Elizabeth realized that the prince she loved so much was truly unreliable.
Though not evil, he was oblivious to the crisis he was facing. Although it was no longer just his lonely body, he remained far too unguarded.
“Prince, do you have someone you can trust? What kind of person?”
Elizabeth asked the prince. She needed others to help and protect him.
“What do you mean, Elizabeth? Are you uncomfortable in the palace? Don’t worry. There are no villains in my land. Especially the civil and military officials who serve in the palace, they are all loyal vassals. The nobles and feudal lords have all sworn allegiance to the royal family.”
“Prince!”
I would like to say that this is not true.
There were indeed many excellent civil and military officials in the kingdom. And many powerful nobles had sworn allegiance. But none of them could be trusted anymore.
Even though they swore loyalty with their mouths, who knew what they were thinking in their hearts. Even General Zalia, who betrayed you, had once sworn loyalty, right?
“And there’s my cousin Aladdin and cousin Arget, both exceptional men. I’ll introduce them to you next time.”
Although the prince said he would introduce the family, they were the least trustworthy. When the lord was gone, they would be the first to benefit. Why could he not understand that?
Prince Henry’s naive notions made Elizabeth gnash her teeth.
If so, then the only one who could be trusted was the prince’s father – the king. But His Majesty was bedridden with illness, and whether he would last until tomorrow was unknown. The pillar they held up was a dangerously fragile shield.
If His Majesty died, the prince would automatically become the king. Not long ago, she had wished for that, but if the prince became king under these circumstances, she did not think he could properly rule the country.
“And also your foster father, Cardinal Prime Femahan, you can rely on him.”
Prince Henry said Cardinal Femahan’s name.
“That is… I suppose so.”
Elizabeth had to acknowledge. The Church and the Cardinal were indeed trustworthy. And he was certainly a foster father. Most importantly, her and the prince’s existences were tied to the Church’s interests.
But knowing the cardinal intimately, Elizabeth could not give an unconditional affirmation.
Cardinal Prime Femahan was the embodiment of greed and lust for power.
Since his youth, he had immersed himself in the political struggles of the Church, expelling all who opposed him.
When it was to his advantage, all was well, but the moment they became adversaries, there would be no mercy.
His retainers, the royals, even the cardinal who was a foster father, none of them were reliable. And the critical prince was hopeless.
Elizabeth felt as if she had fallen into the abyss of hell.
Covered in despair, without a shred of hope. There was no one to turn to for help.
Cast into a dark oblivion without light, Elizabeth could only tremble.
Strength left her body, chilled as if frozen. The dazzling gems had lost their luster, the countless robes no longer warmed her body. Even her beloved Prince Henry did not want to help her.
Elizabeth trembled like a frightened child and reflexively put a hand to her belly.
No!
I will do it!
As she felt the warmth transfer from her belly to her palm, a raging fire ignited in Elizabeth’s heart.
She would protect her own body. But this child was helpless. I must protect it!
The faint light of new life flickered in her womb. That gleam of light shone like a faint fire in the pitch-black despair, illuminating Elizabeth, its warmth bringing warmth and courage to her frozen hands.
With no one to rely on or trust, she could only rely on herself.
Not knowing what to do or how to do it, the only one she could count on was herself.
“What is it, Elizabeth?”
The prince noticed Elizabeth’s change, but did not comprehend its meaning.
First there was Prince Henry. The most important thing was to protect the prince.
I will protect the prince, I will lead this war to victory. It all started from there.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT GADGETIZEDPANDA.COM
I ran, gasping for breath. I kicked the gray rock of the Shirirai Valley, swinging my arms to speed up.
Looking ahead, I saw a group of about fifty men marching ahead of me. It was Al and the others, who had finished training today and were cooling off with a sweaty jog in the armor issued by the kingdom.
I picked up speed and passed them.
“Good job. Just a little more, keep it up. Well done.”
I encouraged the soldiers running ahead as I caught up with them. When the soldiers heard my voice, they were very surprised. They were new recruits who had recently been assigned to Cashew. They were currently undergoing basic training.
“Lady Romelia?”
At the head of the group was Ray, overseeing their training. Ray looked at me in surprise as I walked past.
