68 An Impossible Choice (2/2)

When the other soldiers had first taken a surprised look at their fairer fellows, many had locked on their attention almost at once at the fairest among the lot. Long moments of stunned appreciation and interest had passed before some began to realize ”she” looked familiar, and thus far, they were still puzzling out why.

The runner was a palace soldier from the barricade. Upon arrival, he reported the only thing left that could go wrong for them: a Lysean was being mobbed.

While the soldier gave more details, including how other palace guards had already been deployed by their captain to help, Hilde looked at Leal. His rigidly controlled emotions showed only in how still his body was. Right away, whatever he was thinking, she knew she wouldn't like wherever it would lead to, for different reasons.

If she were in his shoes, her guilt and struggle would be between doing the ”right” thing over another ”right” thing -- an impossible choice. Would he make his decision as a prince or as a man?

”Don't do it,” she found herself saying before the man even moved.

Leal quirked one corner of his lips but didn't answer her. He turned to his escorts.

”Do you know where Tailors' Street is?” he asked in all calmness, referring to where the guard had said a Lysean lord was stranded inside a building. At one soldier's nod, he continued, ”Lead the way.”

Many who heard the smooth male voice come from the ”female” soldier's mouth choked.

Her teeth clenched, Hilde said, ”Prince, please go inside.”

When they finally identified who he was from being named thus, his would-be admirers flushed bright red and looked anywhere but at Leal's face again.

The brat pretended not to hear her.

'This...! Why is he so stupid!'

Even while she was thinking this, her feet had also moved to follow. She reached up to her neatly tied-up hair and released it to its original, free-falling state. Her eyes stony and blazing, she called in a cold, steady voice, ”To me!”

”Princess!” she heard Lord Alfwin call from inside the gate, having been alerted of the situation. Only the soldiers at the tail end remained -- the civilians had all gone ahead, she saw when she looked back.

She was about to say ”I'm sorry” but stopped herself. Don't decide to do something if you're only going to apologize for it. Instead, she shook her head minutely, hoping to convey, 'This is the kind of pawn you have in your hands, Uncle -- take it or leave it.'

With this, she turned forward and caught up to Leal, not bothering to check whether anyone else was following her, but gratified to hear the clatter of armor from behind nonetheless. She hoped that someone else had ordered Inge to stay put; she herself couldn't do it without inviting unwanted comparisons.

His ears now working perfectly, the foreign prince seemed to have also heard the approach of others and created a space to his side where a person coming from behind might step in.

”There's no point in you going,” Hilde snapped at him without preamble upon filling that space. ”Get inside, no one would think less of you for it.”

'But that is a lie,' she added silently. 'I might have, if you had chosen as a prince. And that get-up...'

She kept a fresh bubbling of laughter to herself as well.

Like her, Leal was staring ahead, keeping a swift pace as he answered, ”You get inside. Aren't you supposed to be in recovery?”

”It's fine,” she bit off. ”Adrenaline can see me through this too.”

He felt him look at her strangely. ”Adrena... what?”