TSMMT Ch 64

Due Respect

The shock wasn't grand, yet her head throbbed from the impact of rolling with the person who held her waist. She gasped heavily for breath. Pain wracked her entire body. She placed her hand against the chest of the man who caught her.

Dianna then looked down at Guiscard pinned beneath her. He raised his gaze to meet her face. For some reason, the moment their eyes locked, he also froze.

Only then did she look at his face properly. In the past, she believed he had fully matured, yet his features retained a striking youthfulness. Why was it that she didn't see the monster of her past life in his features, but rather the clumsy boy who struggled to protect her? Unconsciously, she followed his gaze.

[Knight] "Your Majesty. Please handle the situation."

Dianna snapped back to her senses at the man's words and stood up. Guiscard also rose to his feet.

[Knight] "Shall I order the archers to stand by?"

[Guiscard] "No."

Guiscard gestured a firm refusal. He extended a hand toward a nearby knight, who immediately brought a spear. The weapon was a massive battle spear, as heavy as Dianna's wrist and as long as her entire height.

[Knight] "You will get hurt if you stay there. Move this way."

A trace of irritation colored the man's tone as he urged her forward. Dianna moved to the side. She glanced at the knight, who furrowed his brow and avoided her gaze.

Guiscard gripped the massive spear and strode forward. The spear tip scraped against the ground with a harsh metallic sound. Soon, he took his stance.

Tense muscles rippled across his frame. With immense force, he hurled the spear. The projectile cut through the air, creating a whistling gale. The weapon flew at incredible speed, piercing the wyvern mid-air. A rain of blood poured down.

[Beast] "Aaaargh!"

The beast shrieked in absolute agony and died. Simultaneously, another wyvern let out its death rattle.

Dianna watched Guiscard with wide eyes. She had seen him wield a sword before, but she had never witnessed such pure, raw strength. Hurling a heavy battle spear rather than a short javelin to pierce a monster—he killed it effortlessly. Indeed, even in his second life, he possessed the capability to slay a poison dragon.

Guiscard looked at Dianna, then let out a soft exclamation as a sudden realization struck him. She was a complete mess. Everyone suffered from the chaos, but the problem lay in the wyvern's blood that had sprayed directly near her. Consequently, her clothes were thoroughly stained with blood.

She looked down at her wretched state. Guiscard took a cloth from an attendant and carefully wiped the blood from her skin. Dianna silently accepted his touch. The monster's dying shriek still echoed in her ears.

[Guiscard] "Jumping off so suddenly—did you want to die that badly?"

Cold rage filled his voice.

[Dianna] "Isn't it better to leap to my death than be eaten alive?"

She scoffed. A heavy sigh escaped him. She wanted to return to the carriage, but the vehicle faced utter destruction during the violent attack. She let out a low sigh and faced him.

[Dianna] "I really didn't want to say this…… Is the King's march always this brutal?"

Matters were never this severe in Panborough. Though she nearly died during the monster subjugation of Taillach in the past, it was nothing like this. Irritation flared within her despite the danger, entirely uncontrollable. Even as she spoke, she braced herself to hear a sarcastic retort, as expected of a sheltered noble lady.

Yet Guiscard looked away, actively avoiding her gaze. She never expected the path of a criminal to be covered in rose petals, but the road forced even the King and his knights to endure severe hardship. Why did he choose to suffer such unnecessary misery?

[Logaple] "I shall bring the horses!"

Logaple shouted.

They would have to ride on horseback. The soldiers quickly cleared the scene. Injuries existed among the ranks, but no fatalities occurred. The knights glanced at Dianna with strange expressions, exchanging silent signals.

She frowned as the men mounted their steeds. The carriage horses had all suffered injuries, leaving them with no spare mounts. As she approached Logaple to request a seat, a rough hand gripped her wrist. Before she could turn around, hands clamped around her waist, lifting her directly onto a horse.

Guiscard spoke to her with a silent gaze.

[Guiscard] "I will procure a new carriage at the next city. The same goes for clothes."

[Dianna] "……."

She said nothing.

New clothes? A new carriage? Am I supposed to feel relieved that he didn't bind my hands and drag me behind him?

Guiscard swung onto the horse, settling firmly behind Dianna.

They were not even passing through the Abyss Forest, so the reason behind this monster raid remained a mystery. The timeline differed dramatically from her previous life. She used to focus solely on how to end her life, but the current situation left no time to contemplate suicide.

Dianna adjusted her riding posture and let out an inaudible sigh. Exhaustion consumed her, and a cold shiver ran through her body. Yet she refused to show a pathetic collapse in front of these men.

