Before leaving the border, Liana was currently handing over her responsibilities as Commander-in-Chief to Count Liche, who had come as her replacement.
And at the same time, she was barely holding back her fury at the count’s dumb head.
“…Count, did you understand what I just said?”
“Eh? Ah, yes…”
The dazed Count Liche gave an unconvincing response to Liana’s question.
If she let go of her reason just a little, she felt she might smack that blockhead right then and there—someone dumber than a beast.
‘Even if you’re dumb, at least have some passion…’
This piggish man was not only stupid, but he also lacked enthusiasm. It was obvious he was only after the title of Commander-in-Chief.
‘To think the King is sending someone like this to the border—he must be senile by now.’
Though the cunning Queen was surely behind this personnel decision, it was ultimately the King who approved it.
It was clear that both the King and Queen had lost their minds.
“…Count, if there’s something you don’t understand, say so now. I’ll leave a list behind, but it won’t be as detailed as hearing it from me directly.”
Liana mustered what little patience she had and gently offered this advice.
If it were up to her, she’d give a half-hearted explanation and never see that flat face again. But her sense of responsibility stopped her.
If the Commander-in-Chief was incompetent, it was the soldiers who would suffer. And those soldiers were the ones Liana had led for the past four years.
“Ahem, I believe I’ve fully grasped everything. Any confusion will clear up with time. Haha.”
Oblivious to Liana’s barely contained rage, Count Liche replied with a bored face.
‘…Hey, Kyle. Should we step out for a bit?’
‘That would be disrespectful to our lord.’
‘No, I mean… it is rude, but… if we stay here, we might get caught in the fire too. Just look at that idiot count—he’s practically begging to get roasted.’
The two brothers standing beside Liana and the count muttered quietly to each other.
Though that idiot had no idea, Liana’s expression was very, very dangerous right now.
It was almost like they could see the invisible blades flashing from her glare—and they instinctively rubbed the backs of their necks.
If murderous gazes had physical form, Count Liche would already be in tatters.
“Ahem, anyway… shouldn’t I inspect the soldiers I’ll be commanding—”
Liana’s expression went completely blank.
“Listen. The Commander-in-Chief is the leader and responsible for the entire army. If you’re going to treat it that lightly, I’d like to suggest you get lost.”
Her voice was colder than the northern glaciers.
Simultaneously, the faces of Ail and Kyle twisted into expressions of despair.
“…Excuse me?”
Count Liche blinked dumbly. He couldn’t understand what he’d just heard.
He thought she had told him to get lost…
While Count Liche had often been ignored by central nobles, he had never been insulted to his face like this.
So he assumed he must’ve misunderstood—
“Must be deaf too. If you’re stupid, at least try to put in some effort. If you just came here for the title of Commander-in-Chief, I suggest you get lost.”
Liana repeated her earlier words in a dry, blunt tone.
To the count, who was known for his exaggerations and delusions, it felt like she emphasized the words “get lost.”
“P-Princess! Your words are too harsh! I came here in honor of His Majesty’s sacred command—!”
“What’s truly excessive is your ignorance. And that ‘sacred command’—pfft. Sure, a royal decree wrapped in a skirt still counts as royal, I suppose. Though I question the ‘sacred’ part.”
Liana looked at the red-faced, flailing count with utter indifference and sneered.
“H-How could you say such outrageous things?! Even if you’re a princess, you can’t speak to me like this!”
Count Liche, eyes wide with rage, screamed at her.
Annoyed by the noise, Liana sighed heavily for all to see.
“Count, haven’t you heard my reputation? I don’t care who people are.”
The count’s pupils wavered.
You could almost hear his tiny eyes spinning as he tried to recall.
Rumors about the First Princess…
Ah, right. He vaguely remembered something from a noble’s banquet—some idle gossip.
“By the way, what was that about the First Princess supposedly becoming a tyrant if she were born a prince?”
“…You haven’t heard?”
“Ah, no. I’ve been away from the capital for a few years due to business matters.”
“Ahem… well, to keep it brief—last year, Her Highness apparently… broke a noble youth’s nose.”
“…What?!”
“I heard he laid hands on her knight. She threw down her glove and challenged him to a duel…”
“Seriously…?”
“Her Highness doesn’t go easy just because someone’s a noble…”
Of all things to remember—it had to be that story. Count Liche went pale and instinctively covered his face with both hands.
‘…Is he insane?’
Of course, that wasn’t the rumor Liana was referring to. So when she saw the count suddenly shielding his face, her gaze turned cold, as if staring at a lunatic.
Whatever nonsense was in his head, Liana had no intention of treating him differently just because he was a noble.