“What are you doing?”
“No, my body was feeling a little stiff so I thought I’d loosen up a bit.”
I answered Ray’s question by saying it was to relieve physical inactivity.
Lately the paperwork had increased without even the opportunity to exercise. And being cooped up in a room all the time was dampening my spirits. In order to lift my spirits, I decided to go for a run.
“Well, I’ll go ahead then.”
I picked up speed and tried to get away, but the soldiers, led by Ray, were after me. Especially Al at the front, he wanted to catch up and pass me. Considering he was wearing armor, his speed was remarkable.
“You’re really fast, Al.”
“No Captain Romelia, you’re the fast one.”
“Then how about a race to see who can get to the fortress first?”
Hearing about a competition, Al smiled.
“You’re in. Hey, the rest of you get in too. Last place has to do an extra lap!”
Al’s words were met with complaints from the new recruits, Al yelled at them to shut up. For new recruit training, this level was just right.
“Alright, ready…go!”
Hearing my signal, everyone picked up speed together.
My nimble figure led the way, then a red blur shot past me – it was Al.
“I won’t let you win!”
But next to Al, a blue shadow dashed by. It was Ray.
Ray, who had recently come into his own, was now even with Al in terms of endurance.
“Still got a ways to go!”
Al yelled loudly. The two of them sprinted at full speed, leaving me behind.
I just watched Al and Ray. They passed the fortress and ran deeper into the Shirirai Valley.
“Looks like those two are going to be last. Let them do extra laps before they realize it.”
Hearing my words, the new recruits running with me smiled wryly.
I left Al and Ray and ran toward the fortress.
The fortress had a very large gate. Seeing my figure, the guards opened the gate for me.
When the gate was opened, the inside of the large fortress could be seen.
Originally built as a temporary fortress to subdue the monsters living in the Shirirai Valley, it had now been completely transformed. The foundations of the fortress had been expanded many times over, and several new buildings had been constructed inside.
With the gold mines now officially operational, a new town was also being built. While it was only a temporary facility for the builders at the moment, the foundations of the city outside the fortress were rising, and the city was taking shape day by day.
I entered the fortress through the open gate and stopped to catch my breath. When I looked back, the soldiers who had been desperately chasing after me had collapsed to the ground. Their physical training was still lacking.
“Don’t just stand there! Get a grip, this is in front of Lady Romelia!”
With Al and Ray gone, Misha of the Romelia forces took charge of the new recruits.
“Ah, Mia, you’re back.”
Mia came to the new recruits after their training was over. She was supposed to treat any injuries that might have occurred during the drills.
“Did anyone get hurt?”
“Ah, Miss Mia, we’re fine, no injuries.”
Seeing Mia, Misha’s expression changed as he flashed a brilliant smile.
“But Misha, weren’t there…”
Mia looked at the new recruits who had finished their training. The recruits were covered in wounds from the intense drills.
“That kind of thing, just spit on it and it’s fine. No need to bother Mia with healing.”
Although Misha said absurd things, Mia did not back down.
“That’s not enough. It is my duty to treat the wounded. If it gets worse, Lady Romelia will be angry.”
“As expected from Miss Mia. Then I’ll help, too. Line up, all of you!”
Misha happily asked for Mia’s help.
Mia looked a little worried, but I left her alone.
Wiping the sweat from my face with a towel, I returned to the newly built office, which also served as my residence. On my way back to my room, I encountered Teacher Weli, who was out for a stroll.
“Romelia, what are those clothes? You are a noble young lady, right?”
“Even a noble lady will exercise, you know. And what about you, Teacher? You don’t slack off, do you?”
Even though I was drenched in sweat, if they saw me and questioned me, well, a noble lady wasn’t forbidden to run, was she?
“No need, I have no intention of lifting anything heavier than a book.”
That was Teacher Weli’s remark, but I imagined it wouldn’t hold up on the battlefield.
After saying goodbye to Teacher Weli, I returned to my house. Inside, Teacher Quins was doing paperwork at his desk.
“My, Young Lady Romelia, what is this appearance?”
Seeing me, Teacher Quins said the same thing.
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