Chapter 32
“Of course.”
Caesar readily agreed, then pressed a kiss to her ring finger—where a wedding band would soon be.
“Engagement in a week. Wedding in a month.”
“…Alright.”
“You’ll realize every moment that you’ve made an excellent choice.”
“These are my lieutenants, men who fought beside me on the battlefield. You should familiarize yourself with them.”
In the original novel, their roles had been mentioned only in passing. She hadn’t remembered much about them.
But now that I’m meeting them in person… it’s all coming back.
The mage, Kirill, had died while trying to save Caesar from a conspiracy. The strategist, Golden, had been murdered while uncovering the Count’s crimes.
The blacksmith, Eroin, had been left crippled after a blast from a furnace explosion.
And Jacques Fisher, the intelligence officer, had endured brutal torture before taking his own life.
Come to think of it, Jacques, known as the Red Falcon because of his vivid red hair, was nowhere to be seen.
Maybe he only moves at night, given his line of work.
Taking a deep breath, Odette greeted the lieutenants.
“It’s an honor to meet you all. You must have gone through a lot of trouble finding me.”
After the war, they probably wanted to rest—but instead, they had been forced to chase after her.
While reading the novel, she had thought of the lieutenants as well-crafted supporting characters.
Each of them had such unique personalities.
More importantly, they were all incredibly kind and loyal.
Caesar should be grateful for them.
These men would willingly lay down their lives for him without hesitation.
“Please, don’t mention it. We’re simply glad to see you safe and well.”
Why are they all so nice?
Despite the hardship of tracking her down, they didn’t show a hint of resentment. Instead, they just smiled warmly.
They look exactly like a family meeting their hopeless older brother’s new girlfriend for the first time.
Their gazes carried warmth, but also a touch of sympathy.
As if they fully understood the fear and injustice she must have felt, being forced into Amelia’s place.
Good people.
Loyal soldiers who died for Caesar in the original story.
Her chest tightened.
I don’t want them to die. I don’t want any of them to get hurt.
As she lowered her gaze and bit her lip, one of them spoke up.
“Lady Odette, do you like flowers?”
The ice mage, Kirill, smiled as he asked.
If I say yes, he’ll probably use his magic to create one right now.
She could almost feel his anticipation tickling her cheeks.
How could she possibly say no when he was looking at her like that?
“Y-Yes… I like flowers.”
“Then, would you like this?”
Kirill waved his hand, drawing moisture from the air.
In the next moment, a rose made of ice bloomed in front of her.
Wow… I’ve never seen magic up close before.
Now that she thought about it, she had never met a mage before.
Living in the mountains, then serving as a maid in the Saxen estate, she had spent her life locked away.
“This is a small gift from me,” Kirill said, his gaze filled with unspoken meaning.
It felt like he was silently pleading, Please don’t run away again.
“It’s beautiful…”
“If you like it, I can make one for you every day.”
“This is more than enough. Thank you.”
Odette held the frozen rose tightly.
At that moment, Caesar placed his teacup down and spoke.
“The Red Falcon has arrived.”
She looked up toward the entrance of the tent—
And her eyes widened.
“Him?!”
It was the same man who had pulled her out of the swamp.
He must have been undercover, posing as a mercenary at the Count’s estate.
Just as the Count had spies in Caesar’s household, Caesar had placed his own within the Count’s ranks.
Ugh… the novel never mentioned that.
That means he probably reported everything I did at the estate.
And yet, she had foolishly daydreamed about escaping the Empire to live peacefully with three dogs and a handsome, obedient husband.
She probably wouldn’t have even made it past the border before getting caught.
“Jacques Fisher, reporting to my lord,” the man said, kneeling before Caesar.
“It’s been a while. I assume you’re already acquainted with my future wife, Odette?”
“Yes, my lord.”
Jacques turned his gaze to her and immediately dropped to one knee.
“It’s an honor to formally introduce myself. I serve under our lord as Jacques Fisher.”
“I-It’s nice to meet you, Sir Fisher.”
“I am a commoner, my lady. Please, call me by my name.”
“Alright then, Jacques. Please, rise.”
