Chapter 52: Sixth Episode: Chapter 6 (1/2)
Chapter 52: Sixth Episode: Chapter 6
Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Andrew, Narcissus, and the knights! Did these three elements become a perfect combination because of history? Or was it just a natural occurrence? No historian or philosopher could answer this question. When His Royal Highness Prince O’Neil Andrew Morisette first stepped foot onto his homeland after a duration of ten years, the still-ignorant young man found out the answers to all his doubts in an ordinary woman who was doing her laundry by the river.
River Marne - the mother river of Andrew, which irrigated the land of Andrew. She prolonged the flowering season of narcissus, relieved thirst for countless battle horses, and washed off the knight's blood-stained armor and uniform with her pure innocence. Narcissus County was divided into two by the great river; the half of it, nearer the Empire, was the rear of Andrew’s land, while the other half nearer to the border was Andrew’s battlefield.
The young man still had some vague memory of the Marne River, though only a small fragment of it. He remembered himself catching shrimp by the river. However, at this moment, it was not the young man’s childhood memories that had him mesmerized. Instead, it was a woman who was doing her laundry by the river and under the sun.
This was a typical Narcissus woman - she wore an embroidered shirt on the top with a long sarong covering the lower half of her body. She also had a thin colorful scarf wrapped around her head. The woman had a wide back and a broad waist as she stood up tall. She rolled her long sarong up to the knees, which revealed a little of the short pants she wore underneath.
The woman stood in the water like a pelican and beside her sat a bucket of dirty laundry. The bubble of saponins drifted down the river, forming a shallow layer between her legs. The woman recognized the Raytheon at first glance when Oscar came closer and leaped across the pontoon bridge. This huge, almost-magical stallion horse had always been the theme of Narcissus's murals, and its image had been deeply implanted into the hearts of people since four centuries ago.
The woman stood upright and saluted the unknown hero. It was only until then did Oscar managed to see that the woman had been cleaning a shield. Underneath the black shield, several blooming narcissus were engraved from top to bottom. The shield was washed so thoroughly to the point that the scabbard marks was as visually clear as narcissus. Even examining it from a few distance away, Oscar noticed that this shield had a different style from the ones his men were currently using. The layer of wrought iron skin on it could already explain the doubt.
It intrigued the man’s interest, ”Does it belong to your son? Or your husband?”
The woman laughed naturally. She guessed this peculiar young man knew a thing or two about the Narcissus Knights, ”My Lord, the shield belongs to my husband, and it also belongs to my son and the son of my son.”
Oscar nodded with understanding. The Narcissus Knights had an unsaid tradition to pass their weapons onto the future generations. He looked at the kind-hearted woman for one last time and realized her wide palms were scarred with years and years of labor, and countless knife-marks.
She gently wiped her shield with her sarong. As the sun illuminated her eyes and shone brightly on the shining shield, she proudly carried it behind her back, before moving on to wash another piece of stained clothing.
A sudden thought appeared in Oscar’s mind - this woman symbolized Narcissus! She was industrious, optimistic, beautiful, had a sense of perseverance towards honor and tradition, unyielding praise for sacrifices - this represented Narcissus! The young man was delighted at his serendipitous encounter.
Suddenly, the woman put down the damped clothes in her hand and looked somewhat confused towards the other side of the river. A massive cavalry was crossing the pontoon bridge with their vanguard leading the way. In the forefront of the formation, a commanding officer held aloft the emblem and battle flag of the Andrew family. Oscar noticed that the woman wiped her hands on the sarong in panic, waded through the river and climbed up onto the pontoon bridge. When the cavalry troop was by her side, she respectfully bent down from her waist. Only after the last rider of the troop passed, the woman straightened her chest again; along the way, the young man had witnessed for countless times, the courtesy of the Narcissus people had toward the troops.
This was the spirit of Andrew! The warriors who were handpicked by God! The people’s respect and admiration for the family did not stop at the deep bow. Instead, those feelings ran deeply through their blood, like the Narcissus shield engraved with the temperament and memory of loyal souls.
