Chapter 908: Siege and Secrets ( 908 )

Hesbeirn flashed a crooked grin.

"Ahh, young master. Those two brats will run straight to their fathers. I bet word of this Arjam conquest reaches the royal palace soon. If we’d crushed them here, at least it would’ve taken longer to file a formal complaint."

Gilmon let out a long sigh, arms folded.

"He’s right, young master. If we’d finished them off, we’d have bought ourselves more time before the news reached the capital."

Javier yawned, stretching his arms overhead.

"Yeah, I know... but Father’s orders are absolute. You both know how strong he is, right?"

Gilmon blinked. "Huh?"

Javier grinned, eyeing both of them.

"If I remember right, wasn’t it four years ago you two had that little mock battle with him? He only used a wooden sword, parried everything you threw at him, and even called Alf in to help. Still ended up wiping the floor with all three of you. Called it ’good exercise.’"

Hesbeirn and Gilmon both froze, their eyes wide.

"You... you knew about that?" Hesbeirn muttered.

Javier chuckled.

"Hmm? Of course. From my bedroom window, I could see straight into the courtyard. And besides, you know how the maids and staff are, Uncle Hesbeirn~"

Hesbeirn glanced sideways, grumbling under his breath.

Javier tapped his temple with a smirk.

"All our staff are trained to gather information and relay news. You know, precautions, alerts about enemy movements, that sort of thing. So word like that spreads faster than wildfire. Next thing you know, everyone in the estate had the full story."

He looked out over the fields, his posture relaxing.

"I’d bet Father already expected that formal complaint. He’s probably been waiting for it. Knowing how he plans everything, he’s already three steps ahead. Didn’t he say it before? ’Don’t worry about it, that problem will be mine to handle.’"

"So instead of worrying about the formal complaint, or the royal headache, or those greedy noble bastards..." Javier said, his voice calm, eyes scanning the rows of Armand soldiers behind them. "We should focus on capturing the Arjam region completely. Seal the borders tight. And wait for Father’s next command."

He tapped his mana talkie, the small device nestled neatly in his ear.

"The estate can relay Father’s orders instantly through this," Javier added with a faint smile.

Another distant boom echoed across the sky. Javier turned his head toward the source, his expression calm. He pulled out his glasses and slipped them on, tapping the mana screen hovering beside him.

"Hmm... looks like my puppet knights are already marching through the key points. Securing the outer blocks on schedule."

He climbed onto Buddy, his orange Pekko, then threw a look back over his shoulder at Hesbeirn and Gilmon.

"Let’s move."

"Yes, young master!" they replied, falling in behind him.

Meanwhile, at the nearby camp, tension hung thick in the air.

Gloria sat in a chair, biting her nail, legs crossed. Liana paced back and forth, unable to settle. Mimi sprawled on the bedroll, looking bored out of her mind. Felicia absentmindedly groomed her tail, ears flicking in irritation. Delya, as usual, seemed unconcerned—savoring a chocolate and humming to herself.

A long, collective sigh drifted through the tent.

"Why does Young Master insist on keeping us here?" Gloria finally muttered, her voice low and edged with impatience.

Liana sighed again, rubbing her arm. "He’s determined to make us wait. I know he won’t look at other girls, not with the army reaching the border soon... Still, I can’t help worrying about him."

Gloria shot Liana a sideways smirk. "You’re lucky. At least you got your sweet first night with Young Master. The rest of us haven’t even had a chance yet, you know~"

Liana flushed. "Ugh! Gloria, can’t you worry about that after this is over?"

"Nya? What are you two talking about?" Mimi suddenly perked up, sitting cross-legged. "I still never got an answer about what Gloria meant by ’husband-sama finally became a man.’" She blinked, her innocent confusion written all over her face.

Gloria chuckled, casting a mischievous glance at Liana, who glared back before forcing a gentle smile for Mimi.

Sensing something juicy, Felicia scooted closer, her grooming forgotten. Delya grabbed her box of chocolates and moved in too, eyes twinkling with interest.

The tent grew quiet. Everyone waited for the answer.

Liana let out a heavy sigh, shooting Gloria a sharp glare. Gloria just sat there, perfectly content, a sly smile tugging at her lips.

"Now, now, First Wife~" Gloria sang, resting her chin in her hand. "You shouldn’t keep secrets from us. Especially about what happened last week, right? Come on, tell us about your ’experience’~"

Mimi’s ears perked up, her eyes wide with curiosity as she scooted forward, planting herself right in front of Liana.

Felicia, graceful as ever, slid her chair over to join the growing circle. Delya, still wearing her dreamy expression, closed the gap as well, following the others until Liana was completely surrounded.

Now all eyes were on her. The pressure built with every second of silence.

Liana panicked inside—but not a flicker showed on her face. Her composure remained flawless, every movement measured as she straightened her posture and folded her hands neatly in her lap.

How... how do I avoid this?

She forced a gentle smile, keeping her voice soft and serene.

"Now, now..." she began, her tone sweet and graceful. "We should be careful. This temporary camp is near the northern Arjam border. We can’t afford to be careless, right? Especially when three of you are princesses from other nations~"

Her elegant tone carried a desperate edge, a plea to redirect the conversation. "Since we’re still in a dangerous zone, I think it’s better if we stay alert, don’t you?"

But Gloria only smiled, lifting her palm to her lips with that familiar teasing air.

"Ara~ First Wife~ you can see it clearly, can’t you? Surrounded by Young Master’s puppet knights, guarded from every direction. Surely you know this camp exists solely for Young Master’s future wives, isn’t that right~?"

Mimi blinked, looking around. "Mm~ Husband-sama’s Modern Knights, right? He said that before. They can use those ranged weapons... umm... mana raiful?"

"Rifle, Mimi. Rifle," Delya corrected gently, still nibbling her chocolate. "Danna-sama said rifle~"

Gloria chuckled, turning her gaze sideways toward Liana.

"So~ nothing to worry about then. Just look at the size of the patrols. And above us, Young Master’s battle drones, always hovering, always watching." She pointed upward where countless mechanical glints floated in silent formation.

"And over there~" Gloria’s eyes sparkled with mischief. "Anti-air mana guns, and even anti-air missiles set up. He’s dead serious about keeping his future wives safe... So go on, First Wife~ tell us everything~"

The circle tightened, every gaze fixed on Liana, who realized there was no escape... only surrender.

( End Of Chapter )