The communication was established through magical means.
As Roman's figure appeared in the air, Flora sat across from him, her expression stern as she asked, "What exactly is the way to help Lawrence in this crisis?" She did not beat around the bush.
Outside, Lawrence's soldiers were dying, and she needed a solution to the problem.
"If I may ask directly, I will speak honestly. I intend to take revenge on the Barco family for personal reasons. I have already made my decision, and now it is just a matter of timing for when to carry out that revenge. That is why I contacted you. If the Lawrence family agrees to support my plan, I will hasten that timing and help you bring down the Barco family together."
Roman's proposal was unexpected.
For Lawrence, it was like an oasis in the desert, but Flora sensed a trap in Roman's words. "…What do we need to do for that plan?"
"It's simple. Make a sacrifice for the plan. If the Lawrence family expresses their willingness to shed blood first and lay the groundwork, I will do my utmost to promise and assist you in the name of Roman Dmitri. For our conversation to proceed smoothly, you must first make that promise."
Sacrifice.
It was a sensitive word.
For a moment, Flora's eyebrows twitched.
Roman Dmitri was indeed a man of clear principles.
He had readily accepted their broken engagement, and now he stated that he could never sacrifice himself for others.
Deep down, she did not want to accept the hand he extended.
Roman's existence was like a sore spot for Flora, and merely maintaining a relationship with him stirred unknown emotions within her.
However, there were no options.
In a situation where she was already pushed to the brink, she had to be prepared for sacrifice. 'He must have proposed this knowing our situation.
Even if he shamelessly asks for sacrifice, Roman Dmitri is the only one who has made such a proposal to Lawrence.
We cannot refuse his offer.'
She clenched her fists.
Her pride had long been discarded.
The value that took precedence for Flora was the safety of her family, and thus she looked directly at Roman and said, "I promise. If it means protecting my family, I will help in any way I can."
"One more thing. There is something you must promise."
"Speak."
"Due to my involvement, there will be much controversy later. Because of our broken engagement, I have no justification to intervene in the war, and this could raise issues with the connections of the central government that supports the Barco family. Therefore, there is something you must do moving forward. If the Lawrence family truly wishes to be safe, please give me justification to intervene in the war."
Justification.
Until that moment, she did not understand what it meant.
But with Roman's immediate explanation, Flora could no longer maintain her expression.
The conversation had ended.
She had not yet accepted the proposal.
Roman's words that he would wait for just 30 minutes made Flora walk weakly toward the castle walls.
'Is accepting Roman's proposal truly the right thing to do?' Roman.
His explanation was shocking.
"The Barco family has been executing a certain plan to separate Dmitri and Lawrence. While I was drunk, they made me spend the night with Emily Barco, a distant relative of the Barco family, and pressured me to break off the engagement using that as leverage.
This is my personal justification for wanting revenge on them, and from now on, you will provide me with justification.
Antony Barco.
Claim that he assaulted you. Even though nothing happened between you two, you can say that you broke off the engagement because you could not proceed with the marriage to Dmitri due to the assault. This will likely cause your value to plummet.
The beautiful reputation you held as Lawrence's flower will be shattered, and the series of incidents following the broken engagement will be very fatal in the world of nobility. However, if you are willing to give up much as a noble daughter, you will gain one important thing that can resolve Lawrence's crisis."
At those words, her hands trembled.
It was a reality Flora could not easily accept, but she did not want to look away like a coward.
She was not a flower in a greenhouse.
Faced with the harsh reality, Flora was prepared to give up everything.
"That is the justification for me to intervene in the war. I will never forgive those who touch my people. Blood Fang did so, and I am no different now. If the assault occurred before the engagement was broken, then you, Flora Lawrence, are also my person. If you promise just that one more thing, I will ensure that Antony Barco will never look at you with lustful eyes again."
"My person."
Her heart sank.
Though it was a transaction for mutual benefit, Roman said that if she had not broken off the engagement, Flora would have been his person.
Truly, he was a person who was hard to understand.
Roman was willing to take dangerous actions against Barco simply for such justification.
Boom! Crash! "The castle wall has collapsed!" "Quickly, bring the iron barricades!" In the brief moment she had stepped away, chaos erupted at the castle wall.
Parts of the wall crumbled under the continuous attacks from Flare, and in the distance, Barco's soldiers could be seen rushing in.
They would not hold out for long.
Without the advantage of the wall, they could not compete in quality or quantity, and it was only a matter of time before Lawrence fell.
It was bleak.
With flames rising in various places, Flora ran to the wall and shot arrows alongside the soldiers.
Thud! "Cough."
Below the wall, she saw a soldier who had rushed in fall.
Flora quickly nocked another arrow, and the dull pain in her fingers reminded her of how much she had practiced over the past few days.
But that was not what mattered now.
