Duke Hanbal's plan for the throne was dashed after the previous defeat of his army. Looking behind him, he saw what remained of his soldiers but they looked more like refugees rather than soldiers with their current state. Tired, hungry, thirsty, and sleep-deprived with some even enduring the pain of their wounds.
The duke was almost in the same condition as his soldiers with the exception that he wasn't as tired, thirsty nor hungry as them. As a noble, and a wealthy one at that, his personal guards would prioritize his safety.
"D*mn those brutes…" the duke gnashed his teeth in anger after recollecting the night when his life was almost taken. If not for the sacrifice of some of his own guards then he would be among the dead that night with no corpse as the blazing inferno would turn his body to ashes.