The Hero's Forsaken Princess
Chapter 162: Abandoning the Hero and the Princess

Chapter 162: Abandoning the Hero and the Princess

At Kingdom Averion...

Michael’s messenger bird finally reached the kingdom. As per Alaric’s instruction, the message was sent to General Artemis, as he was the most trusted general close to Alaric.

General Artemis clenched his fist tightly upon reading Michael’s letter. Without further delay, he took his horse, rushing to the palace.

King Solomon and Queen Amara were having lunch with the crown prince and other princesses when the servant informed them of General Artemis’ arrival.

"Let him in," King Solomon said, allowing General Artemis to enter the dining hall.

The servant opened the door for General Artemis. He entered the hall and greeted the members of the royal family.

"Forgive me, your Majesty! I have an urgent message to relay." He courtly bowed and kneeled before the king.

"Go on," King Solomon replied, staring at him intently.

"Your Majesty, I regret delivering this piece of bad news to you. The assassination mission failed. General Alaric and Princess Eve were captured by the enemies. King Zaraki is now aware that the assassins were sent by our kingdom. Chancellor Igrin betrayed the alliance. He was the one who informed King Zaraki about the assassination."

King Solomon dropped his glass the moment he heard that. His face turned pale instantly.

’Eve and Alaric were captured. No! This is not good.’

Among the members of the royal family, only King Solomon and the crown prince showed their concerns. Queen Amara and the two princesses rejoiced inwardly, exchanging meaningful glances with one another.

They didn’t care about Eve. They would be happier if she would die in Kingdom Zephyra. However, a kingdom hero was a great loss for Averion.

The Zephyra might launch an attack to invade and conquer Kingdom Averion. Sending assassins only meant waging war with them. It was something King Zaraki would never let slide.

"Summon the other generals and officers to the Command Hall!" King Solomon declared as he stood up.

General Artemis immediately obeyed his command.

"Father, let me join you!" Crown Prince Stefan expressed his desire to join this meeting. This matter was concerning the future of Kingdom Averion– a threat of war.

King Solomon nodded before stepping out of the dining hall. Prince Stefan followed him. The moment they left, Queen Amara and Princess Aliyah burst into a peal of laughter.

"Mother! It looks like we finally get rid of that wench from our lives. I hope she dies an ugly death in the hands of our enemies. She deserves it!" Princess Aliyah didn’t hide her joy.

Queen Amara nodded. "You are right. This is the best news I’ve heard so far."

However, Princess Alessandra couldn’t rejoice completely.

"Mother, there is a consequence here. Kingdom Zephyra has more reasons to invade our kingdom. Without General Alaric, our forces weakened." Princess Alessandra raised her concern.

Queen Amara and Princess Aliyah were taken aback when they heard that. Princess Alessandra had a point.

"You don’t have to worry about that! We have four great generals from four major clans. They can defend our kingdom from future threats," Queen Amara said, convincing her daughters that nothing could go wrong even without Alaric.

The crown princess just remained silent. She didn’t want to comment further. She was aware of their animosity toward Eve. She didn’t want to show concern for Eve and Alaric since she would be the target of the hate of Queen Amara and her sisters-in-law.

Meanwhile, inside the Royal Command Hall...

King Solomon waited for the other generals to arrive. He kept pacing back and forth, anxiety could be seen on his face.

Crown Prince Stefan approached General Artemis and talked to him while waiting for the others.

"General, are you going to suggest a rescue mission to save my sister and my brother-in-law?" Crown Prince Stefan consulted General Artemis.

General Artemis nodded. "Yes. I want to save them. But I’m not certain if the other generals and royal court officials will agree to my proposition. What is your stand about this, your highness?"

General Artemis assessed Crown Prince Stefan. He wondered if the prince would support him.

Prince Stefan was silent for a moment, thinking about this matter. After a while, he took a deep sigh.

"I don’t know. It will be risky to do a rescue mission. We can’t lose more people." Crown Prince Stefan thought about the consequences if they ever would send people to rescue Alaric and Eve.

