I Only Love My Greatest Enemy

Armand sat in the back of a wagon with high wooden walls. Rozwiazly was with him. An awkward silence hung over them.

"You did not know those monsters would attack the banquet," Rozwiazly said.

"Yes," Armand replied. "Something must have changed, or there are more people who remember time before it was turned back than I thought."

Rozwiazly shivered.

"Will there be more monster attacks like that?" he asked.

"I don't know, but hopefully, Marshal Ludwig can get everyone to prepare for them," Armand answered.

Rozwiazly nodded with grimness.

"We're leaving much faster than I hoped," he said. "Marshal Ludwig told me he would send someone to get my wife and children."

"He's a man of his word," Armand stated.

"I am not sure how good that is. I want to be with my family, but I also want to keep them away from politics. After what you told me, I believe gaining renown for my healing was a mistake. I should have done it in secret," Rozwialzly said.

Armand gave him a look of sympathy.

"Before time turned back, it was," the boy stated. "But I will do my best to make sure you survive this time."

"Do I need to tell you that I hope you succeed?" Rozwialzly chuckled dryly.

The man looked uncomfortable. He turned his gaze to the wagon's walls, trying to distract himself.

"I've never seen a wagon like this before, My Lord," he said.

"This is a war wagon," Armand explained. "They were used a bit over a hundred years ago to counter knights. This worked, but they're obsolete now."

The boy knocked on the wooden wall.

"This won't stop an arquebus ball, and it certainly won't stop a canon," Armand stated. "The last time a war wagon was used in battle was 50 years ago. We're riding in an antique."

Rozwialzly grimaced.

"Is there a reason why Marshal Ludwig had us ride in this?" he asked.

"To show off that he has this antique," Armand answered. "You'll find that most nobles love showing off their wealth."

"Eris rarely showed off her wealth. She did it sometimes at feasts by showing up in fancy dresses, but she never had any big vanity projects. She also was very generous to people who served her. I've never thought about it too much before, I always saw generosity as the only good thing about her, but that was a foolish thought. I'll have to send Eris a letter asking about this later," the boy thought.

The war wagon came to a stop, and the sound of approaching horses came to their ears. Marshal Ludwig rode around the wagon towards them. He was accompanied by several reiters. They were all in full plate armor, carrying pistols as well as swords.

"Impressive, isn't it?" Marshal Ludwig motioned to the wagon.

"He's testing me," Armand thought before speaking. "Yes. It was an innovative weapon."

"Was, yes. We've outgrown war wagons, but I still have a soft spot for the great weapons of the past," the Marshal said.

He then grabbed a pair of empty books from one of the reiters. Marshal Ludwig placed them in the wagon.

"Rozwialzly, can you use your magic to stabilize the war wagon so you can write without worrying about bouncing around?" he asked.

"I don't think so, My Lord," Rozwialzly answered. "I never even tried anything like that. If I mess up, I could end up destroying this antique."

Marshal Ludwig nodded.

"Very well. You both will start on your books when we camp for the night," he said.

"I was wondering why you put two books in here," Armand replied.

"We can't let Rozwialzly's talent go to waste with those monsters roaming around," Marshal Ludwig stated.

Rozwialzly stood up and bowed.

"Don't worry about that, My Lord. I will take apprentices when we arrive at our destination," he said.

"And I will find men of talent for you to train," Marshal Ludwig replied. "But we must be ready in case you become unable to teach people for whatever reason."

His eyes narrowed.

"Write a textbook about your magic," Marshal Ludwig ordered.

Nervousness blasted through Rozwialzly. Sweat trickled down his brow. His entire body shook. The man opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out.

"I can't blame Rozwialzy for being afraid. It's time for me to step in," Armand thought before speaking. "Marshal Ludwig, Rozwialzly doesn't know how to write."

Shock coated the Marshal.

"He doesn't?"

Rozwialzly broke through his nervousness and spoke.

"Yes, My Lord. I can read, but I never learned how to write," he said.

Marshal Ludwig's face flushed with embarrassment.

