The Rose of the Northern Border

After arranging the purchase of slaves and supplies, Karl sent Brendan and Roland back first before returning to the Governor's Office.

He was due to leave Fran City tomorrow and head for that unknown territory. In both reason and courtesy, he ought to bid farewell to Earl Rochefort, the highest-ranking official here.

This time, the person waiting for him at the entrance to the Governor's Office was no longer that icy clerk, but an official in more prestigious civil-service attire, whose manner was also noticeably warmer.

Karl explained his purpose: "Sorry for the trouble, but please inform the Earl that Karl von Schmidt will be leading his troops to Carnford tomorrow. I've come to bid him farewell."

The official nodded. "Please wait a moment, Lord Karl. I'll inform him right away."

He gestured for an attendant to take Karl to a side hall to wait, then hurried toward the inner hall himself.

Sitting in the side hall, Karl couldn't help muttering inwardly, Don't tell me I've run into the Earl's 'private time' again? Then this farewell of mine will really turn into a farewell performance.

Fortunately, his concern proved unnecessary. Before long, the official returned with a proper smile on his face. "Lord Karl, the Earl is in his office. Please go in now."

Karl breathed a sigh of relief, straightened his armor, and followed the official toward that familiar office.

The official stopped before the heavy oak door, pushed it open for him, and stepped aside. "Please, my lord."

Karl walked into the office, and the door closed quietly behind him.

The furnishings inside remained unchanged. A massive map of the Northern Territory covered one wall, while Earl Rochefort sat behind his desk with the clerk standing respectfully beside him.

But there was one more person in the room this time.

She was a young woman standing beside the Earl's desk.

She had brilliant golden curls like sunlight, loosely tied behind her head, with a few strands falling along her cheeks.

Her features were exquisite, with a straight nose that narrowed abruptly at the tip, giving her face a much gentler appearance. Her heroic air and feminine softness were blended to perfection.

Her brows were arched, and her eyes were blue, like a bay surrounded by a harbor.

There was some resemblance between her features and Earl Rochefort's. She looked to be around seventeen or eighteen.

She wore a simple cotton shirt and trousers, with a leather vest thrown casually over them. A pair of long riding boots dusted with mud covered her feet, making it obvious that she had just taken off her armor and come straight here from the road.

She was very tall, nearly Karl's height, and perhaps even a little taller. Of course, the thick heels of her boots helped considerably.

The moment Karl entered, her gaze swept toward him like an eagle's. Her eyes were sharp, direct, and filled with scrutiny and undisguised curiosity, carrying a natural aggressiveness that made even Karl, accustomed to the rough gazes of Northern Territory soldiers, feel uncomfortable—especially since the person staring at him was such a beautiful girl.

He instinctively looked away from her direct gaze, appearing somewhat awkward.

When Earl Rochefort saw Karl, his face lit up with his trademark smile, tinged with amusement. He tapped his fingers against the desk and said to the woman, "Look, Charlotte. Speak of the devil, and he appears. This is Karl von Schmidt, the 'most useless' younger son of Duke Schmidt, whom I mentioned earlier."

"Just two days ago, he led a makeshift ragtag army to a 'staggering' victory. At the cost of four unlucky fellows, he wiped out a group of Kobolds hiding in a gorge and trying to snatch enough pelts to survive the winter. How does it sound? Like a story made up by a bard?"

At his words, Charlotte focused her gaze on Karl once more. The scrutiny in her eyes grew stronger, and the corner of her mouth seemed to lift in an almost imperceptible arc.

Earl Rochefort's exaggerated teasing left Karl somewhat embarrassed, especially in front of an unfamiliar lady. He hurriedly lowered his head and said respectfully, "You flatter me, my lord... It was only a matter of luck."

"Flatter you?" Rochefort scoffed. "I wasn't praising you. I was merely stating a fact—a fact that sounds like someone blew a wildcat up into a dragon. Still, in a place like the Northern Territory, where even goblin brawls can be exaggerated into legionary battles, your achievement is impressive enough."

Karl did not want to linger on the subject. He stepped forward and said solemnly, "My lord, my troops and I are ready. We'll set out for my territory, Carnford, first thing tomorrow morning. I've come especially to bid you farewell and thank you for your care these past few days."

