When My Enemies Began to Regret

“Then it would be your first fox to receive a present today.”

“Why? Would you offer me a fox?”

All of this was another story for Fanora. Because she had never received a fox as a gift.

“Of course.”

“Then how many will you catch?”

But wouldn’t it be different this year?

Even though Aloken sometimes does something unimaginable… In times like these, he follows the tradition well. Vasago had already said she would give her a fox and the fake fiancé in front of her said the same, so what to worry about?

Fanora said with a more relaxed face. “Actually, the number doesn’t matter. Go carefully.”

Aloken replied, making sure that his quiver was secure. “I will do my best.” It was a rare normal response from him.

“Do you go hunting on that black horse?”

As their greeting must have been over, Fanora pointed to the horse that was tied nearby, wondering if she should slowly leave. But Aloken replied with a completely different topic.

“Ah, I almost forgot. Someone is looking for you, Fanora.”

“Yes?”

“I was with Carl Andras earlier, and he asked me to tell you about his tent if I saw you.”

Andras? Upon hearing that name, Fanora’s eyes widened.

“Is he in the capital?”

“He is. He drank tea with me just now.”

Come to think of it, she keeps forgetting these days. Aloken had always been interested in Carl Andras, right? If he’s frantic to suck up the power of the Andras family… Fanora’s eyes dimmed for a moment, then returned to normal.

“I have to congratulate my friend who has returned from the battlefield. Where is his tent?”

Soon, Aloken gave me a direction with a chin gesture. As I turned my gaze toward it, I saw a red flag in the distance. It must be Andras’s tent over there.

“That’s great. To have Andras as a friend.”

Fanora, who was about to head towards Carl’s tent, paused. “Aloken, how about you attend the same gathering as us?”

“It’s not that I haven’t thought about it. By the way, this friend clearly figured out that I hate animals.”

Aha. Carl hated people who lied. However, it seemed that Aloken was repulsed by the fact that he approached him using his love for animals when he didn’t even have it in his heart.

“It can’t be helped.”

Aloken grinned as Fanora spat out, thinking he deserved it.

“Right. So, it would be nice if my fiancée, who has excellent bargaining skills unlike me, to make him on our side.”

“…”

“If Jalier Duchy goes well, it’s good for each other.”

How can there be such a purely dark-hearted man? Fanora gave an exaggerated answer with a startled look on her face. “Oh my god, you intend to use my friend too now?” It was a shameless comment as she used Carl Andras as her accomplice.

* * *

And after a while, Fanora, who parted away with her fiancé at the end of the conversation, diligently moved her steps and arrived at a tent.

“Let’s see. The flag shape shows that it’s Andras tent.”

A flag covered with bright red cloth was placed in front of her. A lioness symbolizing the marquis was drawn there, and Fanora inadvertently looked at it. However,

“Ah! I apolo…”

As she stood next to the entrance, a man coming out of the tent bumped into her. Fanora reflexively apologized and turned around. There she was able to identify the person she bumped into.

“…!”

Fanora was quite tall by the standards of the kingdom. It was to the point where she noticeably differed from other ladies at her age. But, the person she bumped into was a span taller than her. Plus, how strong is that person’s physique? As Fanora turned around, a shadow was covering her.

“…I-I apologize.”

However, there was a distinct characteristic that represented this person. Look at her hair, which was bright red like a rose in full bloom.

“Your Excellency, Marquis.”

Kimen Andras, the current head of the Andras family and military commander of Kasius, stood tall before her.

29. Second Half Story

“…”

The Marquis seemed to have a reticent personality. Even when Fanora apologized, she didn’t answer at all, only nodding her head.

How can a person be this big? Since she couldn’t continue to block her way, Fanora looked at her while hesitatingly stepping back. Indeed, befitting the person who created various rumors, the real person was unusual.

Each time Marquis Andras charges, three people die. The enemy’s morale is halved when the Marquis appears on the battlefield. I thought it was an exaggeration.

The marquis had a dense shape for each muscle and showed a strange sense of intimidation just by standing still.

I think I will lose even with Io… Fanora once again confirmed why Andras’s status was maintained.

“…Are you Fanora of the Celsius family?” It was that moment. Marquis suddenly questioned Fanora, who was standing firm.

“My younger brother’s friend.”

Marquis Andras’s voice was heavy and murky as if it had been scratched with iron. She thought a child would cry when they heard her voice.

“Yes, that’s right.” Fortunately, Fanora quickly regained her noble demeanor.

Seeing that, the marquis looked up and down Fanora once and returned to the Andras tent without a word.

“I should have asked if Carl was inside.”

Ignored that Fanora was still outside.

Upon entering the tent, Marquis found a boy loafing around in a chair at the corner. What followed was a conversation between siblings.

“Get up.”

“Why? It’s already starting?”

“The eldest daughter of Celsius has arrived.”

Carl, who was sitting in a chair with his feet up, jumped up when he heard the story. “She’s finally here!”

“Wait a minute.”

