Virgin Knight Who Is the Frontier Lord in the Gender Switched World - Chapter 146

I was certain that this body would perish.

The beliefs that had sustained me shattered completely.

Thus, I believed my end was near.

A troublesome thought, indeed.

Lord Polydoro had utterly defeated me.

He struck me down with his sword and outwitted me in debate.

He dismissed my concerns, my anguish, and even my madness.

Therefore, I had to act exactly as I had promised him.

I would not break a knight’s vow.

I could have labored tirelessly like a dog or a horse, if necessary.

However, at some point, I had come to accept that this was alright.

“Duchess Temeraire, it would be troubling if you were to die!”

A guest general from Virendorf of the Feilon Dynasty—Yue—exclaimed this.

This, too, must be one possible ending.

I am beginning to accept it.

Enough.

Too much blood has been spilled.

Even I understand that this situation is irredeemable.

“Farewell. This mad boar’s journey ends here.”

I am left with no regrets.

I’ve left behind all the necessary documents on Mongolia, and with a man like Faust von Polydoro involved, he can surely set things right.

That’s what I believe.

With that, I lost consciousness.

I could faintly hear only the cries of “The Order of the Mad Boar,” my beloved subordinates.

That much I remember.

After that, I understand nothing.

I think I died.

Of that, there is no doubt.

“Where am I?”

I found myself sleeping, wrapped in a blanket, in my own bed.

Not on the simple military cot in the fortress, but in the bedroom of my mansion in the imperial capital, which I should have left behind when I joined Landsknecht.

Of course, all the furniture had been looted, and even the blanket was not originally mine.

There was just one anomaly.

“Who are you?”

A girl had slipped under the blanket.

It was warm.

Devoid of blood, my body had grown completely cold, but the girl’s body heat was comforting.

This seemed to be an attempt to treat hypothermia.

Indeed, I understood why this girl, no more than ten years old, was sleeping beside me.

I’m not a lesbian.

Nevertheless, I view men primarily as breeders—though I’ve found an exception.

In any case, this was preferable to a prostitute sneaking in.

Now.

I looked at my hand and clenched it into a fist.

“…I’ve survived, after all.”

Well, since I can now fulfill my promise to Lord Polydoro, it’s not so bad.

More than my own survival, that was my primary concern.

“Very well.”

I unclenched my fist and quietly consented.

At that moment, there was a knock at the door.

“Come in,” I responded.

A man entered cautiously, as if he were dealing with someone on their deathbed.

“Excuse me,” he said.

It was Lord Faust von Polydoro.

He entered, his muscular form often deemed unattractive, and sighed in relief upon seeing me.

“Are you awake?”

“Why am I still alive?”

I had to ask first. The outcome was satisfactory, but the process remained a mystery. I posed the question to Lord Polydoro, who replied,

“Do you know what a blood transfusion is?” 

“I have heard of it from the Cologne Knight.”

Indeed, I was familiar with it. In the realm of medicine, some monasteries and universities are advancing medical science throughout society. Bloodletting is long obsolete, and I had become aware of the concept of transfusions. The Cologne Sect, despite its detestable nature, frequents places where battlefield music plays, a group of madwomen excelling even in medicine. But I had never heard of a transfusion being particularly successful. There are side effects. After all, the problem is using someone else’s blood, and without a way to store it, you must arrange for someone else in another bed to perform the transfusion. Various complications could arise, such as infectious diseases, a bad reaction due to incompatible body chemistry, or the blood clotting and causing death. It’s hardly an ideal treatment method.

“There were many cases within the followers of the Cologne Sect where the situation was ‘transfuse or die,’ and based on many sacrifices who were about to die anyway, they experimented with mixing blood types—finding combinations where the blood would not clot.”

“…The Cologne Sect is insane.”

I don’t know what kind of sacrifices—perhaps their own followers, mostly mercenaries or military priests—were made to discover this method. But it appears that the knowledge of the Cologne Sect revived me. I would have preferred assistance from anyone but them, yet reality was different. A grim reality had hit me.

“You didn’t mix strange blood in, did you—no, I’ve said something terribly rude. I apologize.”

In that situation, there would have been no tools to transfer blood from the donor to me. Thus, they would have had to connect our veins directly. Someone must have cut open their arm, exposed a vein, and shared their blood. Who would go to such lengths? I knew my subordinates would naturally do it, but to think someone actually did.

“Someone shared their blood with me. I must reward that courageous person. Tell me their name. If they’re a soldier, grant them knighthood. If they’re a knight, grant them land.”

“Originally, it was my doing. I cannot accept a reward. If you must express gratitude, direct it to the Cologne Knight who assisted in the treatment.”

Lord Polydoro stated it simply. So, it was you. The life-sustaining blood flowing through my body is yours.

“Haha.”

I laughed softly. So this is the man who defeated me.

“I can’t win.”

Realizing the blood flowing through my body, I understood. An old warrior like me stood no chance against someone with such vigorous blood.

“Offering a reward was presumptuous of me. Let’s proceed as you suggested.”