Genuine surprise flashed across Earl Rochefort's face. "You're leaving tomorrow? I recall that the deadline set by the kingdom is still more than ten days away. Your 'noble companions' are all still wasting the last bit of pleasure money their fathers gave them in the city's taverns and brothels. Why are you in such a hurry to head to that godforsaken wasteland and gnaw on frozen soil?"

Karl straightened his back and said seriously, "The kingdom sent us to the Northern Territory to secure the frontier and reclaim lost lands, not to drink ourselves into oblivion in Fran City. The earlier we set out, the sooner we can ease the kingdom's burden and help shoulder the pressure on the Northern Territory for you."

Earl Rochefort laughed helplessly and shook his head. "All right, all right. Noble ideals. Then I hope that your tiny, still-nonexistent territory can be as hard as a walnut when the Sauron come south to raid next autumn—hard enough to chip a few of their teeth and buy me a little more time to react. Well, if there's nothing else, you may leave. I'll see you off personally tomorrow."

Then he turned to the woman beside him. "Charlotte, you go out too."

"Yes, Father." Charlotte's reply was crisp and decisive.

She and Karl turned around almost simultaneously and walked out of the Governor's Office, one after the other. The heavy wooden door closed behind them, cutting off Earl Rochefort's ever-amused gaze.

The corridor was suddenly left with only the two of them, along with the clear, rhythmic clack, clack of Charlotte's thick-soled riding boots against the floor.

The sound echoed through the empty corridor, inexplicably striking a chord in Karl's heart.

The golden-haired girl beside him was nearly as tall as he was. She stood straight, her stride carrying the crispness unique to soldiers, yet somehow blending with the soft curves of a woman.

Her loosely tied golden curls swayed faintly as she walked, the tips seeming to brush against Karl's heart and bring a slight itch.

It would have been a lie to say he wasn't attracted to her, but Karl had no idea what to say to break the silence.

Charlotte seemed equally uninterested in conversation. She merely looked ahead and walked straight on.

The two of them passed silently through the long corridors of the Governor's Office, without exchanging a word, until they walked out the main entrance into the cold night air.

Fran City was pitch-black at night, yet standing beside Charlotte, Karl felt as though the scenery around him had brightened somewhat.

He guessed that Charlotte had her own destination and that they would probably part ways here.

It seemed this brief encounter would vanish in an instant, like one of the Northern Territory's rare clear days.

He couldn't help feeling a faint sense of regret.

Just as he was about to speak and bid her a polite farewell, Charlotte, walking half a step ahead, suddenly stopped.

She turned around. Her eyes, blue-green as an icy lake, met Karl's directly, and her crisp, straightforward voice broke the silence:

"Karl... Schmidt, right?"

Karl answered almost instinctively, reacting so quickly that he seemed almost foolish. "That's right! What is it?"

A trace of anticipation inexplicably rose in his heart.

Charlotte's expression barely changed, still carrying that innate air of scrutiny. "Where are your troops? May I take a look?"

Karl was somewhat surprised. He had not expected her to make such a request. "Now?"

Charlotte raised an eyebrow, her expression seeming to ask, If not now, then when? Her words carried a hint of almost imperceptible teasing. "Of course now. Do your troops automatically disband at night, then automatically assemble again at dawn? I don't believe an army like that could defeat an ambush by seventy Kobolds."

Karl was rendered speechless. At the same time, he became almost completely certain that she was Earl Rochefort's daughter.

When it came to that style of teasing through exaggerated comparisons, the father and daughter had clearly been cut from the same cloth.

He couldn't help smiling, and much of his earlier tension faded. "Of course not. My troops are stationed at the City Defense Army barracks. If you're interested, you're welcome to inspect them."

He made an inviting gesture.

"Lead the way." Charlotte was concise as ever, indicating that Karl should walk ahead.

Karl nodded, suppressing the inexplicable excitement in his heart, and led this "visitor" of unusual identity and even more unusual temperament toward the barracks.

He didn't know whether Charlotte was genuinely interested in his troops, merely curious, or perhaps looking for an excuse to spend a little more time with him.

But regardless, it was certainly no bad thing that this thorny Rose of the Northern Border was willing to see the elite troops he had trained himself.