TSMMT Ch 105
Calculated Flight
[Guiscard] "Things will get busy starting next week."
He spoke quietly. Dianna raised her chin from her potato soup.
For several days, he had continuously attempted to initiate conversation with her. She remembered their suffocating meals from her past life. She watched him initiate conversation, awkward though it was.
A period of self-reflection......
Revius had claimed Guiscard was undergoing self-reflection. She didn't understand what he reflected upon. Nor did she understand how he practiced this self-reflection.
He had apologized to her, but beyond that... was staying away from her bedchamber his way of reflecting?
Was that the extent of his self-reflection?
Dianna startled herself by naturally thinking about sharing a bed. Considering that self-reflection was a bizarre train of thought.
I must be losing my mind lately......
She accepted that her thoughts were irrational. Even in her past life, they had never shared a tender physical relationship. The same held true now. Considering his absence from her bed, self-reflection was absurd.
Dianna wore an embarrassed expression.
[Guiscard] "I know you hold no interest in me."
You hold little interest in me either, do you not?
She set her spoon down and wiped her lips.
[Dianna] "Does Your Majesty hold great interest in me?"
[Guiscard] "More than you hold in me."
His blunt reply forced a dry laugh from her.
Guiscard had been absent for three months without sending a single letter. Yet he claimed to hold great interest. Naturally, she swallowed her unspoken words.
[Guiscard] "Are you familiar with the tradition known as the March Parade?"
[Dianna] "You mean the parade held every spring. I know every event of the Lodbrog Kingdom."
A festival featuring the King's knights, the royal knights, and the ducal knights.
Because women held no place in this event, Dianna remained free from preparation duties.
The ceremony showcased who possessed greater valor. Parading through the capital's five grand avenues, the knights displayed their strength in gleaming armor.
Unlike Panborough, which enjoyed Taillach and the Tally Ball during winter before welcoming the rejuvenated spring goddess Brita with a flower festival, this event was a simple, plain parade.
However, observing the ducal and royal knights' march made it a significant event, attracting every noble in Lodbrog and visitors from friendly foreign lands.
[Dianna] "Do distinguished guests attend?"
[Guiscard] "No. That is not the case. You have nothing to prepare."
[Dianna] "......"
[Guiscard] "I hope you cause no trouble."
She studied his face. Does he know something?
Guiscard stared intently at her face.
[Dianna] "I will cause no trouble."
[Guiscard] "......"
[Dianna] "Since it is a festival, I wish to venture outside as well."
[Guiscard] "Regrettably, that is......"
[Dianna] "Yes, only men may participate in this festival. I know."
She nodded.
Recalling the parade, she fell into deep thought. In her past life, Mirva had exploited this exact moment.
When the palace stood quiet and deserted. It was the ideal moment for a conspiracy to unfold.
The March Parade approached.
For several days, the entire palace bustled with restless energy. The Vargrhati Order, in particular, practiced their marching drills relentlessly.
Upon hearing that everyone in the palace had departed for the event, Mirva declared that all preparations were complete.
[Mirva] "I prepared everything. My Lady only needs to come."
Does this woman take me for a naive fool?
She observed Mirva. She recognized her malice. Though Mirva enticed Dianna with sweet words, she was driving a wedge between her and others.
Even so, Dianna wanted to see what Mirva had done to her in her past life. How she had tormented her and harmed her. Had Mirva genuinely wanted to help her escape back then? Was Mirva sincere at the very end?
I knew she was not.
Dianna put on the clothes Mirva offered. The maids deliberately avoided her quarters, making her escape from the palace effortless.
The palace remained deserted. Though Dianna had reduced the staff previously, everyone had gone to watch the March Parade. Only foot soldiers and a handful of knights guarded the palace grounds.
Few people recognized her face. Disguised in maid attire, Dianna followed beside Mirva.
The two women exited the palace without difficulty. The situation differed entirely from her past life.
[Mirva] "We are out!"
She smiled brightly.
[Mirva] "My Lady, trust only me."
Dianna exited the palace and walked the capital streets. Except for the main parade route, crowds packed every avenue, providing ideal cover to slip away unnoticed.
[Dianna] "Where are we going?"
Dianna deliberately slowed her pace.
[Mirva] "Follow me."
She pulled Dianna's hand with rough force. Observing the harsh grip on her wrist, she quietly followed Mirva.
The moment she concluded that Mirva had lacked sincerity in her past life, a single realization locked in her mind.
Someone stands behind her.
