Divorce The Duke, Marry The King!
Chapter 108: Second-in-command

Chapter 108: Second-in-command

Now astride his horse, Quinn raised his voice. "Depart!"

His assistant, Ray, immediately took charge, relaying the command until the entire convoy was set in motion. The trumpet sounded once more, reminding everyone of what was happening again.

The gathered crowd bowed their heads in farewell, but Hezekiah stood with his back turned, unable to bear watching her leave.

If he were not a king, he would have climbed into that carriage himself and followed her. But duty bound him. If he acted selfishly, he would fail the many who depended on him.

Quinn and his army set forth, their horses and carriages moving steadily down the road. Ordinarily, they would have passed through the kingdom on their way to the border. But, given their need for secrecy and the risk of alerting the vampires, they had chosen a route known only to a select few.

It was a dangerous, desolate and treacherous path but Quinn cared little for danger and was the one who chose the path.

As they rode, Belle grew restless. ’How much longer until they stopped?’ She thought.

She had brought a novel along with her belongings, anticipating the journey’s solitude, but she had not expected boredom to settle in this quickly.

She longed to ask how many hours had passed, but with no guard stationed directly beside her carriage, summoning one would only draw attention.

Resigning herself to patience, she leaned back, closed her eyes, and let sleep take her. Some time later, she was jolted awake by a sudden halt.

The abrupt motion sent her lurching forward. Instinctively, she pulled back the curtain, peering out. Her mind raced with possibilities.

"Bandits!" She gasped, panic tightening her chest.

The memory of her near assault within the kingdom still haunted her. She never wanted to experience such a nightmare again, it was traumatizing.

Before she could compose herself, the curtain on her left was yanked open. A startled scream escaped her lips as she recoiled, pressing against the carriage wall.

Quinn smirked.

"I hope you don’t scream like that on the battlefield," he mused. "You might end up alerting the enemy."

She sighed in relief when his voice reached her ears and glared at him, annoyed by the sudden appearance. Such an Infuriating man!

Ignoring his remark, she asked coolly, "Are we stopping here?"

"Yes."

Without another word, she prepared to step out, only to pause when she noticed Quinn standing there, hand extended for her to take.

She ignored him. Instead, she gripped the carriage entrance and carefully stepped down on her own.

But the moment her foot touched the ground, her legs wobbled. A gasp left her lips as she lost her balance, but before she could hit the earth, strong arms caught her.

Breathless, she blinked up in relief. She had landed on something solid, and not the ground.

Him.

And their eyes met.

"You should accept help when it’s offered," Quinn murmured. "That’s how you survive a battlefield."

His smile was knowing. Belle flushed, embarrassed.

"I do not need help," she muttered, averting her gaze. "My legs simply gave out from sitting too long."

His smile deepened and he said nothing further. Instead, he carried her away.

"Your Gra..."

An anxious guard rushed forward, only to be silenced by Quinn’s deadly glare.

Quickly correcting himself, the guard stammered, "Alpha Quinn! We have a situation. We only brought one carriage of provisions, barely enough to feed fifty men."

Belle’s stomach twisted. This was bad.

"How many are we?" Quinn inquired.

"Including the future Queen and the King’s sister, we are two hundred in number," the guard reported, causing Belle’s eyes to widen. One carriage of provisions for two hundred people? How were they supposed to sustain themselves until they reached their destination? From what she knew, it was a two-day journey, and at the very least, they would need eight carriages of supplies to make it through.

"How did that happen?" She asked, drawing Quinn’s attention. He had been about to speak but paused, amused by her sudden intervention. The guard hesitated, glancing at her uncertainly, clearly reluctant to answer. Belle felt the awkwardness settle in but refused to back down. She wanted to shoulder their burdens alongside them. That was why she was here—to fight at their side.

"Answer her," Quinn commanded. "She is my second-in-command in this battle."

Belle’s gaze snapped to him in shock. Did he just...me? She barely had time to process his words before the guard straightened and continued.

"Ah... The supplies were mistakenly swapped with the tributes meant for the neighboring countries. The warriors ahead of us should have been the ones carrying them instead."

Belle parted her lips in understanding. "So if ours were swapped..."

"They have our provisions," Quinn finished.

"Yes, Commander," the guard affirmed.

Belle stiffened. Commander? Hearing herself addressed that way sent a wave of embarrassment through her. It sounded unnatural, uncomfortable even, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to be called that.

"You can just call me Belle," she corrected, but the guard remained stiff, his head bowed, offering no response.

Quinn turned away. "Announce the situation to the rest. I will be with you shortly."

"Yes, Alpha. And... Commander."

Belle exhaled sharply at the title, letting out a small noise of protest.

"They won’t listen to you," Quinn remarked. "Get used to it."

She sighed in resignation, directing a glare at him instead. If it weren’t for him, she wouldn’t be in this predicament. He was clearly enjoying himself, but she refused to indulge him. No reaction. No satisfaction.

Quinn led her to a tent set up specially for her and dropped her onto a chair inside. "I can’t promise you will eat to your satisfaction from now on," he teased. "Bear with it, Princess."

Belle inhaled deeply, calming herself. She could endure this. She would endure this.

"For how long do you plan on ignoring the Commander?" He inquired but she wouldn’t budge earning a chuckle from him. Belle smirked inwardly, thinking she had already won that round but then...

Quinn suddenly leaned forward, their faces an inch apart. Belle instinctively leaned back, only to go toppling over. She had thought he wanted to kiss but it seemed like she misunderstood. The chair had no back, nothing to support her, and in her panic, she grabbed onto his shirt, pulling him down with her.

They crashed onto the floor.

"Ah!"