Chapter 11: Suggestive Rumors

“Wendy, wait a moment, I’ll go bring your breakfast up.”

After Princess Astreia finished speaking, she told Kelly to stand guard at the door to Wendy’s Room, then turned to leave.

Her Highness was clearly worried that Wendy might get out of bed and aggravate last night’s injury.

“Astreia…”

Wendy reached out, gently tugging at the edge of her metal armguard.

“No need to trouble yourself, let’s go eat together.”

Hearing this, Astreia paused, scratching her head a little awkwardly.

“I… I usually eat with everyone in the Lord’s Hall. Over there… pretty much all the Officers and quite a few Soldiers are there. It gets a bit noisy…”

The implication was clear—she was worried this pampered Prince wouldn’t be able to handle such a loud and boisterous place.

“Do Officers and Soldiers all eat the same food here?”

Wendy tilted his head curiously.

“Mm.”

Astreia nodded.

“Except Edwin used to have a slightly more refined meal, but in Sunset Fortress, from me to the newest recruit, everyone eats the same rations. It’s always been the Regulation here.”

Wendy quite approved of these words in his heart.

It seemed that the “Northern Lioness” might be a little single-minded emotionally, but she certainly knew what she was doing when it came to running the army.

Officers and Soldiers sharing hardships was the best way to unite the troops.

“If that’s the Regulation of Sunset Fortress, then all the more reason for me to follow it. I shouldn’t ask for any special treatment.”

As Wendy spoke, he naturally let go of the armguard and instead took Astreia’s unarmored left hand.

Her palm was warm, and the calluses on her knuckles, formed from years of gripping a rifle, were not rough at all.

Instead, they brought a unique sense of reassurance.

“Let’s go together.”

Feeling her hand softly enveloped, Astreia’s heart trembled, and a warm current surged through her entire body in an instant.

She sneaked a glance at Wendy, seeing no trace of reluctance on his face—only calmness.

‘Prince Wendy… really isn’t like those pampered nobles who only know how to enjoy themselves…’

‘He’s actually willing to approach the Soldiers and eat the same food as everyone else…’

‘Someone like this will surely be a gentle and considerate Companion in the future…’

At the thought of the word “Companion,” Astreia’s cheeks suddenly flushed bright red.

She hurriedly shook her head, trying to shake off these unrealistic fantasies.

Taking a deep breath, she tightened her grip on Wendy’s hand and strode forward.

Trailing half a step behind the two, Kelly watched their tightly clasped hands, her expression instantly darkening.

‘As expected… Edwin was right!’

‘This man is always trying to tempt Her Highness! That fake, “down-to-earth” act—what a show!’

‘Hmph, good thing Edwin already has a plan. Today, we’ll make sure this Disgraced Dog suffers the Prophecy of Ruin!’

***

The first-floor Lord’s Hall of Sunset Fortress was less like a hall and more like a massive dining hall.

Where there should have been lavish tapestries, the walls were instead covered with animal-hide maps and various weapons.

The air was thick with the scent of toasted bread, the salty aroma of rich soup, and… the lingering sweat of a crowd of female Soldiers.

Noisy, lively, and brimming with vitality.

However, the moment Wendy, hand in hand with Astreia, appeared at the top of the stairs.

The entire bustling hall seemed to freeze, falling into an eerie silence.

Every gaze unconsciously gathered on Wendy.

Sunlight poured through the high windows, bathing his teal silk robe in a gentle glow.

That face, so exquisite it hardly seemed real, made even these battle-hardened female Soldiers forget to breathe for a moment.

For an instant, Wendy felt like he’d fallen into the Daughter Country, into Pansi Cave, becoming Tang Sanzang surrounded by women—completely out of place.

Still, he maintained a proper, polite smile, letting Astreia lead him through the crowd and to the Commander’s Table.

The silence lasted only a moment before the hall returned to its previous liveliness.

Yet, the whispers that followed were like buzzing flies, finding their way straight into Wendy’s ears.

At a nearby table, a few female Soldiers appeared to be eating, but their voices were pitched just loud enough to be heard.

“So that’s the First Beauty of the Cavalier Kingdom? Tsk, look at that face, that figure—even I’m moved, and I’m a woman. He really is pitifully beautiful!”

“Pitiful? What’s pitiful about that? I heard last night, just to avenge his country, he deliberately slipped and got hurt in the Bathhouse, spinning Her Highness around his little finger, just so he could meddle in military affairs!”

A rather burly Soldier curled her lip, her tone full of disdain.

“Yeah, what a schemer! Using his looks to try and cozy up to Her Highness—does he take our Northern Lioness for a fool?”

“Don’t say that! Her Highness is wise and heroic—no way she’d be swayed by some pretty, useless flower. But… I did hear last night, Her Highness personally carried him out of the Bathhouse, and even demoted Edwin the Secretary on the spot for his sake, so…”

“Hmph! Sure, he’s good-looking, but with that figure, those skinny arms and legs—can he help Her Highness on the battlefield? I bet he just wants to use us Northern warriors as his Vengeful Chess Piece!”

【Bang!】

A thunderous sound—Astreia slammed the table and stood up.

Her emerald eyes blazed with fury as she glared at the gossiping Soldiers. Her powerful presence instantly made their faces turn pale, silencing them.

“You…”

The Princess Royal was just about to explode when a hand gently tugged at her sleeve.

Wendy remained calmly seated, squinting at her and shaking his head.

“But they…”

Astreia was shaking with anger, her voice trembling.

“They’re slandering you!”

“The innocent are always innocent.”

Wendy’s tone was as calm as a deep pool.

“The more you argue, the faster rumors spread. If you ignore them, in a few days, they’ll vanish on their own.”

In his heart, though, he was as clear as a Mirror.

‘So, that demoted Chief Clerk isn’t behaving himself…’

‘Hmph, once I’ve handled the current matters, I’ll deal with you, you little pest…’

Seeing that Wendy wasn’t angry—instead, he was comforting her—Astreia’s rage melted into endless pity and heartache.

All she could do was sit back down in a huff, grabbing a piece of Black Bread and taking a fierce bite, her cheeks puffed up like an angry little hamster.

Even so, Her Highness, despite eating quickly and in large bites, still maintained the elegance of a noble, making not a single unseemly sound.

Wendy, on the other hand, only slowly tore off a few pieces of bread, dipped them in soup, and found he couldn’t eat any more.

The bread was dry and hard, scratching his throat, and the soup, aside from its saltiness, had no flavor at all.

Compared to the colorful, fragrant, and delicious Huaxia Cuisine in his memories, this was practically pig slop!

‘Once I’ve established some authority in the army, the first thing I’ll do is gather those Kitchen Staff who only know how to toss salt into the pot and properly teach them what real cooking is!’

As Wendy grumbled to himself, in a distant corner of the hall, a woman radiating an aura that warded off all strangers was watching him with interest.

Her features were sharp, a worn leather eyepatch covering her left eye, while her remaining right eye was as keen as a hawk’s.

Not even her heavily scarred armor could hide the iron-blooded ferocity in her bones.

Seeing Wendy calm Astreia with just a few words, even coaxing the Princess Royal into a bashful, girlish demeanor, a scarred mouth curled into a faint smile as she chuckled lowly.

A nearby Soldier, polishing her warhammer, leaned over curiously.

“General Sera, what do you think of the new Prince?”

The one called Sera drained her mug of ale in a single gulp, her voice hoarse and steady.

“Seems to me, this Prince is a lot more interesting than that Secretary who only knows how to put on airs…”