I Don’t Want to Be a Lady

Dozens of armed men surrounded me as I entered the canyon. I frowned at the tense atmosphere as if they were about to pull the trigger with their fingertips at any moment.

“Who’s the commander?”

“Who were you before that?”

Questions came from behind, not from those surrounding me. In response, I sneered and said, “Don’t hide behind. Come out, and let’s talk.”

My provocation made the men’s impression worse, and the atmosphere began to subside even further.

“Calm down. She just said the right thing.”

A half-gray-haired man appeared, passing over the men. He observed me with his long, slit eyes as if he couldn’t hide his curiosity, even though he was wary of me.

“Are you the commander?” I asked.

“To be honest, it’s not me. You can’t blindly let someone whose identity is unknown to meet the commander, right?” The man said politely in an air that was neither overbearing nor soft.

He’s someone with common sense. I looked down at the man from the horse and landed on the ground. “I apologize for being rude. I’m Baroness Devit of the Harpion Empire. I would like to speak with your commander.”

I introduced myself politely again. Since the other person was polite, I should respond accordingly.

“I see. Baroness of the Harpion Empire…”

A momentary disappointment passed by the man’s face. Then he faced me with a sharp look as if he could see through me. “I can’t trust it. Baroness of Harpion? I’ve never heard of it, and it was unlikely to happen. I’m sorry, but I can’t trust you.”

“I don’t have any trust. Baroness of Harpion? I’ve never heard of it, and it can’t happen. I’m sorry, but I can’t trust you.”

I wasn’t particularly offended by the man’s reasonable suspicion. When I received the title, Chewin Kingdom was in the middle of being invaded by Kelteman Empire, so they couldn’t have known the new of the empire being overturned.

“You may not believe it, but it is true. And I have come to give you a chance.”

“Chance?”

The man said with a sneer. “I was wondering what you were going to say. We’re not so pathetic as to beg for a chance at some Harpion’s dog that was caught by the Kelteman Empire.”

“I’ve never been caught.”

“We saw clearly that you came out of Kelteman camp.”

I shrugged my shoulders and said, “We’re just being together for a purpose. I have nothing to do with them.”

“Whatever your purpose is, it has nothing to do with us. I won’t take your life, so go away now.”

After finishing his speech, the man turned back as if he had no more business.

“You’ll regret it.”

At my words, the man, still with his back facing me, threatened me. “You will regret it if you make fun of your mouth any longer.”

I added another word to such a man. “Didn’t you bring me in because you wanted to live?”

“…”

The man who’s back facing me was Larut, the chancellor of the Chewin Kingdom. He had no choice but to be silent at my piercing words. In the end, Larut turned to me and asked with a cold face.  “What does that mean?”

“It’s literally. The proof is that I entered this canyon even though you knew I came from the Kelteman camp.”

Larut was silently staring at Ariane. I didn’t look away from his fierce gaze.

“You must have brought me in with some kind of expectation. Maybe you even hope that you can negotiate a treaty with Kelteman.”

“…”

My prediction was correct. A situation in which tens of thousands of Kelteman troops were stationed in front of a steep cliff with no way out from behind. There was not enough food or weapons to continue to fight. They continued to fight sluggishly, and in the end, they had no choice but to die.

At that moment, when they saw a messenger approaching from Kelteman camp, they harbored hopes just in case. However, it was disappointing when they learned that I was actually a baroness of the Harpion Empire, not a messenger.

My words stuck in Larut’s ears, who was trying to suppress his disappointment.

“If any members of the royal family are still alive, guide me to them. I promise in my honor that you will not be at a disadvantage.”

“Royal family?”

The word seeking of the royal family made Larut filled with anger. “I knew it! So you’re just a dog attached to the Kelteman Empire! You approached me to extract information about the royal family of Chewin Kingdom!”

At Larut’s glance, the men bound my arms and forced me to kneel.

“Ouch. At this rate, you’ll never get out alive.” I lifted my head, met my eyes with Larut, and threatened him.

“We cannot trust selfish and lax people like you Harpion. I informed you about this war and asked for help, but you refused immediately.”

As expected, Duke Krow knew about it but said he didn’t know.

“We were a friendly kingdom to the Harpion Empire. We accepted the Harpion Empire language and culture. But you always looked down on us, calling us barbarians, and finally pretended not to know when we asked for military aid!”

“You left out the fact that you invaded the Harpion Empire 50 years ago.”

At my words, Larut flinched for a moment, then sneaked away from my gaze.

“…It’s foolish to keep holding on to the past.”

I guess he still has a conscience just by looking at his voice, which has become so small.

