Not wanting to make James Gardner suspicious of him, Riley quickly replied, "Of course not. How could I be afraid of something like that?"James squinted, looked questioningly at his friend and then grinned as if he had caught his prey. "But, what I saw wasn't like that. You're ... scared. Come on, be honest with me, you're afraid of the camera, right?" James said with a lopsided smile still gracing his lips."It's obvious, Wood. Your expression says it all." James continued cheerfully.Riley immediately corrected his facial expression and replied in an exasperated tone, "Nonsense. My facial expression is flatter.""So?" James said while raising an eyebrow."I'm not scared, James. I just don't like it. Satisfied?" Riley replied, gritting his teeth in annoyance.James giggled, ignoring his annoyed friend. Unwilling to hear that annoying laughter, Riley chose to walk faster and left James who was forced to run after him.Oh my! Riley had almost forgotten what he was supposed to be thin
James Gardner let out another long sigh, "Oh, this is what happens when you choose to make out with the king's daughter over eating dinner on time."Riley really wanted to sew James' mouth shut for saying words that he thought were unimportant before getting to the point."Come on, don't play games, James!" Riley said as he bit his teeth.James grinned, "Fool, it's because there was a big war last night. The remaining soldiers were sent to the Fermoza Kingdom."Hearing that, of course Riley was very surprised, "What do you mean? Does that mean there are really only a few soldiers in this kingdom in total?""Yes, it does," James replied.Riley instantly fell silent, starting to panic. "What did they do? How could they do something like that? What if we get attacked? I mean, if the kingdom is abandoned by-""Calm down, Wood! There are still about twenty-five percent of the soldiers in the palace. That's still enough to protect this kingdom and the members of the royal family. So ... all
William Mackenzie looked surprised at his wife's agitation. It had been so long since the man had seen his wife so anxious.So, he chose to be more careful when responding to all his wife's words."Please, answer, Bill! Why are you silent? Is there a rule that prospective soldiers can be sent to the battlefield if there is an emergency?" Cassandra said fiercely once again.William grimaced and pulled his wife closer to him. Afterward, he hugged his wife while stroking her hair and slowly said, "I know you're worried. But, it's not just you who's worried, dear. Riley is also my son. I was the one who gave him permission and I was even the one who helped him enter the palace. I'm fully responsible for everything, Cassie."Upon hearing her husband's words, Cassandra cried even more. In the beginning, she was the one who was the strongest when letting her son go for the selection, but now she was the one who was almost going crazy worrying about her son."Then ... what should we do, Bill?
William shook his head firmly, "No. It's not. The problem of the two of them is still the same, there's nothing else yet. But ... it's about Riley and Princess Rowena."Cassandra raised an eyebrow, feeling both astonished and confused, "What is our son's relationship with the princess of Ans De Lou Kingdom?"William looked at his wife straight on, as if preparing to say an important thing that was difficult to say.Cassandra, who had known her husband for decades, could certainly sense how nervous he looked."Bill, say it! Why are you being so convoluted about it?" Cassandra protested.William bit his lower lip, "The problem is that this is too shocking for me. In fact, not once did this event ever cross my mind. To the point that I ....""You really made me impatient. Are you telling me or am I going to find out by calling Mary myself?" Cassandra said as she had lost her patience.William grimaced, "Riley is in a relationship with Princess Rowena.""Relationship? Princess Rowena made
Someone behind the young man immediately interjected, "Hey, we don't know the situation and condition of our royal troops yet. Don't speak carelessly!"Riley turned his head toward the source of the voice. The person speaking was Damian Irving, one of the sons of the senior soldier who had also been his father's subordinate.However, Riley did not know if Sean Irving, Damian's father was still a soldier in the palace. But, if that person was still in the palace, his position must have risen to a higher position.As Riley recalled, senior soldiers who had good skills and a lot of war experience were usually placed at level one. And as long as Riley set foot in the palace, he still could not find out about the level of the soldiers due to his busy schedule as a prospective soldier. "I'm not careless. You're not blind, right? You can see with your own eyes how damaged this area is!" the man said curtly, seemingly disagreeing with Damian Irving's words.Damian sighed irritably, "The si
Riley was well aware of the difficulties he might face. However, he still said, “No matter how difficult it is, I will still try to meet him.”James sighed irritably, “Well if you're still that determined, good luck.”Riley snorted, he thought James would help him. But, apparently he was just expecting too much from a James who was still selfish sometimes.As they continued walking, a senior soldier of the second level leading them suddenly raised his right hand and asked them to stop.One of the prospective soldiers asked, “Are we there yet?”The soldier with one of the pistols in his hand replied, “Where do you mean?”“At ... the battlefield,” the prospective soldier replied sounding so nervous.The leader snorted, “This is already a war zone. Can't you see your surroundings?”The would-be soldier who asked the question swallowed hard, a bit scared.Meanwhile, the squad leader put his weapon back in its original place and said, “There is a small battle not far from here. The command
“How? Are you going to leave or stay here?” Colin asked.He and Kenneth seemed to deliberately want to upset James. Riley could feel it and was getting uncomfortable with the way the two men were acting.James replied, “The warrior leader asked us to wait.”He tried to control himself because he didn't want to be seen as a troublemaking soldier.“Oh, why don't you tell me that you're actually scared. You're ... just as cowardly as me,” Kenneth said.He looked down at James and then shook his head as if he was underestimating him. Colin also added, “You scream as if everyone else is a coward, when you yourself are the same. Where's that courage you bragged about, James Gardner?”“Gone? Afraid of war, huh? Wow! Is this what the son of a ... war general looks like? How sad!” Kenneth said as he smiled mockingly again.He then laughed again, but James was still silent, as if holding back desperately.“Never mind, James. Admit that you're a coward too. This is a real battlefield, not a pal
Colin gulped, not daring to reply to Riley's words. Moreover, Riley's voice sounded terrifying to his ears. However, that was not the case with Kenneth. The man instead lifted his chin with a defiant look and replied, “It's his own fault. We never told him to leave. He wanted to go himself.”Colin was shocked to find out that his best friend actually dared to fight Riley.“DAMN IT! If you two hadn't provoked him, he wouldn't have gone there,” Riley cursed with an annoyance he could no longer contain.Kenneth realized the young man was so angry with him, but he still didn't want to admit it and said again, “He's the fool. Why should he be provoked by our words? He can't control his own emotions, why blame us?”Riley clenched his fist, about to raise his hand and hit Kenneth with full force. However, just before his strong hand touched Kenneth's jaw, someone shouted, “Enough!”Riley very reluctantly lowered his hand. Kenneth, who had closed his eyes in fear, now slowly opened his eyes.