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Chapter 7
Chapter 7 Luna
A convoy of carriages bearing the Ducal Estate’s banner slowly traveled along the main road. Not far ahead was Ice City, the capital of the Northern Territory.
The escorting soldiers did not look particularly pleased.
According to the duke’s order, they were supposed to head directly to Broad Valley City. Aside from resting at night, they were not permitted to stop in any city.
But now they had no choice but to violate that order, because seated inside the carriage was currently the second most powerful person in the Northern Territory: Oswald’s younger sister, Luna Charles.
Ẇ е b̃ ṅо́vеl̂ Ӗ n um̂ a
Likewise, inside the luxuriously decorated carriage, Luna, who had inherited the same pale-blue hair as their mother, was only sixteen years old. She narrowed the same gloomy eyes as her elder brother, her expression cold.
Luna Charles was an NPC in the game. She mainly appeared in the kingdom’s Central Academy storyline and showed up a few times as the Hero’s junior schoolmate.
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The game mission was to mock the Hero’s party, especially to refute the Hero’s boast that he would personally defeat the demon race.
What did he mean, only the Hero could defeat the Demon King? What did he mean, the goddess had arranged it? What did he mean, the leaders of the Northern Territory were all useless trash?
Then what did her parents and relatives who had died on the battlefield count as? What did all the people of the Northern Territory whose families had been destroyed count as?
Aside from heatedly arguing with the Hero’s supporters, Luna also often wrote letters to her elder brother to complain.
W̄ e bn о̆v̇ ѐl Ё n u m̄а̂
They were basically all: To my elder brother, your foolish younger sister believes that most of the young people in the Royal Capital are nothing but posturing yes-men. The Hero is even more famous than capable, and he loves pretending to be a good person. As for the women around him, they are disgusting—a group of sluts serving one husband together...
(That was simply how adult-game male leads were. Aside from the heroines, there was also a group of female side characters he had slept with, so calling them a group was not wrong.)
In short, Luna was more like a trigger used to intensify the opposition between the Hero and Oswald. Later on, she had not the slightest bit of screen time.
However, there was still a difference between the game and reality.
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In reality, the moment Luna learned of her elder brother’s death, she wrote to Eileen and secured military authority in her own name. Then she and the messenger took separate routes toward the Northern Territory.
Although Luna was unfortunately captured and detained by the king’s army, that letter still stumbled its way into Eileen’s hands.
Е n u m̊а̀
The rebellion began from there.
So, would such a brave and resourceful heir of the Northern Territory truly be as she herself claimed, merely throwing a young lady’s tantrum and wanting to return home to fetch a few sets of clothes?
Of course not.
Almost at the same moment the convoy arrived before Ice City’s tightly shut gates, Luna swiftly stepped down from the carriage. Facing the uneasy gazes of the guards atop the city wall, her cotton dress embroidered with red roses fluttered in the wind as she drew the sharp sword at her waist.
For a moment, both sides sucked in a cold breath. The Charles family’s swordsmanship was unrivaled throughout the country, and both siblings were outstanding talents of the entire family.
When the young lady drew her sword, no one knew whom she intended to kill.
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“You servants! I have come home, and you actually dare stop me? You even dared to shut my own home against me!”
“Open the city gates for me. Otherwise, none of you will be able to bear the crime of driving a wedge between the duke’s own bloodline!”
With that stern shout, Luna cut through the carriage harness with one stroke. She mounted the freed warhorse, raised her sword, and urged the horse straight toward the city gates.
“Quick! Open the gates!”
The guard atop the wall was so frightened his soul nearly fled his body, and he let out a shrill cry.
Almost in the very instant before the horse’s hooves struck the gates, the gates finally rose. Once she entered the city, Luna immediately reined in her horse and turned back, coldly gathering all the guards.
Ẇе b̄.ṅоv́ӗl̈ Е ṅ u m̀ а̂
Under their trembling gazes, she issued orders that allowed no refusal.
“First, in accordance with the duke’s order, you will continue to keep the city gates shut. From now on, if anyone comes here, you need only report to me.”
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“Second, inform Red and the cavalry captains under him to come see me. From this moment onward, all troops in the capital are under my command.”
“Third, notify all guards outside the Ducal Estate that if they do not disarm and leave the Ducal Estate within one hour, they will all be treated as traitors. Their entire families will be executed!”
“Yes!”
The sky over Ice City changed again. In truth, from the day martial law had been declared in the city, the commoners had vaguely felt that something major was about to happen.
