The Youngest Son of the Northern Grand Duke Wants to Break Off the Engagement-Chapter 87

Chapter 87
Alter spent a while walking through the Imperial Palace, shrouded in silence.
The officials and attendants who had fled were finally beginning to show themselves again.
Since the Imperial Knights were still under restraint, the task of guarding the 3rd Princess could only be entrusted to the palace guards and private soldiers.
'I only wished for the engagement to be annulled at first.......'
Alter gazed out at the distant rising sun and faced his own past.
He had tried to save his own life through breaking off the engagement, envisioning a future where his fiancé would be betrothed to the crown prince.
But now, he saw how foolish that thinking had been, and was belatedly erasing those traces.
'It's all so empty. What would have happened if I had gone through with the annulment?'
Alter asked himself, but could not bring himself to answer.
Brillie would have collapsed in utter ruin, and he would have been tormented by regret and anguish.
In the end, not only the Illenat Ducal House, but even the Radiant Grand Ducal House might have come to ruin.
'I need to finish this quickly. The more I put it off, the greater the losses.'
From Alter's point of view, he really had no choice in the matter.
Even if he had not received his father's permission, he would inevitably have had to join the rebellion.
To protect his fiancé, and to preserve his house, he had to depose the 9th Emperor.
'Father will understand, at least a little.'
Of course, his father was, before being the northern grand duke, the close friend of the 8th Emperor.
He would surely feel deeply troubled, having slain the 9th Emperor, who was of that bloodline.
But since the 9th Emperor had threatened the authority of both the Northern Grand Duke and his house, in some form, rebellion would have been inevitable.
'I can't be at ease until I've dealt with the 9th Emperor's faction as well.'
Although the 9th Emperor was widely criticized, it was not as if he had no followers.
The Empress was still alive, and some royals and nobles would not stand idly by in this situation.
However, it seemed the 3rd Princess had anticipated even this, as she was already sending out troops.
'We won't be able to hold a wedding under these circumstances.'
For the time being, a large number of soldiers would be scouring the capital and its environs.
They needed to swiftly dismantle the 9th Emperor's forces and suppress any signs of another rebellion.
Things would remain chaotic for a while, so they likely would not be able to hold even a modest ceremony.
'The Illenat Ducal House will be much busier, too.......'
"What are you doing?"
Brillie, having finished talking with her father, belatedly met with Alter.
Her father was very busy—as he had to manage the aftermath together with the 3rd Princess.
Thus, from Brillie's point of view, all she could do was focus on guarding the palace, occasionally assisting her father.
"I was just watching the sunrise for a moment."
"Aren't you tired?"
"I'm not sure if I'm tired—I've been rather tense."
"You don't look tense, though."
"If I made it too obvious, wouldn't I look rather ridiculous?"
"It seemed like everyone was tense out there. I guess it's not something just anyone can do."
Brillie couldn't bring herself to say that she had participated in killing the Emperor.
No matter how foolish the Emperor had been, he was the ruler of this country.
Yet, leading troops in the dead of night to assassinate the Emperor was, in essence, a grave crime.
Who could be proud to boast of such an act?
"It was something someone had to do. We merely happened to be among them."
"I know that too. Still... I can't say I feel at ease."
Brillie had to give up much in order to ensure the success of this rebellion.
Loyalty owed to the royal family, the pride of a swordswoman, respect for the 8th Emperor—
How could someone who had been so honored by an Emperor now raise a sword against the Imperial House?
"You can't feel at ease, I suppose. But you can't be too bound up in it either. It's already over, isn't it?"
"That's right. It's over. And the outcome is what we hoped for."
"Still, if your heart wavers... you can lean on me. Didn't we promise to marry?"
Alter slowly turned his head and gazed at Brillie.
Brillie met Alter's gaze by chance, and it felt as if her heart was pounding wildly.
Somehow, the orange light of dawn had come to envelop Alter.
"You said you would protect me, didn't you? So I will protect you as well, Brillie. Though you are much stronger than I am... still, that doesn't change anything."
Alter spoke calmly, but with a determined expression.
Although they had yet to formally marry, in reality they had already risked their lives for one another.
Already acting as husband and wife, what hesitation could remain now?
"Um... that is... er..."
Brillie stammered, unable to speak further.
His attitude was at once serious and bold, and she could not get any words out at all.
With her heartbeat hammering in her chest, even her rational mind was being shaken.
"You once said before that if I gave you my affection first, you'd return it. Am I remembering that wrong?"
"No, I did say that."
"I do have feelings for you, but I'm not sure whether it's affection in a romantic sense. If I put it simply, it might be a sense of responsibility—or perhaps a kind of trust."
"......"
"But this much, I can say with certainty. When you're by my side, I feel at ease. That is why I can accept marriage with you."
