145 Oscar, can I trust you?
***[Heroine Oscar]***
The walls made of piled up large stones were covered with moss, and the stairs leading to the top were collapsed in places.
“Be careful, duke. It’s a long-abandoned castle, so it’s dangerous if you step wrong.”
The captain of the escort said a word as if he was worried even though he came close behind.
“You worry too much.”
I laughed when I said that, but it’s not like I don’t understand the captain’s feelings.
There are no handrails on the stairs going up the castle wall.
Of course, there was no such thing as a safety line.
It was just a stone staircase, and even that was broken down in places.
If you’re unlucky, the slightest shaking of your body will cause you to fall to the ground below.
Suddenly, I looked down from the stairs and saw the floor far away.
‘It’s a little scary.’
I think I’ll develop a fear of heights that I didn’t have before.
‘furthermore.’
In such a danger, I would not fall, but the escorts would grab me, throw me up the stairs, and fall down instead.
You should be careful for them too.
“I’ll be careful.”
“Yes, please.”
I checked the stairs a little more carefully and went up to the top.
As I climbed the top of the castle wall and cast my gaze into the distance, I saw the yellow land with only the occasional dry tree standing.
It seems that I came to Mongolia that I saw only in pictures.
“This place is still desolate.”
As I muttered, the escort captain shrugged.
“It’s a land that’s hard to live in and people leave.”
“…”
It is said that people lived in this castle a long time ago.
However, it is difficult to live due to frequent raids by steppe tribes, and the land here is not suitable for growing crops.
After the last lord and heir were killed by steppe tribes one after another, the castle was eventually abandoned.
Those who remained were told that they had migrated to regions farther into the kingdom.
About a hundred years ago, no one had already lived here.
Few people come and go around this area because steppe tribes often plunder the kingdom through this place.
Crops did not grow well, and no one came and went, so logistics did not work properly, and tolls were not collected.
These days, the grassland tribes seem to invade through other routes as there are too few things to loot.
‘An area where even the grassland tribes turn away as poor.’
It’s strange that there are still people living there.
I took a small breath while keeping my eyes on the distance.
When I come here, I feel strange.
A few years ago I passed through this area when visiting the Red Hawk Tribe where Goruka is located.
A lot of time has passed, but nothing has changed between then and now.
I don’t feel the passage of time.
same.
The area itself felt like a fossil.
For some reason, even I feel like a dinosaur fossil.
In the silence, only the occasional wind roamed, raising dust.
While staring blankly at the ground, the captain of the escort muttered.
“It’s coming.”
As I looked up at the horizon, I saw men on horseback galloping away.
These are the men of the Goruka and Red Hawk tribes.
It wasn’t me who asked to meet, it was over there.
It was the first time Goruka had said such a thing.
Even Martin, who is at Red Hawk, doesn’t seem to know why Goruka wants to meet him.
It is said that people from other tribes have visited several times since just a few months ago.
Sometimes it was written that the sounds of rough fighting could be heard through the tent.
It seems that only a few people in high positions, such as the tribal chief Gorukawa, the former tribal chief, and the Great Warrior, know what is going on.
Even within the tribe, few people knew what was going on, he said.
I went down from the wall and went in the direction they were coming.
As I waited with the castle behind me, Gorukawa and the others rushed to stand, raising a riot of dust.
Before the horse could stop properly, the steppe men jumped off.
“Goruka!”
As I approached with a smile, Goruka also smiled brightly, as if he was happy.
When I stretched out my arms according to the steppe people’s greeting, Goruka also stretched out her arms in the same way.
Grab each other’s arms and lightly pull your body.
I checked his complexion while greeting him, but I couldn’t find anything strange about Goruka’s face.
“Oscar! My God, you’ve grown even taller. How long will you grow taller?”
Goruka said with her eyes shining like a prankster.
“The same goes for you, Goruka. I think you’ve grown taller.”
“hahahaha. It can’t be.”
Goruka chuckled, but he meant it, not joking.
In the few years I haven’t seen him, Goruka has become more manly.
My forearms and neck felt thicker.
Somehow, it seems that I have grown a little taller.
When you become an adult, your body won’t grow anymore, but maybe it’s because of the energy of the earth or something else in the grassland.