A slight warmth spread through my body. My face flushed, and for some reason, I couldn’t look directly at Lord Polydoro, who appeared slightly troubled but still managed a smile. I don’t know why, but I felt embarrassed.

“Lord Polydoro, please don’t look at me. My current state is too pitiful. My hair isn’t even combed.”

Not because I was sick in bed, but because Lord Polydoro had struck me on the head. Yue, acting as a healer, had to cut my hair with a knife for stitching.

“My beautiful hair has been cut short.”

In our sword fight, Lord Polydoro had crushed the cartilage of my nose through my helmet. While a doctor might have realigned it, it is undeniably flattened. My formerly proud nose was completely crushed.

“My body is also swollen.”

I don’t know how much time has passed since I fell unconscious. But my body has not yet recovered. Internal bleeding has distorted my body’s contours, and purple bruises and swellings are evident everywhere.

“So, please don’t look at me.”

For some reason, I didn’t want this man in front of me to see me as I was. I don’t know why, but I didn’t want him to.

And feeling embarrassed about such a thing.

“I did everything, and I do not think it’s ugly, no matter if the heavens split or the seas shatter. If anyone dares to insult the current Duchess Temeraire, I will deal with them immediately.”

Perhaps Faust von Polydoro truly isn’t concerned about such matters. Now I knew.

“Even though I didn’t particularly dislike your arrogant self, this honest version of you is far more beautiful than when we first met at the soirée.”

I despise men. They seem to live without purpose, only mumbling, treated as mere ornaments, tucked away in the background. Until now, I had only encountered fools who, like that pampered, protected husband, labor under the delusion of their own superiority. But here was a man unlike any other.

How could this man, so often harshly deemed ugly by society, possess such a noble countenance upon closer inspection?

“Do not call me beautiful.”

When you praise me, my newly revived heart feels as if it might burst, despite just returning to life. I’m not like those fools who are oblivious to their own circumstances. I am acutely aware of what’s happening.

This man has defeated me thoroughly, not just with physical strength but in intellectual debates as well. Furthermore, he even shared his own blood with me.

…

Ah, it’s futile.

The blush won’t leave my face.

Yes, I’ve realized it now.

How Anastasia, with her cold, calculating gaze, or Katarina, who only understood Reckenber’s love posthumously—how they could fall for the man before me.

Ah, so this is what it feels like to fall in love.

I’ve lived as a noble, convinced I needed no offspring, but now, I can’t even comprehend my past convictions.

“So, Reckenber really was in love with you.”

Whatever that devil thought, her judgment in men was certainly impeccable.

“Well then.”

Murmuring to myself, I contemplated what to do next, though it seemed futile. After all, why would a 22-year-old Lord Polydoro be interested in a love-stricken 28-year-old spinster like me? I’ve insulted him terribly, and I had no right to declare my love now.

I’ve acknowledged my love, but there’s no point in voicing it. I might have been willing to pay a substantial sum, enough to purchase a large estate, if it could secure Lord Polydoro’s affection.

But I highly doubt he would entertain such a conversation.

My first love was doomed from the start.

It’s better not to speak and thus avoid further hurt.

I quietly resigned myself to this unrequited love and attempted to change the subject.

“I have something I’d like to ask.”

“Ask anything.”

To the rugged Lord Polydoro, who likely had no idea about my inner turmoil, I posed the question that had been lingering in my mind.

“Who is this girl?”

The girl who had warmed my chilled, blood-depleted body.

“I don’t know whose child she is exactly, but I must thank her and her parents.”

“Her parents are no longer in this world. To put it simply, she is like my own child.”

Lord Polydoro looked at the girl with all the kindness in his eyes—a look I had never received from my own father. Perhaps my disdain for men stemmed from my father being such a disappointing figure.

It didn’t matter much to me anymore, given that my unrequited love was futile.

“Your child?”

The words Lord Polydoro, or rather, Faust, muttered caught my attention.

What did he mean by that?

“She was a servant I took under my wing in Anhalt, a knight-in-training, and the author of the book I taught you. Her name is Martina von Bösel. To me, she is like a daughter.”

I didn’t fully understand, but Lord Polydoro spoke with a gentle voice.

So, this was the talent that even surpassed Reckenber.

To me, it felt almost like destiny.

Having lived as a woman who despised men and planned to simply adopt a relative’s child for succession, I was now almost drowning in my first unattainable love, and the man who called this girl sleeping beside me his daughter had opened my eyes.

She was a presence that might change the future of the Sacred Gusten Empire.

It must be some kind of destiny.

“Lord Faust von Polydoro, I have a proposal. This may be sudden, and you might refuse, considering you see this child as your own. I know little about this girl, but I recognize the value of the book she wrote.”

I spoke my thoughts aloud.

“So, I would like to propose an option if her future remains undecided. If she is still merely a knight-in-training, would you consider allowing her to become my heir? If you are like a father to her, would you let me, Charlotte Le Temeraire, assume the role of her mother in the domain I govern? I respectfully beg, this old sow bows and entreats you.”

I addressed the talented girl who might never awaken to the man I had hopelessly fallen for, filling my plea with all my yearnings.