The Slave Princess Every Night - Chapter 15

“Lena.”

‘Ah…’

It was a dreamlike morning. When I opened my eyes, Regnos’s face was right in front of me.

“Prince Regnos!”

Lena sprang up and hugged him. Regnos patted her back with his large, beautiful hands.

This was the camp of the Aitalos independence army, located on the border.

Last night, Lenaizia had shaken off the maids and ran until her heart felt like it would burst, all the way to the forest east of the imperial palace. There, she met a person sent by Regnos, and together they rode horses, again until her heart felt like it would burst.

Barely managing to reach the camp, Lena fainted as soon as she saw Regnos’s face, and when she woke up, she was inside a cleanly organized tent.

“Lena, how hard was it for you to come all this way? You’ve suffered so much, haven’t you?”

“Oh, no.”

Lena waved her hands. What was the point of being dragged to a distant empire and suffering all kinds of humiliation? If it was all for Regnos’s safety, and just seeing Regnos before her eyes now, all the hardships she had endured vanished in an instant.

“It was for you, Your Highness, so it’s all okay. My suffering was nothing.”

“Our Lena is always too kind for her own good.”

Regnos’s hand stroked her silver hair. Lena closed her eyes, happily feeling his touch, then suddenly seemed to snap to attention and asked,

“What is this place? It looked like many soldiers were camped here… Are they the same people who struck Godfrey’s procession?”

“Godfrey?”

Regnos interrupted with a question unrelated to hers, his expression hardening. Only then did Lena realize that she had been calling the emperor’s name as she had done in his bedroom.

Even as she tried to continue speaking, her pale face turned as red as a peach with embarrassment.

“…It still seemed like Taringia’s territory, but what if the emperor invades?”

“That’s exactly what we want. We’ve gathered solely to strike his army and reclaim our land and people.”

“Yes…”

Two conflicting emotions washed over her.

Regnos was striving to revive Aitalos, just as Lena had hoped. He was wearing armor, wielding weapons, uniting the refugees, and standing at the forefront of the battlefield.

That image made her chest feel like it would burst with admiration, but the danger he was throwing himself into was so great that her stomach clenched. She wished he would abandon his royal duties, the name of Aitalos, everything, and flee to a remote backwater.

It was a wish she couldn’t dare voice.

“Let’s go out. I’ll show you around the camp. You can meet some of the people.”

Lena composed herself and followed him closely.

The cold wind was noticeably stronger than on the day the royal palace had fallen, so Regnos took off the cloak he was wearing and draped it over Lena’s shoulders. It was a cloak of cold, deep blue, the symbol of Aitalos.

“Your Highness, greetings.”

“Your Highness.”

As they walked among the tents, which also flew blue flags, the armored soldiers greeted Regnos. When they saw Lenaizia wearing Regnos’s cloak, they scanned her up and down with eyes full of low curiosity.

“This is Princess Lenaizia. Show some respect.”

Regnos sternly rebuked them, quickly noticing their gazes. Lena was startled and waved her hands.

“Oh, no, no. There’s no need…”

All this time, Princess Lenaizia was known to people as the sixth royal child. Those who had learned that her true identity was Prince Regnos would naturally know that Lenaizia was a fake of the lowest kind.

So she understood why they were looking at her with ridicule. It didn’t hurt her heart, it was just to be expected. Pretending to be a fake princess was always bound to be exposed to the world. Lena had spent her whole life protecting Regnos for that very day…

“No, that won’t do.”

At that moment, a middle-aged man in armor appeared, speaking in a dignified voice. His grizzled brown hair and beard were slicked back with oil, and his polished plate armor and spotless boots showed that he had put a lot of effort into his appearance.

“How fierce was the struggle for the throne between the Second and Third Princes? All the princes in the Aitalos royal palace, except for them, were wiped out. If the Fourth Queen hadn’t come up with the idea to create ‘Lenaizia Aitalos,’ who knows if Lord Regnos would even be alive before us now.”

“Duke Maido.”

“So we must express our gratitude to the one who protected Lord Regnos.”

“…Y-yes, that’s right.”

The soldiers listened to his words and reluctantly bowed their heads to Lena. But the man himself, while preaching that gratitude, only smiled at Lena without particularly showing any respect.

There was a clear wall of status between Duke Maido, the father of the Fourth Queen and Regnos’s maternal grandfather, and Lena, who was fundamentally just a slave, despite her great service.

“I’ve heard many stories about you, Duke Maido.”

“I heard you were in the palace of Taringia, nestled in the arms of the usurper?”

“…!”

Lena’s heart sank. Even as she lowered her head, she was disgusted with her own foolishness. How could she be so surprised? There was no way they wouldn’t know.

Perhaps that was the meaning behind the soldiers’ gazes at her. The look in their eyes as they looked at a woman who was someone’s plaything.

“Enough, Duke Maido.”

Regnos warned in a low voice. But Duke Maido chuckled and instead criticized his attitude.

“That girl served her purpose when she was kidnapped in place of Your Highness. She’s not worth bringing back, risking the exposure of our base. You must consider what kind of suspicions your overprotectiveness might arouse.”

“…”

“That way, my private soldiers won’t harbor unnecessary doubts about Your Highness.”

