A Tale of Strategies For the Throne

In the bright room, the skylight was opened, and the sunlight came in, illuminating the spacious room brightly and warmly.

Little girl sitting in the room.

Underneath me is a large, snow-white soft bed, made of down and soft. You sink into it as soon as you sit down, like a white cloud. It had been months since she had slept in such a comfortable bed or in such a bright place.

The experience of these past few months was like a nightmare to her, a nightmare from which she could not wake up. But she can only blame herself for being in this situation. If she hadn't secretly gone to sea without telling everyone, she wouldn't have been captured by the pirates and brought here.

Although she is still young, she is very smart. After seeing those who desperately resisted being beaten to death or thrown directly into the sea, she has always been very well-behaved and obedient.

No matter how disgusted she felt, she couldn't show it.

She must live, someone will definitely come to save her, she must live until everyone comes to save her.

Therefore, when she was treated as a toy by those dirty and dirty men, insulted, humiliated, kicked when unhappy, or even dragged up like an object and exposed to countless disgusting eyes, she I persisted with this belief.

During the days when she stayed in the dark cellar without seeing the light of day, it was her desire for life and the expectation of returning to her homeland that kept her going.

She must live!

Live on, come back to everyone, come back to your mother!

The little girl gritted her teeth and persisted until now.

She was sitting on the snow-white bed, her long wavy brown hair spread over her petite body, and a pair of big sapphire-like eyes embedded in her delicate, palm-sized face.

Although she is young, she is already showing attractive colors like a bud waiting to bloom.

She sat quietly in this richly decorated room. Compared with the suffering she suffered in the past few months, she now seemed to be relieved.

However, the smart little girl knew it well.

This is the real hell for her——

She looked around.

Looking at the sunshine she had not seen for a long time, her blue eyes were full of reluctance.

The sunshine that I haven't seen for a long time will soon be invisible again.

...If it was just skin pain, physical pain, she could endure it.

However, she could never accept the terrible things that were about to happen next.

Even at a young age, she was a proud Airson warrior.

Even if Elson's female warriors die, they cannot become the sex slaves of those dirty and ugly men.

But, similarly, as an Elson female warrior, even if she dies, she must take the enemy to hell with her!

With determination written all over her face, the little girl jumped out of bed, walked over to the mirror she had just seen, and smashed it to pieces.

Picking up a medium-sized mirror fragment, she cut off two pieces of tablecloth, wrapped one around her hand, and the other around the end of the diamond-shaped mirror fragment, and then held the fragment tightly in her hand.

Then, she clutched the piece tightly and stood at the closed door of the bedroom.

Her eyes were fixed on the door, her face gloomy, her eyes were horribly bright at this moment.

Not long after, footsteps came from outside. The little girl's breath tightened and her whole body became tense.

She lowered her head slightly, bowed, and bent her knees slightly.

The ready-to-go posture was like a little leopard preparing to attack someone.

The look in his eyes staring at the door was extremely penetrating.

With a slight click, the door was pushed open, and a long leg wearing dark boots stepped in.

The little girl's eyes flashed, and almost as soon as the foot stepped forward, the little body rushed forward.

She jumped high in the air at that moment due to her innate jumping ability and continuous training since childhood.

Taking advantage of the moment when the man was caught off guard when he entered the door, she stabbed the man's throat with the mirror fragment in her hand.

If an ordinary person were unprepared as soon as they entered the door, they might really let the little girl succeed.

However, what she faced was no ordinary person.

Almost at the same moment when the girl rushed over, the blond knight who stepped forward reacted immediately before his foot even touched the ground.

The little girl thought that her sudden movement was half a beat too slow in his eyes. Before the fragment could get close to him, he reached out and grabbed the little girl's hand.

Then, he twisted with his backhand.

There was a sharp pain in the wrist that was twisted behind him, and the mirror fragments fell to the ground with a snap.

The little girl's heart also fell into the abyss at this moment.

She closed her eyes in despair. No matter how strong she was, she was still just a teenager.

At this moment, her tears fell uncontrollably.

She waited in despair for hell to come.

"Kayhos."

A voice suddenly came.