”Your Highness!” Major General Murat Bedoya of Narcissus Knights' Hosley Front Army under the Red Tiger Division charged angrily towards the young prince. The words of the major general gushed out of his mouth like a rapid waterfall!
”Your Royal Highness! Although we have arrived at the territory of Narcissus, could you please be more considerate of us soldiers! Your safety does not only concern you but it matters to all of us, officers and soldiers of the Red Tiger division! Also, how long do you intend to keep our division's battle flag? Hey! Don’t you go away...”
Oscar smiled happily. This was the knight of Narcissus!
Perhaps it was the God of Light's arrangement; while O’Neil Andrew Morisette inspected the troops, he snatched the Red Army division's battle flag from Murat which was positioned nearest to him. From that moment onwards, the fate of the Red Tiger and Murat Bedoya had intertwined with the young man.
***************
Morning in Titan, on Church’s year 791, the 19th day of 7th month.
Less than 40 kilometers away from Andrew Haila, there was a small town called Canbury. Outside the small town, and on the side of the road stood a huge monument. Engraved on it was the writings that informed visitors that they had entered the garrison area of Andrew Haila.
It had been a long time since the base camp of the direct legion and the Narcissus Knights of Andrew Haila's Front Army had a full assembly. Their supreme commander issued an order with one sole task - to welcome Her Royal Highness Princess who was visiting from the distant Empire capital with their highest spirits. Moreover, not to forget the little hero of the Andrew family, His Royal Highness Prince O’Neil who had sacrificed ten years of his youth in exchange for honor and dignity.
Standing at the forefront of the crowded cavalry, Duke Dortmund Andrew Nedgabel restlessly rode on his warhorse. He had no idea how many laps he had taken, and it seemed that his actions were absolutely incomprehensible to the officers who stood by his side. The marshal that they were familiar with had never been this fidgety. However, it was still understandable. After all, the marshal was no different from any ordinary father.
A long, dull sound of bugle horn came from afar. Dortmund had finally calmed himself down, as he put on a bright smile on his face to receive his dear son, in which he had not met in a long time. The officers were all taken aback by his unusual gentle expression - this was definitely a side of the marshal which they had never seen before.
The Duke spent a lot of time and effort in trying to organize a grand welcoming ceremony for his honorable guests. The location he chose was a meadow outside the town of Canbury, focused on the traditional etiquette of the members of the Titan royal family. He was not worried about his youngest son, as their reunion should only be a casual one that was between family. However, he had a severe headache in preparing his welcome for the princess. According to his news source, the young princess had lost all her servant girls and luggage on the way to Narcissus. He thought that the current convoy of the royal family was undoubtedly useless! But at the same time, the Duke doubted if the attendants and the various services he had prepared for Her Royal Highness would be satisfactory.
Finally, both parties met after the long wait. There were no touching scenes, nor a long-lasting cheer. The princess came down from the carriage casually while the prince jumped off the horse. The Duke stepped forward and hugged his son. It was as if the both of them wanted to say something during this process, though however, they chose to remain silent. Oscar detected a vague tobacco smell on his father, but before he even had time to look clearly at the unfamiliar man that was supposed to be his father, he was pulled into his strong embrace.
The young man did not know what was going on, but his eyes never left his father. He saw him kissed Mam Celia, and then Sasha E, and finally, he saw his father performed the impeccable royal courtesy, following every step, to welcome Her Royal Highness Princess Alanis.
”Oh ... I'm sorry!” The young man opened his eyes and he discerned for a moment until he regained his consciousness fully to realize that the middle-aged man standing beside him was his father. ”Sorry! Father! I do not know why I feel so drowsy!”
”No, it does not matter! There is no not need to apologize. I do smell the scent of medicine and I know your injuries have not fully recovered yet. You need more rest,” Dortmund said to his younger son. While his son had been asleep for a short while just now, he had examined the features of his little guy carefully. He realized how much he had grown, and felt that this little fatty’s appearance was much pleasing to the eye than his older brothers.
