I Don’t Want to Be a Lady

Stomp, stomp, stomp, stomp. Step. Step. Step.

The sounds of the march echoing across the ground were orderly and composed.

In contrast, in the underground.

The underground tunnels resounded like thunder in response to the march of an immense number of people.

“They must have gotten closer. Seeing that the vibration is visible.”

Sir Silver, the imperial knights, and Alice covered their noses and mouths with cloths to avoid breathing in the soil falling as the tunnel walls shook.

“What happens if that army passes over us?”

“…”

Everyone was silent at Alice’s question.

Alice accepted her fate meekly. But it was a lie.

“No way! I can’t die like this! Keep watch! When the army comes near…”

“What are you going to do when they come?” asked Sir Silver.

Alice shouted strongly with a stiff face. “We must surrender! First of all, we have to live! Save the Baroness too! Then have a date!”

“You really look like your father.”

Alice was disgusted. “Apologize now. That comment is very rude.”

Although she loved and respected her father, she couldn’t tolerate being told she looked just like him. How could she resemble her father, who is so old-fashioned and nagging?

A smile appeared on Silver’s lips when he saw Alice, who was assumed to have puffed out her cheeks. This was because it reminded him of Marquis Hood in his heyday. It was a good thing that Alice didn’t notice, thanks to the cloth covering his mouth and nose.

“Wait. The sound has stopped. What’s going on?”

“I will check.”

One of the knights slightly lifted the end of the cloth covering the entrance, stuck out his hand, and was dragged out.

“We’ve been caught. All in position!”

At Silver’s instruction, the knights took off their cloths and jumped up in perfect order.

“Excuse me.”

“Oh!”

Silver briefly excused himself from Alice, wrapped his arms around her waist, and ran out of the tunnel. His eyes, frowning at the burning sun, widened.”

“Duke…”

“Long time no see, Sir Silver.”

A man with black hair and eyes uniquely looks cool even under the shining sun. Silver, facing Charter, laughed in vain.

Silver noticed that Charter had done something he couldn’t even imagine while he was considered missing. That’s because Charter stood without any restrictions among these enemies, and no matter how Silver looked, Charter didn’t look like a hostage of the Kelteman Empire.

Charter he knew would never have done that. He knew every well that even if it meant giving up his life, he wouldn’t abandon his faith. So, what is this situation right now?

At that time, Alice, standing by Silver’s side, who was confused, found someone and shouted happily. “Baroness! You’re still alive!”

Just in time, Arianne found Alice and ran to her. “You came to see me! As expected, I have a good aide. I have eyes for people.”

No praise or encouragement was given to those who risked their lives to find them, even in the enemy land a thousand miles away. Arianne was busy praising herself, saying that it was all thanks to having a good aide. Fortunately, Alice didn’t worry about such trivial things.

“But what about Bein?”

Obviously, she has two aides, but why is there only one here?

Alice answered Arianne’s question. “Sir Bein went to see Grand Duke Federut.”

“…What?”

“While Duke Kaien was away, our imperial army’s morale dropped significantly. If things continued like this, His Majesty had no choice but to personally participate in the war. At that time, Sir Bein mentioned Grand Duke Federut. No one thought about it. And Sir Bein went to see him himself. It’s a relief, right?”

Alice seemed to think that was really a good alternative. She was so excited that she didn’t notice Arianne’s stiff face.

“I didn’t have eyes for people.”

Perhaps he’s the person she hates more than her father.

She felt like her soul was leaving her body.

“Yes?”

Arianne looked at Alice, who was innocently asking with a sparkle in her eyes, then let out self-deprecating words. “Every choice has consequences. Regret is up to me.”

“What do you mean?”

Alice asked, tilting her head, and Arianne shook her head. “No. It’s nothing.”

She hoped Bein didn’t proudly present himself as her aide in front of him. No, she just hoped that he didn’t mention her name.

In reality, Bein proudly declared that he was her aide and was dragged back to the border for treating the grand duke like an old man who couldn’t pay for his own meal. Bein was literally dragged by the grand duke by the collar— not metaphorically, but in reality.

“But how did you know that we were hiding here?”

