The Hero's Forsaken Princess
Chapter 91: Reports

Chapter 91: Reports

"Your Majesty, the generals wish to see you in the Command Hall. They have something important to relay with you."

King Solomon was in the middle of reminiscing about his past with Eve’s mother when a royal messenger interrupted him.

"Tell them to wait. I’ll be there in a few minutes," King Solomon instructed the messenger.

After dismissing the messenger, King Solomon went to the Command Hall. When he arrived, General Blackridge of the First Battalion and General Ravenmoor of the Third Battalion politely greeted him.

"Your Majesty, forgive us for interrupting your nap. We have an urgent message for you," General Ravenmoor said, not wasting any more time.

"What is it?" King Solomon asked curiously. He slowly approached them and sat in the center chair.

"Kingdom Zephyra has made a move. They attacked the small kingdom of Marville. They conquered it in just two weeks." General Blackridge shared the news.

"We should prepare our army. We never know when King Zaraki will launch an attack on our kingdom. We should send General Alaric and his men to Kingdom Zephyra to assassinate King Zaraki!" General Ravenmoor suggested.

King Solomon fell silent for a moment, trying to assess the situation and strategize in his mind.

"I will summon General Alaric and consult him first about his plan. I give him the task of choosing the men who will join him in this dangerous mission." King Solomon broke his silence.

"We also need to check the preparation of Alaric’s men. Killing Zaraki might also cause a great war. We are taking a great risk here." The king was still hesitating about this mission.

"You don’t have to worry, Your Majesty. General Alaric and his men only need to pretend to be a mercenary group. Once they succeed in assassinating King Zaraki, they must keep their identities. The Kingdom of Zephyra shouldn’t know that they are from Kingdom Averion." General Ravenmoor shared his thoughts.

"I support General Ravenmoor in this," General Blackridge said to convince King Solomon of their plan.

"I understand. I’ll summon everyone tomorrow and talk about the details of our plan. For now, you should return to your respective stations and inform your knights to be on high alert. They must monitor and guard our borders at all times!" King Solomon gave his command.

"We shall see to it, Your Majesty!"

The two generals responded in unison.

It did not take long before the two generals left, returning to their respective stations.

"Zaldy, send my message to Stormholt Manor. Summon General Alaric here! I need to talk to him personally!"

"Tell him to bring Eve with him," King Solomon added. He wanted to see Eve’s face again. He was reminded of Esmeralda. "Don’t let Queen Amara know."

"I understand, Your Majesty. I’ll send your message to them," Zaldy replied before leaving King Solomon in the Command Hall.

Meanwhile, at Stormholt Manor, Alaric summoned Sera to the drawing room.

"Why did you call for me, my Lord?" Sera asked him politely, courtly bowing her head.

"We need to talk," Alaric said in a serious tone.

Sera glanced at him confusedly. ’Why do I feel like he is mad at me? Is he going to reprimand me?’

"I want to correct your wrong assumption. My wife didn’t cheat on me. She didn’t have an affair with Gavin. You misunderstood what you’ve seen that night. So I hope you will stop hating her," Alaric explained to her.

Sera clenched her fists. "Did you believe her?"

Alaric nodded. "I’ve doubted her several times. This time I won’t make the same mistake. I believe her. And I choose to trust her."

"Were you blinded by her beauty?" Sera questioned him, unable to accept Alaric’s decision.

Alaric narrowed his eyes on her, his expression turning grim. "Are you trying to say that I’m doing this just because of my wife’s physical appearance? Since you are my childhood friend, I will forget that you said this to me."

"If you think I am only after her beauty, you are so wrong. Regardless of her physical appearance, I accept her for what she is. Eve is my wife and I will not allow anyone to ruin our marriage. Not even you," Alaric declared to her firmly, giving her a warning.

Sera could only shut her mouth upon meeting Alaric’s cold sharp glare.

"I’m really hoping that you can become Eve’s friend." He toned down a little bit. "Don’t worry. I am not forcing you. I will let you decide whether you want to be her friend or not."