"Right, you're a commoner, Rozwialzly. Most of the great spellcasters are nobles, so that slipped my mind," the Marshal stated. "I apologize. This was my mistake. I will arrange for someone to teach you writing."

With that, Ludwig rode off with his reiters. Rozwialzly breathed a sigh of relief. He sat down in the war wagon once again as it took off.

"Thank you, My Lord. I wanted to tell Marshal Ludwig that, but I couldn't find the words," Rozwialzly said.

"Don't worry about it," Armand replied. "Just focus on the trip."

A few days later, Eris stepped out of her carriage. She looked around to see that everything was normal in her parents' castle. The servants went about their daily business, their guards patrolled like usual, and the Count and Countess Hapsburg approached her with no sense of urgency.

"Good. I made it back before news could spread. I knew leaving as soon as I could was the right decision. My parents were worried about my safety when I left, so now I can control the narrative," she thought.

"How was the banquet, Eris?" Count Hapsburg asked.

"It was fantastic," the girl answered. "Armand was my knight in shining armor."

Looks of utter dread crossed her parents' faces.

"Did something happen? Were you hurt?" Countess Hapsburg knelt down and inspected her daughter's body.

She breathed a sigh of relief when she found no injuries.

"I'm fine, Mother. Armand protected me. He's fine too," Eris said.

The girl swayed from side to side as if swooning.

"You should have seen him! He jumped into action like the hero of a book! Armand's so accurate with a gun that I couldn't believe it!" she stated.

Count Hapsburg grabbed the girl's shoulders and turned her so she faced him. He looked right into his daughter's eyes.

"Eris. Tell me what happened," Count Hapsburg ordered.

"The banquet was attacked by monsters," Eris said.

"Monsters?"

A look of utter disbelief crossed Eris' parents' faces.

"Are you being serious?" Count Hapsburg questioned.

"Ask the servants if you don't believe me," Eris replied. "One of the monsters was like a Nosfer."

Fear pulsed through the count and countess. If they struggled to believe Eris before, they fully believed her now. The Count Hapsburg stood up and stomped his foot.

"Dammit! We should have gone with you," he said.

"Father's reacting as I expected him to. It's much better than he would have reacted if I didn't get here first. Now, I need to break more news to him," Eris thought before speaking. "Armand killed monsters like that before. He's going to work with Marshal Ludwig."

Eris' parents' jaws dropped.

"Marshal Ludwig? My future son-in-law is working with Marshal Ludwig and at such a young age? And he protected you from those monsters?" Countess Hapsburg's face was a mixture of worry, fear, and joy. "I can't believe this. This is the best marriage we could have possibly got. Your future is safe, Eris."

"Yes. If Armand is working with Marshal Ludwig, you'll be one of the most important women in Foldzar in the future," Count Hapsburg agreed.

"You have no idea just how important I will be," Eris thought.

Then, he leaned against a wall. His wife sat on a chair.

"Still...this is a lot to take in," the count took a deep breath. "I'm just glad you're safe, Eris."

"Yes. But from now on, we'll need to make sure that you are well-guarded. What if the monsters come back for you?" the countess asked.

Eris gave them her widest smile.

"I need to keep my momentum. If I keep pressing when my parents are still taking in everything, it'll be easier to get them to accept what I'm doing next. I'm an adult, so I could just go on my own. But I want my parents to be happy," she thought.

"Thank you, Mother, Father. I'll need more protection when I go to the Concord estate," Eris said.

Confusion crossed her parents' faces. Then, realization hit them.

"How soon are you going?" Count Hapsburg asked.

"As soon as I can," Eris answered. "Armand is going to travel with Marshal Ludwig for a while. He wants me to handle his affairs while he's away from his family's lands."

Before her parents could speak, Eris ran over to them with an excited look on her face.

"I can't believe it! We're not even married yet, and Armand's trusting me with his affairs!" she said.

"If they knew what my relationship with Armand was before he turned back time, they would never believe it," Eris thought.

"This is going to be a much longer trip than the banquet," Count Hapsburg stated.

There was a grimace on his face.

