Virgin Knight Who Is the Frontier Lord in the Gender Switched World - Chapter 210

The crest of Anhalt features “an axe and a rose.”

I have always liked this emblem and instructed my subordinates to carry the banner with them wherever they went.

In my private room, decorated like a battlefield headquarters with the banner displayed, I continued to ponder the whereabouts of Faust von Polydoro’s loyalty. Was it entrusted to me, or would he respond if I asked? It was something I couldn’t help but think about.

However, if one seeks ease, there’s no need to get caught in a whirlwind of thought. Just ask the person in front of you.

“I doubt your loyalty, my lord. However, it is due to my own shortcomings. Are you aware of this, Faust?”

“I am well aware, Princess Anastasia.”

When did you realize this? Was it explained by Astarte or whispered by the retainer Martina? There wasn’t much point in asking that. What mattered was why I doubted Faust’s trust and how he would respond to that doubt.

In my private room, I tried to confide my troubles to Faust, who had come to visit.

…The need to show sincerity lies with me, as I have put him in a situation where he can’t help but have doubts. Therefore, it is appropriate that I speak first.

“I never once thought that I had Faust completely under my control. Not once did I think that I could let him work to his full potential as my subordinate.”

“…What do you mean?”

Faust looked puzzled. Perhaps, to him, I had become such a selfish woman. But make no mistake, I am fully aware of my position. I have never indulged in such a selfish misunderstanding. Because…

“That child, my sister Valiere, actively sought and gained a subordinate and advisor, and chose her knight for the first time. There is the Second Princess’s Guard, but the clear difference is whether one reached out on their own or followed along.”

Perhaps, except for that chimpanzee Sabine,” I added at the end of my sentence. She might have been the only one guided to serve under Valiere willingly. Though I doubt it, I have no desire for that chimpanzee’s loyalty. Let her stick with Valiere for life. Faust was the only one who mattered.

“I once asked Valiere, ‘Give me Lord Faust von Polydoro.’ Valiere answered. That small, timid child stretched as tall as she could to respond.”

I still remember her lines and can speak them now.

“‘Lord Polydoro is my advisor and a precious subordinate. Honoring you as my sovereign, sister, will come after you become the Queen of Anhalt and I retire to the monastery. It is improper to demand otherwise,’ she answered.”

That was good. Yes, that was fine. A truly commendable response from a sovereign commanding her knight. As a sister, I was so pleased that I allowed it.

“So, well. I would have been fine welcoming you as a knight if things had flowed that way. But I didn’t force failure upon my sister or use aggressive means to make you my subordinate because you were that child’s precious knight.”

I am now speaking my true feelings. Valiere, that child, has grown respectable—unimaginably so since before her first battle, during her journey to the capital. As a member of the Anhalt Elector family, I can proudly say she has become respectable.

“…And you have certainly continued to support her as Valiere’s advisor and upheld her as your sovereign. Yes, as a sister, I must truly thank you. Thank you for swearing loyalty to her.”

I genuinely feel that way. Yet, simultaneously, I think…

“And at the same time, I think it would have been better if I had met you earlier. If a knight like you had been present, I would have welcomed you with open arms, lavishing praise and heaping rewards. Whether you would have become my knight, I do not know.”

I have even called out, “There’s no future beyond Valiere,” but my affections are such that changing the direction of loyalty is impossible, and I was curtly refused. How nostalgic. It hasn’t been many years since the Virendorf campaign. Yet, it feels like a distant past.

“…Faust, I ask you. It is fine if Valiere remains your foremost. But between Anastasia and Queen Liesenlotte, whom would you prioritize in loyalty? Your mother or me?”

“Is that a meaningful question? Either way, my loyalty will eventually shift solely to Princess Anastasia.”

Faust looked puzzled. Indeed, the time for the power transfer isn’t far. Once I complete the Elector succession ceremony, Queen Liesenlotte will retire, and Valiere will become the head of the Polydoro family. The Anhalt royal family, the elector family, will all be mine. Naturally, the direction of Faust von Polydoro’s loyalty will turn towards me.

But…

“Will you not answer me?”

Honestly, I would prefer that you choose me over my mother—not in the future, but here and now.

It seems my life is headed in an unfavorable direction, and I even feel a chill.

I fear that my life will end not with the Elector succession ceremony but, rather, at the stake of a heresy trial.

The Pope is formidable.

He awaits as if having read everything and beckoning me. I have no choice but to revise my understanding, as Faust has already informed me, and he too feels a chill-like sensation.

It was a situation well worth fearing and being cautious of.

Yet still…

“If you would choose me, then even if a thousand enemy soldiers appeared right here, I would not fear. Even if ten thousand spears rained down, I would even laugh. If God roared in anger and blew the trumpet of doom, I would not even notice, only issuing commands. There is none in this world who could match my knight. Please, answer me.”

I think I should make a confession.

Not a confession of carnal desires, but one of a sovereign to her knight.

I, as a queen, desire a knight like Faust.

Even if Saint Georgius appeared before me, I would declare that my knight surpasses him.

That is how much I am enamored with him.

From the time of my first battle, when he splendidly defeated Lord Reckenberg and saved me from ruin…

“…Then I will answer. Repeating it too often might dilute the words, so I shall say this but once.”

Faust smiled and knelt down.

Like at a ceremony appointing a lord and knight.

“There is only one thing I can say to you, Princess Anastasia. Discussing whether your mother, Queen Liesenlotte, or you should take precedence in my loyalties holds no value worth debating. Before the oath I swear to give my life, such order is but a triviality.”

Unquestionably earnest, it was as if his declaration rang out like a gong, vowing with a laugh that brushed everything aside.

“For grace, for the strength of my sovereign. For the peace of my Polydoro lands, and for the Anhalt royal house that guards them. For the faith of the Cologne Sect and for the sake of my chivalry. No matter what happens, even if the heavens split and the seas rage, I shall not flinch. I swear right here to bravely give my life for the single being known as Anastasia von Anhalt.”

He gave me the answer I sought.

He swore he would die for me.

That alone…

…

I covered my face with both hands.

Grabbing my long hair, I draped it like a curtain, not even showing my cheeks.

My face must be flushed, my eyes likely moist.

“Yes. That’s all I wanted to hear.”

While my voice threatened to break with tears, I raised it to ensure it wasn’t noticed.

“Very well! Someday, when Valiere becomes your wife and my loyalty turns to me, until then, let us be satisfied with the vow made here!”

There is no need to doubt Faust’s loyalty, even under concentrated musket fire.

With a voice like a gong, he would laugh and deflect all bullets.

My knight is just that significant to me.

He is like a knight out of a fairy tale, desired by all to be under their command.

“There is nothing left to fear. Whatever happens at the heresy trial, let’s endure it. No matter what the Pope plans, this Anastasia will not lose.”

Letting go of my hair, I cried out as loudly as I could with my face still red.

“The woman who will one day serve as your most fitting knight, the sovereign worthy of you, let’s show that in front of the Pope. Faust von Polydoro.”

My heartbeat thundered ceaselessly, desperately concealing it.

I thought to myself, I fear nothing anymore.