Dorothy finished treating the last person and breathed a sigh of relief. She had followed the second-term supply delivery in hopes of seeing the crown prince. She never expected she would spend the entire day without catching a glimpse of him.
After the battle ended late in the afternoon, injured soldiers were brought to the medical camp. Dorothy had used her skills as an excuse to be there, and Miss Magdalene had ensured she was assigned to the camp.
At first, she simply assisted one of the physicians in tending to the wounded. But after the day’s battle, so many more injured soldiers arrived that a temporary camp had to be set up to accommodate them.
Rosa and Miss Magdalene helped at her side. Dorothy’s skills were not bad, so when the head physician saw what she could do, he allowed her to work independently, sending minor and moderately injured soldiers to the new camp for her to care for.
The Nixel soldiers had suffered heavy losses from the previous day’s battle. The army from Gube had attacked again that morning. Many were injured, and there weren’t enough hands to treat them all.
So, the head physician placed Dorothy in charge of the temporary camp, allowing the more experienced staff to focus on the critically wounded.
Dorothy wanted to earn a reputation for herself, so she worked late into the night. Rosa assisted her, while Miss Magdalene kept things organized.
Normally, the camp at such an hour would be in disarray, but Miss Magdalene, who was used to structure, had taken charge and ensured that Dorothy’s area remained clean and orderly. This made Dorothy’s work much easier.
"You should rest. Tomorrow will be another busy day," Miss Magdalene said. Seeing how tired Dorothy looked, she encouraged her to sleep.
Dorothy felt exhausted. She decided to return to her tent and rest. As she walked, she overheard two soldiers talking.
"The crown prince is really brave. Despite being injured, he still went out to fight," one soldier said with admiration.
"Yes, the crown prince is brave, but I admire Colonel Ernest’s skills more. I’m a soldier too, and I wish to be as strong and capable as him one day," the second soldier replied.
The first nodded in agreement. They were soldiers, and Colonel Ernest’s strength was something they deeply respected. "If anyone could become as skilled and intelligent as him, what would be special about him?" he said. He admired Ernest, but felt that making him a standard was setting themselves up for failure.
"Who are you looking down on? He’s skilled because he trained early. His father was also a warrior. A tiger never gives birth to a sheep. If I train diligently, I’ll be like him someday," the second soldier argued.
The first looked at him with a mocking smile. "First, go fight like the crown prince while you’re injured, then I’ll believe you," he said. This two soilders were injured from yesterday battle and had just gain consciousness not too long ago. Hearing about the outcome of today’s fight, they were filled with admiration.
The second soldier frowned. "What nonsense are you saying?" he snapped. The first man pressed his lips together, saying nothing more. He knew it was wrong to compare the crown prince to Ernest.
Dorothy felt a pang of disappointment when the men stopped talking. She had hoped they would continue so she could learn more about the prince. Her heart truly ached knowing he had fought despite being injured.
She had once believed being a prince meant having everything and everyone at his service. Only now did she understand how difficult it was. The thought saddened her. She wished she could go to him and take care of him but she couldn’t.
Arriving at the military camp had reminded her once more of the gulf between their statuses. The source of thɪs content is NoveI[F]ire.net
She wasn’t his official mistress and therefore couldn’t ask openly about the prince. With spies being talked about in whispers, she feared that carelessness might get her labeled one.
She swallowed her feelings and returned to her tent only to realize she did not have water to clean up. After been pampered in the palace she had forgotten how life used to be. She curse Rosa in her mind for not preparing water for her. She then picked a wooden bucket to go get water herself.
Meanwhile, Prince Edward, Ernest,a few captains and a deputy general were analyzing the situation after the war and planning countermeasures for future battles.
Since the war with Gube began, Nixel had lost one general who had died saving the second prince. Another had been seriously injured while rescuing the crown prince from Gube’s trap. His deputy general was also dead. Now, only one deputy general remained, and even he had been injured in the last battle and couldn’t attend the previous meeting or join the fight that morning.
"We can rest for at least a few days after this last battle. The people of Gube suffered losses this time," Prince Edward said.
Ernest closed his eyes. He could still remember how, despite their defeat, the Gube army had retreated in an orderly fashion.
"We’ve finally gained an advantage. There are many injured soldiers, but fortunately, some will recover enough to replenish our forces after a few days," the deputy general said.
"Your Highness is right, we might get a short break, but I’m afraid we cannot truly rest," Ernest said calmly.
"What do you mean?" The crown prince frowned. He didn’t like how Ernest always seemed to know more than everyone else.
Ernest didn’t care for the prince’s signs of displeasure. No one wanted to defeat Gube more than he did but he had realized they were hiding something. He wanted to push them to their limit, to make them reveal all their hidden cards especially concerning the crown princess.
Though he had liked her from the moment they met, he knew nothing could come of it. Still, he didn’t want her to suffer or perish miserably in Gube’s hands.
"I sent a scout to track them. He reported that they didn’t retreat far just beyond the hills," he said steadily.
"That strategist is still with them. Before they retreated, I saw him issue an order. They didn’t seem afraid, your higness. Their retreat felt... deliberate."
"What do you mean?" the prince asked, feeling his heart skip a beat.