“I appreciate your concern.”
After rising to his feet, Jacques asked,
“By the way, when you were stuck in the swamp, did you get any scratches or insect bites?”
“Oh, no. I’m fine.”
“That’s a relief. But… what did you mean when you mentioned paying me one gold?”
At this point, there was no reason to hide anything. After taking a sip of water, Odette spoke frankly.
“I thought you were one of the mercenaries hired by the Count, so I tried to bribe you.”
The Count had been recklessly recruiting mercenaries through the guild, hastily training them into his private forces.
Then, when Caesar arrived to confront him, the Count had deliberately incited a violent clash.
That incident led to the Emperor turning against Caesar, ultimately forcing him to disband his knight order.
He was accused of drawing his sword against the Emperor’s own knights, as if that wasn’t the only option he had.
If history repeated itself, Caesar would be forced into a defensive position once again.
And if things spiraled out of control, not only would she suffer, but his lieutenants would too.
Having made up her mind, Odette spoke.
“If all of us march to the Count’s castle now, there will definitely be a confrontation.”
“My knights will not draw their swords without my order,” Caesar said confidently.
“Even if the Count insults you to your face?”
At her words, the blacksmith Eroin slammed his fist onto the table.
“Who does he think won the war for him?! The nerve of that man!”
See? That’s exactly the problem.
Odette shrugged before adding,
“If a fight breaks out, the Emperor could use it as an excuse to disband the knight order again.”
“Lady Odette’s words should not be taken lightly,” the strategist Golden advised cautiously.
Jacques, standing beside him, chimed in.
“Lady Odette has already done more than any spy could.”
“A spy?”
“In the past few days, she has achieved incredible things.”
With evident enthusiasm, Jacques began listing her accomplishments.
The Count’s household had fallen into complete chaos, with the Count and his wife unable to go a single day without fighting. Their finances had taken massive hits, and the Count’s most trusted enforcer, Jovern, had been utterly paralyzed, unable to make a move.
“For the past few days, the Count has done nothing but tear at his own hair in frustration.”
The lieutenants turned to her with looks of admiration.
“That’s truly impressive.”
“Even if we planted ten spies in the Count’s estate, they wouldn’t have been able to cause this much damage.”
“We look forward to working with you.”
Wait… that wasn’t a compliment, was it?
Feeling her face heat up, Odette lowered her gaze.
“Lady Odette?”
Aden quietly pulled out a chair and placed it beside her.
“You must be tired from standing so long.”
“Oh, no, I—”
Now that she had greeted the lieutenants, wasn’t she free to leave?
She cast a questioning look at Caesar.
“You’ve proven yourself more than qualified to be here,” he said. “Sit down.”
Well… in that case, I might as well see what this meeting is about.
Smoothing out her skirt, Odette took a seat.
The strategy meeting began immediately.
“Golden, report on the situation with the Emperor’s faction.”
“The Marquis of Lansford is the real power behind them. Ever since Iona became the Crown Princess, their influence has grown immensely. We must deal with the Marquis first.”
“Lansford is ordering Count Anderson to purge the opposition. Taking out the Count should be our priority.”
“The Count’s men hold key positions in the palace. We need to cut off his hands and feet first!”
Caesar listened in silence before finally speaking.
“If I wanted to get rid of these nuisances through assassination, I would have done so long ago.”
His true goal was to restore his father’s honor and rebuild House Maes.
That was why he had been systematically weakening the Count’s power rather than launching a direct attack.
So that’s why he tried to use Amelia’s absence as a justification to bring the Count down.
But that plan had already crumbled.
And having spent so many years at war, Caesar had neither built connections nor gathered a political faction to back him.
They’re unmatched in swordsmanship and military prowess, but they’re completely hopeless when it comes to political maneuvering.
Maybe it was because they had only ever fought open battles.
On the battlefield, power was decided by sheer strength.
But in politics, it was all about deception and manipulation.
Naturally, Caesar and his lieutenants, who lacked such skills, were struggling to find a solution.
Do I need to step in?
At this rate, I might just end up cementing my place as a key figure in history.
