ＣＨＡＰＴＥＲ １： ＡＣＴ ＩＶ
𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑻𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒔

"Yu!" She pulled the reins of the horse, forcing it to stop. She looked at the archery target, where she hit every bullseye while running laps with her horse.

She discovered that even if she doesn't know archery herself, Yue, the original body of Coeur, still recognizes and practices it. That means she can still fight.

"Just look at her practicing archery alone. This change is too sudden and planned, which made it very suspicious." Magkakrus brasong wika ni Theo habang may kagat-kagat na foxtail weed.

Rune's expression didn't change, but his gaze focused on her more attentively. He remembered how newly recruited soldiers shuddered in fear whenever she asked them to hold an apple for her target during archery practice.

The soldiers must be crying a river out of happiness.

She swiftly descended the horse and guided it to the stable where the war horses were kept. Everyone she passed looked at her in amusement before abruptly lowering their head as a sign of respect for their superior.

They never thought that the general who once wore all those clothes for men and armored suits had transformed into a beautiful lady—almost impossible for them to recognize.

Their eyes followed her when she went to the well with a water basin to wash her face. As the cold water touched her skin,  it drenched her frontal hair, and droplets fell from her jaw to her exposed neck.

In that moment, she seemed almost ethereal, capturing the attention of nearby soldiers who were spellbound by the simple beauty. Mabilis na napaiwas ang mga ito nang bumuka ang bibig niya upang damahin ang tubig.

Matapos niyang maghilamos ay nagpunas ito ng mukha habang iniikot ang mga mata niya upang hanapin si Theo at Rune. When she found them, they were already looking at her. She was about to walk towards them when Deus blocked her way.

He was panting heavily while holding a scroll tied by a golden ribbon. She immediately figured out who sent it. "Lady General, the Emperor requested you return to the capital for the Summer Solstice Festival." Kaagad na tumaas ang kilay nito sa narinig. Kapagkuwan ay napasinghal ito.

"Requested? It sounds like an imperial order for me," she snickered, rolling her eyes.

She's sure this wasn't just about the Summer Solstice Festival. He must be planning to announce her engagement with the third prince because of the pressure he's receiving from the nobles. He was growing weary of Van Saussure's military power, and his patience was thinning.

In that case, her death flag is near. She needs to avoid it.

"What's the situation in the Western Border?" Saktong dumating si Theo at Rune kaya naman nagkatinginan ang mga ito.

"The crown prince is in a tug-of-war with the Halal Empire. They were waiting for each other to move, but our liaison informed me that bandits ransacked the food rations delivered to them. All that arrived were sacks of sand and rocks," Theo answered.

She nodded her head and started walking back and forth. If she wanted to escape death, she only needed to find a way not to marry that psychotic third prince. So, she needs to change tactics.

"Inform the liaison the Vermillion Caped General has a message." Deus took his notepad to write everything she had to say. "The bandits were spies from the Halal Empire. They plan to contaminate the river to cause famine in Tamil." Nagtaka naman si Theo at Deus.

"Contaminating the river to cause famine?" That was so unheard of. Famine can't be spread that quickly just by contaminating the river. "Tamil has plenty of water sources, I don't think it will cause a stir," komento ni Deus.

Rune pursed his lips when he realized something. "Tamil is indeed abundant in water resources, but the agricultural harvest and poultry farms will be affected once the river is contaminated," he paused before looking at the general.

"The poor who rely on the river for daily food and necessities will suffer. The upper class will have trouble managing their harvests, while the rich hoard goods and drinking water in every area—causing distress to the townspeople." Now that he explained it, Theo and Deus were enlightened and started thinking about the bigger picture.

"In that case, the longer the crown prince stays in Tamil while waiting for Halal's move, the more they will suffer the backfire of the contaminated river. They plan to eliminate the workforce and attack at their weakest," Theo concluded.

It was easy for him to catch up because, as the right-hand man of the general, he was also a war strategist. "She means the crown prince must attack the Halal Empire as soon as he can. It's no longer negotiable," he added.

Deus went inside his own tent and started writing a message to be delivered to his liaison before flying it via black pigeon.

Pinanood ni Theo at Rune ang likuran ng heneral habang naglalakad ito pabalik sa sarili niyang tolda. They fought wars together and conquered many lands, she is indeed a military prodigy. But they have never seen such conviction in her eyes as if she was so sure what will happen—as if she already predicted it without even inquiring more information about the crown prince's situation.

But unbeknownst to them, she had the upperhand because she had read this plot. And now that she changed tactics, she will make sure the crown prince owes her. That way, she will have a chance to survive.

Or maybe not.