However, as Carl tried to leave the tent with excitement, Marquis grabbed his younger brother by the shoulder.

“Why?”

When he asked again what it was this time, the marquis said, “What’s the point of following such an insignificant thing?”

“Yes?”

“This guy who discarded a good engagement that was arranged with much effort and that you brought a woman even to our mansion.  So I was looking forward to it.”

Kimen Andras spoke quietly with a firm face. “If you’re going to covet her, you should have chosen someone that can be trained and has a good appearance. Are you following your pathetic older brother’s taste too?”

Hearing that, Carl jumped up in surprise. “What are you talking about? Lady Fanora is engaged to Lord Aloken!”

“…”

“I’m not meeting Lady Fanora in that sense. She’s my friend.”

Carl was naturally gentle, so no matter how angry he was, he seemed insignificant compared to his sister.

“Is there such a thing as friendship between men and women?”

“There is!”

Carl felt no need to talk to her more. He immediately shook off her hand on his shoulder and left. Kimen only clicked her tongue at her brother’s behavior. She didn’t pay any more attention to him.

“Huuh, this family is really a headache.”

Shruk. Carl walked through the closed tent entrance. Then, before his eyes stood a person who would alleviate his discontent.

“Lady Fanora!”

“Carl. You’re really in the capital.” When Carl came running like a dog meeting its owner, Fanora responded with a light greeting.

He came back safely. Deep down, Fanora was glad to see him. But even more than that, she was surprised, and then she asked what she had been curious about. “Did you complete your mission in such a short time?””

“Yes! There is no Sankrit hanging around near the border anymore. It was a great victory.”

 “Oh my…”

“I came in a hurry because I wanted to see Lady Fanora. My older brother is probably gritting his teeth by now.”

“Your older brother?”

Wouldn’t it be nice to stop the Sankrit from attacking? For a moment, Fanora couldn’t understand why his older brother would get angry.

“Well, that’s. Your Majesty held a banquet in honor for us? We’re supposed to attend the same thing. So my older brother is at the royal castle now. Probably busy preparing for the banquet.”

“Looks like you escaped from there.”

“Hehe, that’s right~ I heard Lady Fanora was also coming. Besides, I’ve been curious about hunting for a long time.”

After hearing Carl’s explanation, she nodded slightly.

“Then you’re going to be the vice-commander now?”

“Huh? It’s not announced yet. How did you know?””

“I know from your gesture.”

As the future she knew, Carl soon became the youngest vice commander. Besides, if this battle was over, his schedule would be free until next year’s war.

While Fanora was making plans for the next year in her head, Carl tilted his head to the right without meaning. He had an innocent face.

“Carl, then, can I hear the secret now?”

“Yes?”

“You have a story to tell me when you return safely…”

But after a while, Carl was visibly delighted when she brought up the promise at the funeral.

“Yes! I’ll tell you right away. The legend of the Andras family!”

What if the person who likes to talk like this has no friends? Fanora pondered alone. She wondered if there was some young man who would be his friend, not someone like Aloken. However, no young man among the nobles could do so.

“Well, it said that the beginning of our family was a female warrior.”

“Yes.”

“The warrior has been training all over the world in pursuit of her strength.  If she meets a strong-looking person on the way, she will fight right away!”

You guys are like your ancestors.

“But one day, my ancestor met a sleeping red dragon in the mountains!”

Fanora listened quietly to his words for now.

“A dragon is strong, right? It’s big too. So, as soon as the ancestor saw the red dragon, she punched the right side of its face. Then the red dragon stood up and said…”

“Yes.”

“He fell in love at first, saying, ‘You’re the first human to ever hit me!’”

“What?”

“Like that, my ancestor fell in love with the dragon and left descendants. That’s the beginning of Andras!”

“What???”

“At that time, her husband was a red dragon. Living in a human society besides the warrior, only women were given titles. They were in charge of running the family. They said it was the beginning of the eldest daughter’s inheritance system.”

So that’s why the family symbol is a lioness! …As he said that, Fanora looked into the air momentarily, wondering what she had heard. Fortunately, her embarrassment didn’t last long.

“That’s… right. We, Kasius, have had many legends about dragons since ancient times. The royal family crest is also a dragon… So, the Marquis family has a similar tradition.”

She wondered what he would be talking about, but to hear such an absurd legend…

When Fanora smiled awkwardly, Carl frowned. “You don’t believe me right now? It’s real.”

“No, but the fact that there was a dragon…”

“Dragon is real!”

“What about the evidence?”

Now that they’ve come this far let’s hear how he would explain it.

As Fanora stared, Carl folded his arms and said confidently, “I have dragon teeth on display at my house. It’s taller than me.”

Fanora had a sudden thought when he heard that sound. Couldn’t that be elephant ivory? It was a very popular joke in Kasius. However, how could she bring it up when the man standing in front of her looks with his eyes twinkling?

“That’s a wonderful thing. I want to go see it someday.”

So Fanora brought only the truth she could tell. She wanted to protect his fantasies about dragons.