As Larut said, we had to solve the current problem rather than what happened. I began to persuade Larut. “That was handled by Duke Krow arbitrarily. It’s something even our emperor didn’t know about.”

“Say something that makes sense. How can the duke handle such a matter arbitrarily and the emperor not know it!”

I spoke calmly, not too loud or too small, at Larut’s shout, which sounded again. “That’s because he intends to usurp the throne.”

After a while, Larut looked down at me and said something like a warning. “I cannot fully believe you. But there’s no other way. Keep in mind that the lives of our people are at stake.”

At Larut’s words, I smiled and replied. “I risked my life too.”

What’s wrong with his expression? Larut’s eyebrows twitched. Then he shook his head. He didn’t know if this woman was taking this precarious and urgent situation like it was just a game.

“Really. You’re a woman without a plan.”

“It’s you who have no countermeasures. There is no time. Let me see them.” I urged Larut. The time Dondon gave me is not much.

Larut glanced at me and turned his back. “Let her go.”

At Larut’s words, the men freed me and moved out of the way. I moved forward, breaking through their tenacious gazes of doubts and hopes.

* * *

It was in the mansion of Duke Krow. Someone was moving cautiously in the study without an owner.

“Shit! Where the hell did you put it?”

Count Yabai was searching throughout the duke’s study and uttering a curse.

“That damn old man hid it well.”

He immediately flopped down on the duke’s chair, put his feet on the desk, and murmured. “I’m sure he bought some land in my name.”

Yabai received an offer from the last meeting with Count Bornes. He only needed to find Duke Krow’s real estate sales contract and bring it to him.

Recently, Duke Krow had raked in a lot of money, and he knew that he had bought a house and land with that money. Even Yabai only knew about it from his wife, but it was a fact that no one knew externally.

If you owned more than three houses, your tax increased rapidly, and Duke Krow couldn’t afford to pay taxes on his many properties. There was a high probability that he bought it in someone else’s name.

Yabai didn’t know how Count Bornes found out, but this was also an opportunity for him. He could have benefited by finding the real estate sales contract and stealing only the sales contract in his and his wife’s names. It didn’t matter what the rest of the contract was. He had promised it for Count Bornes.

“If that arrogant old man gets overthrown, this duchy will be mine.”

On behalf of the duke’s son, who was still a minor, he would become the head of the Krow family and eventually officially take the duke’s place. It was a pity that a mere child like him gained a fortune, but there was nothing much he could do about it.

Drunk with the bright future that will unfold so soon, the study’s door burst open. Yabai was startled, lowered his feet, and jumped out from the seat. If Duke Krow saw this, he would be hit by him.

Is this damn old man here already? I heard there is definitely a noble meeting today. He was absent under the pretext of being unwell. As he was rolling his head, he heard a familiar voice.

“You, what are you doing here?”

It was Nuar, wife of Count Yabai.

“Is it you? Fyuh, I was so surprised!”

Yabai sat down on the chair again and blamed his wife. “You! Can’t you get up from there right now? If my father knows—”

Yabai replied, crumpling his face in annoyance. “I know it well, so be quiet. All the servants will come!”

When Yabai beckoned to close the door quickly, Nuar closed the door tactfully and approached him, and asked. “What on earth are you doing here without even attending today’s noble meeting?”

Yabai said, pressing his temples with both hands. “I was looking for some documents.”

“What documents? Why are you secretly looking for it like a thief when my father is not here?” She glanced at Yabai with suspicious eyes.

“Do you know where your father keeps his secret documents?”

At Yabai’s shameless question, Nuar raised her hands to cover her mouth, which opened in surprise. “Are you crazy? What nonsense is that? Get out of here now!”

When Nuar made a big fuss, Yabai hurriedly stood up, put his hand over her mouth, and whispered softly. “This is all for the best! Are you satisfied only being a countess? Can you accept that nasty little boy inheriting all this property and title?”

Nuar had no idea what her husband was trying to say. “What are you talking about?”

Yabai said clearly, staring into his wife’s eyes with eyes glistening in desire. “If you want to be a duchess, you’d better cooperate with me.”

“That, what does that…” Nuar’s eyes widened as if they would pop out. “Could it be you?”

Nuar wasn’t the kind of docile and obedient woman. She was a woman who knew how to find her own breakthrough, even though she was pessimistic about her situation, married to a man who had no control over the situation and only pressured her. She was a quick-witted and intelligent person.

Yabai knew her well. That’s why he firmly believed that she would agree with his plan. He then softly whispered to her. “Where is your father’s secret safe?”