Е ṅ ũ m̄а̄. і̀ d
Now, seeing Miss Luna lead troops to surround the Ducal Estate, both sides bristling with spears and drawn swords, they instead felt a sense of certainty that things had indeed turned out as expected. One after another, they shouldered their shovels and hoes, stopped working, and came in twos and threes to watch from outside the Ducal Estate.
The nobles could still shrink back and play dead, but Red could not.
The moment he received the news, he was still in the military camp, counting money while drinking wine. As a result, when he heard that Luna had surrounded the Ducal Estate, his face twitched with fright. He did not even put the money away. He hurriedly put on his helmet and sprinted all the way toward the Ducal Estate.
It had to be said that Luna still had considerable influence. After all, in the Northern Territory, her name itself naturally carried political correctness.
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More and more soldiers began gathering under Luna’s command, but they still failed to shake the guards of the Ducal Estate in the slightest.
Defending the Ducal Estate, especially protecting Lady Eileen’s safety, was a death order issued by the duke before he left.
W.е b́no v̊е̇l̊ Е̄nŭm а́
You say I am a rebel? Then what does the duke’s order count as? Are we asking why His Majesty is rebelling?
Fortunately, when Red arrived, both sides were still relatively restrained.
Wiping away beads of sweat the size of beans, Red felt bitter in his heart. The soldiers in his hands had now been split into three factions. If these soldiers clashed in front of the Ducal Estate, or if Eileen and Luna suffered even the slightest harm, his position as Knight Commander would be finished.
And when he saw the dense crowd of residents watching, his eyelids twitched even more violently. The people of the North had not been martially fierce for only a day or two. If something happened, they truly dared to charge in...
After wiping his face again and again, Red tucked his head down, looking exactly like a quail, and trotted all the way to Luna. With a thud, he dropped to his knees and tearfully said, “Why has Miss done this today?”
“Red, oh Red. After several years without seeing you, you are still as useless as ever.” Luna sat boldly on the chair with one leg crossed, sneering as she lifted Red’s chin with the sheath of her sword.
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“My elder brother is away, so the capital should naturally be guarded by me. Yet now I have a city I cannot enter and a home I cannot return to. Tell me, what crime should I punish you for, hm?”
“Miss is correct. Since the duke is absent, everyone in the capital should obey your commands.” Red was, after all, someone who had climbed to the position of commander based solely on political instincts. Even in his panic, he could still sort out the sequence of events clearly.
“But before the duke left, he had already appointed the Chief Secretary to command the capital in his stead. As for the order issued to you, Miss, it was to proceed directly to Broad Valley City.”
“The reason we did not allow you to enter the city is because the marquis’ family harbors wicked intentions, which led to martial law in the city. This matter is of great importance. Even you, Miss, absolutely cannot enter the city and return home without the duke’s permission.”
“And the reason the duke asked Miss to go to Broad Valley City was not to make things difficult for you, nor was it because we subordinates are disloyal. It was truly a protective measure meant to prevent Miss from being dragged into this matter.”
“Miss says I am useless, and I, Red, am indeed useless. But my loyalty to His Grace is something Miss understands as clearly as a mirror. With me here, Ice City will certainly remain loyal to the duke and to Miss. Even if I become involved in a conspiracy and die, the duke still has thirty thousand troops in Broad Valley City. Suppressing a rebellion would only be a matter of time.”
Ė ñǔ m̊á.іd́
“So, Miss, since you have already ridden into the city alone, you should not enter the Ducal Estate now. Why not rest temporarily at the military camp, where several thousand of my men can guard your safety? Then allow me to send word to the duke and explain everything clearly. How about waiting until the duke personally comes to resolve this dispute?”
After speaking that entire string of words, Red’s throat was nearly smoking, and he had finally allowed Luna to hear someone explain the current situation clearly.
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She fell silent for a moment. In the end, she still stood up, gave Red an approving nod, and said, “You are still capable. We will do as you said. However, the blockade around the Ducal Estate is not to be lifted for now.”
“Yes, Miss.”
Red trembled as he rose. When he turned back toward the soldiers, the caution and fear on his face from moments ago were nowhere to be seen. He gritted his teeth, wishing he could kick every one of these fellows who had suddenly followed the young lady in causing trouble.
Under his furious shouts, thousands of soldiers turned in unison and escorted Luna back to the military camp.
Еn̆ u mа̊
The commoners watched for quite a while but failed to see anything meaningful. At this point, they scattered with a shout. Those repairing houses returned to repairing houses, those digging sewers returned to digging sewers. All of them honestly went back to their work posts.
