As night deepened, everything around could only be vaguely seen as a silhouette.
Willis sat by her own campfire, on which a rack held food being cooked.
Next to her, Ophelia was roasting some game.
These had all been brought back by soldiers patrolling nearby; naturally, the better portions were given to Willis.
Though she should have been dining inside her Princess’s Grand Tent, Willis had instead come out with Ophelia.
They sat on the open ground, just like the surrounding soldiers.
At first, the soldiers were afraid to speak loudly with Willis present.
But gradually, seeing that Willis made no excessive movements, they grew bolder.
Before long, the whole camp was filled with cheerful sounds.
“Drinking is forbidden during marches; shifts and patrols outside cannot stop either!”
“Haha, rest assured, Principal Justice, we know our limits!”
A junior officer from the City Defense Army chuckled.
“Here, here, fresh hot soup and stewed dried mushrooms, with plenty of wild vegetables just brought back from the mountains, sir, please try some!”
The junior officer gestured to a soldier beside him to bring a bowl to Normankev.
Normankev took a sip and his eyes lit up.
“Though conditions away from home are no match, the flavor has a unique charm!”
He sighed.
Instantly, the soldiers around smiled as well.
“To receive praise from Principal Justice is truly an honor, but the night is dark, and even with torches it’s hard to find wild vegetables now,” the junior officer lamented.
Normankev laughed, “Enough. After filling up, remember to patrol the surroundings well. Send people outside the valley… and send some to Blue Lake to fetch water; the livestock must be thirsty.”
“Yes, sir!”
Compared to the lively atmosphere among the soldiers, Willis’s side was quiet, despite having the largest fire and occupying the most space.
Because she only brought Ophelia, a wholly incompetent maid, Willis’s surroundings were practically empty.
Normankev had just brought a bowl of hot soup over when he heard Willis complaining.
“You’re so clumsy. Is this how you roast meat? I told you to flip it when it got burnt, but you ignored me. Look now, it’s ruined!”
“Check the pot — you’ve boiled all the water dry. Idiot! Bring a damp cloth. If you don’t feel the heat, just pretend I didn’t say anything.”
Willis half-reclined on a thick blanket underneath her, watching the flustered blonde girl nearby.
She directed calmly and confidently.
Finally, Ophelia couldn’t hold back any longer.
“Easy for you to say. Why don’t you do it!?”
Her hand, burned bright red from touching the nearly dry water pot, she blew on it while glaring at Willis.
“You must’ve forgotten your identity—you’re a maid. If you can’t even handle something this simple, what use are you to me? Might as well return you now…”
“You—!”
The blonde girl was so angry she felt breathless but was helpless.
She could only take the meat and water pot away and start over.
Seeing this, Normankev stepped in at the right moment: “Your Highness, the valley is cold and windy at night. Have some hot soup to warm up.”
“Oh, Principal Justice, you’re so thoughtful,” Willis said as she took the bowl and drank it beautifully, then resumed directing Ophelia.
Judging by her expression, she seemed to be enjoying herself.
Normankev smiled helplessly and shook his head before leaving.
He truly didn’t understand if this Princess was careless or confident to the extreme…
Wasn’t she afraid of being attacked at night?
Thinking this, Normankev finished his meal hastily and led his men to patrol the surroundings.
No matter the orders, when it came to his own life and the Princess’s safety, he had to take charge personally.
Half an hour later, he returned with two carts filled with water from Blue Lake.
As soon as he entered the camp, Normankev sensed something was wrong.
“What’s going on? Where is everyone? Why are so many missing?”
The camp, which had been bustling with activity and lit by countless fires, now had about half its soldiers gone.
A glance showed soldiers scattered sparsely, and some tents surrounded by emptiness.
“Where are the people?”
Normankev suppressed his anger and grabbed a soldier.
The soldier, not having noticed Normankev’s arrival, was about to lose his temper as someone grabbed the back of his neck in armor.
Seeing it was Normankev, the soldier immediately changed his attitude.
“Ah? Haha, Principal Justice!”
“Don’t play games with me. Where are the people? Where did they go?”
Normankev glared fiercely.
“People?”
The soldier paused, then looked back.
“They were all taken away by Second Princess just now.”
“Taken away? Where to?”
“I… don’t know, and I didn’t dare to ask!”
The soldier looked helplessly at his hands.
Normankev snorted coldly and released him.
“In which direction did they go?”
A bad feeling gnawed at Normankev as he asked urgently.
“That way.” The soldier pointed.
“That way? Isn’t that…”
At that moment, someone nearby suddenly spoke up: “Oh right, Your Highness said that if Principal Justice returned, you are not to look for her.”
“Nonsense!”
At that instant, a great sense of absurdity welled up.
What was Willis trying to do?
Taking half the soldiers away—was she planning a midnight adventure?
Besides that, Normankev simply couldn’t understand what this unpredictable Princess had in mind.
Or had she sensed something, and fled with five hundred men ahead of time?
Just then, Normankev noticed what the remaining soldiers in camp were weaving.
His eye twitched as he asked, “What are you all doing?”
“Oh, sir, you mean this.” The soldier proudly held up his handiwork.
Normankev looked closely.
It was a scarecrow made with thick tree branches as a frame, surrounded by dried leaves tied tightly with twine.
Its height and proportions were human-like.
“Well, sir, does it look like a person?”
The soldier grinned.
Normankev instinctively nodded.
By now the firelight was dim, and in the night these scarecrows looked indistinct.
From a distance, they really did resemble people.
If placed outside the camp, it would be easy to mistake them for real soldiers.
No!
Normankev suddenly snapped awake!
He drew his sword from his waist. The sharp metallic ring of the blade echoed as he pointed its tip at the stunned soldier.
“What are you doing!? How many dangers lurk in the night, yet you leisurely make scarecrows here!?”
“Neglecting your duties and risking Her Highness’s safety—do you want to bring heavy punishment upon yourselves and your families!?”
Normankev’s words were stern and harsh, instantly scaring the soldier into dropping the scarecrow and kneeling, crying injustice!
“Injustice!?”
Normankev felt like laughing in disbelief.
“You were caught red-handed doing this and still dare to claim injustice!?”
But the soldier’s explanation the next moment stunned him.
“Sir, we truly mean no harm!”
“When Her Highness left with her men, she ordered each of us to make at least one scarecrow from branches and leaves, then place it in the now-empty camp!”
“If made well, there would be rewards later; if poorly made, there would be punishment. We soldiers are only following Her Highness’s orders!”
“And she strictly forbade us from moving about on our own. Even if you returned, Her Highness ordered that you must not leave the valley.”
The soldier became more and more aggrieved as he spoke.
“What?”
At that moment, Normankev felt his brain was at its limit.
Second Princess Willis Egbert—what was she planning?
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