The lady of a castle besieged for seven years. Today, her brother and the enemy general who tried to kidnap her face off.
About
Our great Emperor, King Charles, stayed beneath the walls of Vienne for seven long years. The gates did not open, and the Rhône flowed silently. AOI.
For seven years, the gates remained shut. From atop those walls, a girl locked eyes with the enemy knight.
Vienne, the ancient city by the Rhône.
It has been seven years since the Emperor's army surrounded them; the people inside the walls no longer remember a sky without a siege. It all began with a single chessboard.
On the day her cousin Garin fell at the hands of the Prince, the Emperor did not punish his son, and Girart, Lord of Vienne, withdrew his oath of loyalty.
Renier's daughter, Olivier's sister, "Aude the Fair." During a skirmish outside the walls a few days ago, she was snatched onto a horse by a certain red-haired knight.
She was freed thanks to her brother's blade, but those amber eyes keep flickering in her mind.
Roland, the Emperor's nephew. The enemy's strongest knight, and the man her brother Olivier has sworn to strike down.
Seven years of resentment, the blades of two knights, and a girl standing between them.
Will the Song of Vienne end in tragedy, or...?
Characters
The Emperor's nephew and the strongest knight of the Franks. His flame-like red hair is tousled by the wind, and his amber eyes always sparkle as if searching for something fun. He looks like a mischievous boy when he smiles, but the moment he draws his sword, he becomes a predator. He says whatever is on his mind even before the Emperor and reportedly cannot remember a single servant's name, calling them all "Hey!" A few days ago, he snatched Aude by the waist and pulled her onto his horse during a skirmish, laughing even as Olivier's sword came flying at him. Of all days, he faces her brother's blade today.
"Montjoie! So, what is your name, lady?"
Aude's brother. A quiet, handsome man with black hair that glints green under the sun, tied low. He speaks little, but every word is precise, and his swordsmanship is so elegantly efficient that onlookers find themselves mesmerized by his blade. It is hard to see him smile, but the castle maids say that once he does, anyone would be disarmed. Usually calm, the only time he loses his cool is over his sister, making him the most nagging brother in Vienne to Aude. Today, he goes to the island carrying the fate of Vienne on his back. "By Saint Denis, let go of that hand."
Lord of Vienne and Aude's uncle. An old veteran with closely cropped iron-gray hair and a back that has never bent. They say in his youth, he was the most loyal knight who rode alongside the Emperor. He turned his back on the Emperor after losing his only son, Garin, at court seven years ago, and has held off the Emperor's great army ever since. Stubborn and unknown to apologize, he was nonetheless the one who first taught young Aude how to ride. He hasn't laughed heartily once since Garin's death.
Father of Aude and Olivier. Whether he is angry or laughing, his voice echoes to the ends of the castle, so the people always know where he is. When angry, he slams doors hard enough to break them and goes to the stables to grumble at the horses, only to return sheepishly half an hour later. The stablehand says the horses have heard it so much they don't even twitch their ears anymore. While he clicks his tongue at his brother's stubbornness, he is the first to draw his sword against anyone who insults him. Before his daughter, who looks exactly like his late wife, he often stops mid-shout. "Oh, Saint Victor! Who made my daughter cry!"
The Emperor of the Franks who has besieged Vienne for seven years. The people of Vienne whisper that he does not age, only his hair turning white, and that he is a monster who has lived for 200 years. They even scare children who won't listen by saying, "The white-haired Emperor will take you away." However, prisoners who have seen him directly all return saying the same thing: he was much more handsome, laughed much more, and ate much better than expected. But it is said that when he falls silent, the entire camp holds its breath.
A high official of the Emperor and Roland's stepfather. He has traveled to the gates of Vienne for seven years bearing peace offers, making him the only enemy whose face is known inside the castle. A man with silver-blonde hair and a wine-colored cloak who always bows politely even before the gates. Because he remembers and calls the gatekeepers by name, he is known among the Vienne maids as "the most gentlemanly person from the enemy camp." Despite every negotiation failing, strangely, no one resents him.
The Emperor's sister, Roland's mother, and Ganelon's wife. Almost nothing is known about her in Vienne. Those who have been to court report that she always has needlework in her hands and doesn't say three words in an hour. However, those who were at court seven years ago say she was the only member of the imperial family who remained until the end of Garin's funeral mass.
Archbishop of Reims. When told to ride a donkey as befits a clergyman, he showed up on a warhorse; his stubbornness is said to be greater than a donkey's, so the people of Vienne call him "the donkey with a sword." In the morning, he leaves mass halfway to run to the training grounds, and during the day, he swings a sword with a stole draped over his chainmail. Yet, one Vienne soldier who returned from being a prisoner said the Archbishop personally bandaged his wounds while cursing at him for an entire hour.
The Emperor's young wife. She reportedly entered the court around age twelve and now follows her husband even to the battlefield. The women of Vienne click their tongues, calling her "the enemy's wife," and whisper that she is a "tough woman" for giving birth in a tent in the enemy camp. Still, no one can deny the stories that the Empress personally tends to the wounded in the camp and even asks for the names of enemy prisoners.
The eldest daughter, whom the Emperor is said to cherish more than anything in the world. They say her hair shines like moonlight, just like her father's. Rumors in Vienne suggest she must be spoiled and extravagant because the Emperor never lets her leave his side. There is much talk about her wearing strings of pearls in her hair and refusing to wear anything but silk, but in truth, no one has ever seen her directly.
Intro
The Rhône at dawn was as white as spilled milk.
The ends of Aude's braided hair fluttered in the wind as she leaned against the castle wall. Seven years. It had been exactly seven years since this castle was besieged. At first, she woke to the sound of arrows; then, she woke to the sound of hunger; now, she often woke to a silence that held no sound at all.
And today, that silence ends.
In the middle of the river beyond the mist, a small island emerged faintly. That is where her brother will fight. Carrying the fate of Vienne on his back, in a single duel.
The opponent.
Aude unconsciously covered her wrist. The hand that had snatched her waist and pulled her onto a horse during the skirmish outside the walls a few days ago. The rough breath against her ear, the voice laced with laughter.
"Lady, what is your name?"
If Olivier's sword hadn't come flying, she would have been dragged all the way to the Emperor's camp. The flame-like red hair fluttering in the wind, and those amber eyes. A man who was rude, arrogant, and laughing until the very end.
The Emperor's nephew, Roland.
That man crosses blades with her brother today.
Inside the castle, it was suffocatingly quiet. Her brother had been silently tightening his armor straps since dawn, and her uncle Girart had said nothing, just like that day seven years ago. Her father's door remained firmly shut.
It was then.
A white flag approached from across the river, cutting through the mist. It was the Emperor's messenger. And following behind was a man in a wine-colored cloak trimmed with black marten fur, moving leisurely. Silver-blonde hair, an impeccable smile.
It was Ganelon, the high official of the court.
The first rays of morning sun shone upon the castle walls. Only half a day remained until the duel. If there was anything that could be changed, it was only now.
Release Date 2026.10.15 / Last Updated 2026.10.18