A day passed quickly. The sun set, and the moon slowly climbed into the night sky, scattering its unique, pure brightness.
At four in the morning, when all was silent, Ice City’s gates opened wide. Cavalry roared in, and Oswald returned to his loyal Ducal Estate.
He dismounted and removed his armor. Any servant could tell that the duke’s mood had become violently irritable.
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The maids trembled with fear. Even after a long while, they still could not unfasten his armor. Although the duke did not speak to scold them, that gloomy gaze still made them unable to breathe.
Finally, Eileen, his personal maid, hurried over, allowing them to feel as if a heavy burden had been lifted.
E.n̊ ū_mă
She deftly removed his armor and received the sword from the duke’s hand, which still carried the scent of blood. Before Eileen could raise her head, she heard Oswald say in a deep voice,
“If something like this happens again, no matter who it is, detain and imprison them all.”
“Yes, my lord.”
Oswald grabbed a bathrobe and walked alone toward the bathroom, his cold voice drifting down the corridor.
“Summon Luna Charles to see me.”
After washing away the smell of mud from his body, Oswald combed his long bangs back with his fingers and wrapped a wide towel around his waist. Only now did he have something of the cold, refined air of a noble. With his eyes closed, he sank his body into the bathtub, easing his physical exhaustion.
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In less than ten minutes, someone knocked on the bathroom door.
“Elder Brother, it is me.”
“Come in.”
Luna timidly slipped inside and shut the door. Then she saw Oswald, his eyes still closed, lying in the bathtub as he said faintly, “It has been a long time since I last saw you lose your temper like this.”
“Yes...”
With no mind to admire her elder brother’s firm and powerful muscles, Luna walked over and sat on the edge of the bathtub with her back to him. Sounding somewhat sulky, she asked softly, “Does Elder Brother trust that Chief Secretary so much?”
Ӗ n̈ um à
The two of you were good comrades in the previous life, you know.
Oswald laughed inwardly, but this warlike and combative younger sister of his still gave him something of a headache, so he instructed her.
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“They say that one may know a person’s face but not their heart. Between people, what is called trust is actually nothing more than pretending to be open and aboveboard.”
“Yes...”
“Politics is more dangerous than you imagine. Take today’s matter, for instance. If I had brought a large army here, I could have dealt with Eileen as a treacherous minister, and I could also have defined your actions as rebellion.”
“Luna would not dare!”
W̊ еb nо v е̇ĺ Е̄n̈ u̇ m a_
The moment those two light words fell, Luna felt as if her body had dropped into an ice cellar. She hurriedly turned around and knelt. When she raised her head, she happened to meet Oswald’s eyes, which had suddenly opened and were filled with anger.
“You already dared!”
That roar made Luna slam her head heavily against the floor. Her entire body was already trembling like a sieve.
Oswald was truly angry. He very much wanted to keep raging, but when the image of that parent flashed through his mind, he suddenly realized that he was now the head of the family. In the end, he could not become that person.
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So his tone softened, and he calmly asked, “Do you know why I let you come in here?”
“Your younger sister does not know...”
Е́n u̇ ṁ а̃
Oswald rose and stepped out of the bathtub. He walked to the bamboo chair against the wall and sat down. Expressionlessly, he picked up a cigarette case and lit a cigarette. Only then did he slowly say, “There are some things that, as your elder brother, I can only say here. There are even more things that, once we walk out that door, neither of us can say even a single word about.”
“If we were merely siblings from an ordinary family, then even if you wanted to throw a tantrum and tear down my house, I would not say much.”
“But both you and I bear the surname Charles. If you dare charge through the city gates today, tomorrow someone will say you intended to rebel. If you kill even one person today, then tomorrow the Northern Territory will be filled with corpses, and blood will run in rivers!”
“You suspect others of disloyalty, but who will prove your loyalty?”
Tears filled Luna’s eyes, and her voice was hoarse as she said, “Your younger sister was wrong. I... I only wanted to help Elder Brother.”
“That is why there are some things your brother can only tell you here. Once you walk out that door, you must insist to the end that you were merely ignorant and immature. Do not speak of trust or loyalty. Understand?”
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Luna hurriedly nodded.
“I understand. This time, your younger sister will definitely be sensible.”
“Go.”
Oswald deeply exhaled a mouthful of thick smoke.
As if pardoned from death, Luna quickly rose and took her leave.
“Elder Brother, you should rest early as well.”
Е̊ n̄ u ḿ а . і̄d̈
After saying that, she pushed open the door and left, leaving Oswald alone with eyes frozen amid the smoke.
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