After saying that, all the men of the Red Hawk Tribe started laughing.
The tribal men who came with Goruka had been to the dukedom and other families many times as instructors.
They were people I already knew, and the atmosphere was very soft.
It didn’t seem like I was asking to meet you for something bad.
If you were a noble of the kingdom, you would have a conversation while looking at the atmosphere a little more, but you don’t have the habit of turning your words around to the steppe people.
I looked straight into Goruka’s eyes.
“Goruka, what’s going on with the tribe?”
“…”
A dark expression appeared on Goruka’s face.
He pursed his lips and closed his eyes.
The men of the steppe tribes observe the atmosphere and step away from us.
The captain of the escort also stepped back a little.
When the people were so far away that no one could hear our voices, Goruka looked at me.
I ask in a serious voice.
“Oscar, can I trust you?”
“…”
“Can I risk the fate of my tribe?”
Ah… this is it.
I realized that this question is a crossroads.
I don’t know what happened to the steppe and red hawk tribes.
But I had seen something similar to this moment when we stood facing each other like this.
It was one of the scenes the goddess showed at the moment the amulet shone.
Back then, Prince Robert, not me, was standing opposite Goruka, but in this life, I took that role.
Perhaps this was the reason why Goruka acted differently from other steppe tribes and helped the kingdom.
I looked straight into Goruka’s eyes.
“I will never betray you or the Red Hawk. You should know that I have never cheated on you. You can trust me, Goruka.”
“…”
Goruka looked at my face for a moment and suddenly smiled.
“Yes, Oscar. You have always been my friend. I will never betray a friend either.”
Saying that, Goruka nodded once, then turned around.
It seemed that he was thinking of just asking that one word and leaving.
“Goruka!”
When I called out in bewilderment, Goruka stopped walking and only looked back.
“What’s up? What’s up with the tribe?”
“It’s okay. There’s a problem with the kingdom, but this is a problem that we… have to solve with the power of the steppes. I’m sorry, but I can’t let even Oscar get involved in this.”
“…”
At that moment, I thought of several cases.
Goruka wouldn’t be trying to plunder the kingdom.
The Red Hawk tribe also plundered.
It’s not that you don’t do it at all.
However, they are originally a gentle tribe and have never plundered a kingdom since meeting me.
If such a red hawk tribe says that there is a problem with the kingdom, it is most likely the kingdom’s fault.
I’ve never heard of a king doing anything to the steppe tribes, so it must have been done individually by a noble somewhere.
Perhaps a noble who held a grudge against the steppe people retaliated, or someone in the kingdom made a mistake that angered even Goruka.
‘The latter is more likely.’
If it was a simple retaliation war, it wouldn’t have been so big that Goruka talked about the fate of the tribe.
At once, the idea that it was the kingdom’s fault was weighed on.
I removed the brooch with the duke’s coat of arms from my clothes.
The duke’s coat of arms is surrounded by jewels.
Nobles do not carelessly give away items with their own crest, especially valuable items that are kept by the head of the family.
Having the crest had the same meaning as being protected by that family.
The crest of a high-ranking family becomes power in itself.
Therefore, it is a sin to use the crest of another family recklessly.
As I approached Goruka and put the brooch in his hand, I opened my mouth.
“Goruka, take this. It will help you in case of trouble with the Kingdom.”
“but.”
Goruka, who has interacted with me since I was young, knows a lot about the kingdom.
You will also know what the sentence means.
Seeing Goruka hesitate, I spoke strongly.
“I’m not intervening. I don’t know what’s going on, but there may be times when you need to talk to the Kingdom or rely on the Kingdom’s laws. In that case, this brooch won’t make your point, but it can make the other person listen. .”
“…”
Goruka, who is still hesitant, closes her fingers and makes her grab the brooch.
“This will help protect the tribe.”
At those words, Goruka lowered her head.
“Thank you, Oscar.”
Goruka smiled and mounted the horse.
“Louise wants to meet her. Please come to our tribe with her sometime.”
“Catherine will be delighted too. When it’s done… next time.”
After my words, Goruka turned the reins.
As the men of the Red Hawk tribe drifted away, only a cloud of dust remained in the desolate land.
When I turned my head, the civil servant who had been following the procession was right next to me, as if I had predicted it in advance.
