61 Hardboiled Royals (2/2)

He, of course, could not. There's precious little he could say that would not insult any aspiring female soldier in this company – two for two, it just so happened.

Lord Alfwin took pity and helped a fellow out. ”Are you concerned whether they've had the training to handle this critical task?”

Being a smart man, Captain Judda did not hesitate to take the handout. ”Yes.”

Hilde allowed some of her displeasure to show in her smile. ”If they indeed prove unprepared, I'd like to know which training masters we should punish.”

In charming conjunction, the Lord and his daughter both grunted their agreement. ”Hear, hear.”

”And Captain?” The humor disappeared from her eyes, but she continued politely, ”Despite how it sounded, what I said wasn't a suggestion.”

For three heartbeats, there was stillness. Then, in a clatter of armor, the Captain saluted. ”Yes, Princess.” He turned to Inge. ”Ask the most senior of the female soldiers to come here. And after you get back, man, find a seat somewhere.”

In a surreal reversal of what had happened earlier that day with Captain Helmut, Inge turned to Hilde, waiting for her confirmation first before following his superior officer's orders.

'Okay, I wasn't ready for that,' she thought as she gave a slight nod that felt rickety due to her sudden awkwardness. Equally surprised, Captain Judda's eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at her again, but he didn't ask and she didn't volunteer an explanation.

She did feel she owed one to them about the immediate matter at hand, particularly to Leal who, for reasons she could not wrap her mind around, was still not protesting anything even though he had every right to.

”I'm aware of the dangers,” she began, her gaze trailing from the Captain to the Lord General, ”but I believe the advantages far outweigh them: who would suspect we'd leave a Prince's protection to undervalued soldiers?” Hilde turned her eyes squarely to the said Prince. As if to provoke a reaction, she told him, ”Today, their assignment had been to guard an outhouse. A handful to do the task would have been understandable. A whole troop?”

As she shook her head, not even trying to hide her dismay and disgust, she caught sight of Inge's approach along with three women. She felt her body bucking up of its own accord, as if not wanting to be shamed under those unknown soldiers' possible scrutiny. Noticing where she was looking, the others followed her gaze.

”The way I see it,” she continued in a low, cheerless voice, ”it doesn't matter right now whether they're capable or not. No one would look at them twice, except to gawk.”

After a heavy moment of silence, Sieglind cleared her throat. ”It's a good thing these Lyseans are so damned pretty, then,” she said. Her tone was light, but it was difficult to tell whether she was really just teasing. ”They'll blend right in.”

Hilde bit her tongue to stop whatever reaction might bubble up. The two other men in their private group let out coughs. Nadia cackled. She couldn't see his face just then, but Hilde couldn't help imagining that black scowl appearing on his face. She couldn't take it anymore.

”Prince Leal, do you still think it's fine?”

Everyone quieted and turned to her. What she had truly wanted to ask was ”Could your dignity handle it?” Hilde's primary aim was to keep the Lyseans from getting physically harmed, but if her chosen method would make them feel demeaned and disrespected, she would understand and come up with another way. Even other Arnicans would have easily felt insulted – were their safety only worth THAT much?

The person addressed was showing a complex expression she couldn't even begin to unravel, but the scowl was missing. To be completely honest, she'd been expecting responses like ”I'd rather die!” or ”Who do you think I am?!” from the foreign royal who must be accustomed to having the best of everything. Clearly, though, she was being very unfair in her private estimation of him – perhaps more unfair than she could have ever suspected.

With a grin that indicated he too was laughing at himself, Leal answered, ”If I think it would increase my chances of survival, I would loosen my hair from its tie and even borrow a female soldier's armor, if any would fit. Yes, Princess, I find the arrangement perfectly tolerable.”

It wasn't only Hilde who was struck dumb by that response. It was obviously far from what the others had been expecting as well. Yet though it might seem, under a certain light, that the Prince lacked pride for thinking and saying this, that was not at all how it came across. It was hardboiled practicality, pure and simple, and it was confusing to see in a person who seemed more suited to having a frivolous personality.

At her continuing look of wonder and astonishment, those blue, blue eyes appeared to twinkle. ”Live first,” he said, still grinning. ”And if I can worry about the consequences later, I'll take that as a luxury.”