Chapter 28
Five days after the expedition, good news arrived from the front lines.
“Our army engaged the enemy outside Yueqing City and secured a great victory!” The messenger rushed into the camp, breathless but unable to contain his excitement. “The Crown Princess herself even personally took down several enemies.”
“And then?”
“The enemy forces are in disarray, and our army is in hot pursuit. We are poised to capture Yueqing City in one fell swoop!”
Tsukiyo, at only ten years old, had stood firm against the conflicting opinions of the pro-war and pro-peace factions insisting on leading the troops forward. For her to achieve such results was nothing short of impressive.
“The Queen was the same back then,” Carol reminisced with a smile, feeling a sense of pride. “She has always been exceptional since she was young.”
She turned to Wakako. “The Crown Princess is your student. As her teacher, aren’t you proud?”
Wakako had only recently become Tsukiyo’s teacher and felt embarrassed to take credit for her accomplishments. She shook her head. “Of course, I’m happy for her, but ultimately, it’s due to the Princess’s own talent. It has nothing to do with me.”
Several members of the Omega squad also approached them and joined the conversation. Hearing Wakako’s words, they laughed. “Oh, don’t be so modest! You gave us a few pointers the other day, and after practicing them, we all felt like we improved a lot. And now, with you guiding the Crown Princess during her formative years, she’s only going to get stronger.”
Wakako blushed at their praise.
“You’re all too kind.”
“Not at all! We’re just being honest. Once you’re fully recovered, don’t forget to teach us some more!”
Everyone chatted happily, their conversation lively and pleasant. Only Miki stood at the back, head bowed, not participating in the conversation.
She was usually cheerful and talkative, but today she was unusually quiet. The others assumed she was shy in front of her fiancée and didn’t want to be teased, so they gave her some space.
However, Miki’s reaction brought Wakako a sense of relief.
It wasn’t her intention to make Miki unhappy, but she knew that she couldn’t offer any comfort at this point. She had to be firm and make a clean break.
She exchanged a glance with Carol, who nodded in understanding.
As the others quickly shifted their attention to the messenger, eager to hear more details of the victory, Carol made her way around the back of the group and approached Miki, intending to offer some comforting words. However, to her surprise, Miki spoke first. “Senior.”
“Hmm…”
Miki suddenly asked, “Do you know if the Queen assigned anyone to accompany the Crown Princess on this expedition?”
The question was somewhat unexpected, but considering the recent news about the Crown Princess, Carol assumed Miki was concerned about the military situation.
“No, only Wakako accompanied the Princess as a personal guard. She didn’t even bring any servants.”
The battlefield was a dangerous place, and the enemy wouldn’t discriminate between nobles and commoners. The Queen clearly wanted the Princess to grow quickly and had made a difficult decision to send her without any additional protection.
However, Miki’s thoughts were completely different. She was mentally going through a list of people she knew. “So, the only ones who went to the front lines with the Crown Princess were Senior Liu Siruo, Senior Albert, and these generals…”
She listed a few names.
“Right?”
“Yes,” Carol confirmed.
But something didn’t sit right with Miki.
Ever since she discovered Wakako’s “secret,” she had been obsessed with uncovering the identity of this Omega.
Omegas were rare in the military, and the most likely suspects were the mercenaries from the Omega team. However, that was impossible. They had arrived on the same day as Miki, and she had observed them closely. None of them had interacted with Wakako privately.
This meant that there was no one currently stationed in Nanling City who fit the description.
So, she shifted her focus to those who had gone to the front lines. Perhaps the Queen had sent some people to accompany the Crown Princess? But after repeated confirmations, it was only those few individuals she had mentioned earlier.
So who was this Omega girl who had recently been in contact with Senior Wakako? It was a complete mystery.
For a fleeting moment, Miki’s thoughts ran wild, and a strange intuition emerged—could this person be in the enemy camp?
But she quickly dismissed the idea. It was a dangerous place, and Wakako had single-handedly brought back three heads. Unless someone was suicidal, they wouldn’t do such a thing…
Ridiculous!
Miki had been thinking about this every day lately. She knew something was wrong with her, that she had become fixated on this matter. But even for a mercenary with exceptional willpower, it was difficult to control.
It was like a cat scratching at her heart, a burning curiosity to know what kind of person could make Wakako give up on her.
If she could just see this person directly, it would be fine. But the current lack of clues was like a sword hanging over her head.
She couldn’t rest until she found the answer.
Miki discreetly questioned Carol a few more times, hoping to get some information. Carol, worried that Miki might misunderstand Wakako’s character, repeatedly assured her that she had never seen anyone like the person Miki was describing. Her sincerity seemed genuine.
Since there was no one to be found, Miki had no other choice but to keep a close eye on Wakako, hoping to find some clues.
After all, as a mercenary, patience was one of her greatest strengths.
…
Wakako, on the other hand, was blissfully unaware of Miki’s turmoil. To her, Miki had simply grown quiet in the past few days, not seeking her out for conversation.
Since they had already reached an understanding, maintaining a bit of distance was good for both of them.
The injuries Wakako had sustained, though severe for most people, were healing quickly thanks to her extraordinary recuperative abilities. The medicine from the military doctor had done wonders, and she was already nearly fully recovered. Except for…
Wakako stepped out of the bath and looked at her reflection in the mirror.
Her body was toned and firm, thanks to the rigorous training regimen of a mercenary. Every muscle was defined and sharp, the result of years of intense physical conditioning.
These arms had drawn bows, wielded swords, and spilled the blood of countless enemies. They were strong and powerful, commanding respect from anyone who saw them.
And yet…
They stood in stark contrast to the intimate red marks on her chest.