It wasn't like the men's deep and unpleasant voices she had often heard in the past few months. It was slightly higher, with a bit of clarity, which made people feel comfortable.

The hand behind her that was twisting her wrist so painfully loosened her grip.

She subconsciously opened her eyes, and the first thing that caught her sight was the golden hair hanging in front of her eyes.

Her bright blond hair seemed to glow in the sunlight.

One hand reached over and held her wrist where the fingerprints were pinched. As if she was afraid of pain, she rubbed it gently with her fingertips.

The fingers were white and raw, just like her favorite goat's milk.

She raised her head and saw the face smiling at her.

She lost consciousness for a moment.

So lovely.

she thinks.

She saw the light red lips move and make a sound.

"Emma."

That nice voice called her a name that had not been called for a long time.

"Your name is Emma, ​​right?"

sounds so good.

She thought blankly.

…………

He held out a silver earring with carved patterns in front of the little girl.

Worried about scaring the other party, Gallan spoke to her as gently and softly as possible.

"Emma, ​​don't be afraid, look at this."

He showed the little girl the earring on his palm.

This was a token given to him by the female warrior Elson, in order to gain the little girl's trust.

"Your sister asked me to bring you this. She asked me to save you."

The little girl stared at him blankly for a while, then her eyes fell on the earring.

Suddenly she stretched out her hand and snatched the earring away, then covered it tightly with both hands, as if she was afraid of being snatched away.

While holding on to the silver earring, she raised her head again and stared at Garlan as before, neither moving nor speaking.

Garlan looked at the little girl who stood motionless, just looking at him blankly.

She looked like she was so frightened that she was stunned. Her eyes were red and tears were already hanging on her cheeks.

His little face was pale and pale, and he looked extremely pitiful.

He looked up and glanced at his knight.

Caijos raised his hand and made an apologetic gesture.

"It was an instinctive reaction that I couldn't control myself."

He shrugged helplessly.

Even though he was stared at with subtle and weird looks all afternoon and was suffocated, he was not stingy enough to vent his anger on a teenage boy.

What happened just now was purely an instinctive reaction of the body to the sudden attack.

Looking at the little girl who looked at him unblinkingly with tears in her eyes, Garlan subconsciously rubbed the fingerprints on her small wrist that were pinched by Kayhos with his hands, and also felt a little headache.

He also has no experience in taking care of children.

He thought with a headache.

She couldn't ask the maid to take care of her, because she couldn't let anyone else know about the existence of this little Elson girl.

If this child suddenly bursts into tears, he won't be able to comfort him.

Just when Garlan was hesitant about what to do, the little girl who had been watching blankly finally reacted.

She didn't cry, she just looked at Garlan with wide eyes.

She said: "Miss, you are so beautiful."

Garlan: "..."

Kejos: "Pfft."

Garlan's mouth twitched.

From the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a strand of long blond hair that fell to his shoulders, and sighed.

He bent slightly, leaned over and said to the little girl: "Emma, ​​you called me wrong. I am not a sister, I am a brother."

"impossible."

Emma said decisively without blinking an eye.

"Miss, you are lying! You can't be a man!"

"..."

Garlan was choked.

"...Why is it impossible?"

"My mother and sisters all told me that men are the most filthy and despicable people in the world who can only tell lies! Moreover, they are also very ugly. All the men I met during this period told them Exactly the same.”

The little girl looked at Garlan seriously and said.

"Little sister, how can you be a man if you are so beautiful?"

Garlan: "..."

Are you praising him or scolding him?

Kejos: "………………"

I don’t know why I can’t laugh anymore.

As little Emma spoke, she stared at Caijos beside her with hatred.

Garlan looked at the look of hatred on the little girl's face that shouldn't belong to a child, and he vaguely understood.

This child grew up in Elson, and under the influence of the environment in that purely female country that collectively resisted men, she had no good impression of the legendary men.

But at this moment, after being forced to experience something like that, the child must have been traumatized to some extent. Her attitude towards men is now close to disgust or even hatred.

Garlan sighed.

He touched little Emma's head, and little Emma raised her head to look at him.

