"It's been a while, Lieutenant Hareth."
Hugo felt an unfamiliar sensation when he heard Leonardo use such formal language for the first time. He glanced at him, taken aback.
Cordelia’s red eyes widened in disbelief. She stared at Leonardo for a long moment, her gaze trembling, before she finally spoke, barely above a whisper.
"Is it really you, Blaine?"
"Yes, that's right."
Leonardo’s smile was gentle and uncharacteristic of him, and it was the first time Hugo had ever seen such an expression since their meeting.
I didn’t know he could make that expression.
Cordelia’s face, filled with surprise and joy, slowly transformed into a look of pity. She alternated her gaze between Hugo and Leonardo before speaking again.
"The rumors about the Council arresting Blaine... they were true."
Instead of responding directly, Hugo observed the atmosphere, gauging the nature of their relationship, and asked, "Did you know each other during your military service?"
"Yes, that's right. During my time in the Imperial Army, I was in charge of an operational unit that included Blaine on several occasions. I might not have made lieutenant at such a young age without his help."
With those words, Cordelia took a step closer to Leonardo, her face filled with mixed emotions.
"It’s been a long time, Blaine. Back then, you weren’t even an adult yet..."
Her eyes were filled with questions and unspoken words, but perhaps out of consideration for him, she simply gazed at him affectionately, not pressing for answers.
Leonardo met her gaze for a moment, but then lowered his head, unable to hold her eyes any longer.
Seeing this, Cordelia's expression softened, her pity deepening. But she quickly composed herself, refocusing her attention on Hugo and asking, "By the way, why did you bring Blaine here?"
"Leonardo will also participate in this subjugation."
At Hugo’s words, Cordelia’s expression shifted subtly. Hugo could tell, intuitively, that while she harbored favorable feelings toward Leonardo, she was less than accepting of the Council and himself for arresting him and bringing him to this mission.
But instead of voicing her thoughts to Hugo, Cordelia’s gaze shifted to the handcuffs linking her and Leonardo’s wrists.
"You’re not planning to let him enter the peninsula with those handcuffs on, are you?"
Her words carried an edge of sarcasm, and Hugo looked down at the handcuffs connecting them. He spoke calmly.
"I plan to remove them once we enter."
"You can remove them now. I know Blaine isn’t dangerous."
For a brief moment, Leonardo raised his head and looked at her. But Hugo met her gaze with a deliberate coldness.
"Lady Hareth, it’s my decision whether or not this man is a danger."
At Hugo’s low, firm voice, Cordelia immediately recognized her mistake and lowered her head slightly.
"I apologize."
Leonardo observed her, frowning slightly, but he remained silent. Though he noticed the exchange, he also understood that Hugo’s words were part of the bigger picture. He didn’t push further.
After a brief silence, Hugo shifted the conversation.
"Come to think of it, there’s something I’d like to ask you."
"What is it?"
Hugo narrowed his brows slightly and asked in a lowered «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» voice, "Is it true that the army of Parren has entered the peninsula?"
Cordelia hesitated, her gaze wavering, but she quickly nodded, not attempting to conceal the truth.
"It’s true."
"Why didn’t you report it?" Hugo’s tone grew sharp. "The fact that the heir to the Hareth family, acting as a proxy for the Marquis, failed to report a foreign army within the peninsula is a serious offense that could be construed as treason. You wouldn’t claim ignorance of this, would you?"
Leonardo, who had been listening intently, interrupted with a surprised expression.
"Hey, that can’t be. Right now, the peninsula is not in a-"
"Leonardo, remain silent."
Hugo’s cold gaze was now fixed on Leonardo. The latter immediately fell silent, his face twisting with discomfort. He understood that the matter was crucial and could become a national issue, so he didn’t argue.
Cordelia remained silent, her expression heavy. After a pause, she gathered her thoughts and spoke with quiet determination.
"Yes, I’m well aware of that."
At her words, Hugo’s gaze shifted back to her. She lifted her head, her eyes meeting his without hesitation.
"However, Your Grace, this is abandoned land. Do you know who first called it 'abandoned'? The Imperial Army."
Her tone had shifted, growing solemn, as if her words carried the weight of a long-held truth. She had returned to addressing Hugo formally as "Your Grace," but Hugo didn’t bother to correct her.
"Now that the law to disband the noble families' private armies has passed, the only families allowed to maintain knightly orders are those like yours, Your Grace, or families like mine who guard frontier territories. But I’m sure you understand the implications of that."
She turned and glanced at her wounded knights being treated, her face softening as she continued.
"It seems that after disbanding the noble families' private armies, His Majesty no longer sees the people of the territories with knightly orders as imperial citizens. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have simply left my family to protect the territory while imperial citizens suffer and die every day because of the monsters."
Hugo’s expression remained cold as he listened, but Cordelia pressed on without hesitation.
"Even when we request support from the Imperial Army, all the forces are concentrated in Turandos, where the war just ended, or along the Yulisia border. In the places where they’re needed most, not a single imperial soldier is present."
She turned back toward him, her voice growing more urgent.
"And so, to protect my territory, I patrol the peninsula every day with my knights, slaying countless monsters."
Her voice faltered for a moment as she met Hugo’s eyes.
"But with the recent surge in monster numbers, casualties have risen, and the morale of my knights, which had been barely hanging on, is now on the verge of collapse. It’s like a candle in the wind, ready to be extinguished at any moment."
Her face was desperate as she looked at him.
"In such a situation, even if a foreign army enters this land—where our own military refuses to help—if their purpose is the same as mine, to fight monsters and protect their own people, how could I turn them away? Shouldn’t I be grateful to them?"
Cordelia’s words were laced with frustration, a critique of the imperial abandonment, but Hugo didn’t respond immediately. He simply stared at her.
She held back tears, her eyes glistening but never allowing a single tear to fall.
After a long silence, she lowered her head again, suppressing her emotions.
"I apologize. Your Grace came here to offer help, and I acted out of turn. Please forgive me."
Hugo sighed quietly.
"It’s all right. Raise your head."
She bit her lip, fighting to keep her composure before finally lifting her gaze. Her expression had hardened again, and with a quiet resolve, she spoke.
"I have nothing more to say about the army of Parren. Even if you charge me with a crime, I will make no excuses. But right now, they are my only support. And they’ve come here to protect their people from the monsters. I cannot send them away."
Hugo looked at her, his eyes calm yet observant. He knew she wasn’t truly at fault. Just like the commanders in the Southern Branch, he had no intention of punishing her harshly for this.
But it was important to set a clear precedent, especially given the potential issues it could cause in the future. As a successor of a noble family sworn to Raina Logia, she couldn’t simply overlook this matter. Once a rule was broken, it could easily snowball into more violations.
Cordelia, standing firm, seemed exhausted, and Hugo, bearing the weight of his responsibilities as Commander of the Council and a Duke of the Empire, could feel the tension in the air.
As he was about to speak, it was Leonardo who broke the silence first.
"I will help you."
