The Obsidians came to a halt as the compound of the Duchess's residence stood before us.

Two guards near the entrance, probably from the night shift squad at the ending minutes of their duty, stood tall, clad in armor with the white swan symbol emblazoned on their chest plates, right over their hearts.

They looked at the Obsidians, and their spears rose up immediately, crossing to bar entry.

"Open the gate," Kael's voice came out as commanding as I remembered.

The guards lowered their spears without hesitation. A man in uniform, bearing the same swan symbol, ran forward and unlocked the large grilled gate from the inside. He immediately stood at attention in salute position beside it.

The guards straightened up, and in a practiced, synchronized motion, their hands grabbed the gate's handles. They pulled them open, each moving smoothly along with the swing of the heavy iron bars.

Our Obsidians moved again, now trotting like normal horses leisurely.

It was fascinating to think these were the same horses that had galloped relentlessly and brought us to the capital of Sinclair Duchy in just seven hours from a backwater village.

Inside the compound, everything was just like I remembered from when I'd first joined here as a simple foot soldier in my past life.

I'd grown through the ranks quickly back then, getting placed in the main unit under Kael.

She'd picked me out from among a bunch of promising soldiers and made me a Lieutenant General in just two years.

I was the fastest and youngest to reach that rank in the entire history of the duchy, around twenty-six when I became Kael's right-hand man.

That's when even Cass started to take notice of my abnormal growth. Thanks to Nexar dumping stat points at every kill I made, and under Kael who was constantly on missions, mostly subjugations and border conflicts, the points I'd stacked up made me stronger than any Lieutenant General who'd ever served under her.

Even the voices that had been against making me a Lieutenant General instead of the veterans in line eventually praised me.

The Obsidians trotted across the flagstone slabs leading toward the huge fountain ahead. Soldiers on duty saluted sharply as their General passed, fists to their chests.

If I remembered correctly, the path to the right of the fountain led to the outer bailey, where soldiers trained. Men-at-arms, knights, and retainers mostly. They held formation drills and mock battles there. And if you passed through it and went further down that path, it would lead to the inner bailey.

That's where the main unit trained.

It had taken me a year to promote from the outer bailey to the inner. The competition was fierce, as expected from a duchy with the highest military strength, second only to the Imperial Army itself.

The inner bailey had everything a soldier could need, dedicated areas for horsemanship, archery, even a quintain for lance practice.

I'd spent countless hours there, honing my skills, pushing myself beyond what should've been possible for someone my age.

If you went even further down that route, you'd enter a huge garden area that merged all three paths: The right side of the fountain, the middle route directly behind it, and the left side path as well.

The horses passed the fountain and entered the middle route, the one directly behind the fountain. It was also the quickest path to the castle, which stood beyond the huge garden area.

This middle route was where guests were taken through because it was not only the fastest but also the path that led through the most beautiful part of the garden, a section especially designed to impress visitors.

I suspected they'd be taking me straight to the castle without stopping at the garden. No time for pleasantries.

All three routes from the garden area eventually merged into a single large stone pavement that led directly to the castle entrance where the Duchess lives.

Of course, horses were only allowed until that huge pavement, unless you were Kael. She had privileges no one else did.

The morning sun was climbing higher now, casting long shadows across the flagstones.

It took us a whole thirty minutes on the Obsidians' normal pace to cross the garden and enter the large stone pavement leading straight to the castle.

The sun was well up now, probably around seven or eight in the morning.

The garden was as beautiful as I remembered, carefully maintained flower beds in full bloom, fountains with crystal-clear water, and pathways lined with perfectly trimmed hedges.

It had taken me seven years just to get access to visit this part of the garden in my past life.

Regular soldiers only had access to the right part of the garden connected to our training grounds or the left part connected to our residence. I'd only visited this central section with Cass after I became a Warlord under her banner.

The guards standing at the center of the stone pavement, their spears crossed to bar entry, immediately cleared the way as they saw Kael on the Obsidian. They all stood tall, fists pressed to their hearts in salute.

The horses trotted onto the stone pavement as every soldier's eyes locked on me, the one riding with their General.

I could feel their stares, hear their unspoken questions. Who is this kid? Why is he with the General?

Ilya adjusted her glasses and looked up at the castle, her eyes tracing upward toward the higher floors.

I followed her gaze and looked at a window on the top floor. A flash of red, the edge of a dress, flew in the air as a woman just stepped back from view.

I gulped.

Was that Cass...? Was she waiting...?

Before I could process that thought, the horse came to an abrupt halt. I fell forward, colliding with Kael's back.

"Woah! I'm sorry, that was sudd—"

"Please get down," Kael said, her voice suddenly polite and emotionless. Completely different from before.

Ilya dismounted from her horse with practiced grace and bent slightly at the waist, a gesture of respect.

I was stunned but managed to climb down awkwardly, nearly stumbling as my feet hit the ground. My legs were stiff from hours of riding.

"What's happening...?" I asked, confused. The treatment now was so different from just a while ago when they'd been threatening me.

"We have reached the Duchess's castle," Ilya explained, still maintaining that slight bow. "And since you did not object to the Duchess's summons, you are to be treated as our guest."

Guest. Right. That's what we're calling it.

"This way," Kael said as she dismounted smoothly and gestured toward the castle's entrance with one hand.

Two guards at the door immediately came forward, saluted sharply, and took the lead ropes of the Obsidians. They guided the horses away toward what I assumed were the stables.

I moved as Kael gestured, my heart pounding harder with each step.

Okay. Here goes nothing.

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