At some point, Alter had come to realize this truth clearly.
At first, they had been bound in a marriage of convenience, but now he saw her as his one and only partner.
She had always worried about him, never left his bedside, and even struck down his greatest foe.
Letting such a woman go would surely be a lifelong regret.
"Perhaps that's why I feel at ease. Once things are sorted out, won't we be able to hold our wedding?"
"So many things got tangled up and it kept getting delayed."
"Maybe it was bad luck—problems kept arising ever since I collapsed. Now that things seem to be finally over... I'd like to think a bit of luck is finally coming our way."
Brillie reflected on what luck truly meant and soon nodded.
Although they had suffered disaster after misfortune, they had persevered and reached this point at last.
Perhaps, for that reason, Alter referred to marrying her as his good fortune.
"Surely only good things will happen from now on. You've suffered so much."
"Yes. If only we can live peacefully, I couldn't ask for more."
Alter answered firmly, but remained conscious of other matters.
He had finally overcome the calamity of the Frost Witch, and had driven out the Emperor who tried to steal away his fiancé.
Yet, dangers still lurked in the borders of the Empire, and the signs of those threats were becoming ever more pronounced.
'Signs in the eastern regions... that's definitely dangerous.'
The changes occurring in the east had appeared in the visions of the future Alter had seen.
They were disasters comparable to those arising from the absence of the Frost Witch, and the eastern army would have to wage a large-scale war.
Most frightening was the emergence of a formidable monster, which would require the strongest warriors to confront it.
'Dragons aren't extinct. They're just hiding, weakened.'
The seven dragons of Hazlodein.
Dragons had existed in this world since ancient times, ruling with overwhelming might.
But as living beings, dragons too were ultimately destined to perish.
Thus, only seven dragons remained, and of those, two were annihilated by the Agness Empire.
'The one that's appeared now in the east... must be Benelrode the Incandescent. That's why the land is splitting, and the lakes and forests are disappearing.'
Of course, not all dragons were hostile to humans.
Some simply lived within their own domains, or hid themselves away.
Only those obsessed with domination and destruction rampaged about.
'Maybe they can handle it even without Brillie and me?'
The calamity of the north began with the Frost Witch, and due to the unique climate and terrain, its environment was especially complex.
But in the east, mining and the arts thrived, and reinforcements could be dispatched directly from neighboring regions.
Moreover, compared to the north, the east had a much larger population, so strong fighters and troops could be deployed quickly as needed.
'Normally they'd be able to handle it themselves... unless, of course, something unexpected happens.'
* * *
In just two days, Yuria eradicated the 9th Emperor's faction and held her coronation.
She had ascended to the throne she had so longed for and donned the resplendent royal crown.
Now, none could look down on her, and she could wield her dignity in command as Emperor.
"Your Majesty. Forgive my impudence, but there is a matter requiring your immediate attention."
"Hmm... is this about the eastern region?"
"It is. The number of monsters has increased even further, so I believe it is advisable to prepare in advance."
Yuria rested her chin on her hand atop the imperial throne, lost in thought.
As the chancellor and other high officials were expressing similar concerns, she would have to heed them to some extent.
However, since order had not yet been restored, recklessly moving troops could cause further confusion.
"You all know, of course, that the palace and the capital still aren't fully stabilized. Sending out troops in this state could create disorder."
"Quite true, Your Majesty. However, the front lines of the east are already preparing for battle. If we don't prepare before the monsters invade, the damage will be severe."
"Then, how about this? I'll send half of the reinforcements to the front lines first. We can dispatch the remaining half later, after observing the situation."
"If that is Your Majesty's wish, I will comply."
The chancellor bowed calmly, without strong objection.
She had shown due respect for the officials' opinions and even proposed a reasonable compromise.
With this much, they could not refuse to obey the Emperor's authority.
"They say a dragon may appear, so we should send the strongest as well, should we not?"
"Yes, Your Majesty speaks truly. To face a dragon, only those with suitable strength must step forward."
"Hmm... who should I send? The Sword Saint pledged to guard the palace for a while, so I'd have to exclude him, wouldn't I?"
Naturally, Yuria excluded Megarexor as a potential dispatch.
At present, there were not so many strong warriors she could truly trust.
At the very least, the Sword Saint needed to remain to deal with any emergencies.
"The Semerune Order has answered that they will send a Holy Apostle along with a company of holy knights."
"The Great Mage has also volunteered, so how about sending him and his disciple?"
"I am glad for everyone's loyalty and devotion. How about discussing this a little further?"
However, the officials were already looking toward other strong figures.
The two who had served as the justification and main force behind the recent rebellion.
But since these two were members of noble houses, they could not be recklessly ordered around.
'If the situation really becomes urgent I may have to send them to the front lines... But how can I cast out the greatest heroes of this rebellion?'