CHAPTER XXVIII.
Was her life an American cartoon?
No, seriously!
How come they arrived at the wrong barony!
… Or Viscounty!
They should have probably taken that turn left on Haburkale, or something!
When they got out of their ship they expected to see a young lord there to welcome them and instead it was an old man that she still wasn't convinced was a Viscount!
At least he was kind enough to point them in the right direction.
Leila sighed as she once again walked her twin sister back to the cabin they had been sharing.
At least there, Serge behaved himself this time!
0x0x0x0
Angelica had hastily put in some amenities to entertain her father and brother, she wasn't expecting them at all, with her husband and sister wife, nearby the rest of Leon's family had also presented their respects to her family before retiring to a private room.
And now Angelica was glaring at her father and brother.
They had arrived here not for her family's celebrations, but to issue an order to her husband.
A very dangerous order!
They had acquired information about the Principality's Black Knight, Vandel Him Zenden would be touring around the territory making sure they were ready for the incoming war…
It was a trap.
Angelica paid no mind to the rewards her father was offering for the deed, rewards that would only be available after he takes over the throne!
she knew it, her father and brother knew it, Leon knew it too despite being on board with the plan.
Hence why she couldn't stop glaring at the men in her life, Leon included!
Olivia was there as well, and she could tell she wasn't a fan of the plan either.
"It's a trap!" Livia told her while they were discussing the best way to go across the kingdom and sneak into the Principality's territory without being detected at all. Her husband, father and brother all took their eyes out of the map they were studying and looked at her.
Leon looked at her with dull eyes, as if he resigned himself into knowingly walking into a trap! "I know and I suppose my Liege knows as well" he said, turning to look a t her father who simply nodded in confirmation.
"Even if it is a trap, a chance like this is too good to pass!" Her brother told her "The Black Knight is a court noble akin to Arthur Fia Arclight, he is only out of the capital when he is heading for battle or escorting the princesses! Angie, the forces he will have will be manageable and even if the information is incorrect Einhorn is fast enough to get Leon out of there without any hassle!" Gilbert finished with a smile.
"You are forgetting that the Black Knight is the most deadly warrior in the continent, and he should count as a Hassle just by being there!?" it was obvious for her, with the opponent's caliber there needed not to be an army waiting in ambush, the legends of Vandel painted him as a fleet killer and as powerful as her House's ships are it wouldn't help to provide the necessary cover to ensure success or her husband's survival.
"He certainly used to be" Gilbert commented, he was dismissing the threat the man represented! "His age has catched up to him by now, while your husband's strength is still growing"
True, that was possible, but what if he wasn't as weakened by his age as they pretended him to be?
"The risk is unacceptable!" she said with rage "Livia, you say something too!" she turned towards her sister-wife and possibly the most reliable friend she ever had.
Olivia was pale, and her breathing was erratic, she was panicking even worse than her and it wasn't good for her health or the baby's.
"Please my Lord, don't go, I'm sure there must be another way to do this!" she managed to say while looking with pleading eyes to their shared husband.
"Can't we make them our allies instead?" Olivia offered with tears in her eyes.
Angelica knew that was not something that will likely end with them with a dagger in their throat, those barbarians could not be trusted.
"Livia, dear, offering an alliance to the Principality is like turning your back on a tiger and expecting it not to attack you" That was the first thing today her father said she could agree with.
The history of the Principality made an alliance with them seem like a fool's endeavor.
Leon for his part was looking back and forth between Oliva and her, his eyes showed conflict, he wanted to do this?!
Was it some kind of sense of duty?
She walked towards Olivia who was sitting in an elegant chair and rubbed her belly affectionately, this was the new member of their family, and Leon could die before the baby was born.
"Would you risk not being here to raise your children?!" she asked in a harsher tone that conveyed exactly how she felt about all of this.
"I wont lose and I'll come back and help raise our children" Leon said solemnly, and for a moment she believed he could simply march towards the Black Knight and just stab him in the heart.
But then she felt the weight of reality, how many men thought they could face Vandel Him Zendel and win, yet the man was still here, despite his old age he still was the biggest terror in the battlefield this continent has ever seen!
"And what if you don't come back!" she yelled, she didn't care if her esteemed father and brother saw her losing her cool in this moment, all she wanted was her man to remain safe by their side!
"Angie,... " Leon hesitated for a second while looking at her in the eyes, "When we meet each other you knew I would be fighting in the frontlines of a war, I gave my word to your father and in exchange he allowed me to share my life with you, and even allowed us include Livia in our family!" He took a deep breath and closed his eyes before looking back at her.
"I believe I ripped him off by taking you as my wife, you are so much more than I ever expected, and then not less important, he paid for Livia's Rescue from the academy and now that the time to repay his kind kindness I won't stand aside or hide and cower when what he asks of me is something I have been preparing since the day I met you." He looked a t Livia and then walked and prostrated himself in front of her and then rested his head in Livia's lap.
"I'll defeat the Black Knight and bring his head and sword back so that when the Royal family comes for Us they will know they stand no chance!" He said with conviction while looking in his second wife's eyes.
It was true, she knew that she was bonded to Leon so he would comply with her father's orders, from the beginning she knew that her husband would be the spear head of House Redgrave… but so much has happened between the first time they met and now.
