Dawn of Vengeance — Chapter 61

THE DELEGATION...

HOW MANY DID YOU SAY... THERE WERE?

FIVE HUNDRED, EVEN AFTER PARING DOWN THE LIST.

AS THE KINGDOM'S FIRST QUEEN, AND AN UNMARRIED ONE AT THAT—

...YOU CANNOT AFFORD TO LOOK WEAK.

TIGHTER!

TIGHTER!

YOU MUST PRESENT AN ABSOLUTELY DIGNIFIED FIGURE!

W-why is he so mad..?

BUT ISN'T THIS A BIT MUCH...

INCORRECT.

HER MAJESTY'S EYES ARE GOLD, SO WHITE OR BLACK WILL SUIT HER FAR BETTER THAN YELLOW.

I'LL SEND FOR THEM RIGHT AWAY.

WE'VE PREPARED THREE DRESSES FOR THE FESTIVAL EVE.

SHALL WE TAKE A LOOK?

VERY WELL.

ACTUALLY... MAKE THAT FIVE DRESSES.

THREE DAYS LATER.

WOW...

SHE'S GORGEOUS...

THERE'S OVERDOING IT, AND THEN THERE'S THIS!

Ugh, these are so uncomfortable!

ANYONE WATCHING WOULD THINK I'M SOME SHELTERED PRINCESS BEING MARRIED OFF TO A NEIGHBORING KINGDOM.

BETWEEN THIS RIDICULOUS OUTFIT AND AN ENTOURAGE OF FIVE HUNDRED PEOPLE...

...IT'S GOING TO TAKE US THREE MONTHS JUST TO REACH THE DOPANE BORDER AT THIS RATE.

IT WON'T TAKE QUITE THAT LONG. WE SHOULD ARRIVE IN FIFTEEN DAYS.

FIFTEEN DAYS? WE COULD MAKE IT IN UNDER TEN IF WE JUST RODE HORSES.

THIS IS A ROYAL PROCESSION! WE CAN'T EXACTLY JUST RIDE IN ON HORSEBACK~

YOU'RE A LOT MORE IMPATIENT THAN YOU LOOK.

ENSIGN ZEN. WE ARE OUTSIDE THE PALACE.

MAINTAIN THE DIGNITY OF A ROYAL GUARD.

REFRAIN FROM SUCH VULGAR BEHAVIOR.

WHAT? VULGAR?!

YOU SEEM TO HAVE FORGOTTEN, BUT OUR DESTINATION IS DOPANE—THE NATION THAT BURNED DOWN YOUR HOMETOWN.

HOW CAN YOU SIT THERE GIGGLING LIKE THAT?

He really shouldn't have said that...

THIS BASTARD KILLS THE VIBE THE SECOND I TRY TO LIGHTEN THE MOOD.

WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO ABOUT SOMETHING THAT ALREADY HAPPENED, YOU CRAZY BASTARD?!

WHAT, AM I SUPPOSED TO THROW A FIT ABOUT GETTING REVENGE EVERY TIME I LOOK SOUTH?!

YOU WANT ME TO JUST START SNAPPING THE NECKS OF EVERY DOPANE BASTARD I SEE?! HUH?!

NO.

THAT WASN'T WHAT I...

THE HELL IT WASN'T! SHUT YOUR MOUTH, YOU BASTARD!

SON OF A...

You okay...?

YOU SON OF A B*TCH! I COULD RIP YOUR GUTS OUT AND IT STILL WOULDN'T BE ENOUGH!

ARE YOU POSSESSED BY SOME KIND OF NAGGING DEMON?! MIND YOUR OWN F*CKING BUSINESS!

TELLING YOU TO WATCH YOUR LANGUAGE WOULD JUST GO IN ONE EAR AND OUT THE OTHER.

I'M ONLY WASTING MY BREATH. YOU VULGAR...

I told you I'd rip your throat out if you called me vulgar again!

As if that would hurt.

Oh, yeah? Get ready to cry, b*stard!

Hey! Let go this instant!

THE WAY THEY'RE SO DESPERATE TO TEAR EACH OTHER APART... IT REMINDS ME OF KIEL AND RUTHERFORD.

WELL... BOYS WILL BE BOYS. FIGHTING IS JUST HOW THEY BOND...

LUCY.

MMM...

THAT FEELS NICE.

WALTER?

...I WONDER,

IF WALTER IS HEADING SOUTH SAFELY.

FIFTEEN DAYS TO DOPANE. THEN ROUGHLY A WEEK UNTIL THE FOUNDATION FESTIVAL AND THE SUMMIT DRAW TO A CLOSE.

AND TEN DAYS TO THE SOUTHERN COMMAND...

WHICH MEANS I WON'T SEE HIM FOR NEARLY A MONTH.

MAYBE I SHOULD HAVE JUST TOLD THEM I WOULDN'T GO.

I JUST WANT TO BE WITH HIM.

EVERYTHING FEELS SO EMPTY WITHOUT HIM...

I MEAN,

IT'S NOT LIKE I WANT TO BE GLUED TO HIS SIDE BECAUSE I LIKE HIM OR ANYTHING.

BUT WALTER, TOO...

SEEING HOW WORRIED HE WAS...

COULD IT BE THAT HE HATES BEING APART FROM ME, TOO?

NOT JUST OUT OF DUTY TO HIS LIEGE...

.BUT BECAUSE HE SEES ME AS A WOMAN, OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT?

DAMN IT.

IT'S... IT'S NOT LIKE THAT.

IT REALLY ISN'T, SO GET A GRIP ON YOURSELF, ARSINOE.

DO YOU HONESTLY HAVE THE LUXURY OF FRETTING OVER WHO LIKES WHO RIGHT NOW?!

YOU SHOULD BE FOCUSING ON TEAMING UP WITH DOPANE TO SEVER THAT BASTARD ALEX'S NECK!

HAS IT BEEN SO LONG SINCE YOU TASTED HARDSHIP THAT YOUR MIND'S GONE COMPLETELY SOFT?!

JUST BECAUSE YOUR BELLY IS FULL AND YOU'RE COMFORTABLE,

YOU'VE GONE WAY PAST RELAXED AND COMPLETELY MELTED LIKE A MARSHMALLOW!

WHY DOES HE HAVE TO BE...

...SO DAMN HANDSOME, ANYWAY?!