Chapter 88

***

“Kwanach, did you have a lot of work to do? Have you received another letter from Lord Baynar?”

I hugged him and Kwanach picked me up. My body floated easily in the air.

Kwanach walked over to the bed, kissing my forehead a couple times.

“Still I am not as busy as I was in the capital. You are the problem.”

He lowered me onto the bed. I felt a fluffy sensation behind my back.

Kwanach naturally put his hand inside my chemise as he climbed on top of me. Tut, tut, his kisses landed all over my face, including my forehead and bridge of my nose.

In those moments of naked entanglement with Kwanach, I really felt like I was on vacation.

It was like the night before a storm, but we mixed our bodies every night. Sometimes it was over in one go, and other times it lasted until dawn.

It was an act I thought I would never get used to, but before long I found myself naturally accepting him.

I was too embarrassed to say it anywhere, but sometimes, not at night but during the day, my body would get hot when I looked at Kwanach. The raw, hard, tingling urges would heat up the insides of my body.

Kwanach buried his face in my neck and licked it with his tongue.

“Ha…… I. … aside from the medicine, I would like to purify the river water itself…… but I don’t know how. ….”

As if trying to stop me, Kwanach bit my neck with his teeth.

“Ah!”

His hands roamed everywhere under my thin chemise. A thick, large hand squeezed one of my breasts completely.

Kwanach looked at me gently.

“This is as good as you’ve already done your job. You said you don’t know curse magic at all. That magic and the way you use it is different. Don’t feel pressured to do that.”

“Well, that’s true, but…….”

“And for now, let’s focus on me. I don’t know how long I’ll be able to relax like this.”

Kwanach quickly grabbed my chemise and lifted it up. Instantly my naked body appeared and goosebumps broke out on my skin.

He completely removed my chemise and threw it to the floor, and in no time at all, his shirt was completely off as well.

My husband’s bare skin was revealed, full of scars, but beautiful and firm. My hands moved involuntarily. It was the moment I reached out my arm and touched the top of his chest. Kwanach laughed low.

“It seems that you like my body a lot when you see me like this.

“Yes? No, no. No, it’s not like that….”

“If you deny it so hard, I’ll be disappointed. Are you saying you don’t like it?”

“Oh, no. I don’t hate it, of course. It’s very cool…..I’m touching it…”

My face was about to burn up.

Kwanach’s mouth went up and a small cheek well dug.

“You’re teasing me at ……aren’t you?”

“No.”

“You’re lying.”

“I just asked because I’m curious. Every time I take off my clothes, you stare at me blankly.”

“I….”

“For reference I like your body very much.”

Kwanach whispered and pulled me close.

I couldn’t believe he said this so nonchalantly. It was so vulgar. I was speechless and my lips shut tight.

Then constant kisses fell relentlessly on my bare chest. I moaned, closing my eyes tightly.

I was unfamiliar with the sound that stirred and flowed between my lips. No matter how many times I heard it, I could never get used to it. I didn’t know I could make such sounds. That my body could turn so red and quiver so sensitively under one man’s hand.

The only person who could bring it out would be Kwanach.

I let him take my whole body.

* * *

The day was approaching when I could see the end of the peace that had lasted just barely and dangerously.

“Your Majesty! A large troop movement has been captured from the Kingdom of Sterndal.”

The eyes and ears of the empire were everywhere. They quickly brought news from the north to the annex.

During the reign of the Kingdom of Pernen, the southern and northern parts of the kingdom were divided by the Radonian Mountains. The mountains were very steep and difficult to travel back and forth, and the cultural areas above and below them grew with obvious differences.

Kwanach’s time, however, was different. His army crossed the Radonian Mountains. And there were several imperial territories in the northern part of the mountain range.

Even if it was not subjugated to the empire, there were several northern kingdoms that reluctantly allied with the empire. It meant that it was quite easy to check the northern trend in the empire.

According to such confirmation, the troops that had rallied in the Kingdom of Sterndal were marching downward. The route of movement matched that border area we had anticipated.

The estimated number was about 3,000.

“Three thousand?”

It was too small a number to start a war. And it would take a lot more troops to defeat the imperial forces garrisoned between the walls.

The empire has built endless high walls along its borders. It was a new age empire that no one could easily invade.

‘You can’t pierce it with 3,000 men.’

That was a number that could be gathered in less than half a day by sending dispatches to the surrounding regional armies.

