tilted his head.
“He was the Emperor, yes, but it was a difficult endeavor. Because that woman was already another man’s wife.”
“Oh, wow…”
It was quite a juicy story. Gregory, Pedro, and Ashram all perked up and their eyes shone with interest.
“She was the woman who established foreign trade in the Bert Empire and laid out strategies for integrating the surrounding kingdoms. She was the wife of the empire’s only duke at the time, Duchess Yuribelle Palash…”
“Oh?! I think I’ve heard that name somewhere!”
Gregory squinted and yelled. At his reaction, Bertolt pulled the arm he had rested on the chair’s armrest and placed his hand under his chin, smiling lazily.
“She’s far more famous than Bert II himself, so it’s no wonder you’ve heard of her.”
Bertolt stared directly at Zester as he continued.
“She eventually became part of the Bert Empire’s history. Empress Yuribelle Bert.”
Bert II had ultimately made Duchess Yuribelle his empress. Duchess Yuribelle—no, Empress Yuribelle Bert—achieved great merits by his side throughout Bert II’s reign, and history recorded it thus:
[The greatest and most perfect decision of the most virtuous ruler, Bert II, was to make Lady Yuribelle his empress.]
However, the tragic story of the Duke Palash, who had his wife stolen right before his eyes, was unfortunately not recorded in a single line of Bert Emipire’s history books.
***
Cassia felt like she was going to die of embarrassment.
Dinner with Bertol, Zester, and a dozen or Jackal mercenaries had ended with far too much drink, enough to turn her nose crooked. Cassia had a surprisingly high tolerance, so she wasn’t dizzy, and she actually felt good from the moderate buzz.
The problem was Zester. Whether he was happy to reunite with his comrades after so long or whatever the reason, he had drunk himself completely senseless.
With the help of Zester’s adjutants, Gregory and Pedro, Cassia barely managed to move Zester to the bedroom. After getting ready for bed, she swallowed a sigh as she looked down at Zester, who was sprawled out like a corpse.
If only he had just fallen asleep quietly while being sweetly drunk. But hearing him unconsciously mumble her name again and again was unbearably embarrassing.
“Cassia. Don’t go.”
“I’ll do better, honey.”
“Why do you say not to like you…?”
“Cassia… Cassia…”
Remembering the mercenaries snickering because of Zester’s embarrassing behavior made Cassia’s cheeks flush.
“Ca…ssi…a…”
“Ugh, stop it! I know my name is Cassia! Enough! Please, stop!”
Mortified, she thumped Zester’s chest hard, but it had no effect. Even with all the force she put into her hand, hitting his broad, stone-like chest was like tapping him with a cotton ball.
Still, the embarrassment wouldn’t fade, so she kept smacking his chest when suddenly, his hand shot up and grabbed her hand tightly.
“Oh my god. Are you awake?”
As she asked, Cassia shook her head internally.
His eyes were half-open, his nose was scrunched, and his lips were pouting. Seeing the same wet-puppy expression he’d had all through dinner, she figured he was in the exact same condition as earlier.
“Honey, Cassia.”
“What.”
The more she thought about it, the more she realized that this didn’t seem like he drank too much just because he was excited to catch up with old friends.
Cassia was certain there was a separate reason why Zester looked vaguely depressed. Something must have happened earlier, before dinner, when he’d been with Bertol and the mercenaries.
‘Did Count Axios say something stupid again? Does he know hard it’s been to fix this man’s self-esteem…’
Thinking of Bertol’s face, Cassia let out a long sigh into the air.
Clutching Cassia’s hand on his chest as though it were a precious treasure, Zester barely managed to speak through his muddled mind.
“I…”
What was he going to say this time?
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