Chapter 136 No Way to Repay
Anne nodded, "I know, so I accepted it. I believe even if Father and my brother were here, they would accept it too. After all, the revenge has been taken. Killing more people would only create more hatred. It's better to let go of this resentment and work towards a peaceful and beautiful future."
"So it seems you don't mind me arranging a meeting between you and Lady Manlis."
"Yes, and strictly speaking, I should thank you for your help in making it possible for me to meet her."
Anne smiled, her expression somewhat complicated. "I've always wanted to know what the Clapton family was thinking. Although Lady Manlis isn't the official leader, she introduced herself using Clapton instead of Burns, which shows she still has influence in the family. I'm already very grateful that she personally admitted the massacre of the Virlet family wasn't ordered by her."
Friedel looked at Anne quietly. "You believe what she said?"
"Actually, I believe what Father said. He mentioned the previous Duke Clapton before, saying both he and his wife were very proud people, but they wouldn't let hatred blind them into doing wrong things. They had that kind of wisdom and self-control. And nobles like that generally don't bother lying to others, especially since she's a mother."
Anne looked down at the teacup in her hands. "When a mother is dealing with matters involving her own child, even in madness she'll keep a shred of reason. It's exactly this reason that made Lady Manlis understand that hatred must be directed at those who truly made mistakes, not at killing innocents and causing more mothers to lose their beloved children."
Friedel poured himself a cup of water. "I was the one who handed Candy over."
Anne smiled helplessly. "Actually, you did try to protect Candy. She was the Knight Commander of the Soth Empire and one of our people, which is why you arranged for her to be in the third rotation team."
"But she chose to disobey orders and charge to the front, even breaking rules by entering another country's territory to chase deserters. I gave her a chance to live. Candy gave it up herself."
"Frol contacted me before the war started, saying their target was only Candy. If the Soth Empire cooperated, they wouldn't launch fierce attacks on our soldiers."
"At that time, I was thinking they rushed to the eastern battlefield probably just to calm the anger and resentment of their people. By contacting us this way, they could quickly reconcile with the Soth Empire. If they could gain your forgiveness, it would also let the people of Zotfort know that the hatred between both sides had been settled."
"I expected Viller Empire's defeat. With Zotfort's help, they'd grow overconfident against our attacks, but when Zotfort suddenly retreated, they'd be surrounded and forced to sign a peace treaty with us—Zotfort's compensation."
Anne nodded. She understood this situation when Zotfort suddenly blew the horn to retreat. This was one of the reasons she was willing to reconcile.
"Now Viller Empire has retreated back to their border. Both sides won't have any more wars for now. Father and my brother would be very happy about this."
Anne smiled at Friedel. "Thank you, Lord Friedel."
Friedel gazed at her deeply. "Don't thank me. You played a part in this too, and we have no way to share your pain. Anne, you're a very strong girl. You've accomplished what your father and brother couldn't. You should feel proud. Future songs will praise your sacrifice, and the heroes of the Virlet family will always be remembered."
Tears welled up in Anne's eyes, but she held them back. "You're right, this is the Virlet family's honor. But I still need to thank you. Without your approval, I wouldn't have been able to stay in the military camp so smoothly, let alone lead troops into battle. I'll never forget Lord Friedel's help."
Friedel opened his mouth, but couldn't speak for a long while. The words he originally wanted to say, after seeing Anne's reddened eyes, he couldn't say them anymore.
Next time, I'd definitely say it next time.
Friedel thought silently to himself, waving his hand to signal to Anne that it was fine.
Anne noticed Friedel's expression change and felt uneasy—he seemed to want to tell her something but hesitated, probably because it was something ordinary people couldn't do.
That's right, what could a prince possibly have trouble saying?
The two exchanged a few more simple words. Friedel told Anne that the reply from the capital should arrive at Warlinekza soon, and it wouldn't be long before they returned, so she could prepare early.
Anne nodded in understanding. She stood up, bowed to Friedel, and quickly walked out of the tent. Friedel sat in his seat watching her back, hesitating for a long time before finally lowering his head deeply with a sigh.
At the capital, King Rolf looked at the letter on his desk, his heart filled with mixed feelings.
Of course he was excited. Two days ago, the military report arrived with a short-term peace treaty between the Viller and Soth Empires. Though temporary, it proved their victory. If diplomacy went well, they could extend the treaty and restore profitable trade relations between the two countries.
The moment Rolf received the military report, he summoned the Chief Minister and cabinet members to the palace. He passed the military report and treaty documents to the ministers to read. Everyone's faces showed joy.
Such great news was immediately announced. Messengers rushed to all parts of the country. From nobles to commoners, everyone knew about it.
Theaters began staging shows about heroes defeating enemy nations and returning triumphant. Popular storybooks once again focused on plots about all-powerful warriors overcoming difficulties to defeat villains. The most famous was a female Knight Commander from this eastern battlefield.
In all the stories, she descended like a Valkyrie from Valhalla, slaughtering enemy troops while protecting her own soldiers. Some even said she had magic that ordinary people didn't have, able to comfort the souls of fallen soldiers.
No matter how fantastical the stories were, there were always believers.
They couldn't wait to create a hero, and a living hero at that. After all, since Duke Skoda's death, people's morale had been constantly low. Even the previous victory at the southern battlefield hadn't fully brought the people back to that era when heroes existed.
Their hearts were ultimately weighed down by a heavy mountain, unable to breathe freely.