‘Diaquit couldn’t persuade the entire northern part of the country.’

Some monarchs were persuaded and got into the same boat as Diaquit, but others avoided going up against the empire.

In the previous life, Diaquit rallied the entire North, and the size of the North was considerable. So much so that the imperial army struggled for several years.

Unlike the previous life, this was really shabby.

But when Kwanach heard the news, he was suspicious.

“It’s amazing that he’s collected 3,000. Even though we issued a statement, why didn’t everyone turn their backs on Diaquit?”

“They must have thought the statement was a lie, so they took Diaquit’s side.”

“How did that guy manage to tease his tongue…….”

Kwanach decided to lead the Kingsguard and several units of the Central Army that he had brought from the Imperial Palace to the border area. I was with him on that march.

Kwanach seemed very anxious to take me to the battlefield where war might break out.

But I persistently persuaded him.

“Don’t think of me only as an empress; think of me as a wizard. You have to think about how useful one wizard can be to the whole army.”

“You say this because you don’t know what the battlefield is like.”

There were things I witnessed when I was dead and in the state of a ghost. ‘I know, I know enough,’ the words were hot to my throat, but I swallowed them.

I wasn’t trying to follow Kwanach because I was ignorant and reckless. I had the power to do so. I had the power to control the victory of the battlefield.

“And I want to end Diaquit with my own hands.”

“…”

“I must see the end of him for myself.”

Kwanach was no longer opposed. However, he urged me to stay as far back as possible.

We thus left the separate palace and headed for the destination where the northern army was advancing.

* * *

The battlefield I witnessed was horrific and cruel. The scenes I peeked through the memories of the trees were still vivid. The scene of war on the most miserable road. Raw cruelty.

The preparations for war that greeted me behind the walls would be nothing like that. Only 3,000. The imperial troops went about their business as if it were peacetime, let alone tense.

The captain of the guard was captured. He was a rather soft man. After several interrogations, he immediately revealed the fact that he had been bribed and he prayed for his life to be spared, even if he had to labor for the rest of his life.

If we had not known in advance that he had been bribed, Diaquit’s troops would have entered imperial territory through the open border gate.

If they had, though, they would have been overrun by the imperial army shortly after. More blood would have had to be shed than what we prevented in advance.

I was at the border for several days waiting for Diaquit to come.

‘He brought only 3,000 people, what is he going to do?’

Is he going to protest outside the walls?

Are you going to demonstrate outside the city walls?

‘He must have made a different move. Diaquit, what the hell do you want..….’

* * *

Three beacons went up at the same time, signaling the status of the war-like situation. Toot, a huge horn sounded.

I was a little further in from the wall to get a better look at the situation. Kwanach was standing at the highest point above the border gate.

Before long, a large number of local troops had rallied near the border gate. This wall would not be breached.

Soon after, the army led by Diaquit emerged from the horizon.

Three thousand. Not a lot of troops to start a war, but it was an intimidating number to see in person.

The soldiers stood tightly together on the land over the border. And at the very front and center, I could see the flag of the Achaia royal family flying.

“Oh…….”

Diaquit took the lead.

How did this happen? I came here with the mindset of defending my homeland. I couldn’t believe that now I was in a situation where I had to fight a war against my country’s army between the walls.

All of this happened because of Diaquit’s twisted desires. I hated him and I hated my situation where I had to hate my flesh and blood filled me with sadness at the same time.

It was possible to have ambitions to occupy a continent. I understood that much. Still, he shouldn’t have used dirty methods.

I clenched my fists to brace myself.

I did not want to clash head-on with my country’s army. I did not want to see blood. It was a war on a much smaller scale than in my previous life, but I wanted to avoid this too, if I could.

‘…… would such a thing be possible?’

* * *

At the time when Usphere was making a commitment on the wall.

Diaquit, the commander-in-chief, who led the 3,000 allied troops at the head of the line, looked toward the wall and shouted urgently.

“Wait, stop!”

The scene was not what he expected.

The cavalrymen, who had been marching without hesitation, expecting the bribed guard captain to open the door, stopped.

“There’s no way he’s…….”

Diaquit glanced at the man standing on the wall. It was a long distance to determine the features, but there was an instinctive threat.

He was a huge man armed with shining armor. He wore a cloak inscribed with the imperial imperial pattern.

“D*mn it.”

It was Kwanach Radon, the master of the new empire.