Lost In Character: Transmigration Chronicles Of A Nameless Heroine 61 Hardboiled Royals

"The female troop?" Captain Judda repeated, sounding like he didn't know what on earth that was.
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Almost at the same time, the other man asked answered, "The Lord General Uwe, I believe. Currently stationed in the north as acting commander in my place."

"Can you supplant his authority here?"

"Right now, even you can, Princess," he said. "But you already knew that."

Hilde showed a tight smile. "I must ask YOU to do it, Lord."

After a brief, considering pause, he nodded. "Probably the wiser choice."

At his understanding, she felt some of the heaviness in her chest lighten. It wasn't that she didn't want to be a.s.sociated with the female soldiers – quite the opposite, in fact – but this Lord General Uwe was not known to her, and there was a chance she'd cross him in more ways than one with what she meant to do with his soldiers.

She had a very good reason to a.s.sume he would not take things kindly. By placing Lord Alfwin in between, she sought to protect not only the soldiers from the possible backlash but also herself.

It made her slightly guilty, but if she ever does become an officer, she didn't want to be relegated to having command only over other women. If she could have her way, there would be no segregation of genders in the ranks at all. While things were the way they were, though, she wanted to start the way she meant to go on.

"Princess," Captain Judda said crisply. "What is it you intend to do with them?"

Exuding calmness and self-a.s.surance, she answered, "I want our honored Lysean guests to also be escorted back covertly to the Royal Palace, and I ask that the female soldiers be given the order to do it."

Only the Lord General seemed unsurprised by Hilde's intentions.

Sieglind let out a low whistle and muttered, "Yeah, that could work." But then, it was a lot easier for her to see things the way Hilde did – in this matter, they were living nearly the same reality.

After turning his face her way in his surprise, Leal's eyelids drooped slightly, giving the appearance of consideration. Other than that, despite it being his and his people's own safety that was at risk, he didn't say or do anything else.

Ah, but he did continue facing her, and though she was extremely careful not to get caught up in his gaze again – which, thankfully, he seemed to have toned down several notches – she wished he would instead continue to look another way.

Almost as Hilde had predicted, the Captain took a hard stance on the matter.

"With respect, Princess, I find that suggestion inadvisable in the extreme."

She c.o.c.ked her head to one side. "Why?"

Though it might have been her imagination, she could have sworn she heard a barely audible chuckle escape a certain young man's throat. She risked a glance but found Leal still wearing that impa.s.sive face of his while now training the weight of his gaze on the Captain.

Meanwhile, she felt Sieglind beside her s.h.i.+fting her stance, crossing her arms over her chest while also looking expectantly at the man as if to say, 'Go on, try to answer that.'

He, of course, could not. There's precious little he could say that would not insult any aspiring female soldier in this company – two for two, it just so happened.

Lord Alfwin took pity and helped a fellow out. "Are you concerned whether they've had the training to handle this critical task?"

Being a smart man, Captain Judda did not hesitate to take the handout. "Yes."

Hilde allowed some of her displeasure to show in her smile. "If they indeed prove unprepared, I'd like to know which training masters we should punish."

In charming conjunction, the Lord and his daughter both grunted their agreement. "Hear, hear."

"And Captain?" The humor disappeared from her eyes, but she continued politely, "Despite how it sounded, what I said wasn't a suggestion."

For three heartbeats, there was stillness. Then, in a clatter of armor, the Captain saluted. "Yes, Princess." He turned to Inge. "Ask the most senior of the female soldiers to come here. And after you get back, man, find a seat somewhere."

In a surreal reversal of what had happened earlier that day with Captain Helmut, Inge turned to Hilde, waiting for her confirmation first before following his superior officer's orders.

'Okay, I wasn't ready for that,' she thought as she gave a slight nod that felt rickety due to her sudden awkwardness. Equally surprised, Captain Judda's eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at her again, but he didn't ask and she didn't volunteer an explanation.

She did feel she owed one to them about the immediate matter at hand, particularly to Leal who, for reasons she could not wrap her mind around, was still not protesting anything even though he had every right to.

"I'm aware of the dangers," she began, her gaze trailing from the Captain to the Lord General, "but I believe the advantages far outweigh them: who would suspect we'd leave a Prince's protection to undervalued soldiers?" Hilde turned her eyes squarely to the said Prince. As if to provoke a reaction, she told him, "Today, their a.s.signment had been to guard an outhouse. A handful to do the task would have been understandable. A whole troop?"

As she shook her head, not even trying to hide her dismay and disgust, she caught sight of Inge's approach along with three women. She felt her body bucking up of its own accord, as if not wanting to be shamed under those unknown soldiers' possible scrutiny. Noticing where she was looking, the others followed her gaze.

"The way I see it," she continued in a low, cheerless voice, "it doesn't matter right now whether they're capable or not. No one would look at them twice, except to gawk."

After a heavy moment of silence, Sieglind cleared her throat. "It's a good thing these Lyseans are so d.a.m.ned pretty, then," she said. Her tone was light, but it was difficult to tell whether she was really just teasing. "They'll blend right in."

Hilde bit her tongue to stop whatever reaction might bubble up. The two other men in their private group let out coughs. Nadia cackled. She couldn't see his face just then, but Hilde couldn't help imagining that black scowl appearing on his face. She couldn't take it anymore.

"Prince Leal, do you still think it's fine?"

Everyone quieted and turned to her. What she had truly wanted to ask was "Could your dignity handle it?" Hilde's primary aim was to keep the Lyseans from getting physically harmed, but if her chosen method would make them feel demeaned and disrespected, she would understand and come up with another way. Even other Arnicans would have easily felt insulted – were their safety only worth THAT much?

The person addressed was showing a complex expression she couldn't even begin to unravel, but the scowl was missing. To be completely honest, she'd been expecting responses like "I'd rather die!" or "Who do you think I am?!" from the foreign royal who must be accustomed to having the best of everything. Clearly, though, she was being very unfair in her private estimation of him – perhaps more unfair than she could have ever suspected.

With a grin that indicated he too was laughing at himself, Leal answered, "If I think it would increase my chances of survival, I would loosen my hair from its tie and even borrow a female soldier's armor, if any would fit. Yes, Princess, I find the arrangement perfectly tolerable."

It wasn't only Hilde who was struck dumb by that response. It was obviously far from what the others had been expecting as well. Yet though it might seem, under a certain light, that the Prince lacked pride for thinking and saying this, that was not at all how it came across. It was hardboiled practicality, pure and simple, and it was confusing to see in a person who seemed more suited to having a frivolous personality.

At her continuing look of wonder and astonishment, those blue, blue eyes appeared to twinkle. "Live first," he said, still grinning. "And if I can worry about the consequences later, I'll take that as a luxury."