I Only Love My Greatest Enemy

A grimace coated Marshal Ludwig Staufer's face. He was sitting at a table with a letter in front of him. Armand looked at the letter. Rage slowly crossed the boy's face, his hands clenching so hard they turned white.

"Do you think this letter is telling the truth?" the marshal asked.

"Yes," Armand answered without hesitation. "My parents have no reason to lie about something like this."

His face started to turn red from anger.

"Eris might lie about it, but after hearing what Brutus had to say, I'd believe her if she sent the letter. Logically, I shouldn't be mad that Brutus tried to assassinate Eris. Assassinations happen all the time, and Eris deserves death," Armand thought.

The boy had to resist slamming his hands against the table.

"So, why am I mad beyond belief? I want to have Brutus tortured to death, for the gods' sake! This...I've never been this furious before! What's happening to me?"

Marshal Staufer looked at the letter Armand had just read.

"I can't have the fiance of my adjutant almost get assassinated. I will deal with this," he said.

"You're going to kill him," Armand stated.

Staufer nodded.

"I don't like the nonsense assassinations and political games most lords get up to, but...well, you know my reputation," he said.

The Concord hoped relief would flow through him. But it didn't come. Instead, other thoughts clouded Armand's mind.

"If Brutus also remembers the old future, other people might too. Eris is a monster, and that earned her a lot of enemies the last time around. If they remember, it's only a matter of time before they come for Eris. But why do I care so much about this? This is beyond caution and my desire to redeem Eris," the boy thought.

Marshal Staufer observed Armand's face.

"Worried about your fiance, are you?" Luwdig Staufer asked.

"I am," Armand admitted.

"That's only natural," the Marshal said. "Even if you just got engaged to her for political reasons, you still need her for those. And if you've started to like her, that's all the more reason to worry."

He then grabbed a piece of paper and started writing on it.

"I can't promise that I'll keep that Eris girl safe, but I can make sure that people think twice before coming after her," Ludwig stated.

"Thank you," Armand replied.

"Most people wouldn't go after anyone who's under your protection," the boy thought.

Marshal Staufer waved it off as he kept writing.

"You don't need to thank me. My honor as a lord demands that I keep anyone connected to me in some way safe," he said.

Ludwig then stopped writing and moved the letter over to Armand. The boy looked at it.

"This is a schedule," Armand stated.

"Yes," Ludwig nodded. "Our schedule. We'll start traveling to various lords' homes soon. I've already arranged for a special carriage for you. It'll be much easier to write on."

"And the part of my book that I've already written had been taken to the presses."

"Yes. We'll have it copied a few times, then sent to presses in other cities to make more copies," Marshal Staufer said. "But with this business with Brutus, we'll have to delay things a bit. I was planning on leaving in a few days, but now it'll probably be a week or two."

Armand nodded.

"I apologize for the inconvenience," he stated.

"You don't need to apologize. This is just normal noble politics. Though, why did Duke Medici's son try to kill your fiance?" Marshal Staufer asked.

"Eris humiliated him at a feast. Brutus brought up his family's bandit issues, and Eris offered to help him solve them," Armand spoke before thinking. "Marshal Staufer would probably figure out a full lie, but this is more of a half-truth."

Marshal Staufer nodded.

"I don't know if Eris meant anything by it, but that's more than enough of an insult to want someone dead over," he said.

Then, Ludwig grabbed another piece of paper and started writing on it.

"When I have everything settled, I will send another copy of our schedule to your parents and Eris. If they have to send us a letter, they should know where we'll be and when," Ludwig stated.

"And no one would dare intercept one of Marshal Staufer's letters," Armand thought.

The marshal shrugged.

"In any case, I should have the Brutus situation handled by in a week or two's time at most," Ludwig said. "After that, we will leave. We have a lot of lords to talk to. By the end of it, we'll speak to His Majesty about these monsters."

"Very well. Then, I will get as much writing done as I can before then," Armand replied.

He stood up and bowed to Marshal Staufer.

"If I may be excused," the boy said.

"Go ahead," Ludwig nodded.

Armand left the tent, deep in thought.

"I hope Marshal Staufer does not underestimate Brutus. He thinks of Brutus as an adult, but Brutus has far more experience than he could possibly know. In any case, I've done all I can," the boy thought.

He clenched his fists so hard they turned white.

"And I'm still furious. Brutus...I despise him. I truly do. But I shouldn't. I don't love Eris, so why am I this mad? I don't know," Armand shook his head. "I should just push this to the side for now and focus on my book. Aside from that, the only thing I can do is wait and hope. Please, Eris, treat my family well."

1 year passes...

Rain lashed over the dark field, clouds coating the sky. A large cart has sunk into the mud. Its wheels are deep in the muck. Three horses are lashed to it, doing their best to pull the cart out. The animals strain with effort. Several strong men join, desperately moving. An older man oversaw this operation.

"Dammit! We'll have to delay the shipment at this rate," he said. "If we're late, Lady Eris won't pay us as much for this food."

