“Cheers!”

  Even though I had forbidden alcohol, they still drank. Still, I warned them not to get completely drunk. The war was not yet over, and tonight’s celebration was only meant to boost morale—before I revealed the truth about my father’s death.

  “Verzhina, I think I’ll tell them about my father’s death,” I whispered to my father’s adviser.

  “Are you sure, my prince?” Verzhina asked seriously.

  “Yes. The timing is right,” I replied.

  “Very well,” Verzhina gave his approval. “Please choose your words carefully.”

  “Everyone!”

  I stood on top of a wooden box so I could be seen by all.

  My soldiers, who had been sitting cross-legged on the ground—some gathered around the campfires—now turned to look at me. Thousands of eyes were fixed on me as I stood atop the wooden box. I reconsidered the words I was about to say. No… they had to know about Father. I could no longer hide it.

  “First, I apologize for ruining your moment of joy. I ask you all to spare a moment to listen to me and to pray for my father, King Dafonso, who has left us forever.”

  I lowered my head.

  “Some of you may have wondered why I am here, and why my father has not been seen lately. Now you know the answer.”

  I placed my hand on my chest and looked at them.

  “Some of you may also doubt me. Perhaps because I rarely met you, rarely attended state events, and rarely appeared in public. But I ask you—starting from this battle and onward—to trust me as your new leader.”

  Lord Bari stood up from where he sat and approached me. He patted my shoulder, then returned to sit cross-legged by the campfire. I suppose that meant he trusted me.

  Valde—the short, brown-skinned man—stood and stepped forward. He placed his right hand over his heart and bowed.

  “I will follow you for the rest of my life, Your Majesty.”

  Other officers followed.

  “We still want you to lead us!” the soldiers shouted.

  This was beyond my expectations.

  “To be honest, I’m happy that you still believe in me. Please allow me to lead you today!”

  I smiled in satisfaction and bowed.

  “Long live Prince Ezia!” they cheered.

  “Now, you may continue your celebration!”

  I stepped down from the wooden box and sat beside Verzhina.

  “May I have your permission to return and handle economic and governmental affairs?” Verzhina asked.

  “Yes. Leave matters here to me,” I replied, granting him permission to return to our capital, Skalu. “Please take care of everything until I return. Including my father’s remains—bury him beside my mother in her hometown. Build a small mausoleum as a marker for his grave.”

  “Understood,” Verzhina replied, nodding.

  Watching my soldiers celebrate like this brought me peace. I excused myself and returned to my tent. After everything that had happened today, I wanted some intimate time with Nate. When I opened the tent, I saw my beloved cleaning bloodstains from my armor.

  I hugged her from behind. “Naaaateee~~”

  “Huh!”

  Nate was slightly startled, but her hands locked around mine, keeping the embrace.

  “Welcome back. You succeeded, didn’t you? You worried too much this morning.”

  “Well… this was my first time fighting, you know. All my knowledge of battle comes from books and Father’s stories!” I protested as I released her.

  “Do you want to clean yourself first, or go straight to sleep?” Nate asked as she turned to face me.

  She placed both hands on my chest, sniffing as her face drew closer.

  “You smell. I’ll clean you again.”

  “Yes,” I replied, sitting cross-legged on my bed.

  “I’ll fetch some water first.” Nate walked out of the tent.

  While waiting, I decided to write in my diary about today and yesterday’s events. I took the diary from my bag and wrote everything down in detail.

  This was my duty as the leader of this nation—to leave records for my successors should they face the same challenges one day. Just as my father had done, reading the diaries and notes of past rulers.

  Nate soon returned, carrying a wooden bucket filled with warm water, steam rising from its surface.

  “Have you already bathed yourself?” I asked jokingly.

  “Yes,” Nate answered cheerfully.

  I took off my clothes and let her clean my body. She hummed a love song from her people as she worked.

  Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

  Is this my fault?

  Is it my fault—this, all of this—

  that I fell in love?

  Am I wrong if my heart trembles,

  if her voice shakes me when she’s near?

  She loves me.

  She kisses me.

  She is so close to me.

  She says that I belong to her.

  Hearing her words, I believe them,

  and my heart blooms,

  because my feelings are returned.

  Oh Father.

  Oh Mother, whom I dearly love.

  Let me walk beneath the shining stars at night with her.

  For at night, the moon and the stars speak to me of love.

  Even wild horses speak of love.

  It is my fault.

  It is my fault for everything.

  I am the one who fell in love,

  the one who became obsessed with her.

  On this beautiful full-moon night,

  allow me to love her.

  “Done,” Nate kissed the back of my neck and helped me put my clothes back on.

  “Now you’re clean and smell nice again.”

  She giggled and stepped outside briefly to dispose of the used water.

  I continued writing in my diary, detailing my decisions and the reasons behind them. Afterward, I closed the diary and put it back into my bag.

  Nate returned and lay on the bed beside me. I held her cheek, gently stroking her soft skin. Damn it—I couldn’t marry her just because of public opinion.

  I kissed her lips and fell asleep in her embrace—my favorite place to listen to her breathing and heartbeat. It had become my favorite pre-sleep routine whenever I was with her.

  “Good night,” she whispered, her hand gently stroking my back.

  The next morning, I woke up early on my own initiative. I was surprised to see all my soldiers already awake and lined up to pay their final respects to my father. One by one, they stepped forward to pat the coffin, which had been placed on an open horse-drawn carriage ridden by Verzhina.

  Finally, it was my turn. I closed my father’s coffin. I might not have the chance to attend his funeral—who knew if this campaign would last more than a week, or even a month.

