Once Her Betrothed, Now Her Judge Chapter 09
[Gideon’s POV]
The empress said, “General Ward, I am in my prime. I can ride into battle with you.”
I looked at the scholarly, dignified empress practically itching to join the fight, and hurried to find the right words. “Your Majesty, I’m sure you have the courage to stand alone against thousands of men. But these barbarians are nothing worth troubling your divine might over.”
I calmly issued my orders, and the soldiers hidden in ambush all around us surged out to counterattack. Very quickly, the enemy cavalry’s momentum shattered, and their losses mounted horribly.
Winona stared blankly as things played out and murmured, “So you really are a general. How much suffering have you gone through all these years?”
Thinking of how she’d let herself be played for a fool by a spy, only to give up a true hidden gem, she slapped herself hard across the face several times.
The sounds of battle raged on for a full day and night. The entire field became a river of blood.
Facing the never-ending waves of enemy horsemen, I fought like a madman, leading my personal guard in a desperate charge to break through their lines.
Finally, when the very last of us had fallen, I managed to escort the empress safely back to join up with the main
army.
“General Ward, you have saved me. I’ll reward you handsomely for it. Whatever reward you desire, just say the word,” she said.
Gratitude colored her tone as she spoke. She turned back, only to see that I had not dismounted. “Gideon, you…”
I wiped the blood from my face and gave a faint smile. “Your Majesty, all my brothers-in-arms have fallen on the battlefield. My war isn’t over yet. From this moment on, I can no longer walk this path with you.”
With that, I gave her a salute. Then, I charged alone back into the enemy ranks with no one and nothing but the horse I rode.
A month later, in the palace’s Aurum Hall in Crona, the empress sat on the throne. The atmosphere was heavy, and she didn’t say a single word.
Below, the officials shifted nervously, their eyes constantly flicking toward the palace doors, as if they were waiting for some news.
“Urgent dispatch from the front lines! A great victory at the border!” A clear, ringing shout suddenly echoed through the court.
The empress’ head snapped up. She sprang to her feet, her eyes blazing with excitement.
“Hurry, let him in!”
Soon, the courier, caked in dust from the road, stumbled into the hall and dropped to his knees. “Your Majesty, I bring good news from the border. General Gideon Ward’s strategy was unmatched. He coordinated with the archery corps and defeated the enemy.
“The Horindeans’ main force has been annihilated during this battle. The frontier will not know war for the next
century.”
The moment his words fell, an uproar erupted throughout the court. Officials from every rank shouted in praise of me, calling my valor divine and my tactics the salvation of the realm.
But the empress didn’t respond. Her eyes were fixed on the courier’s clothing-he was dressed head to toe in plain black mourning garb.
“You do realize that appearing in mourning before the throne is a grave offense?” Her voice trembled as she spoke. “W-Who is it? Which commander fell in battle?”
The courier hesitated. When he finally looked up again, his face was streaked with tears. “Your Majesty… It was General Ward. Gideon Ward.”
The empress was silent for a long time. Then, she exploded. “That’s nonsense! How could it be him? You just said he and the archery corps fought side by side… Yes, the archery corps. Where are they?”
Hearing her voice crack and falter, the commanding officer of the archery corps felt a sharp sting behind his eyes. “Your Majesty, I-”
She cut him off. “I want to know how you supported General Ward. Where is he now?”
“I… I never got the chance to meet up with him,” the commanding officer choked out. “He didn’t bring a single soldier with him. He charged alone straight into the enemy’s heart. His orders to me were to keep shooting. As soon as we saw a flash of his white cloak, we were to shoot our arrows at him. Wherever that white moved, a storm of arrows had to follow.”
The empress jolted. She suddenly remembered that the day I had turned my horse back and ridden alone into the enemy ranks after saving her, I’d been wearing a white cloak.
But she knew I never wore white because it was like a wedding robe. That had always been my deepest, unhealed
wound.