“Yes. I will make sure my grandfather doesn’t have too much to worry about.”

Regnos’s stiff expression suggested he had much to say, but in the end, he forced a smile, as if suppressing his true feelings.

The volunteer soldiers who had gathered under his banner formed one pillar of this camp. But above all, without Duke Maido’s private soldiers, it would be impossible to even set up camp and fight battles.

“This old man has been meddling again. His wise Highness will surely maintain a good balance, but as I get older, my worries only increase, so I’ve been acting disgracefully.”

Then Duke Maido also yielded willingly, kneeling before Regnos.

It was a sight that Lenaizia would never be allowed to see, a subject showing respect to his lord.

* * *

“I’m sorry. My maternal grandfather has such peculiar quirks.”

“No. I really am a slave girl, and it’s true that the prince rescued me at great risk. I’m grateful and also feel sorry.”

“No.”

With a firm expression, Regnos grabbed Lena’s shoulder and stopped her.

“You are truly special to me, Lena. What meaning would victory hold if you weren’t there?”

“Your Highness…”

He carefully embraced Lenazia, who was teary-eyed with emotion, once more.

“Don’t be swayed by the words of those who don’t understand. You are my person.”

It was a truly missed embrace.

A familiar scent emanated from his broad chest, and his sturdy arms held her securely.

For a moment, Lena recalled how Godfrey’s embrace had differed. That man’s chest had been thicker and harder.

Then, she was overcome with self-loathing. How could she be embraced by Prince Regnos and think of such a man? The opposite could be possible, though.

Was she truly a hopeless prostitute, as people said?

She quickly pulled away from Regnos’s embrace. She wasn’t worthy of being held by him.

“Lena?”

“I feel sorry about the Fourth Queen.”

Lenazia deliberately brought up the Fourth Queen to amplify her guilt. Regnos’s expression darkened at that.

“…We haven’t even recovered my mother’s body yet.”

Lena was the only member of the Aitalos royal family who had survived in the palace that day. Lena felt a strange sense of guilt about that fact.

While being dragged away by the Taringian generals, she had seen the Fourth Queen collapsed in the inner palace garden, covered in blood.

The Aitalos palace was still occupied by the Taringian army. Regnos’s mind was filled with thoughts of successfully concluding the battle before him and retaking the palace.

“So, we must first lead the immediate battle to victory.”

“…”

“Mourning my mother won’t be too late even after I’ve fulfilled my duty.”

Regnos led Lenazia to a large tent in the center of the camp. Inside, there was a map spread out on a large desk, and generals in full armor were arguing, moving models on the map back and forth.

“Your Highness.”

As he and Lena entered, there was a brief exchange of glances, followed by silence. Lena could feel the uncomfortable silence and the prickly gazes in the tent directed at her.

A man in armor stepped forward and asked,

“Your Highness. Who is that woman…?”

“Didn’t everyone see her when she came to our camp last night? This is Lenazia.”

“Yes. Yes…”

“She is like a sister to me. I expect you to show her respect.”

At Regnos’s words, the people in the tent bowed to Lena, appearing somewhat reluctant. Lena felt rather humbled.

“Let’s begin the meeting.”

As Regnos and Lena took their seats, a solemn atmosphere settled in, and the attention towards Lena faded. Lena inwardly sighed in relief and focused on the map in front of her.

“We are currently gathered along the Alhas Mountains, which stretch to the east of Taringia. Alhas is a remote and rugged area, so it will take time for the Taringian side to notice.”

A soldier with a long stick pointed to a base on the map and said.

“In the meantime, we will reorganize our forces and advance into the land of Aitalos.”

The borders of Aitalos were still meticulously marked on this map. It brought a strange sense of emotion to Lena.

“Taringia has deployed a considerable number of security forces within the Aitalos capital, but if we launch a surprise attack from the mountains, there’s no guarantee they won’t be defeated.”

The stick he held moved over the mountains towards the Aitalos capital, Aine. And it knocked over the cavalry of the Taringian army stationed in Aine, which was painted in red.

“Their main force is cavalry. However, Aine is half-blocked by mountains, and the terrain itself has significant elevation differences, which can block their advantage of mobility.”

Lena was soon deeply engrossed in the meeting along with Regnos.

“We, approaching from the mountains and preempting the high ground, have a geographical advantage. We will use this advantage to the fullest to launch an offensive, and when the enemy’s formation collapses, Prince Regnos’s main force will occupy the palace.”

A cavalry model with a blue flag entered the palace on the ridge. Lena nodded along with the others, her heart swelling.

Although she had joined Regnos, the vague fear that he might lose seemed to be disappearing. Our army had a chance of winning. Maybe we could really reclaim the country.

Perhaps, in Aine, where Regnos had reclaimed the throne, she could live looking up to him.

“Lena, I have more to discuss with the soldiers, so go back to the tent. We’ll be marching soon, so pack your things.”

Regnos said after the meeting. Lena obediently nodded.

“Can you find your way back alone?”

“Yes.”

The things she had to pack were practically nonexistent. From the beginning, Lena had escaped the palace alone, so the clothes and shoes she was wearing were all she had.

After leaving the headquarters tent, Lena looked around for a moment.