Puberty had done a good job towards this young man. His slightly curled hair hung on his shoulders, with his eyes shining brightly - the same color as his mother's. Even the nose, he had his mother’s nose, just like Princess Mica. The Duke laughed lightly at the thought of his beautiful late wife and no doubt, the young fatty in front of him was indeed his youngest son. He was overwhelmed by emotions and did not know whether it was appropriate to say those caring words because he knew that to the child, he was an extremely irresponsible father.
”Thank you for what you did for me,” More than ever, Oscar was awkward; he had never imagined what he would say when he finally met his father. Even though he had been looking forward to it these days, but when the people he had visioned so many times in his memory was finally sitting next to him, he could not think of a single word to say. From his father's expression, he realized that this person was also discreet with his words.
”Oh! Yes!” The Duke nodded. He felt fortunate that his son did not hate him. The commander had never felt so relieved in his whole life.
”Oh yes, my arrangement was to have Celia and Sasha accompany the princess in the carriage in front. Shall we visit Andrew Haila? The people all know that the members of the royal family are here to visit. It is mandatory for you and the princess to show presence to the citizens. ”
The duke unconsciously used a questioning tone when he spoke out of habit. ”One afternoon should be enough if that is the only itinerary, and then we can go home. Do you remember the old house we have in the suburbs? You can then take a rest there, no one will blame you. Your Mam Celia, Mam Pauline, Mam Freya will visit you! Oh! I almost forgot, and your Brother Racheff, Brother Figg, Brother Cody, and all the other elders in the family, and the younger generations… Anyway, every one of the family members will visit you!”
The prince was pleased. This was the first time his family members would all gather together. ”There is no way you could escape from tonight’s family gathering. You are actually a prince now! The single ladies of Narcissus aristocrats are all getting ready to put on their best dresses now! Hahahaha! They have put in great efforts for the ball tonight!”
”What's going on?” The elated father immediately stopped the conversation when he noticed his son was in a low mood.
”Oh no! Nothing, I'm looking forward to it. Thank you, father. Your arrangement is impeccable.” Indeed, Oscar could not find any fault to critique at and he was genuinely looking forward to reuniting with his family later.
”You little guy has never allowed me to relax even for once!” Dortmund lovingly patted his youngest boy's head. This was his first time to perform such act of intimacy to his youngest son, and he was secretly proud of himself for doing it rather naturally. ”When I heard that you were attacked again, I could not wait to rush to the site of the incident to check on you.”
”Haha, thanks for father's concern. And yes, I was attacked again.” The young man did not want to be polite with his father. To be honest, he did not know how to communicate with this man, even though he was his father.
”Do you know who did it?” Oscar thought the assassination would be the perfect topic to converse with his father.
”Sorry to disappoint you, but I have no idea who was behind the assassination. The whole incident was like a riddle - no motivation, nor any trace. Maybe, you still might not know that the Kingdom of Italia had chosen to give up the moment they saw the war of flames being burned at the Titan border. They have already opened the border and welcomed the Titan royal investigators to conduct any form of investigation. However, we all know that it was only a diplomatic gesture. The investigation will not produce any result. Even if there were any signs, I suspect those would be the traps deliberately arranged by the assassins anyway.”
Oscar looked surprised, ”It seems that you have highly estimated the ability of the murderer?”
Dortmund smiled, ”Yes, my child. He must be quite clever to have chosen you, but I believe that one day he would regret his decision. Is it right, my child?”
”Do you really know me?” Oscar asked back.
Dortmund thought for a moment. He actually considered the question carefully as it was not something he could give a definite answer on. For a long time, he had known that the child's future was not something he could have a say at. But as a father, it might seem a little silly to admit that he indeed did not understand his own child well.