The massive, mountain-like frame of the man pressed behind her. The wind blew, sending her strands of hair against his hand. He flinched at the touch, but she was too tired to care.

---

[Knight] "What…… what on earth is happening?"

One of the Vargrhati knights spoke, staring at Guiscard and Dianna.

Dianna Brienne, the eldest daughter of the Panborough ducal house. Since her wanted posters were widely distributed, everyone knew her face well. Yet the King intended to take that woman as his wife? The notion defied belief.

Moreover, her attitude was utterly baffling. Complaining, grumbling, and wearing a sullen expression—she behaved insolently even toward His Majesty. Whenever the King spoke to her, she answered quietly. Her face betrayed no anger, sorrow, or fear.

[Knight] "She still treats His Majesty like a slave."

[Knight] "The daughter of a criminal……"

The knights ground their teeth as they watched the pair. The sole reason their anger mounted was Guiscard's strange demeanor; their formidable leader and king was completely flustered around her.

[Logaple] "His Majesty must deeply love her……"

Logaple muttered with a bright smile. The surrounding knights immediately glared at the boy.

[Knight] "What utter nonsense."

[Logaple] "But the lady is the one who saved His Majesty's life."

[Knight] "But she is also the bloodline of the man who made His Majesty that way."

The knights spoke with strict authority.

Nobility values blood above all else. The sins of the father are inherited by the children as a matter of course. Dianna Brienne should have died alongside Duke Brienne. Yet she fled and attempted to kill herself. Seeking death to escape punishment was a sin in itself.

[Logaple] "Oh come on, she released him because she refused to agree with her father's ways."

Logaple defended Dianna.

[Inez] "You are taking her side far too much, you little brat!"

Inez, a knight close to Logaple, wrapped an arm around the boy's neck.

[Logaple] "She wasn't a bad person. And she has spirit."

[Inez] "Huh?"

[Logaple] "I marveled when she leaped into the open air without hesitation when the wyvern nearly dragged her away alive. What ordinary woman would do that?"

What woman would jump without a second thought in that horrific situation? They expected a weak Panborough noble, yet she possessed sheer grit. Even the knights had to acknowledge her bold courage. The Lodbrog Kingdom valued bravery above all else.

[Inez] "Right, you punk. If only you, Sid, had not neglected the carriage guard."

One of the knights responsible for the carriage guard faced immediate scolding.

[Sid] "Ugh, I-I am sorry!"

---

[Logaple] "We have arrived."

At his words, Dianna opened the carriage window. A cool breeze blew. She stepped down from the vehicle. Finally, the capital filled her sight. The city was bleak compared to the glittering luxury of Panborough.

The Lodbrog Kingdom operated under harsh realities. Their resources were scarce, and survival always came first, so urban development never mirrored a luxurious paradise. The only well-constructed feature was the wide, open roads cutting through every region, which were built for military campaigns.

She watched the citizens staring at her.

[Logaple] "This place is quite different from luxurious Panborough, is it not?"

[Dianna] "Yes."

She offered a faint smile as she looked at Ruthfield.

We have finally arrived. In this hell.

Since it was the capital, the roads were well-paved, allowing the carriage to run smoothly and exceedingly fast.

The stopped vehicle was left alone for a long time. The loud voices of the crowd echoed through the square. Logaple had already stepped down to clear the path, leaving Dianna lost in thought inside the carriage.

Despair and suicidal urges regarding her bleak future, which had faded during the exhausting journey, slowly began to rear their heads again.

Now, the royal palace stood before her—the genesis of her humiliation. How should she die? She wanted to die before a slave's collar bound her neck. She refused to become a trophy, forced to marry while facing the mockery of the crowd. Dragged around like a puppet of fate, she lost all strength to stand.

Suddenly, the door creaked open.

[Guiscard] "Step down."

[Dianna] "……."

Guiscard extended his hand. Strange. In this exact moment, Dianna realized something had changed.

It differed completely from when she arrived sick and groaning in her past life. Back then, no polite guidance greeted her; she arrived carried like a piece of luggage. Even while groaning in illness, her wrists remained bound. But now, her hands were free, and she held his hand as she stepped down.

It was due respect.

She weakly clasped his hand. Facing the sunlight, she half-closed her eyes. Guiscard tightly squeezed the hand he held.

It was strange. In her past life, rain fell continuously. Even when she was captured and dragged away by him, rain poured down. But now, the weather was bright and clear.

The overarching framework of destiny remained, but the person within it had begun to change.

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