The Hero's Forsaken Princess
Chapter 12: Impending War

Chapter 12: Impending War

Royal Command Hall

King Solomon summoned the high-ranking officials of Kingdom Averion to the council chamber to discuss their war strategy. This was the first time Alaric would be attending this strategic planning.

Prestigious men gathered around as they waited for the start of the meeting.

"The youngest general is here," Arvy Blackridge, General of the first battalion, snorted upon seeing the arrival of Alaric. He was talking to the other three generals.

Originally, there were only four generals of the royal army. They came from the four powerful clans– Blackridge Clan, Ironwood Clan, Ravenmoor Clan, and Drakemont Clan.

"Have you heard? Alaric Stormholt is a monster! He destroyed the entire enemy knights single-handedly." Tristan Ironwood, General of the second battalion, shrugged his shoulders, carefully assessing Alaric from the distance.

"Well. What do you expect from a knight of common birth? He is just like a barbarian. Not classy at all." Victor Ravenmoor, General of the third battalion, said with a grimace, ridiculing Alaric. "Even his 5th battalion are knights born in a slum. Even if they die, we have nothing to lose."

"Haha. I sense some bitterness and jealousy here." Artemis Drakemont, General of the fourth battalion, tapped Victor’s shoulder, teasing him.

General Ravenmoor just glared at his old friend, shoving his arm away from his shoulder. "Shut up, Artemis!"

Victor Ravenmoor couldn’t hide his displeasure toward Alaric because this was the first time a knight from a commoner family had become a general. All of them were nobles except Alaric.

Meanwhile, aside from the four generals, the Chancellor, Crown Prince, Royal Guard Captain, Commander of Master of Arms, and the Royal Advisor were all present in the council chamber.

Alaric greeted some of them, paying his respect to the old generals. However, his expression turned ashen when he caught a glimpse of a familiar figure– Gavin Ravenmoor, the husband of the second princess and his wife’s secret lover.

After marrying Princess Aliyah, Gavin became the Commander of Master of Arms. His role was to oversee the training and weaponry for the royal court and army.

’Urgh! It seems that I will be running into him more often.’ Alaric groaned inwardly, clenching his fists.

He wanted to ignore Gavin, however, the man deliberately approached him.

"Hi, Alaric. It’s good to see you back." Gavin casually greeted him as if they were close friends. "How’s your reunion with your wife?" he asked him tauntingly.

Alaric clenched his jaw, casting a sharp look at Gavin. He had the urge to rip the smile off his face.

’Calm down. Don’t let him provoke you.’ he murmured to himself.

"We’re fine," Alaric simply replied.

Gavin burst out laughing, anchoring her arm around Alaric’s shoulders. Then he leaned in and whispered, "I heard you brought a beautiful princess from another kingdom. And she wanted to marry you. Are you going to divorce Princess Eve now?"

’Mind your own business. Bastard!’ Alaric gritted his teeth, holding himself back from punching Gavin’s face.

"My wife and I won’t get a divorce," Alaric declared. He forcefully removed his arm around his shoulder.

On the other hand, Gavin was taken aback upon hearing that. ’Is he serious? Why is he rejecting Princess Thalia’s offer? Though Eve is beautiful like a goddess, she is nothing but a slave to the royal family.’

’Oh. I guess he has no idea about Eve’s real status in the royal family.’ He smirked at that thought, shaking his head helplessly.

"Just a friendly advice, General Alaric. If I were you, I would reconsider my decision. Don’t trade a diamond for a rock."

Alaric squinted his eyes on him. ’How dare he insult my wife? He was once her secret lover. Such an unfaithful man.’

"Ouch," Gavin groaned when Alaric’s elbow ’accidentally’ hit his stomach.

"Oh, I’m sorry. You are too close." Alaric feigned innocence.

Gavin cursed under his breath. Alaric’s protective steel gear was so tough that he was hurt when his elbow struck his stomach.

Alaric smirked triumphantly before walking away from Gavin. Soon, the Chancellor announced the presence of King Solomon. Everyone settled down on their respective chairs.

"First of all, I would like to congratulate everyone for our victory, fending off the invaders and protecting our kingdom’s territory." King Solomon specifically glanced at Alaric.

"Everyone here contributed to our success. But the war is not yet over. I summon you here because we need to plan out our next moves."

Everyone in the hall became serious.

King Solomon continued, "There is a certain kingdom that poses a big threat to Averion."

"Our Majesty, what is the name of that kingdom? And how did it become a threat to us?" General Artemis probed.

"Kingdom Zephyra."

Everyone gasped in surprise. Kingdom Zephyra was once known as a peace-loving kingdom. The former ruler came from the Goldwyn Royal Family. However, Kingdom Zephyra began to change when the King’s brother, Zaraki Goldwyn, plotted a rebellion, overthrowing King Arthur Goldwyn.

"King Zaraki is a tyrant ruler. He started expanding their territory by conquering the neighboring kingdoms. According to our trusted royal scout and confidant, King Zaraki has strengthened his kingdom’s military forces for the past ten years. And he has set his eyes on our kingdom. It seems that he wants to challenge Kingdom Averion into a war!" Crown Prince Stefan gave them the information on his father’s behalf.

"With that, we have to strengthen our defense in our borders and territories." King Solomon chimed in, glancing at his five generals.

"Your Majesty, may I speak?" Gavin raised his hand, asking for permission to share his thoughts with the group.

"Go on, Commander Gavin."

"Aside from strengthening our defense, why don’t we launch a surprise attack first against the Kingdom Zephyra?" Gavin paused for a moment, turning in Alaric’s direction.

"Let’s form a special force to invade and assassinate King Zaraki," he added.

"Oh! I like the suggestion of my nephew!" General Victor Ravenmoor supported Gavin’s idea.

But King Solomon fell silent for a moment, rubbing his chin as he thought about the pros and cons. Sending a special force to an enemy’s kingdom was too risky. There was no guarantee that the warriors could return alive.

"So who do you suggest to lead this special army?" King Solomon asked Gavin.

Gavin chuckled and pointed his finger at Alaric. "Who else, your Majesty? Of course, it’s him. Our kingdom’s hero. General Alaric. With his strength and capability, I believe he can easily pull this off!"

Alaric arched his eyebrows, sensing the hidden motive and malicious intent of Gavin. ’Is he that desperate to send me to my death so that he could be with my wife? This is a suicidal mission!’

"What do you say about this, General Alaric?" Gavin asked him with a challenging look on his face. ’Haha! If you refuse, you will look like a coward hero. But still, you don’t have a choice. You have to follow the royal command!’

Alaric kept his calm composure as he responded. "I don’t mind doing the mission. But..."

He deliberately paused as he locked his eyes on Gavin. "I want to bring my wife with me."

Everyone: "..." (*Rendered Speechless*)

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