"But she's known for her generosity," one of the other men pointed out.

"That's why we shouldn't test her patience. Lady Eris is a generous noble, but that's only because it benefits her to be. I've seen many nobles in my day, and I know how they think. And let me tell you: Lady Eris is not the sort of noble who's generous out of the kindness of her heart."

The men brought over another horse, a big draft animal. They lashed it to the cart and made the beast pull as hard as it could. Slowly but surely, the cart rose out of the mud. Relief flowed through the men as it was dragged back onto the road.

They trudged further through the mud, avoiding where it sank in the most. Eventually, the men came to a narrow pass at the border of Hapsburg and Concord lands. Several hussars stood at it. Eris, now a girl of 13, was at their head. She and her warriors rode over to the men transporting the cart.

"Not quite on schedule, but it's excusable, given the rain," Eris said.

The older man bowed.

"Thank you for your understanding, Lady Eris. A noblewoman like you shouldn't have to stand out in the rain like this," he stated.

"Of course, I'm waiting for you here. Foolish subhuman, do you really think I'd let anyone less than myself make sure my and Armand's plan succeeds?" the Hapsburg thought before speaking. "We all must do things that we'd rather not."

She motioned for two hussars to go to the caravan. They searched the cart, inspecting it for traps or potential assassins hiding inside of it. The light cavalry gave the all-clear signal.

Then, Eris got off her horse and looked under the tarp covering the cart. She made sure to not remove it so the food inside wouldn't get affected by the rain.

"Everything you promised is here," Eris said.

She pulled a piece of parchment out of her clothes and handed it to the older man.

"Two hussars will escort through to the Hapsburg lands. You will receive your payment when you reach your destination," the girl stated.

"Thank you, Lady Eris," the older man bowed again.

The caravan went through the pass, escorted by the hussars as Eris promised. When they were out of eyesight, the Hapsburg girl started moving back into Concord lands.

"My lands have enough food that my parents aren't rushing to feed the people. Everything is going according to Armand's and my plan. My parents should be safe," Eris thought.

She then grimaced.

"But I still need to worry. I have enemies out there, and among them...he survived Marshal Staufer's assassins. Even if he's no longer in Foldzar, he could still try something against me," the girl pondered.

Eris arrived at the town she was governing in Armand's name. The Hapsburg went inside of a large manor house, a new addition to the town. There, she walked over to the great hall and sat next to the fireplace. Warmth flowed through Eris' body. Bits of rainwater that once covered her dried up.

Then, a knock came at the door. One of the hussars opened it. A young man stepped inside.

"I'm here with a letter for Lady Eris Hapsburg," he said.

"Hand it to one of the hussars. He can bring it to me," Eris replied, keeping an eye trained on the newcomer.

The young man nodded, gave the letter to a hussar, and left. Then, the letter was brought to Eris. She opened it and read it.

"Dear Eris Hapsburg, I wish to invite you to a grand festival at the capital. It is honoring those who made it through the Nosfer Plague. It will have celebrations, games of blades, and more than enough wine to feed a duchy. I am certain you will attend. After all, there are a few lords who want to know how you'll react to the matter your fiance wrote. From, Duchess Rowena Hapsburg."

Eris folded the letter back up.

"So, the main family branch is inviting me to this celebration? The last time around, it was one of Rowena's handmaidens, Elise Kyburg. They did not directly contact me," she thought. "They must be interested in the book Armand published. Even though Marshal Staufer has been showing everyone the giant wolf skulls and we have numerous eyewitnesses from the attack on the banquet, a lot of people are still skeptical of even the most reasonable things Armand wrote."

The girl then gazed into the fireplace. She watched the flames flicker before her.

"Of course, some of them are just trying to ruin Armand's reputation for political reasons. When I arrive at the celebration, I'll have to give my support for his anti-serfdom faction as soon as I can," Eris contemplated. "The first time around, the festival also happened half a year after my parents died. It's way ahead of where it should be. And this timing is very inconvenient. I'm in the middle of carrying out Armand's and my plan."

She then stood up. The girl walked over to a cabinet in the manor house. Opening it, Eris revealed countless weapons inside. Grabbing several concealable guns, daggers, and bombs, the girl hid them in her clothes. Then, she motioned for the hussars to come over. They armed themselves too.

"Half of you, go to the capital ahead of me. Find a place to stay and store these weapons there. If something happens, we will be ready," Eris ordered.

With that, half of the hussars left. Eris then walked up a step of stairs before coming to the manor house's study. She pulled out several pieces of paper.

"I need to make sure things are in order here before I go. I'll send a set of instructions to my parents and another to Armand's older sister. She hates me, but she's the only person here I can even remotely rely on," Eris thought. "I'll send another letter to Armand. He will definitely be at this festival, even if he wasn't there the last time around."

Then, Eris grimaced.

"There are things I did at the festival that I should get done before Armand arrives. If I do them after he gets there, he'll do everything in his power to stop me," she thought.