  After Verzhina departed, Nate and I climbed the hill and observed the enemy camp through my own spyglass. This time, they were clearly organizing their formations. A scout approached me and presented his report.

  The enemy force totaled over 7,000 troops.

  Enemy Forces:

  3rd Regiment of Ustita

  Infantry: 2033

  Archers: 1007

  Cavalry (Heavy): 457

  Artillery Crew: 12

  Cannons: 6

  5th Regiment of Marrat

  Infantry: 1251

  Archers: 800

  Cavalry (Heavy): 753

  Artillery Crew: 10

  Cannons: 5

  “The cavalry we defeated yesterday belonged to the 3rd Regiment of Ustita,” the scout reported, handing me his calculations.

  While it wasn’t ten thousand against four thousand, they still outnumbered us.

  “It seems they left their cannons behind, my lord,” Valde approached while examining the enemy through his own spyglass. “Their cannons are positioned to guard their camp, not integrated into their formation.”

  In terms of artillery usage, we were clearly superior—thanks to Valde’s technology and combat experience from the Republic of Doujhe.

  “Their cannons appear to be an older type, capable of firing only once every three hours,” Valde told me.

  They were already in formation and marching toward us. Seriously? They weren’t even sending an envoy first or anything? Ugh. Either way, I had to prepare.

  “Prepare your formations!” I shouted to my troops.

  “Valde, once they’re within cannon range, fire,” I ordered.

  “Yes, my lord!” Valde replied enthusiastically before running to his cannon positions.

  Only then did I realize—where was Nate? I scanned the hill, but she was nowhere to be seen. Moments later, she returned carrying my armor and sword.

  “I thought you disappeared,” I said with relief.

  “As if. I’ll stay here with you,” she said as she helped me put my armor back on. This time, I wore a gambeson layered with chainmail.

  “Just in case.” Nate also began putting on her own armor, and I helped her. “If they come here, I won’t let them touch you.”

  All my officers gathered before me, except Valde, who was busy firing the cannons.

  “We hold our position like yesterday. It rained last night—reaching us will be difficult for them. We have the advantage on this hill. Don’t waste it.”

  “Their infantry is in the front line, archers in the second line. Their cavalry appears to be held in reserve at the rear.”

  “Stay alert,” I instructed, glancing at our royal banner. The wind was blowing toward them. “The wind favors us. Their archers will struggle to hit our infantry or artillery crews.”

  “Return to your units!”

  “Yes, sir!” they replied, dispersing—except for Lord Bari.

  “What about me, Your Majesty?” Bari asked.

  “We’ll assess the situation first. I originally wanted you to raid their camp again, but with their cavalry positioned in the rear, not yet.”

  “I’d like to propose something, Your Majesty,” Bari said. He opened a map of the area and pointed to a narrow path often used by villagers. “The locals told me yesterday it’s passable for cavalry, and it leads here.”

  “This slope is gentle and well-hidden—they won’t notice. From there, I can launch a surprise attack on their archers or even strike their camp directly.”

  “Do it, Bari. I trust you,” I replied, granting permission.

  “I’ll carry it out,” Bari said happily.

  “I leave full command of your unit to you. I’m still a beginner in warfare—I only know battle through books. Please, do this well.”

  “Yes, sir!” Bari quickly departed.

  I sat on the ground and observed the battlefield through my spyglass. I didn’t know how long I could continue leading them before chaos erupted. I lay back on the ground and stared at the sky.

  “You’re not peeking under my skirt, are you?” Nate, who stood beside me, stepped closer.

  “No!” I replied, sitting up. “I’m just annoyed that such nice weather is being wasted on fighting!”

  “This kind of weather is perfect for a nap,” I complained as Nate helped me to my feet.

  “Besides, why would I peek? I’ve already seen it plenty of times,” I added, joking with her.

  I returned my attention to the battlefield. At the foot of the hill, our infantry clashed fiercely with the enemy. Our cannons switched to grapeshot, targeting clusters of infantry attempting to climb. Our archers were fully engaged as well.

  The clash of swords and spears, mixed with cannon blasts and whistling arrows, filled the air. I checked my army management UI—infantry morale remained at 92%. They were still holding strong.

  Should I just run away and surrender?

  Being king someday was exhausting when I thought about it.

  The Rajian Empire was likely attacking us because my country was the weakest among the city-states blocking their access to the sea. Their nation was landlocked, surrounded by small city-states and minor kingdoms.

  If I were captured, I’d probably just be imprisoned for a while, then released as a commoner, right?

  “Hey, don’t space out.” Nate pinched my cheek.

  “I wasn’t spacing out!” I replied, puffing out my cheeks.

  A sharp whistle pierced the air. I saw Bari and our cavalry launch their attack—not toward the enemy’s main force, but straight at their camp.

  The enemy cavalry stationed at the rear broke formation and attempted to give chase. Unfortunately for them, our horses—though smaller—were agile and had incredible stamina.

  And they were heavy cavalry, weren’t they? Their horses would tire quickly under thick armor. Never underestimate barbarian horses.

  I watched as Bari and his men burned and slaughtered the enemy artillery crews, who were caught completely off guard. A massive explosion erupted at their artillery position—likely their gunpowder igniting violently. The fire then spread to their camp.

  “Supplies have arrived!” a soldier approached me. “Your Majesty, we’ve brought fresh arrow ammunition, cannon rounds, and gunpowder.”

  He appeared to be from logistics. I took the manifest and read it. Should I order the Junek City garrison to reinforce our infantry?

  But then I saw our infantry pushing forward, driving the enemy back. My mouth hung open in disbelief at what I saw through the spyglass.

  I suppose anything can happen in battle—even things beyond reason.