Trash Prince and Ice Queen 10th Re - Life-Chapter 176: Two Naughty Princesses Go To War

Upon seeing Dimitri, Alexis immediately approached him as he stood in the center of the tent and pulled him into an embrace. Dimitri, of course, returned the hug, while Alicia and Pyria looked at each other in total confusion.

"Welcome, Instructor Dimitri," Alexis said after releasing the hug.

"Wait... instructor? Brother Alexis, you know Count Dimitri?" Alicia asked, bewildered.

"Yes. Back when I was at the academy, he was my instructor," Alexis answered.

"Huh... is that true?" Pyria asked.

Alicia and Pyria turned to look at Dimitri, who appeared perfectly relaxed and was simply smiling.

"It’s true. I used to be an instructor at the academy, and as it happens, Prince Alexis was my student back then," Dimitri explained.

"Whoa," Alicia and Pyria replied in unison, clearly shocked.

"So, the one bringing the vampire forces mentioned in Ard’s letter was you, Instructor," Alexis noted.

"Exactly, Prince Alexis. So, what’s the plan?" Dimitri asked, getting straight to the point.

"Hmm... after receiving the report from the Ravens, it’s time we take control of the border and cross over. It’s time to attack," Alexis declared.

"Very well. Let my troops lead the way," Dimitri replied.

Finally, they began discussing the assault on the border bridge and the crossing. The attack would be spearheaded by a thousand vampire soldiers under the cover of night, pushing across the bridge while Alexis’s forces followed behind to engage the troops stationed on the other side and the core strength of the Durnhill Kingdom’s army. Alicia and Pyria simply listened and nodded along, though they were trying their hardest to process everything.

That night, the offensive began. Moving like shadows and possessing strength far beyond that of the Durnhill Kingdom’s troops, the vampire forces easily decimated the enemy camps that had already crossed over and retook the border. They secured the perimeter, and by the next morning, they were prepared to cross the bridge alongside the main army of the Fredonia Kingdom.

***

The following day, in the Kingdom of Rellios, a force of ten thousand knights, cavalry, and archers began marching out of the capital. Accompanied by several supply wagons, they headed toward the crossing bridge that marked the border to the Kingdom of Ateras on the northern continent. Inside the palace, panic had taken hold. King Brutus paced back and forth in his study, his face etched with anxiety.

"Guard!" the King shouted.

A palace knight rushed in, looking just as disheveled and out of breath, his expression equally frantic.

"Have they been found yet? Did you check the back gardens?" Brutus asked, panicking.

"We did, Your Majesty. Princess Beatrice and Princess Adeline are not there either," the guard reported.

"Dammit... search every corner of this palace! If you have to, search every inch of the city and the surrounding areas! Move!" Brutus yelled in a fit of rage and panic, his face flushing red as he pointed toward the door.

"Y-yes, Your Majesty," the guard stammered.

The guard bolted from the room, leaving Brutus to sink back into his desk chair. He rubbed his face, looking utterly exhausted and worried.

"Where did those rebellious girls go? Don’t tell me they ran off with the army. They’re nothing but trouble," Brutus thought to himself, feeling a mix of dread and anger.

Meanwhile, within the ranks of the knights already marching toward the border, three female knights in full plate armor were positioned near the rear. Their faces were completely concealed by masks and helmets. The woman in the middle shook her head, her expression a cocktail of worry and fury.

"We shouldn’t be doing this... why did I ever listen to these two idiots?" muttered the knight, who was actually a disguised Rosalind.

"Watch it with the ’idiot’ talk. This is a great idea, you know. You want to help our fiancé too, don’t you? So stop nagging," Beatrice said from the left, glancing toward the center.

"She’s right, Sister Rosalind. We’re going to help Brother Ard. I’d regret it more if I stayed behind and didn’t help them, you know," Adeline added from the right, looking toward the middle.

"Hey... you three in the back, quiet down!" an infantry commander shouted from horseback as he rode alongside them.

"Our apologies, Commander," the three replied, instantly snapping to attention and continuing their march.

"Ugh... I’m a future commander of the Royal Knights... why am I taking orders from an infantry commander? Dammit, these two princesses are absolutely impossible to manage," Rosalind muttered to herself as she walked.