“Let me say it again. If you don’t want to lose that decorative neck of yours, you’d better give it your all.”
She meant he’d better put that dull brain to work—but Count Liche suddenly straightened up and nodded so hard his thick neck looked like it would snap.
“I-I’ll do my best!”
Even then, he didn’t remove his hands from his face—especially his nose. Liana finally realized what he misunderstood.
But seeing him become cooperative, she decided not to correct the mistake.
Later…
Despite everything, Liana was able to leave the border with satisfactory results.
It was thanks to Count Liche finally realizing—even if belatedly—that even the Queen’s name held no weight in front of Liana.
“Are we ready?”
“Yes, the twenty-five guards are fully prepared,” Kyle replied.
Including Liana, a total of twenty-six people would be returning to the capital.
“What about the teleportation mages?”
“…We’re ready as well.”
The three teleportation mages Count Liche had brought with him would be responsible for transporting the group.
“…I heard the mages under Your Highness can use teleportation as well.”
“So?”
“Eh? I mean… if they performed the spell…”
“No thanks. These mages are affiliated with the palace—they’re returning there anyway, so they might as well join us.”
The teleportation mages turned pale at Liana’s words.
“But isn’t it a bit personal to use royal mages for this task—”
“Haha, Count, that’s a funny joke. You think me returning to the capital on the King’s command is a personal matter?”
“Gasp—”
“So what you’re saying is, His Majesty’s royal order is a personal errand?”
“N-No! Not at all!”
And just like that, it was settled.
Liana’s real reason, of course, was that she didn’t want to wear out her own mages unnecessarily.
“Haha! That’s our princess!”
“You’re the best, My Lady! We get to travel easy today!”
While her mages cheered in excitement, the three palace mages looked utterly miserable.
They had to teleport twenty-six people—twenty-nine including themselves.
That was no easy feat.
Count Liche had only brought five attendants when he came to the border.
These mages now had to teleport nearly three times as many people all the way back to the capital.
And that didn’t even include the knights’ horses…
“Your faces look off. Something you want to say?”
Liana’s sweet voice reached the pale-faced mages who were biting their lips.
Sweet to her—but a cruel whisper from the depths of hell to them.
“…No, Your Highness.”
“Great. Then let’s get going. His Majesty must be waiting anxiously. Don’t worry, we’re heading straight to the capital.”
With that, the ruthless princess turned, cooing at the little black fluffball in her arms.
Her icy tone melted into honey as she doted on the creature.
‘What does that beast have that I don’t?!’
‘Damn it!’
But none of them dared to say such thoughts out loud.
So the three teleportation mages reluctantly gripped their staffs tighter.
They were likely to suffer mana exhaustion for weeks after this.
“What’s taking so long? We’re all ready.”
Liana, now standing on the giant teleportation circle that the mages had drawn with great effort, urged them.
Behind her stood twenty-five knights and mages with their baggage.
“We’ll split the trip into two phases. Once the spell begins, you may feel dizzy—please close your eyes.”
“Safe travels, Your Highness!”
As soon as the mage finished, Count Liche called out, his face pale and hollow.
A week ago, he had been full of pride—but now, that arrogance was nowhere to be found.
He had been thoroughly tormented by Liana during the weeklong handover.
“Do you not have a brain? This is basic stuff!”
“Cut down on sleep and memorize it! If you’re dumb, at least try harder!”
“Are you crying? Seriously? If you’re going to cry over something this small, maybe you should run to your precious queen and cling to her skirts!”
He was scolded for being stupid, for lacking passion, and one day just because she didn’t like his face.
Of his thirty-eight years of life, this was by far the harshest week.
Thanks to it, he could now recite the Commander’s duties even in his sleep—but it had been hellish.
‘…Finally. That demon princess is leaving!’
If he relaxed even a little, he felt he might burst into tears of joy.
At last, he could live the luxurious life of power he had envisioned!
Thinking about the glorious future, the painful memories of the past week began to fade.
‘…Tsk. He’s still got that rotten brain.’
Naturally, Liana could see right through Count Liche’s thoughts.
That incompetent fool couldn’t even control his expressions.
‘No need to tell him things won’t go his way. He’ll find out soon enough.’
He’d soon learn just how fierce the soldiers stationed here—bordering the deadly Forest of Death—really were.
“We depart for the capital!”
“Woooo! To the capital!”
At Liana’s shout, the forty knights and mages cheered.
And soon, a bright white light engulfed them.
Count Liche would end up grabbing the Queen’s skirt and sobbing, saying he couldn’t do it anymore—just three months later.