”Yes, I must admit. I do not know you at all. Forgive me, that I never tried to understand you. This is entirely my fault. After all, we have been separated for ten years, and that mistake between your mother and I…”
”No! Father!” Oscar suddenly interrupted his father. He did not want to talk about his mother but he had to face it, ”No, you are just like me. We both do not know much about mother. Although you loved her very much, do you know why mother refused everything from you like the way she did?”
Dortmund shook his head and immediately regretted talking about Mica. The young Oscar's mother was like a thorn in the mind of the marshal - the only guilty conscience he had in his life.
”It was because she did not want to betray her feelings. It was because she did not intend to fall in love with you,” Oscar did not plan to share that information with his father, but he still did anyway.
”Oh, I know.” Dortmund laughed self-deprecatingly. His smile was very bitter. After many years, the special feelings he had with Mica was completely replaced by regret and guilt. The angelic princess greatly loved by many should not have died so early.
”You do not know!” Oscar once again negated his father, ”Do you not understand the underlying message of what I just said?”
Dortmund's eyes lit up.
”Mother's first love was unforgettable. What she really despised was no one else other than herself. What is wrong with that phrase is that if she did not fell in love with you, then she would not have done what she intended, she simply would not even have thought of you. It was because she realized that she had completely fallen in love with you. So, she betrayed her own feelings and repented it all on her own. She warned herself to not love you again! She could not face her change of heart as she thought it was dirty and unacceptable.”
”This is not true! Why would she think like that?” Dortmund's face became extremely pale.
”Mother only had herself to blame. She was too self-centered, and she had no courage to face her true self. Eventually, she decided to lock herself up within the small confined space of the imperial family's betrayal; her ostrich-like character was what determined her fate. Father, I believe my mother loved you. Her tender love for me proved her hopes and delights, but the deeper the joy, the stronger her senses of guilt. This was because she had always thought her heart would not have space to contain another man. Yet, your love made her betrayed herself. ”
”I would rather believe this is not true!” Duke Dortmund Andrew Nedgabel nervously wriggled his body. Memories with Mica came flooding into his mind, ”No! This is absolutely not true!”
Oscar was bold enough to cast a contemptuous glance at his father. ”Yes, this is true. Do you not recognize it? You must have felt that at some point. If you really loved my mother, then you would have surely felt the subtle changes in her reactions and demeanor. But you have given up, is that right? Your ignorance and her attitude of letting things perish on their own were what led her to destruction. If only you would…”
”That’s enough!” The duke's loud roar immediately shut Oscar’s mouth. The attendant outside the carriage wanted to ask about the situation but was abruptly rejected by the duke. Time passed in deafening silence. Not long after, they heard the cheers of the citizens of Andrew Haila, but they were so immersed in their dark thoughts that they could not extricate themselves. It appeared that the world outside the window had nothing to do with them.
”Sorry!” Oscar was the first to apologize. Actually, the young man did not feel that he was at fault. He just did not want to make their relationship so tense on their first meeting.
”No! I should be the one to apologize,” Dortmund also compromised. He did not think that he would shout at his son. However, now as he recalled his actions, he figured he was not really a good father.
”I should not shout at you, especially not when you have not said anything wrong.”
”Do you believe it?” Oscar turned his head to the side. The image of his strict father had firmly sealed in his mind.
”Believe what?”
”That my mother was in love with you.”
”Yes! I believe that, but the affirmation came a decade late, isn’t it?” Dortmund said sadly. Indeed, they were in love with each other, but so what? The marshal suddenly thought of another matter, he had never surrendered to the other party’s drilling question in any other conversation. Was this a deliberate move by his youngest son? ”How do you know all this? Did you study psychoanalysis?”
Oscar smiled, and he was daring enough to meet his father's gaze. ”No, I just mimic mother's psychology.”
”Simulation?” Dortmund laughed, relieved. He did not want to continue this conversation anymore. Although the simulation of his youngest son made him die a little inside, he did not really care. He was the leader of the Narcissus Knights and the leader of the Andrew Family. The term ”leader” did not allow him to think too much about matters that were not relevant to his responsibilities. Pain and regrets like these, he could slowly torture himself with them after retirement.