Chapter 223

It was as if the world had come to a halt—Luna’s vision froze in place.

And there he stood.

The man with silver hair. The strategist. The very first person to join our army, when no one else paid us any mind.

That man—the one who promised me the world—Swoen.

Luna remembered every single word she had ever exchanged with Swoen.

Of course, she also remembered every word that had passed her own lips.

Swoen knew.

He knew that Serpina was the sworn enemy of Lunarien—knew that Serpina was the one who had brutally murdered his sister, the Crown Prince’s unofficial concubine.

So it was impossible that he would willingly help Serpina, knowing all this.

After all, Swoen was my strategist—someone who existed solely for me. It was contradictory for him to serve my nemesis. At least, that’s how Luna saw it.

Surely, this was the same man who promised me the world, wasn’t it? Hadn’t he vowed to stay by my side forever?

Sir Swoen could not be wrong.

The idea of Swoen willingly aiding Serpina… simply made no sense.

This wasn’t about Luna failing to comprehend the situation—it was something far more fundamental. Like the sun rising in the east and setting in the west, it was an undeniable truth.

Thus, if Swoen were truly helping Serpina, it would be akin to the sun rising in the west—an absurdity.

Upon reaching this conclusion, everything became crystal clear.

“Sir Swoen must… be under duress.”

That’s right!

If Sir Swoen is being coerced by that despicable woman…

If his life is being threatened, then everything starts to make sense.

“Sir Swoen!!”

With a thud, Luna collapsed onto the floor.

“Sir Swoen would never willingly assist someone like Serpina… He must be under some form of threat severe enough to endanger his life. He has no choice but to cooperate with her.”

Thinking this way, everything began to fall into place.

But at the same time, a pang of pain struck deep within her chest, a feeling she couldn’t shake off.

“Sir Swoen… you sacrificed yourself for me, for our army, and now you’re suffering under that wicked woman…”

Unaware of all this, I wondered why he hadn’t returned. What foolish thoughts those were.

Perhaps it would have been better if he were locked away in a dungeon rather than serving under her. After all, working for Serpina must have been a tremendous humiliation for Sir Swoen.

But Sir Swoen had to survive. He had made a promise to me. He had sworn an oath to keep it. And surely, just as I longed for his return, he must have thought of me too.

We’ve waited too long.

The timing for raising an army has already slipped far past its prime. We should have acted sooner, even if it meant using more ruthless methods. We abandoned notions of righteousness and honor long ago—we should have revealed ourselves much earlier.

While Sir Swoen endured unimaginable humiliation working for Serpina, here I sat waiting idly for some justification, acting like a noble swan.

“This can’t go on…!”

“…Violet.”

“!!!!”

Violet, who had been unable to utter a single word until now, suddenly felt a chill unlike anything she’d ever experienced before. Without realizing it, she found herself pacing back and forth.

Luna’s eyes—they were dead.

The girl who always looked at everyone with warmth… now seemed possessed, almost unrecognizable.

“This isn’t the time to linger. Let’s prepare for war. We cannot keep him waiting any longer.”

“Eh…? Waiting… wait, are you saying we shouldn’t let him wait…?”

“…”

At that moment, tears began streaming down Luna’s face.

“Lu… Luna-sama…?”

“Sir Swoen… right now, even now… is suffering under that demon-like woman.”

“He’s enduring torment, forced against his will, doing things he doesn’t want to do—all because of Serpina.”

“So… I, I can’t waste any more precious time. Every second that passes means unimaginable pain for Sir Swoen!”

“A… ah…”

Honestly,

Approaching Luna in her current state was quite a daunting task for Violet, still a novice strategist—but despite this, she had to speak up. She simply didn’t understand what Luna was saying.

“May I ask a question, milady…?”

“…?”

“That is… Is it really so painful for Sir Swoen to work under Serpina?”

“OF COURSE IT IS!!”

Before Violet could finish her sentence, Luna erupted in anger.

She had never seen Luna lose her composure like this before.

“I… well, that…”

But even so,

No matter how unusual her lord’s behavior seemed, words that needed to be said had to be spoken. That was the path of a true strategist in her opinion.

“Sir Swoen… currently serves under Serpina’s forces… um…”

“…”

“Well… from what I’ve heard, he seems to be doing quite well…”

“…”

“There are rumors that he enjoys Serpina’s favor…”

Violet kept her eyes closed, bowing her head as she waited for Luna’s response.

How long did the silence last?

Finally, Luna’s icy voice pierced through her ears like a blade.

“It’s all hearsay.”

“…Excuse me? May I inquire about your reasoning?”