“Investigate what happened to the Steppe Tribe. You can start from the area bordering the Steppe Tribe. Considering that Goruka says he will solve it himself, it’s probably not somewhere inside the kingdom.”
“Yes, I will tell you to send an investigator immediately.”
Call the departing official to send the letter.
“You mustn’t intervene. The Steppes don’t want that. If we intervene, we’ll get a backlash. Just know what’s going on.”
“Yes, I understand.”
I don’t know what it is, but it doesn’t feel good.
The silver moon, which is not on good terms with the red hawk, is getting bigger by rallying the surrounding forces, but it is not big enough to invade the kingdom.
After increasing the scale to a certain extent, there was no further movement.
It is like a lion that has eaten its fill.
The Silvermoon tribe seemed to have no ambitions to take over the kingdom.
At this rate, it would just end with the biggest tribe in the grassland.
‘I thought the future was different because I came here, unlike before.’
I thought that the Silvermoon tribe had invaded the kingdom while uniting the forces of the steppe tribes, but it might be something else.
It could be that for some reason, the entire steppe people were angry.
And it was possible that Robert, or Goruka, who had a relationship with me, might have betrayed the steppe tribes, and I realized that possibility only now.
‘But who is it?’
Who, and how, could make all the steppe tribes angry.
For a while, I couldn’t take my eyes off the direction Goruka disappeared.
***[My aunt’s former nemesis]***
The land ruled by the viscount is a dry and barren place.
Crops did not grow well, so wheat was purchased from many other estates, and instead, livestock such as sheep and goats were raised and income was obtained there.
However, it is difficult to build a family with that alone.
I was getting loans from all over the place.
The Viscountess does not know much about the income or loans of the entire estate.
I’m just guessing.
She only knew about the cost of running the mansion.
Permission is not required for everyday necessities.
However, when I used it a little more than usual or when I needed a new item, I had to get my husband’s approval.
Of course, most of the work is handled by the head of the house, but the husband is inquisitive about the items she requested.
I didn’t ask for it as much as possible now because I asked why I needed the item and if it couldn’t be replaced with a cheaper one.
But what kind of wind suddenly blew?
“Hey, honey, what did you just say?”
Thinking she had misunderstood what her husband had said, the Viscountess casually asked back.
“I asked if you needed a dress.”
“… uh, over there.”
“It’s been a few years since you made your dress new. Isn’t it time to refresh your old dress and make it new?”
“That’s true.”
“It’s embarrassing that it’s too expensive, but I’ll make a few of them at a reasonable level.”
“Oh, thank you.”
“No, I’m sorry for all this time.”
I smiled softly as if my husband had changed.
“But honey, will it be all right? There’s no room like that in our estate…”
“It’s okay. I’ve decided to start a new business, so I’ll have some spare time in the future. It won’t be very rich, but it’ll be better than now.”
“Then… I’m so glad I did.”
“yes.”
Watching her husband smile, the Viscountess sneakily asked, as if remembering.
“Hey, isn’t the person who attended the dinner last time coming back?”
“You mean the baron?”
“yes.”
“Why is that person suddenly?”
Her husband looks at her suspiciously.
The Viscountess laughed as if nothing had happened.
“I don’t know much about business, but I was wondering if he was doing something with him. I’ve been visiting often lately.”
“Well, that’s true. I decided to join his business.”
“That’s right.”
“Speaking of which, we have a meeting in a few days. Last time we were at a different house, but this time it’s my turn, so I’d like you to make some preparations.”
“Okay. What style would you like?”
“A light party with a married couple would suffice.”
“Then do you think I’ll be attending too?”
At the words of the viscountess, the husband nodded.
“is it so.”
The Viscountess lowered her head slightly to hide her expression of relief.
“Then… I need to go get ready.”
“That’s right. I’ve already told the butler, so I’m pretty sure I’m ready.”
“Okay, then excuse me for a moment.”
The Viscountess went outside to find the butler.
‘But nothing strange. What kind of business is she suddenly doing?’
For some reason, the Viscountess pressed her breasts with her hand.
Anxiety does not disappear after meeting Countess Becker.
‘Because I’ve never had anything good to do with that woman.’
The Viscountess let out a small sigh.