Chapter 242

Chapter 242

Count Whelan was sleeping well at night. Though he had not had an audience with the emperor, he was told that the emperor was pleased because of the information he had provided.

‘King Varca of Porcana must have been quite a headache.'

Thanks to Count Whelan, the emperor was able to uncover the true intentions of Varca. The king of Porcana was going to betray the empire if he ever got an opportunity to do so.

'Most kingdoms are like that.'

No kingdom was satisfied with being a vassal state of the empire. It was natural for them to want to escape their vassal status considering the annual tributes they had to pay.

Yet, no kingdom dared to raise its flag against the empire first. They all just watched and monitored the empire's movements.

"Hehe."

Count Whelan laughed as he sipped his wine. Once this time of chaos passed, he would receive the empire’s patronage to become a strong noble in Caselmaroni.

"I will be back, father."

Lesley curtsied, lifting the hem of her skirt. She looked decent when dressed up nicely. She was by no means an extreme beauty per se but not unpleasant to look at either.

"Who have you been seeing so often?" Count Whelan asked Lesley, who had been frequently going out.

"Don’t worry, father. My company is of high standing."

"That's reassuring. You’re a smart girl, so I trust you will handle things well on your own."

Count Whelan trusted Lesley enough to utilize her as a diplomatic tool.

'But at the end of the day, a girl’s use is in marriage.'

He needed to find a suitable man from a good family to marry Lesley off to before her marriageable age passed.

"Another reason why we’re staying at the Swallow Residence for so long is to find you a partner. If there’s anything I can do for you, just let me know," Whelan said to his daughter.

"It would be splendid if you could get us a good horse. This man likes to go riding."

"He sounds like a manly gentleman, seeing how he is into horses. A man should enjoy horse riding and hunting! Of course!"

Count Whelan laughed heartily. He told Lesley she could take his horse.

Before heading out, Lesley looked back at Count Whelan and asked, "Do you wish for my happiness, father?"

"What father would not want his daughter to be happy?" Whelan replied.

"Then, please wish for my happiness."

Lesley smiled broadly and left the room. Count Whelan chuckled with satisfaction as he watched his daughter walk away.

"She must really fancy this man."

Lesley stopped by the stable at the Swallow Residence to fetch Count Whelan's horse. She held the reins and waited anxiously for someone. Soon, a maid approached the stable.

"You look great in that, Pahell."

"I'm not sure if that's a compliment or not."

"It is a compliment."

Lesley covered her mouth and giggled. She looked at Varca, who was disguised as a maid. The wig and maid's outfit Lesley had found fit Varca like a glove.

Varca reached out and held Lesley’s finger. It was trembling ever so slightly.

"It will be fine."

Varca swore to take Lesley as his queen. Trusting his words, Lesley was prepared to leave with Varca for the kingdom of Porcana. This was an adventure of a lifetime for her.

Lesley stared at Varca's face. With the wig and light makeup, his facial lines looked quite androgynous, almost prettier than the less-than-ideal maids.

"As long as you don’t speak, no one would know you're a man."

Lesley soothed her fluttering heart.

'...I never thought I'd be eloping with a man.'

Varca felt himself changing, but he constantly strove to maintain at least a minimum standard. He had strayed far from Lou's teachings, yet he did not forget the basic decency of humans.

For a while, Varca dressed as a woman as he pretended to be Lesley's servant. His usual appearance as a man was so noticeable that cross-dressing was actually better.

"Just hold on a bit longer. We'll be able to sleep in a village tomorrow."

"By village, you mean a room swarming with unknown bugs? We'd be lucky to get a room at all. Ah, what am I saying! It's fine," Lesley grumbled and then covered her mouth.

Traveling just the two of them was harder than expected. Lesley especially quickly grew weary of the rough sleeping conditions she was unaccustomed to. Even the village inns were so filthy that it made for a miserable rest for a delicately raised noble lady.

'This is not romantic at all.'

Lesley looked at Varca with a gloomy expression.

There was no such thing as counting stars as they lay side by side by the campfire. At night, they were busy scratching at bug bites. Their nightly routine was the rustling of the bushes that made their spines tingle.

'I didn’t think it would be this hard.'

Lesley clung closely to Varca as she brushed off a bug clinging to her arm. She was too exhausted for any desires to arise. All she wanted was to get to the Porcana Kingdom as soon as possible.

'There must be a grand castle waiting for me. All the women in the world will envy me. They say that the beauty of a woman is temporary but that of a man lasts a lifetime... Surely our child will be very cute and lovely, as well.'

Lesley endured the harsh reality by focusing only on a sparkling future.

Rustle.

A sound came from the bushes, indistinguishable whether it was the wind or a beast. Lesley, with a frozen face, stared into the darkness until she was sure no one was there and then sighed in relief.

"We should hire a mercenary or something. Didn’t you mention that you’ve used a mercenary squad for protection before, Pahell?"

"It's hard to find mercenaries unless we’re in a big city. And half of those self-proclaimed mercenaries turn into robbers at the slightest chance. They are not trustworthy. I was just lucky to have met a proper one for protection. Really lucky."

Varca chuckled.

'Urich’s Brotherhood.'

Varca looked into the campfire with a distant gaze. They were tough days with even the loss of a dear one, but they also held many memories.

'I didn’t expect you to come back as the plunderer after leaving so abruptly. You never failed to surprise me.'

Varca added more wood to the campfire.

"Most of my story dramatically changed because of a single barbarian. Honestly, I'm nothing special. I’m just a coward who can’t do anything without the help of others, just a commoner who resorts to shallow tactics," Varca muttered.

But no one was listening. Lesley had already fallen deep asleep, breathing softly.

It would have been nice if they could take turns keeping watch, but he knew he shouldn’t expect Lesley to go to that extent. But that also didn’t mean that Varca could stay up all night on his own.

Varca closed his eyes and slept lightly. Multiple dreams flashed by, perhaps because of the light sleep. Some were nightmares, some were pleasant.

Rustle.

A noise woke him up. Varca opened his eyes wide. He grabbed his dagger and looked around. He was almost too quick for someone who had been sleeping.

"Lesley."

Varca shook Lesley by the shoulder. She was slow to wake.

Snap.

There was a sound of a twig snapping. Varca stared in the direction of the sound.

'Please.'

People were scarier than beasts. Varca hoped the noise was just a passing animal.

"Hehe."

A laughter passed chillingly down Varca's spine. He stepped on Lesley's hand.

"A-argh!"

Lesley woke up with a yelp. She was about to complain, but seeing Varca's serious face, she closed her mouth.