Ann Is looking at some documents not really paying them the attention they deserved.
Her host's soul is much older than she expected and her mind is filled with memories she didn't make in this life, they are all blurry and incomplete.
Marie didn't even remember her old name, but curiously there were memories about the years she spent in the academy…
Prophetic knowledge coming from something called Otome Game about a girl seducing the crown prince and his retinue while enduring the abuse of the nobles who opposed her very existence.
She felt amused because Marie had used that foreknowledge to replace the girl and obtain all the benefits herself!
She was sure the girl in Marie's memories was possessed by her as well, she could recognize her own MO after all.
Leon Fou Bartfort!
She gasped as she read the dossier.
The same family name as her Lea.
Is this man a descendant from one of Lea's relatives?
It is possible.
While she was trying to take control of her host Ann barely paid any mind to the world surrounding Marie, mainly because most of the time she bothered to check one of the five descendants of the traitors were there with her, sometimes all of them!
But when she looked at what the kingdom was facing after finally taking control she found that name at the very front of notable Redgrave faction individuals' folders.
There was a drawing of the man too, she has found over her centuries in this cursed existence that these pictures are often inaccurate…
The man has some of Lea's facial features, but not enough to make her believe he could be her Lea reborn.
She would have to wait and see him in person and make a decision then.
With great effort she flipped the page and found the file belonging to Vince Rapha Redgrave, the old man is not of interest to her, she skims over the file and flips the page again.
The Ducal Heir is handsome though.
When she flips the page again she finds a pretty face and a sob story, if it weren't because she is the Duke's daughter it wouldn't be anything special.
At the foot of the document there was a mention about Bartfort's second wife and the man's son and daughter.
The rebellion was not as exciting as she expected it to be and other than the coincidence about the Viscount's House name there was nothing that caught her attention.
Even if the rebels had the upper hand Ann still had the power to change the tide of battle to either side thanks to her magic, but she simply could not ignore the fact that the Redgraves are just a branch of the House Holfort.
If the rebels succeed in their coup d'etat it would be as if the Holforts were still sitting in the throne that should have belonged to Lea!
So Ann would lend the Holfort a hand so she can destroy them for good later.
0x0x0
Arnold didn't expect life in the army to be this… boring!
He was patrolling near the territories of the Border Nobles that formed part of the Duke's supporters in a fleet of only three ships!
The ship he manned, the Helga, was never shot at during the battle with Fanoss.
Of course they helped to destroy that monstrosity the enemy summoned by so did everyone else.
Arnold used his grandfather's connections to avoid being placed into the infantry and in the air forces, which seemed much more safer and exciting than being the kingdom's cannon fodder.
He always knew war was a possibility, there were skirmishes on the borders every month or so, but it rarely escalated fast enough to deploy the kingdom's air force.
He got used to an easy life in his routine of maintenance, simulated deployment and patrols around the capital.
Ever since the then Prince cut ties with the Duke's daughter there were talks about a possible Redgrave rebellion in the future.
Hell, Arnold noticed that the constant pirate attacks the duke's daughter territory suffered were in truth attacks from the allies of the crown, but he was smart enough not to say it out loud.
He wasn't the only one either, Gerald, his best friend confided in him about his suspicions about those attacks.
It was nice not to hear him brag about his wife Phoebe all the time and it was fun to speculate about how and when the civil war would start, besides it helped him get his mind off the failure that was his own love life!
Why couldn't he get Lila to accept an invitation to a tea party was beyond him!
Maybe it was because the Heir to his grandfather's hotel emporium in the capital made him an intimidating figure?
They used to be so close when they were kids too!
Someone sounded the alarm!
He immediately heads on to his post in the bridge and gets moved to his position, he is in charge to relay the captain's orders to the gunners with the one spell he can do right.
He prepares to cast the spell, and after he is done he looks towards the captain, Philip Fia Sterling, and the man is shouting at the flag bearer whose hands are frantically moving sending wig wag signals to the other two ships.
Paying attention to the flag bearer he notices he is saying the Helga is their fastest ship and it should be them retiring to warn the kingdom…
He stands up and walks towards the window and he could see a few ships from Baron's Houses and a couple of Viscounts too.
They do outnumber them four to one, that alone is bad enough, but it's nothing compared to the sigil in the ship at the front of their formation: It's House Bartfort!
But the Pirate Bane's territory is supposed to be Further south!
"Fuck it, we are getting out of here!" the captain yelled and the crew moved with a speed he didn't think was possible for them!
He looked at the other ships and their flag bearers were ordering to come back, there was no way they would stay here and fight that guy!
