Can't Come Back - Chapter 57

“Let’s go inside.”

Berlia followed his instructions and entered the barracks where wounded troops lay. The odor of blood and medicinal herbs pricked her nose. A woman with black hair was rushing around, tending to the injured. She appeared to be the sole one caring for the many injured soldiers, a glaringly insufficient number.

“Leona, we have some people here to help.”

Leona, changing a soldier’s bandages, raised her head to gaze at Berlia and Angela. Leona approached and greeted them after completing her current work.

“Thank you for traveling such a long distance. My name is Leona.”

“I’m Angela.”

“I’m Berlia.”

“Ah, yes, you are…”

Leona interrupted herself. She’d heard Duchess Hildayden was on her way. Berlia had a polished appearance. While she wasn’t sure why a noblewoman had come here, she wondered whether she could assist.

‘She must have had excellent intentions, but…’

Leona was nervous.

“How can we assist you?”

Berlia rolled up her sleeves and inquired, unaware of Leona’s feelings.

“You can assist by changing bandages, disinfecting wounds, etc. The essentials are over here.”

“Understood.”

Angela and Berlia began assisting, ministering to the wounded after receiving brief instructions from Leona. 

The injuries were even worse than they had anticipated. Berlia, on the other hand, worked quietly and without complaint.

‘The reason I came here is… Cain. I need to work much harder.’

Berlia was more than just coming to assist the injured. Others, unaware that she was a duchess, lauded her for her remarkable service spirit. But the truth was that she came here to suffer alongside Cain.

She felt terrible about it and thought she needed to try more to prevent bothering others.

* * *

“It seems like breaking through here would be the end, but there’s no gap.”

“Talisbon  has concentrated all of their forces on this last front.”

Meanwhile, Cain was preoccupied with a conference, oblivious of Berlia’s arrival. The Kingdom of Talisbon’s last bastion refused to collapse, which was frustrating.

The Talisbon force was substantially depleted due to Notium’s persistent onslaught.

Talisbon would surely fall if they won a considerable victory now. The front line, on the other hand, refused to move. They appeared to have gathered all of their forces and stood firm. Cain was bottomless in thinking about breaking them and securing the complete triumph.

Despite the knight’s and nobles’ efforts, no solution was discovered.

“For now, let’s keep an eye on the situation.”

“Understood.”

Cain sighed and headed outside the tent after the meeting was finished. The cold night air brushed against his skin. It was already daylight.

‘If things keep going like this, I’m not sure when I’ll be able to return to Hildayden.’

Cain wished he could get back to Berlia as soon as possible. Tasylbron, on the other hand, remained unmovable. He would be able to meet Berlia if he could rapidly defeat Tasylbron. Cain sighed once more.

One of his subordinates waiting outside for him spoke out at that point.

“My Lord, Duchess Hildayden has arrived.”

“…What?”

Cain questioned his ears. Berlia had arrived? Had he misheard something?

‘There’s no way Berlia could be here. Maybe it’s because I miss her so terribly that I’m hearing things.’

Cain had missed her so much that he feared he was having hallucinations.

“Duchess Hildayden volunteered to care for the soldiers who had been injured. She has arrived at the tent.”

Cain, however, was already on his way to where she was after hearing the soldier’s words.

‘Berlia is here.’

Cain peeked around, and a familiar blonde hair caught his attention. His heart was racing. Cain called out Berlia’s name softly.

“Berlia…?!”

It was an all-too-familiar voice to Berlia. A voice that made her pleased every time. How could she have missed it? She turned her head in the direction of Cain’s voice. The person she had wished to see was right in front of her.

“Cain…!”

Berlia raced to Cain as she saw him. Cain embraced her tightly, ignoring the stares of others.

“I’ve missed you.”

Berlia smiled as she looked up at Cain. She appeared to be content. Despite the long journey, she was delighted she came to visit him. It felt good to be by his side.

“Why did you come all the way here?”

Cain was concerned as he stared at Berlia. This was a battleground. Anything may happen, putting her at risk.

“I came here because you’re here.”

“Even so, it’s risky. We might be assaulted, or you might get harmed. Plus…”

“It’s okay, Cain.”