She was no longer the betrayed little girl that lost her composure and started a war with the Royal house, she was no longer Angelica Rapha Redgrave. She was no longer the one that agreed to have her husband fight for her father, sometime ago she stopped being the Daughter of the Duke and became the Baroness of House Bartfort and now a viscountess.
"I don't want you to go!" she said, walking towards him, and lifted him to kiss him before he could give any kind of answer.
She knew that this was not something he wanted to do, he abhorred killing, but this was something he thought he needed to do.
She looked at her father and brother, tears escaping her eyes "This is the last time you do this to my family, if there is someone else you think is a target of opportunity look for someone else!" they both nodded but they were probably thinking they could get to use Leon again anyway.
She could hear Livia crying but she did not turn towards her yet, she would be spending time with her sister-wife and husband later, but for now there was something she needed to tell her father.
"If something happens to Leon, you can forget me ever marrying again for the sake of House Redgrave!" that shocked them.
She was raised with the idea that no matter if she was married to the prince or if she became Queen, she would always be a Redgrave.
But she can no longer think like that, she is now and forever Angelica Fou Barfort!
Taking the hand of her husband she approached Livia and took her hand and guided them outside leaving the Redgraves in her office.
There is some bonding they have to partake in. the three of them!
0x0x0x0
As Gilbert and his father, the Duke, walked away from Angie's state he could not help but think 'That was rather unpleasant'.
Gilbert knew his little sister had developed feelings for her husband and he was happy about it.
Leon was a good man, and a strong knight capable of providing a good lifestyle for Angie and he has protected her time and time again.
Gilbert liked Leon.
But that fact doesn't mean he would use his strength to the fullest.
Angie knew the reason why she was given specifically to him, and yet she rebelled when she thought Leon's life would be in danger.
His little sister even dared to declare herself a Bartfort.
Not in those exact words… but by warning them that in case of Leon's death, she wouldn't re-marry at their behest, she told them she has made the choice to become a Bartfort.
And after saying those words she grabbed her husband, and sister wife with the obvious intention of getting physical with them.
At that point their father decided that leaving was the smart thing to do.
They have already got Leon to agree with their plan and staying would only give Angie time to get them to reconsider this whole thing.
Angie would be mad at them for leaving like this, but after taking the side of her husband she would not go against his word.
Right now they must leave and hope for the best.
Leon's victory meant more to them now than when they arrived here earlier.
Gilbert wanted to keep a friendly relationship with Angie and he knew his father wanted the same.
Perhaps the worst part of today was that they only got to hold Gil for a few minutes before they had to talk about the ambush.
When they arrived at their ship Sir Robert was getting ready to disembark. Originally he and his men would have a levy of two days before they had to embark on their return trip.
However when he saw them coming he ordered the men to get ready to sail again.
Sir Robert can read his father's face so easily that it's almost frightening how no one outside the Duke's direct family knows about their relationship.
A stern series of barks get the disappointed men to return to their post ASAP and allows the man to guide his father to his cabin.
What happens behind that door is something that does not concern him and frankly speaking, ignorance was a bliss in this case.
He knows that some people favor the same gender… or both like his father and sister,but he is not one of them.
As long as the feeling is reciprocated he sees nothing wrong with it, no matter what the Temple says.
He just wished his wife was here so he could have someone to talk with about this things right now.
But Miriam is pregnant again and this time she doesn't want to leave anything to luck.
Same as last time, and yet they still haven't managed to conceive…
Angie was so lucky and he couldn't help but to feel jealous of her.
At this rate he would have to adopt Gil to make him his heir… Angie is still young and can bear more children and she would probably be happy that Gil becomes a King instead of a Duke…
Today Angie looked like she didn't even heard when Father told her that after they take the throne they would be given the Offreys territory and the rank of Duke.
The only thing in her mind was the fact that Leon Rapha Bartfort would have to risk his life.
0x0x0x0
Aaron has been anxious all day, he has another report to give to the Queen.
The queen had not been happy when she learned that Robson brat arrived here from the capital with the Baron.
And the fact that he failed to inform her about the Bartforts plan to steal the loot of the capitals dungeon had her mad at him already!
But this time he was in time to inform her about the Duke's arrival and departure from the Island on the same day it happened.
He couldn't know what they talked about because those robots and that damn knight of theirs were guarding all of the entrances.
But the fact that they left so hastily has to mean something.
Getting his phone out of it's hiding spot was kind of gross but no one would look below his pissing pot!
The call connects quickly and before the Queen can say anything he speaks.
"The Duke was here today, he stayed for a couple of hours and then left, I don't know what they talked about but when he left he was kind of pissed!"
He tried to be as clear as possible, and now he was awaiting the Queen's praise.
"Good job Aaron, you'll be rewarded handsomely for your services, I'll have someone else look for more details from our spies in the Redgrave territory." And then the woman cut the call.
The idea of enough riches to establish himself in the capital and form his own harem was closer everyday!
0x0x0x0
Fooling the man to believe he was talking to the Queen was an easy enough task for her, and it disgusted her how eager he was to betray her Master's generosity,
Cleare wanted nothing more than to use that poor excuse of a spy on her more daring projects, but that would be foolish, and she was above messing up so badly,and knowing that the subject was valuable, stopped her hand.
But she was patient, she would get her chance to punish that old human trash soon enough, in the mean time, she will be deploying a stealth drone equipped with a powerful cannon just in case the Black Knight is more than master can chew.