Chapter 25: Chapter 25

“Saulus, wait!”

This kind of shout was acceptable within the safety of the fortress walls. But that place was still in the hands of lord Rena, and Venna was calling after Saulus right in the middle of the street.

“My queen, I know that this is an urgent matter, but we need to deal with the last threat in the city as soon as possible. I hope you will excuse me for now.”

As jarring as it might be for dropping such a bomb only to leave right away, Saulus didn’t really have any choice. Venna couldn’t be just a marionette. Until she was the one who held the real power in the country, her safety would be in great danger. Only when one stood on the same level as their opponents could the odds be tilted in her favor.

“No, I will not. I’m coming with you.”

Stopping her own steps, Venna instantly forced Saulus to do the same. If he were to just ignore the queen and walk away, all the pretence of her power would be lost. Saulus could only gnash his teeth, stop in his tracks and turn around.

“My queen…”

No matter how much the general hated the current situation, he could do nothing about it. Venna managed to catch him off guard, and play the situation into her hands. Out in the open, Saulus couldn’t reason with her. Being a general under her rule, if he dared to defy her wishes in front of everyone…

“Yes, I am your queen. That is, according to your own words, the ultimate leader of this rebellion.”

With her voice suddenly lowering its volume, Venna quickly approached the young general before finishing her sentence right in his face.

“And what kind of leader sits back during the most important events of a rebellion?”

Surprisingly, Venna didn’t want to challenge Saulus’ decision to invite Bloy into the council. Or rather, she would perhaps do it at a more opportune moment, but for now, she wanted to deal with something else.

“If that’s your wish, my queen…”

Putting an accent on the last words that he said, Saulus tried to fight back against the girl’s pressure. Because her attempts at provoking him would always fall on dry ground.

Saulus was perfectly immune against Venna’s attempts only because he acknowledged how big of a hypocrite he himself was. On one side, he was willing to go to great lengths just to make Venna a proper leader, but on the other side, allowing her to take any personal risk seemed like the worst thing that he could even think about.

“I know, I know… Now, let’s get this over with. I promise I won’t meddle… I…”

Venna stiffened for a moment. Losing her composure out in the open could be a potential disaster. Normal folk could only see her as this celestial, unreachable figure. Only the status of fully-fledged royalty could protect her from harm, so she could never show her true face to anyone outside the tight circle of her supporters.

“You just want to watch and learn. Trust me, I understand.”

Finally letting go of his stern attitude, Saulus’ look softened as he picked up Venna’s hand, only to bring her palm up to his lips and place a delicate kiss on the skin of her fingers.

But as he hid his eyes by lowering his head for the kiss, Saulus could recall the moments when his state of mind was similar to what this girl was going through right now. Right before his first battle during which he was supposed to serve as a messenger. Too young and weak to take part in the fighting, too important to just throw him to the frontlines like everyone else.

No one would do such a thing. Not with the amount of money that the Pleiades invested in training him.

“Okay then, let’s not waste any more of our time. Let’s go.”

Since the topic was over, there was no point in dawdling in the middle of the street. Just like simple citizens of the country were bound to consider Venna and her entourage to belong in a different world, it was important to keep their daily lives in the same manner.

“Thanks.”

Trodding along at Saulus’ side, Venna gave a clear sign of how happy she was. Despite the role that Saulus deigned for her to play, it was clear that this girl was simply hungry for what life could offer her. She was unwilling to just sit down and enjoy the position that she did nothing to obtain. Even though she spent the last several years of her life as just a simple maid, she only needed a few days to revert back to how she used to be before the collapse of her household.

Their quick exchanges had to come to a stop. Even with the protection of all the legionaries that stood between them and the walls of the still unconquered fortress, Saulus didn’t dare to let his lady speak freely in such a crowd.

“Promise me one thing. Do not do anything. Just sit back, get some wine and enjoy the show. I don’t want some stray arrow hurting you in a desperate attempt to get back at us.”

Grasping Venna’s hands between his own palms for a moment, Saulus stopped his intimate stance as quickly as he started it, focusing on the huge set of fortifications in front of him.

Just a single look at the enormous walls of the place was enough to put doubt in the head of any soldier that would be tasked with sieging this place.

There was only one good thing about the entire situation right now. And it was lord Rena’s decision to hide in his fortress instead of joining the fight while his presence could still sway its course in his own favor.

And now, he was completely cut from the outside world, not posing any threat to the forces operating in the city.

In other words, he closed himself into a prison and now seeks a way out that won’t end up with his death. What a beautiful way to start negotiations! Thinking to himself, Saulus smiled as he grasped the handle of one of the white flags stuck around the entry of the camp of his troops.

“For the mercy of the firstborns, for their grace and blessing. I hereby come in peace to discuss the terms.”

Moving just a few meters forward was enough to put Saulus into a risky distance. While it would be a challenging shot, a good archer could fire at him with a degree of accuracy.

But would lord Rena throw the last chance to save his own skin away so easily?