Berlia’s eyes were serene. There was no indication of concern. It was because Cain was right in front of her. Everyone in the room watched as she carefully reached out and hugged him.

“Lord Cain must have missed the Duchess terribly. After all, they are the last remaining family.”

Leona was aware that Berlia and Cain had a sister-in-law and brother-in-law relationship. Even though they were the last of the Hildayden bloodline, she found it weird to see such fondness between family members who were not blood-related.

“That’s exactly right.”

Angela agreed with a nod. Angela could tell by looking at Cain that he was the precious guy Berlia mentioned. Cain’s expression on Berlia was also that of a loving pair.

Because Cain is Duke Hildayden and Berlia is Duchess Hildayden, Angela assumed they were married. 

Even though they saw the identical scene, Leona and Angela had very different impressions. 

* * *

“Sister!”

“Kelton!”

Angela’s younger brother, by chance, was also staying where Cain was. Fortunately, he was not killed or harmed, and the two could reconnect safely. Berlia has been on the frontlines for two weeks. Talisbon, on the other hand, was unmovable. The current condition irritated the leaders, notably Cain. 

“…Staying like this seems meaningless.”

“Why not gather the soldiers from the rear to the front and push forward all at once?”

“I concur as well. That is the best option.

After much deliberation, they chose to concentrate their forces on the frontlines. It was pointless to assault from behind and waste time. 

Soldiers from the rear moved to the front due to their decision. Only a tiny handful of men remained in the back.

Women who volunteered to care for the soldiers gathered as well.

“It’s not quite as busy these days.”

“What else can we do? There has been no conflict with Talisbon since we arrived.”

Things were much quieter than when they first arrived. There had been no significant conflicts in the previous two weeks.

“It’s good that there are no major problems, but the lack of change is also frustrating.”

“However, I hope everyone arrives safely and without injuries.”

A dish breaks when three women get together. Six women had assembled here. They appeared to have grown close as they began to converse easily.

“But isn’t Duke Cain handsome?”

“I mean… I just wish I could hug him once.”

“Doesn’t everyone have the same taste? He’s right with his strong build, well-defined nose, and those eyes!”

Their conversation quickly switched to Cain. All of the women agreed that Cain was indeed attractive.

‘What are they discussing?’

When Cain’s name was mentioned, Angela, who was talking with them, twisted her head in embarrassment. Berlia, thankfully, was not present. Angela chastised the ladies.

“What are you all discussing? It’s impolite to say such things about a married person.”

“…What? Does Duke Cain have a wife?”

“Of course. Didn’t you realize? His wife is Duchess Hildayden, whom you saw previously. How do you not realize this? Anyone can tell they’re in a relationship.”

Angela chastised them.

“I’m sorry, Angela. What are you saying?”

Angela’s reply, on the other hand, was utterly unexpected.

“Do you think they’re a couple? Duke Cain is a bachelor, you know?”

Duke Cain Hildayden is unmarried? Angela was perplexed by what she had just heard. When there is a Duchess Hildayden, how could the Duke not be married?

“But, she was addressed as Duchess Hildayden…”

The woman who had named Cain seemed to comprehend and nodded when she heard Angela’s statements.

“I can see why you could think that. When I moved here, I believed the same thing, but after hearing the stories, I realized that wasn’t the truth. I mistook two unrelated people for married.”

She continued to explain.

“Duke Hildayden was originally Duke Cain’s older brother. He died during the war, and the title was passed on to the present Duke Cain Hildayden.”

“So…”

“Yes. They are simply family. The deceased Duke’s younger brother and the deceased Duke’s wife.”

Angela was taken aback for a time. She’d had a misunderstanding. Berlia, come to think of it, never said that the wonderful person she was about to see was a lover. Furthermore, Angela had only guessed that her precious person was Cain.

‘But those expressions were definitely…’

Angela, on the other hand, was baffled. Anyone would have assumed they were lovers based on how they had embraced and looked at each other the previous time. Could a sister-in-law and brother-in-law have such a loving relationship? She shook her head, perplexed.

“Anyway, Angela, saying such things is impolite to both. They are mistaken for a married couple. How did you come across such an odd relationship?”

“Ah, yes… Right…”

Despite her reservations, Angela did not pursue the subject further. All she could do was admit she had been wrong.