In response to Sir Silver’s question, Charter pointed to Jon and said, “This person told me.”

“Ah.”

Silver sighed. He realized that the person he had been consciously recalling and wary of for the past few days was standing right in front of him, but he hadn’t noticed it. If he took his eyes off him for a moment, he had long since escaped his attention.

No one in the empire will be able to escape the eyes of the imperial investigation team. Isn’t he truly a talented person?

It was the moment when Jon was forcibly employed by the imperial investigator team without his knowledge. At least, it could be considered a good thing that he was taken by someone who had no intention of using him for illegal work.

* * *

“Hey, Pierre! It’s shift time.”

“Already?”

The soldier who approached Pierre smiled at him and tapped his shoulder. “Good job. Go and get some rest.”

“You must be having a hard time. Now is the most sleepy time.”

Instead of being annoyed, Pierre let out his concern to the commoner who dared to tap his shoulder.

The other person shrugged his shoulders and said, “We just take turns anyway.”

“Then, good luck.”

Pierre turned away from the man and walked lightly towards the tent where he was staying but then stopped and turned around.

“I can’t sleep, so I’ll stay a little longer and then go back.”

Pierre was forcibly taken by Arianne and fought three battles. Normally, he couldn’t have imagined eating and sleeping under the same roof with commoners who didn’t know the basics. Still, as the battles he risked his life continued, his prejudice and pride gradually faded.

As the days passed, when he was moved by commoners whom he had ignored, they saved him from danger and handed him a bowl of rice they had put aside for him when he was sick and couldn’t receive food. He could no longer ignore them.

The people he had been friends with and hung out with were all selfish and didn’t know how to share what they had. Although they were born noble, they were poor people who lamented their unfortunate fate and were unable to demonstrate their abilities due to the laws established by the empire, so they spent their lives drinking and gambling.

He always lived with complaints and dissatisfaction, saying that everything wasn’t his fault but his fate and empire’s fault. He wasted his life thinking that if he lived like this, he would die when the time came. But when he realized that he was going to die, he wanted to live. Things he hadn’t done yet and wanted to do came to his mind randomly. He thought of his family, who he didn’t know were so precious and only considered a nuisance, then repeatedly hit his heavy heart with his fist.

For some reason, the commoners who existed to support nobles like him deservedly sacrificed their lives to protect the empire, even though they would have nothing to gain even if they contributed. They constantly looked after and patted down their comrades on battlefields where it was difficult to even preserve their own lives. They encouraged him to cheer up and return alive.

And Pierre realized that for the first time in his life, he truly belonged to ‘we.’

“Oho. Why are you coming back here instead of sleeping?”

“I can sleep a little later. There are no battles these few days anyway, so I can sleep later.”

Pierre approached the soldier with a fairly amiable face, feeling that he had grown further here. He couldn’t believe he had given up his rest and helped others. His family might faint if they heard it. Now, he would no longer ignore others, get angry, or waste his life like before.

It was then. Pierre, who had good night vision, saw something strange.

“What is that? It looks like a person.”

“A person? Where?”

When the soldier standing next to him asked, Pierre pointed somewhere with his finger and said, “Over there. Do you think something is approaching the canyon over there?”

The soldier, who was looking closely at where his finger was pointing, shrugged his shoulder and said, “I can see it. Don’t tell me… Have you been drinking?”

“What? I don’t drink when I’m on guard!”

When Pierre shouted, the soldier narrowed his eyes and looked at him. It wasn’t once or twice that he saw Pierre secretly drinking alcohol alone, where he didn’t know he got it.

“You punk! Don’t close your eyes right now! Do you know who I am?”

As they said, people couldn’t be fixed, and Pierre remained the same.

At that time, when Pierre was in the middle of getting angry, Arianne and Charter secretly headed towards the secret passage of the canyon.

“Again, the two of us died in the Kelteman Empire.”

Charter, facing Arianne, who was smiling evilly, said with a cold smile as expected. “Now is the time to fight back.”

“The face of Duke Krow being hit on the back of his head by the dead people is truly fascinating.”

Arianne entered the narrow passage of the canyon without hesitation.