I Became the Childhood Friend of the Northern Duchess – Chapter 217

Four days later.

Albrecht fiddled with his hands, the anxiety he felt clinging to him from somewhere deep within.

He had secretly been investigating the Emperor and Empress since their meeting, but nothing concrete came to light.

The two hadn’t met again, and their behaviors had remained mostly unchanged.

Still, the persistent sense of alienation and the feeling that he was missing something tormented him.

‘Do I have to meet the Emperor again?’

At that moment, Bartheus spoke confidently, as if reminding him to dig deeper in his memories, but Albrecht pushed past his doubts. Perhaps that was his mistake.

Given his dislike for uncertainty, he had to verify the matter right then and there.

‘I should head back to the Imperial Palace. I need to meet others as well.’

Realizing he had to act to quell his unease, he promptly stood up.

Thud.

At that moment, the previously closed door swung open, and a man entered without so much as knocking.

It was Shepard, Albrecht’s loyal subordinate, who had previously faced severe punishment for a significant mistake.

“I apologize, Master. So much information came in so suddenly, I felt I had to inform you…”

“Enough. Get to the point quickly. We must head to the Imperial Palace immediately,” Albrecht interrupted.

He was more irritated by the interruption of his plans to head to the palace than the sudden entrance itself.

With his eyes gleaming like sharp blades, he glared at Shepard, urging him to hurry up with the report.

Shepard quickly bowed his head and began sharing the urgent news.

“Thank you for your patience. First, the Carvita Tribe is reportedly rising up across various regions. I’ve heard they have primarily been spotted near the extreme eastern parts of the northern area…”

Albrecht frowned at this unexpected news.

“Rising up? Didn’t they side with the Robeheim Family?”

“I’m not entirely sure of the specifics. However, one thing is clear: the leader of the Carvita Tribe has been seen in a different region, not Hespania.”

“…A different region?”

That made it all the more strange.

It was easy to deduce why the leader of the Carvita Tribe relied on the Robeheim Family.

He must have asked for a truce in exchange for lifting the curse laid upon him.

That made sense.

The issue was how he escaped Hespania and managed to rally the tribes again.

Even if the curse was lifted, the Robeheim Family wouldn’t be foolish enough to unleash a beast back into the mountains.

“Is this news credible?”

“Yes, it is. Currently, the Duke is rumored to be gathering his private soldiers from all corners, extremely furious.”

Albrecht, already skeptical, pushed for confirmation again, but Shepard’s response was firm.

This wasn’t just some ordinary source; this was information drawn from the power of the Bertus Family.

They had sifted through the most reliable reports, so there was little reason to doubt.

‘Why is this happening?’

Yet despite Shepard’s confidence, Albrecht couldn’t easily feel at ease.

What baffled him most was the rationale behind the actions.

The Robeheim Family’s surveillance would certainly be capable of preventing even one person from slipping away.

And yet, he couldn’t comprehend how Kelrag had effortlessly escaped Hespania and rallied the tribes.

If nothing else, even if they learned of this late, tracking him down and eliminating him should have been a straightforward task.

‘Maybe I need to look at this from a different angle.’

What if they didn’t miss him but intentionally let him go?

As that thought formed, a puzzle piece clicked into place in Albrecht’s mind.

It could very well be a possibility. The trigger for this might very well be the man before him.

“Shepard, who did you encounter when you infiltrated the Robeheim family?”

“The leader of the Carvita Tribe, the Duke… and her fiancé, along with a little girl. Given their conversation, she might be the Duke’s prospective sister-in-law.”

“Tell me the details of the battle again. There might be something we’re missing.”

Following Albrecht’s order, Shepard recounted the events of that day in detail.

First, he mentioned that Kelrag and the girl were together, and Kelrag was taken down first, but as he was about to eliminate the girl who could testify, Ariel and her fiancé showed up.

Then, Kelrag and the others retreated to the castle, while Ariel and the late-arriving soldiers barely managed to escape with him.

“…I see. That certainly raises possibilities.”

“Is there something that stands out to you?”

“Yes. Thinking about it, the Robeheim Family has historically been known for their strong connections. It’s a bit at odds with their title as the rulers of the North.”

That’s why the previous head of the family had struggled to part with the lady from a lowly family.

Some might call it romantic, but for Albrecht, it seemed rather foolish.

Perhaps that foolishness had persisted, leading to the situation he now perceived.

‘They saved the fiancé’s family. That might have led them to lower their guard.’

It was a tale that held considerable likelihood.

In politics or conflicts, the party that opens up first generally ends up losing.

Moreover, the head of the Robeheim Family, despite their position, was just a young woman barely twenty years old.