Flora roughly tore her cumbersome skirt and stood in a position comfortable for shooting arrows, shouting strongly to the soldiers, "Attack! We will never fall!"
In that moment, Flora thought.
From the moment she stepped onto the battlefield, her life as a noble daughter who lived without knowing anything had ended.
"Hendel!" It was the name of her maid.
Seeing her rush over with a frightened face, Flora kept her gaze fixed on the target and said, "Contact Roman Dmitri right now. I will do whatever it takes to meet your conditions, so tell him to deal with those damn Barco bastards immediately. At the very least, I do not want to become Antony Barco's concubine."
She had made her decision.
From now on, Flora would live a new life.
Click.
The magical communication was cut off.
Upon hearing that Flora had accepted the proposal, Chris, who had been watching the situation from the side, asked, "Are we attacking right now?"
Roman and the soldiers were not far from Lawrence.
If he gave the order now, they could help immediately, but Roman had no intention of rushing.
"No. We plan to observe a little longer."
"If we keep dragging this out, Lawrence might fall. Barco has deployed Flare for the siege. The firepower is beyond what Lawrence can withstand. If you truly intend to help Lawrence and thwart Barco's plan, you must attack the enemy's rear immediately to create some breathing room."
It was sound advice.
Chris had experience studying military strategy, and thus he understood that Lawrence was on the brink.
However, Roman's thoughts were different.
"Why should I think about that?"
"…What?"
"It does not matter whether Lawrence falls or not. Even if the wall collapses and Barco's forces overwhelm Lawrence, the determined Lawrence will hold out for at least an hour. What I desire is to gain the maximum benefit with minimal damage from the conflict between Lawrence and Barco."
It was a cruel statement.
He completely disregarded human conscience, thinking only of practical gains.
"Chris."
"Yes."
"There is something you must keep in mind as you follow me from now on. It is more important to me that one of my people does not shed blood than for hundreds of faceless people to die. Many will die in this incident for Lawrence.
But that is a problem that arose because they followed an incompetent leader, and unlike them, I do not intend to force meaningless sacrifices on those who have sworn loyalty to me. So make sure to rest well. When the time comes for us to step in at the cost of Lawrence's sacrifice, then we will have to shed blood."
"…Understood."
Chris nodded.
He finally understood.
Roman Dmitri.
He might be ruthless to others, but at least he was a person worth swearing loyalty to.
On the castle wall.
The situation had turned urgent.
With Barco's army closing in, Flora approached Lord Lawrence and said, "Father! We need to open the gates immediately and confront Barco's army head-on!"
"What do you mean?" Opening the gates was something Lord Lawrence could not accept.
But with no time to explain in detail, Flora persuaded her father in a strong tone.
"Just now, Roman Dmitri promised to help us through magical communication. The reason we cannot withstand Barco's attack is because of Flare's presence. So if we open the gates now and distract the enemy's attention, Roman Dmitri will lead his troops and destroy Flare."
"Why would Roman Dmitri do that?"
"There is no time to explain in detail. What is certain is that Roman Dmitri is not a man who speaks lightly."
In that moment, Lord Lawrence's mind became tangled.
Roman Dmitri.
He was certainly not an ordinary person, having shown confidence when he looked directly at him during their brief encounter after the Blood Fang incident.
However, the problem was that he had no reason to help Lawrence.
If he held malice due to the broken engagement, it was understandable, but there was no reason for Roman Dmitri to help Lawrence.
'Is trusting Roman Dmitri and opening the gates truly the right choice? According to my daughter's explanation, Roman Dmitri intends to help with his own strength without relying on the family's power.
The opponent is the Barco family.
No matter how much we distract their attention, it will be difficult to defeat the elite troops of the Bergé Mercenaries and approach Flare.
And if he does not know how to use aura, he cannot destroy Flare in the first place.'
Judgment was difficult.
At the crossroads of life and death, Lord Lawrence was weak.
He was a typical coward, and the more dangerous the situation, the less capable he was of making the right decision.
Then, "Father, no, Dad. We are already in a disadvantageous fight. The moment we chose to fight to the death, we staked everything on this battle, and if we cannot defeat Barco, the Lawrence family will disappear from the history of the Cairo Kingdom. So trust me. Accepting Roman Dmitri's help and smashing Flare is the only way we can survive right now."
Flora spoke earnestly.
Late to realize, Lord Lawrence saw Flora's appearance.
The armor she wore was blackened from the flames, and her skirt was already torn and fluttering.
And the bow she held in her hand.
While the head of the family was unable to make a decisive decision, Flora had come up with a solution.
He believed in his only daughter.
Overcoming his fear, Lord Lawrence shouted to the soldiers, "Open the gates immediately! Roman Dmitri has promised to help us. So go out beyond the gates and eliminate the wicked Barco villains!"
The gates swung wide open.
Following Roman's plan, Lawrence chose to make a sacrifice to lay the groundwork.