The mastermind's identity was obvious. Levian had brought Mirva here. Thus, the situation worked out even better.
[Dianna] "W-Wait, Mirva. You are moving too fast."
[Mirva] "Hurry up!"
Dianna tried to resist, but Mirva pulled with immense strength, dragging her frail frame forward.
Turning into an alley away from the parade route, the crowd thinned. Because festivals were rare in Lodbrog, the public enthusiasm was immense.
At the end of the alley, a suspicious carriage waited.
I must board that carriage.
Dianna's heart pounded. She approached the spot where Mirva led her. And......
[Dianna] "Kyaah!"
She screamed as someone dragged her inside the carriage.
[Leonie] "Hurry up!"
Leonie shouted, anxiety coloring her features. Naturally so, as Dianna and Mirva had vanished into the dense crowd.
[Logaple] "I am watching!"
He spoke with irritation.
[Bill] "Good grief. Why am I dragged into this too?"
[Logaple] "Because you are the only Vargrhati knight excluded from the March Parade."
Bill exhaled a heavy sigh. Ever since falling out of Guiscard's favor, Bill's life had turned grueling.
Meanwhile, Logaple gritted his teeth. Dianna's plan had unfolded precisely like a prophecy.
[Dianna] "Mirva will lure me outside."
[Leonie] "......"
[Dianna] "She can't leave the capital on foot, so she will board a carriage."
[Leonie] "......"
[Dianna] "Capture that carriage directly. She will meet an accomplice. That will yield a clue revealing who stands behind her. I will mark the carriage."
Recalling the 'mastermind' whom everyone suspected—Levian—Leonie smiled. Yet she knitted her brows simultaneously.
Leonie had cooperated because Dianna took action. She had declared that she trusted Leonie's intelligence.
Yet why did she go to such lengths? Was she entrusting herself to an excessively dangerous gamble?
[Dianna] "Unless I do this, I can't drive that woman away."
Those words lingered strangely in her mind. Anyone could see that Levian coveted Dianna's position and placed her in danger.
[Leonie] "Ah, I don't care anymore!"
What if the King exploded in rage? He could punish her, Logaple, and Bill immediately.
Yet Leonie remained here because she instinctively recognized the power dynamic. Judging by recent events, the King was helpless before Dianna.
[Dianna] "Lady Kragel, state that you accidentally witnessed Mirva kidnapping me and informed Sir Logaple. Also, report my disappearance to the palace to trigger an emergency state."
[Leonie] "......Is that scenario not far too flimsy?"
[Dianna] "I have already recruited someone to handle the aftermath."
They chose to trust Dianna. Had she not slain Echidnas since childhood and driven away swarms of gargoyles with a beginner's bow? She would be fine, certainly.
Just then, a voice echoed from behind them.
[Guiscard] "Is the tracking proceeding well?"
Beholding his sinister purple eyes, their faces turned pale white.
[Mirva] "How does it feel inside here?"
She observed Dianna, who lay bound on the floor. Two burly men inside the large cargo carriage had bound her instantly.
When Dianna glared at her, Mirva offered a bright smile. A gag stuffed in Dianna's mouth prevented her from speaking.
Cruelty painted her face. Mirva raised her hand and struck Dianna's cheek. The blow shifted the gag slightly, allowing her to speak.
Dianna had already ordered her spirit to mark the carriage.
[Dianna] "Mirva. How can you do this to me?"
Ah, her tone lacked the betrayal she intended. Her flat delivery sounded as though she recited lines from a book. Yet Mirva burst into laughter, satisfied nonetheless.
[Mirva] "How can I do this to you? Ha! This is why foolish noble ladies are useless...... Do you think I would ever leave you alone?"
Her eyes flared with intense rage.
[Mirva] "Emil ended up like that because of you! Because you set that bastard free!"
[Dianna] "......"
[Mirva] "My Emil was supposed to live a prosperous, happy life!"
[Dianna] "It is not my fault that your bastard son became a eunuch, Mirva."
Slap!
Unable to control her rage after hearing that provocation, Mirva struck Dianna across the face.
Guiscard had not killed Emil as he had in her past life. Instead, he severed Emil's groin, rendering him permanently incapable of producing an heir. This marked the effective extinction of the Brienne house.
[Mirva] "Lady Ann."
She spoke tenderly, lifting Dianna's chin.
[Mirva] "I am sorry. I will not strike you anymore. My promise to return you is absolute."
[Dianna] "......"
[Mirva] "Young Master Emil awaits you."
At those words, Dianna's heart thudded violently.
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