It was undoubtedly more challenging to keep her emotions in check.

“Anyway, make sure to report any news as it comes to you.”

“Yes, understood. And next, I have a letter from the Lukeville Family…”

“…The Lukeville Family?”

The Lukeville Family was a well-respected count family located near the capital, Hildak.

They were a storied military family, known for rarely showing themselves in public and being very reserved.

Apart from their proximity to the Bertus Family, they had little remarkable connection. It was odd for them to send a letter first.

“I read the contents beforehand, but to sum it up, they are requesting reinforcements from us.”

“Reinforcements? Are they planning a crackdown?”

“Yes, it seems so. I’ve heard bandits have been appearing near the southeast highlands.”

Albrecht had a fair idea of where Shepard was referring to.

The southeast highlands likely referred to the trade route carved from the mountains, a spot long known as a haven for bandits due to the sizable merchant traffic.

But since they had been dealt with in a major campaign before, it was believed they were nearly extinct.

Now, they seemed to be reemerging once again.

Albrecht felt reluctant to involve himself to avoid unnecessary troubles, but the problem was that the Bertus Family was the closest family to the Lukeville Family.

Count families overseeing their respective territories held a duty to protect them alongside their autonomy.

Thus, in cases like this, where bandits or troublemakers appeared, they had to take action.

The soldiers each family supposedly kept for such reasons were meant for moments like these; neglecting it would draw direct scrutiny from the imperial court.

However, some families had relatively smaller territories and fewer soldiers, leading to inadequate strength.

To alleviate that, a law was enacted allowing heads of families to receive reinforcements from the nearest family.

The issue with this law was that it was quite tricky; without valid reason, one could not outright refuse the request.

If one needed to turn it down, they had to provide detailed information on where their soldiers were currently stationed and why. This entire process was complicated and cumbersome.

Therefore, as a general rule, even if only a small number of soldiers were to be sent, it had become customary.

If neither party wished for tensions to arise, the requesting side wouldn’t dispute the number of soldiers sent, either.

But to Albrecht’s surprise, he made a bold decision.

“Then send about three hundred soldiers.”

“Three hundred? Isn’t that excessive?”

That was an overly large number just for dealing with bandits.

Shepard had initially considered sending around one hundred or one hundred fifty, so he voiced his concern, but Albrecht responded firmly.

“It’s better than having unnecessary rumors circulating later. If we send fewer, it’ll take longer and result in our soldiers being captured.”

“Understood. Then who should I assign the soldiers to?”

“You should go yourself.”

It was better to entrust it to someone reliable than an unsure comrade.

He figured even if he needed to work a bit harder for a while, it wouldn’t matter much.

‘Now, the remaining issue is the movements of the other tribes.’

If there were any gaps in the middle, he planned to strike at the Robeheim Family.

Although a full-on assault was difficult due to his position, he had infinite ways to ambush them while keeping his identity hidden.

He would need to wait for Shepard and the soldiers to finish their operation and return. Until then, he would bide his time, listening to reports as they came in.

* * * * * * *

That same night.

Edgar’s eyes sparkled upon hearing the report.

The message had come from none other than the Lukeville Family, the family of his friend Hagel.

“Is it true? That the Bertus Family has agreed to their request?”

“Indeed. They’ve decided to send three hundred soldiers to the promised location.”

That was an unexpected piece of good news.

To be honest, this plan was a gamble he took, half believing it could work.

‘It seems my request to Kelrag was received well.’

If Kelrag had still been at Robeheim Castle when news of the Carvita Tribe rising up was received, Albrecht wouldn’t have acted so easily.

Thus, Edgar boldly sent him away, suspecting that Kelrag might betray them.

He believed the Bertus Family’s network would easily notice if he managed to slip away.

As a result, with Albrecht receiving the news that Kelrag had returned to his people, and the information of the Carvita Tribe’s uprising, everything fell perfectly into place, leading to a natural lowering of his guard.

‘No matter how competent he is, it’s impossible to keep an eye on everything.’

When someone has many subordinates to manage, they inevitably focus only on priority issues and push the rest aside.

Few individuals can dedicate full attention to every aspect.

In that regard, the Robeheim Family, which should presumably be focusing on the Carvita Tribe right now, would likely drop on Edgar’s list of concerns.

This was when he would take advantage of that brief opening.

Now it was a race against time, but much of the groundwork was already laid.

“Eline, could you gather the others for me?”

“Yes, Master.”

Eline nodded and quickly exited the room, while Edgar sank back into the sofa.

Was this long, winding tale finally approaching its finale?

He could only hope that right before the curtain fell, all the actors on stage would end up smiling.

After all, it was enough for just one villain to meet a tragic end and shed tears.