On the palm-sized face, the big sapphire-like eyes were watery, looking at him eagerly, full of dependence.

Just like a little kitten that has been abused, it makes people feel soft just by looking at it.

"Emma, ​​I'm sorry, I am indeed the brother."

To actually have to apologize for my gender is really...

Garlan couldn't help but complained in his heart.

He looked at little Emma gently and said, "But don't worry, even my brother will send you back safely."

Little Emma looked at him, her pink little mouth pursed, and she said nothing, seeming a little aggrieved.

At this moment, Kayhos took a step towards this side.

He just wanted to go over and talk to the prince. Unexpectedly, little Emma jumped up like a frightened rabbit and shrank behind Garlan.

She hid behind Garlan and held the corners of Garlan's clothes tightly with her two small hands.

That little body was even more tense, as if all the hair on his body had exploded.

It can be seen that except for Garlan, she now refuses to be approached by anyone, especially men.

The blond knight, who has always been invincible in front of women - except for a certain female official - now felt the taste of being disgusted and rejected by women for the first time, stopped in his tracks and was a little dumbfounded.

This is quite a novel experience.

He thought in his mind and glanced at the little girl who was hiding behind Prince Gallan.

The little girl huddled tightly behind Garlan, and he couldn't see the expression on her face.

He thought for a moment, and then bowed slightly.

He said: "Then, I will retreat first."

"Um."

Feeling the little girl's grip on his clothes, Garlan nodded helplessly.

…………

After Caihos left, only Garlan was left here, and little Emma, ​​who had been nervous, seemed to relax a little.

When Gallan told her that he would send her to meet her sister tomorrow, she showed a little joy.

Garlan touched her head. She was startled for a moment, then smiled at Garlan.

The fluffy wavy brown hair wraps up the small and cute face, pink lips, and big eyes. When she smiles, she looks like a doll. She is so cute.

No wonder they were specially imprisoned and auctioned off.

When Gallan went out temporarily to get food, she stood in the house, looking at Gallan longingly, like an abandoned kitten, her eyes full of dependence.

As soon as Garlan came back, her eyes lit up as she was sitting wilfully on the sofa, she jumped down and ran over, smiling happily at Garlan.

When Kayhos, who had gone out for a trip, came in again, what he saw was Garlan sitting by the window reading a book in the sun, while little Emma sat obediently next to him and engrossed in eating.

"Kayhos."

Garlan put down the volume bound with parchment, stood up, and faced Caihos.

As soon as he moved, the little girl who was still eating looked panicked.

She immediately put down the plate, jumped down from the chair, clutched the corner of Gallan's clothes tightly with her little hands, and followed Gallan step by step.

That little appearance makes people feel extremely affectionate just by looking at it.

The one-eyed knight looked at her deeply and said nothing.

Then, he started talking to Garlan about attending the inauguration ceremony of the Shamash Temple the day after tomorrow.

Because it is a very solemn occasion and involves the face of King Camos, every detail must be taken seriously.

They talked for a long time, and when Emma couldn't help but yawn, she showed a tired look. Although she was still standing, her little head was moving little by little, and she was about to fall asleep standing up.

Gallan noticed it, so he carried the sleepy little Emma to the bedroom just now and let her lie on the bed.

The little girl was lying on the bed, sleeping soundly, and the hand that was holding his clothes was finally loosened.

Gallan, who had been followed by little Emma all night, finally got away, got up, returned to the living room, and closed the bedroom door.

At this time, Caijos took out the pile of information he had just brought back from outside.

"Your Highness, this is what the female warrior Aierson gave us."

He said, "Only a third, she said, and the rest will be given to us tomorrow when her sister is sent to the ship."

Garlan weighed the pile of information in his hand.

This is the information that the Airson female warrior has been tracking around and inquiring about in the past few months in order to find her sister.

"You asked her to exchange these messages, are you suspicious..."

The knight who had already read through the obtained information in advance asked tentatively.

Garlan nodded.

His heart felt a little heavy.

During the day, he sent Caihuos' personal guards to secretly find the beaten slave woman he saw at the harbor last time, and also asked some things from her mouth.