After half an hour, everyone finally arrived at the command hall, momentarily leaving their respective assigned post.

"Gentlemen, I summon you here because we have to address an urgent matter," King Solomon informed them.

Then he invited General Artemis to speak up and explain the situation. He revealed to everyone the failed assassination mission and the capturing of Alaric and Princess Eve.

"I suggest forming a task force to rescue them!" General Artemis added at the end of his speech.

"No! We can’t do that!" General Ravenmoor objected. "We should focus on strengthening our defense. We are going to war against Kingdom Zephyra! There is no time to waste! You should give up on them!"

The other royal court officials expressed their support to General Ravenmoor. They didn’t want to send knights just to rescue Alaric and Eve.

"It’s too late! Rescue Mission is not feasible. We agree with General Ravenmoor."

"Your Majesty, we are saddened by this news. But Alaric and his team had already accepted their fate when they departed for this mission. We can’t do anything about this. Let the surviving team retreat! We need them to prepare. Knight Commander Caleb should lead the 5th Battalion in Alaric’s absence." General Ravenmoor spoke again.

King Solomon was debating about this. He regretted sending Alaric and Eve to Kingdom Zephyra.

"Is there no other way to save them? Perhaps we can negotiate with King Zaraki!" King Solomon asked everyone.

"That’s not even an option, Your Majesty. King Zaraki will never negotiate," the chancellor explained to him.

General Artemis could only clench his fists. He could tell that everyone had decided to abandon Alaric and Princess Eve.

King Solomon glanced at General Artemis. Both of them wanted to do something for Alaric and Eve, but the majority of the officials and the generals refused to do the rescue mission.

King Solomon couldn’t ignore the possibility of the kingdom’s invasion. King Zaraki would not hesitate to attack them now.

After some deliberations, everyone agreed to focus on strengthening the defense at every border. The Rescue Mission could no longer happen.

The strategic meeting concluded, and General Artemis left the command hall, feeling disheartened.

’I had a bad feeling that this could happen. I should have stopped them. Both of them are now in danger. And I don’t have the power to save them.’

The moment General Artemis left the command hall, Sera approached him.

"General Artemis, do you have news about our General?" She asked him worriedly.

General Artemis fell silent for a moment before handing Michael’s letter over to her. Sera’s eyes widened in disbelief upon reading the content. She felt like every ounce of her energy was drained from her body.

"No! This can’t be. General Alaric can’t fail the mission." Sera was still in denial. She couldn’t accept this turn of events.

General Artemis held her shoulders tightly as he empathized with her.

"I know this must be hard for you. But we have to accept this. We are facing a great enemy. You have to be strong to support your comrades in times like this. You have to lead the 5th Battalion while waiting for Caleb’s return."

"How about a rescue mission?" Sera asked him with a hopeful look in her eyes.

But General Artemis shook his head. "The kingdom will not send warriors. Everyone will focus on our war preparations against the Kingdom Zephyra."

"No! Are you abandoning Alaric? He is our kingdom’s hero! He needs us now. But no one will fight for him. How do you expect me to defend this kingdom if this kingdom doesn’t even cherish its hero?!" Sera expressed her disappointments. She even raised her voice, pushing General Artemis.

"You pledge loyalty to defend our kingdom, not to protect Alaric. You are Averion Knight, Sera. Please remember that. Your duty is to protect the citizens of Kingdom Averion. There is an impending war. You know that this decision is for the benefit of people." General Artemis reminded her of her duty as a knight. He needed to appease her.

"For now, you have to inform the members of the 5th Battalion. Tell them to prepare for the upcoming war. Don’t let Alaric’s sacrifices go in vain!" he added.

Sera could only clench her fists while gritting her teeth. Her eyes became teary, worrying about Alaric.

"I don’t think I can do this. I can’t abandon him."

General Artemis took a deep sigh. "Do this for Alaric’s sake. You know that Alaric will do everything to defend this kingdom. You have to do it on his behalf. Don’t let your emotions affect your judgment. Kingdom Averion needs you..."