It was hard to imagine that such an Alpha would allow someone to leave such marks on her.
Most had already faded, but this one lingered. It seemed that Miki had spent the most time on this particular spot.
The Saint took it in her mouth, teasing and biting it with her lips and tongue while deliberately raising her eyes to capture every flicker of expression on Wakako’s.
Enough.
Wakako saw the unexpected blush that crept onto her face and knew she couldn’t continue down this train of thought. She hurriedly put on her clothes, attempting to distract herself.
In reality, she had no choice but to do so. Moments later, Carol’s voice called from outside the window, “Wakako, come out quickly!”
Wakako’s hair was still wet, but judging by Carol’s tone, it seemed like something important had come up. She barely had time to give her hair a quick towel-dry before stepping out.
“What’s wrong?”
“Another messenger arrived with a letter specifically for you.”
A small piece of parchment, sealed into a tiny scroll, was tossed through the window by Carol and landed in Wakako’s hand.
It was sealed with the Crown Princess’s personal stamp, clearly something urgent.
Wakako carefully unsealed it. The familiar handwriting belonged to Tsukiyo. Despite her young age, her penmanship was elegant and neat.
“To Master:
Regarding Yueqing City…”
In the letter, Crown Princess Tsukiyo detailed the events of the past few days. While Mios’ victory was undeniable, the actual process wasn’t as smooth as the messenger had described. The news had been embellished to reassure the citizens of Nanling City.
Although Yueqing City had long been deserted, it possessed a natural geographical advantage, surrounded by a long and deep moat, making it a difficult fortress to conquer.
Currently, Tsukiyo had decided to set up camp outside the city and allow the troops to rest for two days. As for whether to attack the city and how to deploy their forces, it was still under discussion.
Since it was Wakako who had proposed capturing Yueqing City, Tsukiyo thought she might have some insights and wrote to inquire about her recovery. If she had recovered sufficiently, she could set off and assist her.
Wakako naturally wouldn’t refuse, but…
At the end of the letter, Tsukiyo subtly mentioned the Saint.
Liu Siruo had promised Wakako that she would cover up the extra bell strike, claiming that Saionji Saburo had left for personal reasons and that the Saint was now leading the army.
Despite the fact that the Eagle Kingdom’s main and vice commanders had both been slain by Wakako, leaving the enemy in chaos, Tsukiyo’s forces had barely eked out a victory. This raised suspicions—logically, the enemy should have been far too weakened to offer much resistance.
However, Tsukiyo’s victory hadn’t been easy. In fact, it could only be considered a narrow victory.
The Princess, with her sharp perception, quickly sensed something was amiss.
She subtly asked Wakako whether the Saint was skilled in military strategy and whether Wakako, as her longtime guard, was familiar with the Saint’s tactics.
This question couldn’t be answered through letters. No matter what, Wakako had to make the trip.
Accompanying her were two mercenaries from the Omega team. One was Albert’s fiancée, and the other was Miki.
Protecting the Crown Princess was of utmost importance, and although these two couldn’t compare to Wakako in skill, having a few extra people for close protection during a siege would be useful.
Why it had been those two in particular would have been a matter for Team Omega’s internal discussions. No one else had any say in the matter.
Wakako had initially intended to avoid Miki, but after setting off, she realized it was unnecessary.
Miki didn’t say much, nor did she act coldly toward her. They maintained the appropriate distance between mercenaries, showing professionalism without any lingering awkwardness.
With this in mind, Wakako assumed that Miki had come to terms with the situation and put their prior misunderstandings behind her. Thus, she thought no more of it.
Miki also acted naturally, getting along well with the other two Omegas.
They soon arrived at the camp outside Yueqing City and met up with Tsukiyo and the others.
Time was of the essence, and the others in the tent had already begun discussing tactics. As soon as they arrived, they quickly joined in.
It hadn’t been long since Wakako had last seen them, but both Liu Siruo and Albert had sustained some injuries. From the looks of it, they were quite serious.
However, Albert had his fiancée to care for him, while Liu Siruo had no one.
Her entire arm was tightly bandaged, and it would likely take a considerable amount of time to heal.
Seeing her senior sitting alone, Wakako inquired about her injuries.
But Liu Siruo didn’t respond directly.
Instead, as Wakako leaned over the map, Liu Siruo sidled up next to her, her tone light and teasing as she whispered, “Your Fiancée?”
…
I should have just ignored her.
Wakako narrowed her eyes and shot her a warning glance. “Senior Sister.”
Now was definitely not the time for this.
But Liu Siruo didn’t care. “Miki, right?” She couldn’t help but chuckle. “And her name just so happens to sound exactly like the Saint’s? What a coincidence!”
“Senior Sister,” Wakako’s voice dropped in warning.
Liu Siruo was thoroughly amused.
Although she had only met the Saint once, based on that encounter and the red marks on Wakako’s neck, she could more or less guess what kind of person she was.
Liu Siruo lowered her voice. “Say, what do you think your Saint would do if she knew you had a fiancée with the same name as her?”
Would she go crazy?
Or just how far would her madness go?
Wakako couldn’t take it anymore. She made an excuse to Tsukiyo and effortlessly lifted the petite Liu Siruo out of the tent.
Her senior sister was truly too much. If she was injured, she should rest properly, not bring up such dangerous topics in a crowded place!
On the other side, Miki pretended to look down, but she was actually watching them intently. If it had been anyone else, she could have easily read their lips. But Liu Siruo was trained—her lips barely moved when she spoke, and Miki could only catch a few fragmented words.
Know… you… fiancée…
And a clearly gloating smile.
She obviously knew something.
At that moment, Miki knew she had come to the right place.
The answers to the questions that had been plaguing her were definitely here.