The troops continued their march until they finally reached the sacred forest, the domain of the elven tribes. Suddenly, the front lines came to a halt as a force of about 2,000 elves emerged from the woods, led by Eledar, the tribal chief. Once they cleared the forest, the army began setting up camp to spend the night, planning to resume their journey the next day and cross the bridge by afternoon. After pitching their tents, Beatrice, Adeline, and Rosalind gathered around a campfire with the other soldiers, keeping their masks and helmets firmly in place.

"That means we’ll reach the border tomorrow and start the crossing. I’m ready for a fight," Beatrice said excitedly.

"Same here. Tomorrow, Peggy and I are going to tear up the battlefield, hoho!" Adeline added with equal enthusiasm.

"You two should probably tone down the excitement. The palace must be in total chaos right now because you’re missing," Rosalind said, feeling a headache coming on but resigned to her fate.

"Don’t worry, I left a letter for Papa," Beatrice said.

"Huh... where? I don’t remember seeing a letter in your room when we left," Rosalind asked, confused.

"Under my pillow," Beatrice answered casually.

"Aaargh... if you’re going to leave a letter, don’t put it under the pillow! Put it on top of it, or on the desk, or literally anywhere else! At this rate, no one is going to find it until the war is over. What were you thinking? You absolute idiot princess," Rosalind shouted, finally snapping after being frustrated all day.

"Oh, is that so? I also left a letter under my pillow for Uncle Brutus," Adeline added.

"Have mercy... you two are so stupid... what if I’m the one who gets in trouble with His Majesty?" Rosalind shouted, clutching her head with both hands and shaking it in disbelief.

"Relax, if Papa gets mad at you, I’ll defend you. Definitely," Beatrice said.

"Yeah... exactly, I’ll help too, so don’t worry," Adeline added.

"This isn’t about whether I get scolded or not... if His Majesty finds out I brought his daughter along with the youngest princess of the Fredonia Kingdom into battlefield... I could be beheaded, not just scolded... waaaa... my life is over," Rosalind said, panicking and so resigned to her fate that she couldn’t say another word.

"Wait... Rosalind?"

Hearing a man’s voice behind them, the three of them jumped in shock and immediately pulled their knees to their chests. Then came the sound of footsteps approaching from behind, and they felt someone crouch down beside them on the ground.

"Wait... Princess Beatrice, Princess Adeline? Why are you here?" asked the man, who turned out to be Eledar, the chief of the elven tribe.

Upon hearing their names called, the three flinched and began to tremble. But recognizing the voice, they slowly turned to see Eledar squatting next to them, looking at them with a concerned face. Beatrice and Adeline then glanced over at Rosalind, who was hanging her head in furious resignation.

"Ugh... you were being too loud, Rosalind," Beatrice said, now that they were caught.

"Hmph... now we’re going to be sent home. Sister Rosalind is such a drag," Adeline added.

"I don’t even care anymore... my head hurts," Rosalind replied, completely giving up.

Eledar studied the faces of Beatrice and Adeline before turning his gaze toward Rosalind, who looked completely defeated and ready to accept any punishment now that they were caught. Eledar sat cross-legged in front of them, folding his arms across his chest.

"What are you doing here? Do King Brutus and King Arthur know about this?" Eledar asked, clearly interrogating them.

The three remained silent, their faces turning pale. Eledar immediately understood that they had slipped away without permission, while Rosalind had clearly been dragged along simply because it was her job to guard the two princesses.

"How about this: I’ll escort you to the elven village, and then tomorrow you’ll head back to your respective kingdoms," Eledar said.

"No way... the reason we ran away is because Papa wouldn’t let me go. I want to help my fiancé," Beatrice protested.

"Same here. I want to help Brother Ard, but he wouldn’t let me come along, which is why I’m here now," Adeline added.

Hearing their words, Eledar studied both of their faces, seeing how serious and determined they were. He then looked over at Rosalind, who was pale, utterly drained, and clearly at a loss, her expression practically saying, "that’s basically the story, feel free to handle it, I’m washing my hands of this." Eledar thought for a moment, then spoke.

"Hmm... I see. All right, how about this: you can come along, but please stay in the rear. Now, come with me to the commander’s quarters," Eledar said, standing up.

"Hooray!" Beatrice and Adeline cheered, instantly brightening up.

"I’m not taking any responsibility for this," Rosalind muttered, her voice weak and sounding completely exhausted.