“I will ride by your side, Your Majesty.” Jihun bows his head with restored deference.
“You ... will?” This time, the surprise silences my laughter. “I mean ... I am glad to hear it.”
“We will not leave Shinsi unprotected, General,” Jihun continues. “His Majesty will lead a battalion to the front lines, but the rest of your division may remain and protect the capital.”
“As you say, Lord Adviser,” General Im says with a resigned sigh.
Lord Adviser?I arch a brow at Jihun. He gives me a nearly imperceptible shrug. I guess we’re rolling with it. It’s no secret he’s my right-hand man. Besides, there is no one else in all the realms I would rather have as my royal adviser.
“Now that we are in agreement”—I hold General Im’s gaze until he fidgets—“shall we discuss strategy?”
“Of course, Your Majesty.” He bows low.
“Good.”Thank the fucking godsis more like it. I am drowning in helplessness. There is nothing I can do to keep Sunny safe from here, but I will do everything in my power to protect my people. “Generals, you may remain, but the rest of you are dismissed. I entrust every one of you with the care of our people.”
“If I may, Your Majesty.” One official—Lord Song, I believe—steps forward. I nod for him to proceed. “It is an honor to serve a king who encourages us to help our people, rather than punish us for it.”
The rest of the high officials murmur and nod in agreement. I swallow thickly. My father might have been a greedy, despicable king, but the core of the Kingdom of Mountains’s government remains just.
“While it is highly irregular for a king to risk his life on the battlefield, we will pray for your safe return.” Lord Song presses his lips into a determined line. “And we will follow your example and do our best to put the needs of our people ahead of our own.”
“It is my honor to lead this kingdom with you,” I say with solemn sincerity. “With every one of you.”
“We are not worthy, Your Majesty,” the officials cry in unison, bowing deeply from their waists.
I didn’t mean to trigger more bowing. I shoot a panicked glance at Jihun. The corners of his mouth curve for a split second.
“Thank you for your service, my lords.” He diplomatically urges the high officials to depart. “The royal guards will be available to assist you with any preparations.”
As they file out of the audience hall, the officials quietly discuss opening up their grain storage to feed the hungry. I could do with a little less bowing and platitudes, but they are good people. I hardly know them, but they have already made me proud. And now it’s my turn to make them proud.
I beckon Jihun, and he leans close. “I gather General Im is the one in charge of defending the capital?”
“Yes, Shinsi and the rest of the southwest quadrant.” His lips barely move.
“Thanks.” After flashing him a sheepish grin, I arrange my expression into stern lines and turn my attention to the three generals in front of me. “General Im, I may not be well versed in warfare, but I do not expect you to throw open every gate to Shinsi all at once.”
The general sags with relief, and I comethis closeto rolling my eyes. The male must think I’m either hopelessly unintelligent or utterly irrational.
“I will leave the specifics of protecting the southwest quadrant up to you,” I continue in my most reasonable voice, “but you will accept as many refugees as you can, without unduly risking the capital.”
“And General ...?” I cock my head at a wiry young male, who could be anywhere between twenty-four and two hundred forty.
“My family name is Jo, Your Majesty,” he promptly supplies.
“General Jo, I received reports that your troops are overstretched.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” He nods grimly. “My division defends the northwest quadrant, but we have deployed more than half of our soldiers to the northeast. The Kingdom of Sky invaded through the portal between the kingdoms, which lies in the easternmost region of that quadrant.”
“Did our portal keepers survive the invasion?” I interrupt.
“They killed the keeper on duty as soon as they crossed over. Our remaining keeper tried to reach the portal to seal it off, but too many enemy soldiers had already come through, and Keeper Yoon couldn’t make it past them.” General Jo exhales through his nose. “Our soldiers managed to rescue her before the enemy killed her, too, but we do not know whether she will recover from her injuries.”
“Please keep us apprised of Keeper Yoon’s progress, General.” My brows dip into a frown. “But going back, you deployed more than half of your soldiers to the northeast quadrant, leaving your quadrant vulnerable. Why so many? Is the northeastern division so outnumbered that they cannot hold their ground against the enemy?”
Has my grandfather amassed forces too great for us to defeat?
“Yes ... and no,” General Jo replies as the other generals exchange uneasy glances. “The northeast quadrant has the biggest military unit in the Kingdom of Mountains, but the division was led by General Shin.”