"I understand, my Lord," Sera reluctantly responded, lowering her gaze.

"You can leave now." Alaric dismissed her.

The moment Sera left the drawing room, Caleb entered to report to Alaric.

"General, I’ve done relaying your message to the Black Hunter. He will come and join you tonight for dinner."

"Thank you, Caleb." He gestured for him to sit down.

"Do you have any updates about the bandits? Have you found them?" Alaric asked his knight commander expectantly.

Caleb grinned broadly as he bobbed his head in response.

"We’ve finally located their hideout. We will capture them tonight!" He cheerfully shared the piece of good news.

"Good! Make sure to bring them to me by tomorrow. I have to give them a lesson and seek justice for my wife and Annie," Alaric uttered with conviction. He couldn’t wait to confront those bandits and punish them.

"I shall see to it, my friend!" Caleb changed his tone. He even winked at Alaric playfully.

"I’m so glad that you reconciled with your wife." Caleb gently patted his shoulder.

This time Alaric’s expression softened at the mention of Eve. His lips curled up into a faint smile.

"I have to compensate her more. I will try my best to be a good husband to her," he swore.

"Yes! You should do that! You are so lucky to have Princess Eve as your wife. I heard a lot of good things about her from Randolf’s group and the other knights. You should feel threatened now!" Caleb continued, teasing Alaric.

Alaric cocked his eyebrow and asked him, "Threatened by?"

"Your wife has won your knights over. It seems that their loyalty has been transferred to Princess Eve. Haha! If you make the princess cry, our comrades will be upset with you!" Caleb replied, letting out a soft chuckle.

Alaric flicked Caleb’s forehead using his fingers.

"Stop making fun of me. I don’t mind it at all. I’m glad that she is getting along well with our comrades. However, I can’t bear seeing her surrounded by men!" Alaric admitted to his friend.

Caleb’s crisp laughter bubbled up in the drawing room.

"Haha! You are so possessive. You can easily get jealous. I am more worried now because I think you gain more rivals. Add Black Hunter and Crown Prince of Eldara to the list of your rivals. Hahaha!"

Alaric looked daggers at Caleb. "Stop laughing! Will you? There is nothing funny!"

"Alright. I will behave now." Caleb finally stopped teasing him.

"Before I forget, I am also here to deliver the invitations for the upcoming Royal Hunt. This activity was organized for Crown Prince Cassian. This time they sent two invitations for you and Princess Eve." He handed the invitation cards to him.

Alaric furrowed his eyebrows upon seeing the invitation cards. It was written on the card that General Alaric and Princess Eve must participate in the royal hunt.

"I’m worried about Eve’s safety. I don’t want her to participate. This is a very dangerous activity." Alaric expressed his concern for Eve.

But Caleb just laughed it off. "Hmm. The other princesses will be participating as well. You don’t have to worry about it. Besides, you are there with her. You can protect her."

Alaric could only heave a deep sigh. "I can’t help it. The members of the royal family resented my wife. She even defied Queen Amara for revealing her true face during the grand banquet. I’m just worried that they might pull another scheme against her."

Caleb nodded in understanding.

"Hmm. Just stay by her side at all times so that nothing bad will happen to her during the royal hunt. And make sure to guard her from your rival, Crown Prince Cassian. Who knows he will try to get Princess Eve’s attention during the royal hunt. I bet he will attempt to impress her. So you must defeat him with your excellent hunting skills!" Caleb expressed his full support to his friend.

"Oh! You can ask for tips from the Black Hunter!" Caleb added.

Alaric pinched the bridge of his nose as he shook his head.

"I don’t need some tips from him. I can hunt well!" he spat back at him.

Caleb chuckled once more. "Haha! I’m kidding. I’m just teasing you, my dear friend!"

"If you have nothing more to say, you can scram now. You are giving me a headache!" Alaric waved his hand, dismissing Caleb. He was getting annoyed by his teasing.