That woman was also robbed by pirates. According to her, there were not many people who came to Tozes like this.

…

Why are the women and children snatched by pirates being auctioned off as slaves in Tozes?

"Pirates have always been rampant on the coastline near Tozes, and their numbers are not small. They often invade coastal cities. However, these pirates have not invaded prosperous Tozes many times. Even if they have, It was quickly repulsed.”

The young man said with a somewhat serious tone.

"At first, I thought that the Tozes navy was powerful enough to deter the pirates in this area and prevent them from invading."

"But if it is true, as Seth said, that Toze's naval power is actually extremely empty and not much higher than other coastal cities, then why don't pirates attack here? Why are pirates easily defeated by such a weak Toze? Will the Sri Lankan navy repel it?”

He stared at the void in front of him and slowly uttered two words.

"unless……"

At this point, Garlan pursed his lips and did not continue.

Cayjos said nothing.

He knew what the prince wanted to say.

He could feel the prince's heavy heart at the moment, as well as his anger at the ugly truth hidden behind him.

But now they can't do anything.

He had already agreed with the prince to stay put while in Tozes.

Most of the navy is under the control of Taka, and it is hard to say whether the city guards under the ruling government are trustworthy.

The only people he can trust are less than a hundred personal guards under his command. Therefore, even as a prince, he may put himself in danger if he takes the initiative in Tozes.

Therefore, the best way is to return to the royal city first, wait for King Camos to return from the battle, and then let the king arrange an army sufficient to suppress Tozes to solve Tozes's matter.

Garlan took a deep breath and suppressed the chaotic emotions in his heart.

He said: "After the ceremony the day after tomorrow, we will set off back to the royal city."

"yes."

Kayhos said that he stood up, but did not leave immediately, but looked at Garlan.

He said, "Prince, you'd better pay attention to that little Elson girl."

"Um?"

"Although she is young, she is not as innocent as she looks."

The knight glanced at the closed bedroom door.

"She's actually very smart."

"She immediately judged that you had a higher status than me and had the ability to protect her, so she immediately pretended to be attracted to you and trusted you to approach you, to impress you like a child, and to seek Your protection.”

He said,

"I think the dependence on you and the fear of me that she showed in front of you were all deliberately pretended."

A child who can survive well in a den of thieves for several months cannot be a fuel-efficient lamp.

How could a child who could stab someone's throat with a piece of debris without hesitation be so stupid and easy to trust and rely on a stranger they just met.

Garlan, who was flipping through the information, raised his head and looked at his knight with his golden eyes.

Then he smiled.

"Kayhos, do you know what it means to see through something without telling it off?"

Kayhos was startled.

"After experiencing something like this, it's natural to be defensive."

The boy shrugged.

"I know very well that I am not an Aaron gold coin who can be loved by everyone."

The knight was a little dumbfounded.

"Kayhos, I just think that during this period of time, the child has probably been worried about not being able to sleep well. So, if we can make the child believe that her disguise worked... so that she can sleep peacefully Just take a nap."

The young man lay on his side on the soft recliner, continued to flip through the information in his hand, and casually tucked a strand of blond hair behind his ear with an unconcerned look on his face.

He said it lightly.

"Then it's not a big deal if I just pretend to be deceived by her, right?"

The blond knight was lost in thought for a moment.

Then, he smiled hoarsely and shook his head.

"Pretending to be deceived is indeed something only you can do."

He couldn't help but sigh.

"No matter how much time passes, you will still be the same as when you were a child."

"...Are you saying that I'm still like a child and won't grow up?"

"Well, do you want to bring Tal with you to the ceremony tomorrow?"

"Don't change the subject for me."

"Hahaha."

"I'll punish you for your offense——"

…

…………

The bedroom door was closed tightly, but the big bed in the bedroom was empty.

The brown-haired little girl stood quietly at the door, listening to the conversation in the hall coming from outside the door.

She lowered her head, and her fluffy forehead hair fell down, blocking her eyes, making it difficult for people to see clearly the little girl's expression at the moment.

All that could be seen was that her pink little mouth was tightly pursed, showing that she was not in a calm mood at the moment.