DDW 5

“Do you swear before the holy cross to speak nothing but the truth, without a single lie?”

“I swear.”

The conclusion of the wedding ceremony was a vow taken while standing barefoot. It signified appearing before God as a humble servant.

“I ask Mirane Raster. Do you swear to trust your partner as a spouse and to always be honest?”

“I swear.”

The first was the vow of faith.

“I ask Mirane Raster. Do you swear to be devoted to your partner as a spouse and to remain faithful?”

“I swear.”

The second was the vow of chastity.

“I ask Mirane Raster. Do you swear to love your partner as a spouse and to cherish them as your own life?”

The final was the vow of love.

The young man standing before the priest, dressed in a blue knight’s uniform, hesitated for a moment. He was a beautiful youth with soft, light brown hair and warm green eyes. The knight’s uniform, adorned with sharp medals, represented his proud past and revealed his former rank.

The brown-haired youth was Mirane. The man standing beside him glanced at him. Mirane snapped back to his senses at that gaze and spoke.

“I swear.”

The priest nodded slightly and turned to look at the man. The priest’s gentle voice echoed softly through the cathedral.

“Do you swear before the holy cross to speak nothing but the truth, without a single lie?”

The answer came from beside Mirane.

“I do.”

At that moment, Mirane was thinking of something completely unrelated.

‘The smell of ink.’

The bishop continued.

“I ask Castell von Wallenstein. Do you swear to trust your partner as a spouse and to always be honest?”

The Grand Duke slowly parted his lips.

“I do.”

The Obert Empire was located at the northernmost tip of the continent, and the Wicker estate was situated to the north of Obert. The area of the estate was nearly one-third the size of the empire. However, most of the land consisted of rugged terrain unsuitable for cultivation, and since it was frequently attacked by magical beasts descending from the Kirgis Mountains, there were few habitable areas for humans.

‘Winter in the north of the northern lands, indeed.’

Clop. Clop.

A carriage was crossing the frozen plains. A pearl-colored carriage drawn by four white horses, accompanied by an escort procession. A young man with brown hair that lightly covered the nape of his neck gazed silently out the carriage window. The youth’s face, glimpsed occasionally, was quite handsome, with a pleasant impression that was not overly flamboyant.

Unlike in the city, the young man was staring out at the vast plains, where there were no obstacles to block his view.

At the edge of those plains, soft emerald eyes shone beautifully as they looked toward the distance.

The former captain of the empire’s 3rd knight order, Mirane Raster.

The man who would become the consort of Grand Duke Wallenstein in the future.

And currently, a lonely knight wandering between the future and the past.

The youth was recalling the past.

‘…As a spy.’

A shadow cast over Mirane’s face as he became lost in thought. The final words Count Raster had spat at his departing son flashed through his mind.

—I trust you will do your job well, just as you did in the capital. Mirane.

—Father.

Toward Mirane, who questioned him in surprise, the Count uttered cruel words until the very end.

—Keep a close eye on the Grand Duke. Mirane Read on Read BL NovelsRaster. Keep in mind that even [unauthorized copy]if your surname becomes Wallenstein, you are my son.

Thus, the Count had spoken such harsh words to his son as he sent him away. Those words were the only familial affection that existed between Mirane and the Count.

Mirane maintained a long silence, staring out the window. The sky was a deep violet, and the line where it met the ice-covered plains was distinct. The moment a deep blue ripple shimmered across the sky, Mirane’s eyes widened and he murmured.

“What is that?”

The sky filled his vision. Countless stars had gathered into one, creating a ripple. A white flame, like a comet soaring upward in the pitch-black night sky. The moment he saw the shimmering light covering the sky like a curtain, Mirane groaned, feeling a grand emotion spreading through his chest.

The bodyguard beside the carriage leaned in and spoke.

“It is the aurora.”

Stardust flickered in his sight. The beautiful flames embroidering the winter night shone brilliantly, and Mirane let out a low moan, staring at them with a spellbound expression.

‘The land of Wicker.’

In the magnificent purple sky, there were wandering stars and a tent covering them.

