RETURN OF THE FEMALE KNIGHT

159. Trojan Horse

Lalisa took a calming breath and organized her thoughts, then turned to Chisu beside her.

"Find out if Namgil's procession is heading towards the border. If what my father says is true, they may be moving as conspicuously as possible to cover up the fact that he is not there."

It wouldn't be difficult to confirm if Namgil had been publicly seen. With the war underway, the people of Lunen were naturally interested in his actions, and the nearby towns would be filled with talk about him. Chisu replied with a determined nod.

"Yes, Your Majesty. I'll confirm the news, then we'll cross the border immediately—"

"No. If what my father says is true, we will not return to the Ruford Empire."

"What? But—"

Chisu blinked in surprise, but Lalisa's face was set.

"If the Duchy of Lunen, the Kelt Kingdom, and the Jenar Kingdom are brought into an alliance, they will be too powerful for Ruford to stop alone."

It was a dangerous risk that they could not afford. The Ruford Empire could manage Lunen and the Kelt Kingdom, even if they were formidable enemies, but the involvement of the Jenar Kingdom could easily tip the scales the other way.

'Even if Jungkook controls the battlefield now...he may lose in the end.'

And they wouldn't just lose—they would suffer total defeat. Not only would the Ruford Empire territory be picked away by their enemies like vultures, their people would become slaves.

This was not ideal for Namgil either. He would also have to pay tremendous rewards for both the Kelt and Jenar kingdom for their services. However, this seemed to be the strategy he settled on, as if it was the only way to bring the current Emperor to his knees.

Lalisa turned back to look at Hyunbin's face, which was so pale that he looked close to death.

'Even though I was lucky enough to save Father now...what then?'

She didn't know who would get hurt next time. Lying here in her arms could just as easily be Namjoon, or Jungkook. During a long war, there was no guarantee that they would be safe. The only way to make sure her family remained alive was to end this conflict quickly.

And she realized that the fastest way was...

Killing Namgil herself.

Chisu spoke up again, looking unconvinced.

"What will you do if you don't return to the Ruford Empire?"

"We'll have to stop him."

"What?"

Chisu's eyes widened at the unexpected answer, but she continued calmly.

"There must be a reason why Namgil is secretly traveling to Jenar. Perhaps he's trying to ally with them to defeat the Ruford Empire. By the time we report this to the Emperor...it will be too late."

"But how can we..."

"Have you ever heard of a Trojan horse?"

It was a mythical story about a people who snuck into enemy territory, doing so by tricking their enemies to open the gates.

Lalisa thought that her position was not much different from the story. Namgil believed that she crossed the border, but in truth, she was still in Lunen. She intended to escape to the Ruford Empire, but now she was in prime position in Lunen territory without anyone knowing. The game board had changed drastically.