(Charlotte POV)

There seemed to have been a lot of problems even before the commanders were kidnapped.

The location they chose before was much too dangerous to stay at. Many people lost their lives due to monsters attacking them during the night. These particular monsters have excellent stealth abilities and have even been referenced in some spy technology of today.

They are called Creepers.

We lost a total of 200 men to their attacks. They’d either mull the person to death for sport or eat them alive after cutting off a person’s limbs. They are truly the stuff of nightmares.

The other issue that arose was the urgency for supplies. Since many regions were destroyed by the enemy army, refugees have come to live in the camp as well. We have more refugees than soldiers in our camp.

The refugees are expected to receive aid from Duke Luxembourg once they finish building the refugee camp in his city. Some of the refugees have also volunteered to join the army so they can get revenge. I end up hearing a lot of shouting outside followed by the slashing of wind.

The soldiers train the refugees that volunteered. Many were also adventurers in their respective village or town. Adventurers rarely get involved with the army. They only move for profit while a percentage fight for the people.

I always hire adventurers as escorts whenever I attend a tea party with one of my connections. I can’t even trust the palace knights to protect me from danger since there’s a chance that one of them might be that danger I should be protected from.

To avoid being targeted like this in the palace, mother asked father if he could have a villa built for me. That was five years ago after the fourth attempt on my life.

The villa is located at the back of the Palace grounds. The grounds are about 100 acres wide since a field stretches at the back of the Royal Palace. A giant cement fence surrounds the entire vicinity. My villa is located in the corner of that field.

I can sleep peacefully at night in the villa as opposed to my room in the palace. My bladder problems have somewhat eased so I don’t have to go to the toilet every hour if I drank something.

I can’t exactly call my life happy or what I wanted. Mother is still struggling to fight the disease she has and I have trouble gaining connections for the future. I can’t rely on father otherwise I might seem like an incompetent leader.

What would Lady Iris do if she were in the same position as me? She was once a commoner but today she’s the strongest swordswoman on the continent. She’s perfect in every way.

Even though I say I want to be like her, we’re completely different people. I’ll have to use the strengths I have instead of dreaming to become someone else. Life isn’t that convenient.

I tossed in the bed as I looked at the bright moon through the gaps of the tent. Since the soldiers are noisy outside, I can’t seem to fall asleep. It might be that I’m too anxious to let my guard down. There’s that possibility that we might be attacked through the night.

The three spies were already questioned and disposed of afterward. We now know where our enemy is. Our first attack is happening tomorrow. Since they have no intention of negotiating, we might as well force our way through their ranks.

“…”

My hand subconsciously moved between my legs. I always do this when I can’t sleep at night.

“…Ahn…”

The sound of splashing and squishing echoed in the room as I quivered on the bed. My hand moved faster and faster.

It continued for a while as I squirmed in bed.

My body grew hotter as I reached my climax. Just a little more–

BOOM–!

When I was almost there, an explosion shook the entire camp.

“Princess! We’re under–“

Lord Clyde pushed aside the curtain and entered.

“Eh?”

One of my hands was still on my breast while the other was between my legs.

“GET OUT!!”

He ran away when I screamed in a fluster.

‘Oh god. Why did that have to happen!?’

I stood up and hurriedly put on my clothes. The generals will be gathering in the meeting tent so I have to attend as well.

Shouts and screams came from outside the tent. Did they already start attacking us?

‘A night assault…’

Clyde was already waiting outside for me when I exited. The two of us were silent as we headed to the meeting room. The entire camp was in a frenzy as soldiers ran around carrying buckets of water.

The assassin, Damian and Clyde’s squire, Edna also joined us halfway to the meeting tent.

‘Did the earlier explosion cause a big fire somewhere?’

I could faintly smell traces of smoke so I assumed there really were fires throughout the camp.

My knight was in front, wary of our surroundings as he chanted for the first time in a while. He must be trying to use a strong spell he rarely uses. I never saw him casting before.

There are only a minority of wizards in the kingdom that can cast magic chantless. It has nothing to do with talent; rather it’s suitability. Basically, can you cast magic chantless or not.

Even the most genius of people of the kingdom cannot do it while a child from the slums could perhaps achieve it.

My knight’s entire body oozed with power. Even the nearby warriors gave way for him as we ran towards the meeting tent.

How did he get such a huge power boost in less than a week?

“Princess Charlotte! You’re here!”

When I entered the large white tent, about four men in military uniforms gazed my way.

All of them were in a mess just like I was. It’s already 4 in the morning so it’s understandable that we couldn’t prepare ourselves properly.

I immediately sat down and began talking.

“First of all, don’t panic. We might make unnecessary mistakes if we move with our emotions rather than our rational judgement.”

All four nodded.

“Did any of you perhaps see any suspicious activity?”

The general with a bald head and a moustache nodded.

“A maid came up to me last night, asking if she could entertain me… When I drank the drink she prepared for me, I was knocked out. I suspect it was a drug. The next morning, the supply documents were stolen out of my safe. Now our enemies may know our supply routes.”

“Ahh, fuck…”

I scratched my head in frustration. We don’t have enough information to predict our enemy’s actions.

Could that be their main goal? Is the Republic even the culprit?

“But fret not. We have sent one of our best units to that location where our supplies are being held.”

To the general’s words, all of them nodded.

‘…Are they idiots…?’

