I don't want to tell her this, Especially after everything she has revealed to me, But I hate lying and even more...
I don't want to lie to her. And a lie or false hope from me, would be the last thing she would want from me. It would be an absolute insult to her and her honesty.
"From the Volk house ?" she asked, her body stiffening slightly in my arms.
"Yes, they want to go to the northern battle field" I broke the news to her.
"...Figures, you're a member of the Volk family, after all." She murmured in a low voice "How long will it take?"
"I need to depart within a week. As for the duration.... I don't know. It is quite unpredictable"
"....I see. Stay safe then." She said in the same unchanged tone
And you stay alive and well.
I wanted to say that but what came out of me instead was something else...
"Thank you" was all I managed to say.
I let her go. The loss of her warmth was immediate and chilling. She turned around, digging into the pocket of her Uniform and pulling out a small, flat object.
a photo?
She came closer, her pink eyes gazing into mine, and tucked it in my Breast pocket, right over my heart. "Think of it as my graduation gift and also our farewell gift to you."
"What is it?" I was about reach my hand to my pocket to check it but,
she caught my hand, stopping me, her grip surprisingly firm. "Not now. you can check it later."
So, I did not insist. Instead i put my hand in my side pocket and took out a card and offered it to her "Then this will be your gift from me."
She took it "A guest card huh.. A guest card from the Heir of the great house of Volk. I'm sure this will come in handy. Hmm... I can actually harass the guards and servants of Volk house with this. Hehe... Seems fun."
She really is My Little Devil.
"I am sure it will" I said, playing along with her.
After some bickering She went ahead and left the roof to meet some friends, leaving me behind. She did have a life to live, after all. even apart from me.
In the meantime, Since I was alone now, I took out the photo she gave me.
And found out the subject of the image.
It was a photo of her own, in the academy uniform. And from what i could tell, It was taken during the day of orientation.
And as always, she looked stunningly beautiful in it. Somehow, She looked more beautiful to me now, in the photo than she looked back in the Orientation day. I wonder why.
And that was our last meeting on the last day of our Academy life. A meeting in which, I wished i had spend more time with her and instead of a card... I had given her an artifact to ensure her safety.
***
After that, as planned i returned to my house and within just a couple of days I had to leave for the northern regions with my father.
The North was a relentless cycle of sharpening blades and dulling of the heart. I fought, I trained, and I fought again and trained again. For two years, the only thing that mattered was the distance between my sword and the neck of the next barbarian or beast.
There were times when she, her face, her voice, her jokes and even her insults did come to my mind—usually in the quiet, freezing hour before dawn. But...
Soldiers can only get five letters in an entire year from their families.
It's a rule that must be followed, even for soldiers of higher rank.
Other than that, they have no way of getting any information about their home.
Even if, someone in their family dies, they won't get that news if their five letter quota has been used.
It's cruel. Certainly, But this is the rule, an absolute rule. Soldiers can't leave the border until their dispatch time is finished.
And until then, no distraction was allowed.
Even if that distraction is the death of the person who is or was most dear to them.
So, I too pushed her out of my mind, in a deep corner of my heart, and focused on my job, convincing myself that if I do a good job and get more achievement, my military service time can end early.
As the heir of the Grand Duke, this was one of my privileges.
Unfair ? Yes. but that is how it is, The society is. In an aristocratic society, Bloodline is everything.
And I did exactly that. I worked harder. Trained Harder. And racked up achievements.
And after two years of rolling on the battlefield, I was finally given the opportunity to go home, to The Volk Grand Duchy.
The best thing about all my hard work was the Fruit that i got from it, an early release and There was also another surprise. A very much welcome Surprise.
My father had decided to Pass on his title to me.
Which means, I will have more freedom to make choices for myself by myself.
Twenty years old was too young to inherit a title. But I had already proven myself to be more than just worthy.
Once I came back home, the formalities were done and after all that, I got to the most important thing. Something i have been waiting for.
I asked our butler for any news regarding the 'Pink jewel of the Society', the daughter of Count Carvy.
She should be twenty one by now. So we still had four years left, more or less.
I expected to hear about a debut, or perhaps a struggle with her health that I could now solve with the Duchy's vast resources. But the Butler didn't meet my eyes. What i got was his grim face and avoidance of eye contact. He stood like a ghost in the corner of the room, his voice trembling with a weight I didn't recognize.
But the answer i got from our Butler, was something, I never imagined, even in my cruelest and darkest nightmares that I saw in the battlefield.
"...The House of Carvy, Your Grace..." he began, his voice barely a whisper. "It has been destroyed. A territory war broke out about Six months ago. The Count and his wife are dead. The estate was razed to the ground."
###The End of Chapter###
Weary is he, and sick of the sorrow of war,
Hating the shriek of loud music, the beat of the drum;
Is this the shadow called glory men sell themselves for?
The pangs in his heart they have paled him, and stricken him dumb!
Oh! yes, the soldier is home!
Still does he think of one morning, the march and the sun!
A smoke, and a scream, and the dark, and next to his mind
Comes the time of his torment, when all the red fighting was done!
And he mourned for the good legs he left in the desert behind.
Oh! yes, the soldier is home!
He was caught with the valour of music, the glory of kings,
The diplomat's delicate lying, the cheers of a crowd,
And now does he hate the dull tempest, the shrill vapourings —
He who was proud, and no beggar now waits for his shroud!
Oh! yes, the soldier is home!
Now shall he sit in the dark, his world shall be fearfully small —
He shall sit with old people, and pray and praise God for fine weather;
Only at times shall he move for a glimpse away over the wall,
Where the men and the women who make up the world are striving together!
Oh! yes, the soldier is home!
Simple, salt tears, full often will redden his eyes;
No one shall hear what he hears, or see what he sees;
He shall be mocked by a flower, and the flush of the skies!
He shall behold the kissing of sweethearts — close by him, here, under the trees —
Oh! yes, the soldier is home!
---The Soldier is Home by John Shaw Neilson