Overwhelmed by the spectacle created by nature, Mirane could not tear his gaze away from the sky. With flushed cheeks and clear, shining eyes, he spent the night staring at the night sky until the day before he entered Wicker Castle.

He thought that it felt as if Wicker was welcoming him.

The carriage arrived at the Grand Duke’s mansion only after a full moon had passed.

Mirane had gone through countless thoughts inside the carriage and suffered from his father’s hint. Mirane and a spy—they were words that did not suit each other at all. Everyone in the capital would have laughed. He did not know how to deceive people through dishonest means. The dirty affairs of politics were far removed from Mirane.

However, Mirane knew his father, and he knew the authority of his commands. He also knew how ruthless the man could be.

Having lived under an authoritarian father for over twenty years, the son habitually followed his words. It was a learned obedience, something close to resignation.

Thus, clutching a wavering heart that knew neither where to turn nor what to do, Mirane maintained a somber expression in the carriage heading to Wicker. The agonizing unauthorized copyRead on Read BL Novelsyouth looked at Wicker Castle with a dark face. He was currently arriving at the mansion. To be precise, he was crossing the bridge.

‘So this is Wallenstein Castle…’

A strange light flickered in the light green eyes looking out the window. Mirane swallowed his surprise as he looked at the pointed spires of Wicker and the grand bridge connecting wall to wall. He had not expected architecture as flamboyant as that of the capital. After all, Wicker retained an old temperament and had a different atmosphere from the capital. Since it was a place that valued tradition, he had expected the facilities to be outdated.

However, Wicker Castle was quite different from what he had imagined.

Wicker Castle was a gloomy building, devoid of superficial decorations, yet it was by no means crude or rustic. A castle with high spires and a unified color of deep black walls. Somehow, the architecture, which matched Wicker’s dark sky, had a sense of grandeur and showed no signs of aging.

Rather, it was an antique castle that suited Wicker perfectly. It possessed a sophisticated quality that was enough to baffle Mirane.

It was while he was staring, as if possessed, at the castle that differed from his expectations. Having been lost in thought, Mirane suddenly noticed people standing in a line outside the castle gate and flinched. This happened while the carriage was crossing the middle of the bridge.

‘Knights?’

Examining the crowded group closely, Mirane could tell they were wearing armor by the way the sunlight shattered into white fragments upon them. Their identities, which initially looked like mere dots, were revealed in detail as the [stolen content]distance [unauthorized copy]closed. They were [stolen content]the mansion’s employees and the lined-up private soldiers welcoming Mirane. A group of slightly over a hundred people.

Is the Grand Duke there?

As he searched carefully, Mirane suddenly frowned. It was because he noticed the Grand Duke’s absence. No matter where he looked, the crest of the Wicker Grand Ducal house was not visible. The flags fluttering in the wind only bore crests presumed to belong to vassals, such as owls, roses, and wolves. And as he observed them, a strange light flickered in Mirane’s eyes.

The number of vassals is too small.

“Hmm.”

Mirane’s face had grown stiff.

Since Wicker was adjacent to the Kirgis Mountains and was an area where magical beasts appeared, its lords had served as the Northern Wall for generations and were inevitably forced to maintain a powerful military. The monarch of Wicker was the empire’s shield, repelling the magical beasts descending from the mountains, and the Grand Duke enjoyed a prestige comparable to that of the Emperor.

And yet, there are only three banners?

‘That makes no sense.’

Even the number of knights for Count Raster’s house, who kept few vassals because he was a capital noble, exceeded ten. Surely, the knights of Wicker, a great provincial noble, would be more numerous than that.

However, there were only three fluttering flags, and the number of lined-up knights was woefully insufficient, around twenty.

The implication was obvious.

‘As expected, the Grand Duke does not welcome me.’

After a moment of agitation, Mirane composed himself as the carriage reached the end of the bridge.

Everything was as he had expected.

It was simply a bit disappointing.

Having settled his mind, [unauthorized copy]Mirane quickly scanned unauthorized copy[stolen content]the faces of the knights. When entering enemy territory, information is key.

Since the Grand Duke, who should have been there, could not be found among those welcoming him, Mirane had no choice but to focus on those who appeared to have the highest status.

His gaze landed on the three knights.