Anyone can see that this could be a plan to divide our forces.

“A-And who might these forces be…?”

The general thumped his chest proudly.

“It was the very knights our households raised. The ones we enrolled into the Royal Army.”

All of them nodded in satisfaction. Not a hint of urgency on their faces.

“We have sent the captain to lead our army.”

“…”

I felt like throwing horse dung at his pudgy face. I just said that we shouldn’t make hasty decisions–

“How stupid of you, general.”

A cold voice echoed as the flags of our army were shredded.

All of us flew into panic. My knight also got his staff ready. His squire who was in the corner of the room looked at the top of the tent pillar.

I also gazed up.

“!?”

A man standing upside-down was looking down at us. His golden eyes released powerful killing intent.

“Brother….”

I couldn’t hear Damian’s words.

“Who are you!?”

“Intruder!! Where are the knights!?”

The generals unsheathed their swords. Damian and Clyde were standing in front of me, both releasing their mana.

“Oh, them? I had my subordinates take care of them.”

Now that he says that, isn’t it quieter than before? While we were shouting amongst each other, the noise from outside slowly disappeared.

“Do not resent me for this, I am only here for the princess and her protectors… Oh?”

The man clad in black seems to be looking at someone.

His eyes narrowed sharply when he looked at Damian but then he regained his calm again.

“Now if you would kindly accept death. We were only paid to do this.”

The man took out two ominous looking swords. They glowed in a purple light.

“O-Only them right?”

The cloaked man nodded.

“T-Then we best be on our way. You won’t k-kill us, correct?”

“Like I have said, we only kill for money or if you get in our way.”

“Ehehehe. T-Then we’ll be going.”

The shameless generals walked away, still wary of the man in the room.

“These fucking bastards…”

I started cursing in anger as I watched them leave.

So I’m his target? And why is Clyde a target as well?

The man cladded his body in mana and crossed his arms. His body gave off a suffocating aura that if I were alone, I would be trembling without anything to say. My knees were already shaking as he looked into my eyes.

“Edna, take Charlotte and go.”

“Eh? What about you?”

“This guy will chase us down if we all went. He’ll chase us down as long as the contract still stands. Make it to the kingdom then their missions fails.” Damian answered in Clyde’s stead.

“Damian… is he–“

“He’s part of the clan, yes. And he’s my eldest brother. The only man to push father to his full power.”

The man sighed.

“So you do remember me, after all. And that brash way of speaking hasn’t changed. Have you no respect for the manners we taught you?”

The man swung his sword and cut the air.

“Manners? You call hitting someone with a blunt sword manners?”

“We still believe in the old times, Damian.”

“Go fuck yourself, Aubrey.”

The man’s expression twisted.

“You still don’t call me honourable older brother. No manners even after leaving the clan. You were lucky that grandmother forced us to not lay a hand on you. You were always her favourite.”

Damian gritted his teeth as he glared at his brother.

“Stop fucking talking…”

Clyde glanced at me. His eyes were serious unlike the gentle glow he usually has in them.

I nodded.

The little girl called Edna grabbed my hand and pulled me outside. I was surprised by the strength in her small hand that I almost tripped not expecting to be dragged like that.

The person called Aubrey didn’t give chase like what I expected.

…

When we were outside the tent, I saw multiple corpses on the ground of knights, servants and horses alike.

“They could be anywhere. We have to keep our eyes peeled.”

When I looked back at miss Edna, I saw a mature woman with black wings on her back. A tail was behind her back. Her breasts were so huge that I couldn’t help but gulp. Is this the kind of body humans possess? Even her beauty is artificial.

“Huh?”

“Don’t ask questions now. My human entrusted you to me so do as I say.”

H-Her human?

The mature woman pulled my hand and then ran with me again. Her black silky hair fluttered in the night sky.

The black wings on her back and the tail swishing behind her tells me she’s not human.

A dragonkin perhaps?

Dragons do breed with humans sometimes but cases like those are rare even in the Draconic Kingdom where Dragons are the divine beasts of that country.

Only strong humans can breed with dragons. Dragons only obey the strong and it is said that they even offer their bodies to warriors as a reward for defeating them or just out of interest for a strong male.

What relation does this woman have with my knight?

‘Aaah! I can’t process all of this!’

I have to ask both of them later… if we survive.

**

The camp is fairly large so we had to resort to sneaking after exiting the open area of the tents.

I have some skill in sensing mana which made me pick up several. Miss Edna seems to know where our enemies are by the way we’re moving cautiously.

I’ve been hearing explosions and rumbling since awhile ago when we escaped. They must be engaged in battle.

The rest of the cloaked individuals are roaming the camp searching for survivors. Miss Edna took out the few that noticed us. Her strength is undeniably reassuring to me right now.

Someone dares to assassinate a royal. When I get back to the kingdom then I will have father mobilize an entire unit of Royal Knights to catch the one that ordered a hit on me.

I can’t die now. I must become queen and kill those that want to inflict damage to the royal family name. I have already killed several people that want to start a revolution.

I cannot let something like that happen. Things will end up like the Republic where they believe in their own ideals. Even the common folk can start a change with a simple vote to the board.

I won’t let something like that happen to our kingdom.

Dogs must have leashes. And I, the future queen shall be the one to hold those very leashes.

Even if it means using people to get to that dream.

‘So until that time comes… protect me everyone.’

We continued our escape out of the border camp.