"And I still don't fully trust the Concords aside from Armand," he said. "Doesn't Armand have siblings who can manage his affairs?"

"Armand does, but he trusted me," Eris replied.

"It might be dangerous, but this could be good for Eris. She should learn about her future husband's estate. When he's away on business, Eris will have to manage it unless they can find someone else to," Countess Hapsburg pointed out.

"And that is not a certainty," Count Hapsburg sighed.

He stood up.

"I'm going with you, Eris. I will stay until I'm certain you'll be safe with the Concords."

"Just as planned. Father will keep Armand's family distracted. Their attention will be on him, and I will be free to manage Armand's affairs and scheme. I just need to keep my tracks covered," Eris thought.

She looked down, feigning disappointment.

"If you say so," the girl stated.

Count Concord knelt down and put his hand on his daughter's shoulder.

"Eris, I understand that you're excited to meet your in-laws. You've only met Armand and his parents, after all. And I know that you don't want me there. It can be awkward to have your parents around, especially at your age. But I'm worried about you. And this won't be for more than a few months at most," he assured her.

The girl nodded glumly.

"Okay," Eris said.

Count Concord stood up.

"You said you wanted to leave as soon as you could, right?" he asked.

"Yes," Eris answered.

"Then, let's start making preparations," Countess Concord spoke up.

Her husband nodded.

"Yes. We shouldn't neglect what Armand trusted Eris with for too long," he stated.

Eris nodded and started walking to the stairs.

"I'll be in the solar. I need to write a few letters," she said.

Soon, the girl was sitting at a desk. Several sheets of paper along with a seal, an inkwell, and a quill were in front of her. Eris dipped the quill in the ink.

"Armand's family is guaranteed to receive my letter to them before Armand gets my letter to him. But that's fine. I just need to make sure that my letter to Armand reaches him before his family can contact him. Armand will probably figure things out, but I don't want to make him think that I'm plotting against him," Eris thought.

She started writing.

"Dear Armand,

I decided that I needed to talk to your brother before Brutus could get to him. So, I told your family that you wanted me to manage your affairs while you were gone. If there is anything I need to know, please tell me. I'm sorry that I decided this without consulting you, but we did not have much time.

From, Eris Hapsburg."

Eris closed the paper and sealed it. She put it to the side.

"Now, the letter to Armand's family. They're going to look into what I'm telling them for confirmation, and I don't expect them to trust me at all. I'll need to make sure that they're aware that I know more than they think."

The girl pulled out a sheet of paper and started writing.

"To Count Concord,

I have such great news for you! Your son and my fiance, Armand, is working with Marshal Ludwig! You must be so proud of your son! I know I'm proud of him! To think that the head of His Majesty's military would want to work with Armand! It's amazing! But it means Armand won't be able to be at your lands for a while. He told me that you've entrusted him with increasing responsibility. And he wants me to manage his affairs while he's away. I'm so happy that Armand is trusting me with this. I will arrive at your castle soon with my father. I'm looking forward to meeting my future brother and sisters-in-law.

From your dear Eris."

She closed the letter and sealed it shut. Then, the girl grabbed the letter for Armand. Eris left the solar before walking down the stairs. Soon, she was in front of one of her family's messengers.

"Deliver this to Lord Armand Richelieu Concord," Eris said. "He is currently traveling with Marhsal Ludwig."

The messenger nodded.

"Of course, My Lady. Where is Marshal Ludwig going?" he asked.

"I do not know, but he left Count Staufer's castle a few days ago and was heading West. You should be able to find him if you follow his trail," Eris answered.

A look of annoyance crossed the messenger's face despite his trying to hide it. It was replaced with a smile when Eris reached into one of her pockets and pulled out a few gold coins.

"I understand that this is a difficult assignment, so I will properly compensate you for it. You are going above and beyond your duty to my family, after all," she said before thinking. "A lie, of course. I'm overcompensating him."

Eris gave the coins to the jubilant messanger.

"Thank you, My Lady," he nodded vigorously. "I will get this to Lord Armand Richelieu Concord as soon as I can."

With that, the man mounted a horse and rode off.