Luna might have explained it in simpler terms, but instead—

“Wouldn’t you agree?”

Her tone was frigid.

The warm-hearted Luna they once knew… now stared at her with dead eyes, speaking in sharp tones that could cut anyone who dared approach.

“There’s no way Sir Swoen could be happy working under that wretched Serpina.”

“All these tales of favoritism… they’re just lies. It’s some cruel form of torture. Someone like her probably coerces people into submission, controls them, and enjoys their suffering. Sir Swoen got caught up in it. Spreading such slanderous rumors only makes his situation worse.”

“What vile nonsense. Beyond description… utterly despicable.”

After saying this, Luna sighed softly.

A faint glimmer reflected in her ruby-red eyes.

Violet… couldn’t bring herself to explain the information she had gathered in front of her.

“Violet, you believed these stories because you don’t know him well. But you should understand why Sir Swoen left us—and with what intentions.”

At this point, tears were dripping steadily from her eyes onto the floor.

It was the first time anyone had seen Luna, who exuded both gentleness and charisma, cry so sorrowfully.

“If you knew why he works under that woman, you wouldn’t believe such lies.”

“Milord, I merely—”

“It’s all hearsay.”

Luna cut Violet off mid-sentence.

“No matter what you’ve heard, it’s all baseless rumors. Violet, I hope you’ll learn to filter out unnecessary gossip moving forward. Do you understand?”

Fortunately—or perhaps not—Luna’s voice softened again.

Yes, it was the kind, gentle voice of Luna—but it felt like it came from someone else entirely.

This person…

“Do you understand?”

“…Ah, yes, milord. Forgive me for interrupting.”

“No, Violet. If you understand, that’s fine. We’ll be busy from now on, so please prepare yourself accordingly. Do you understand?”

“Yes, yes ma’am!”

“Goodbye.”

As Luna walked away silently, Violet found herself lost in thought.

Upon hearing the keyword “silver-haired young man,” Violet immediately began investigating retired commanders from the Northern Continent.

By sheer luck, she met an old man who had recently retired from the Serpina Army and returned to his hometown. From him, she learned some intriguing details.

Although he claimed to be an ordinary commander with little connection to central politics, relying mostly on hearsay—

It seemed that Swoen indeed enjoyed Serpina’s favor.

In fact, it wasn’t just favor. Rumors suggested that the handsome Swoen had bewitched Serpina like a fox.

Not only that, the knight who accompanied Swoen into the Serpina Army reportedly received an unusually high rank at an unprecedented speed.

If what Luna said was true—that Swoen was forced to work for Serpina under duress—

Would someone like that really be favored and kept close? If the purpose was to torment him, would they give a high position to the person he brought along?

Unable to voice the doubts swirling in her mind, Violet recalled the unusually cold expression Luna had shown her moments ago.

Why?

Who exactly was this silver-haired mage named Swoen?

What was his relationship with Luna that it could shake her so profoundly, someone who always maintained her calm and grace?

At that moment, young Violet had an epiphany.

If anything went awry with her lord, Luna of Lunarien, it would almost certainly involve this entity known as Swoen.

Meanwhile,

As Luna left the royal palace, she wiped away her tears with her sleeve and renewed her vow.

I’ve been foolish, Sir Swoen.

Therefore,

I will no longer leave you in pain and suffering.

“First, I need to quickly resolve the Karelia Army.”

“Then, unify the Southern Continent and advance into the Central Continent.”

The Aishias Army, suspected of betraying Sir Swoen.

And the Serpina Army, which forcibly coerces Sir Swoen.

Luna slowly opened her hands.

Pure white, untouched by much blood, delicate hands unworthy of the title “vassal.”

She thought to herself:

Meeting Sir Swoen was fate.

After all, from the very beginning, he had bet everything on me. More than Brance, more than Aishias, more than even Serpina—he believed I could unify the continent.

Because he showed me that hope.

Even now, the thread of fate connecting me to Sir Swoen remained strong.

Though invisible to the naked eye, it had connected them since the moment they parted.

Perhaps what I lack is… blood.

Only after soaking these hands in crimson blood will the “fate” binding me to Sir Swoen reveal itself in vivid red.

Thus, I will eliminate them by any means necessary.

“Sir Swoen. Please wait just a little longer. I, Luna, will rescue you…”

So please, wait just a little longer…

* * *

At the same moment Luna and Violet shared their peculiar dialogue, at Einhardt Castle…

“I have but one request of you.”

Serpina turned her golden gaze toward Swoen, her tone soft and gentle.

“Become my consort, Swoen.”

Though somewhat distant from Luna’s expectations, nonetheless, they found themselves in quite a predicament.