But it's clear that the other captains don't want to stay either when The Patricia and The Selma Join them in their retreat!
0x0x0
Balcus hugs his son Nicks with all his might as soon as he gets out of his knight armor!
That was nerve wracking!
The battle was easy, but that didn't mean there was no danger, and he was supposed to watch another three of his sons participate in a much larger battle in a few days!
Balcus doesn't know if he can bear it!
And he couldn't even join them in battle because Leon and Nicks decided to keep him relatively safe inside this ship, he tried to avoid being left behind and he did his best to prove he was still able to fight with the best of them!
Instead he became aware of the gap between an old man like himself and a young man like Nicks.
When did he become an old man?
It seems yesterday he was chasing after Nicks to make sure he didn't fall when he was learning to walk!
And now, all of a sudden his three oldest son's are men with their own families and people to protect!
Time is not kind, not when his sons are about to fight a war!
Ok0x0x0
Erica was summoned to her mother's office.
It wasn't hard to guess the reason, not when Elijah was sent back home last night.
She knew the situation was bad, worse than it ever was in the game.
The Saintess has successfully defeated the principality of Fanoss, but a new, bigger threat has arisen.
The Duke is on a warpath to avenge the attack on his daughter, and he has the support of a great many of the border nobles!
Surely this was the result of the reincarnated woman who took the protagonist role.
And maybe some fault lies with her as well, minor as the changes she made are there is no denying she interfered.
Shaking her head she decided to leave this unproductive line of thinking for something more concrete, like meeting her mother.
Hurriedly she lifts the hem of her dress lightly and walks faster.
In no time she is standing in front of her mother's door, hesitantly she knocks it and waits.
"Enter," her mother said.
She opens the door and finds her mother is not alone, with her are two army officers who look tired and exasperated.
Her mother, the queen dismisses them with a signal from her hands.
The two men promptly leave the room, but it's clear they're not happy.
Her mother has bags under her eyes and albeit harder to see she has lost weight too.
The situation must somehow be worse than she first thought.
"Sit down, Erica." She obeyed and once she was comfortable her mother spoke again. "We can't win this war" and pointed to a map on the wall.
On it there are a few pins representing various Noble Houses, arrows indicating their movements and some red Xs with the names of the kingdom's ships.
Three pins stand up amongst them, one red emblazoned with the Redgrave sigil, another one Black with a capital B engraved "Bartfort" and a third one red and black with s golden highlight in the border it could only represent the Pirate's Bane House.
They are surrounding the capital judging by their movements.
Erica tried to see any way to win with their available resources, but short of Marie pulling another miracle they stand no chance, especially knowing the kind of weapons they have at their disposal.
Erica took a deep breath and asked "What are we going to do then?" She has no idea how to proceed now, but her mother seems to calm down for the situation to be completely doomed.
"Angelica offered mercy to me…" the plan is to beg for that leniency to be extended to her as well then. "But Vince is unlikely to allow me to live, I'll ask Angelica to intercede for you instead".
"What about Jake and the others?" she asked and her mother answered by shaking her head mournfully. Erica didn't want that, she didn't want to be the sole survivor!
She started crying like never before in this life, she loved her mother and father, even if they couldn't spend too much time with her, they are still her parents!
"Shhhh, you'll be alright, I promise!" Her mother stood up and approached her to embrace her.
She wanted to calm down and ask about what would happen to her half-siblings, but when the queen… no her mother dropped her own tears she just couldn't.
Erica prayed for the reincarnated person to pull off the protagonist's ultimate skill, that is the only way they could survive.
0x0x0
Gilbert watches as another airship goes down and lets out a sigh.
His father hides it well, but Robert's death has affected him deeply.
When the knight, Dave, arrived escorting House Clayton and news of the attack inside their territory by a man claiming to be the Masked Knight, Gilbert thought his father would order the knight to be executed.
But age has cooled his head and he managed to get the most important details, like the number of ships and knights armors the enemy employed.
Soon after that another squad arrived with news of the defeat of House House Wendal.
The attacker's description matches with Robert's killer.
His father noticed too, and as a result now the attack has an additional objective: assassinate the Masked Knight!
They have warned their troops about the danger said knight represents as well as the reward they would have if they put down the "rabid dog".
They also warned the Bartfort, as it is most likely them who will be the ones to put it down.
Shaking his head he looks at the map of the capital he was in charge of controlling.
He has his own job to do and he won't fail, he will capture the Royal Homfort Academy and the Noble district to secure hostages to control the loyalists outside the capital.