Chapter 39 – Defeat
KAEL’S PERSPECTIVE
After Eunice lost to Marcia, everything changed.
Soldiers who once trailed behind her now avoided her completely. She was no longer the rising star of the battlefield, just a disgraced general with no merit to her name. There were whispers everywhere. Some people even laughed in her face. Others avoided eye contact completely, likę she was already irrelevant.
But Eunice didn’t crumble.
By the second day, she emerged from her tent, dressed in full uniform, her chin raised as if nothing had happened. She walked up to me like she had something to prove.
“I still have my own men,” she said confidently. “They’ll fight with me. We’ll earn glory together. They’ll never betray me.”
I studied her carefully. She was putting on a strong face, but there were cracks beneath the surface. The loss still lingered in her voice—tight and forced.
“But what happens if you can’t earn any more merit?” I asked quietly.
She didn’t flinch.
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Chapter 39 Defeat
“We’re mates, Kael,” she said, like that explained everything. “We’re a team. I’ll help you earn your merits. When you shine, you’ll speak for me before the King. He isn’t like Dravic, who only cares about Marcia—the King will see my true worth.”
I didn’t answer her.
Her plan sounded simple. Naive. She thought merit could be transferred like coin, like she could prop herself up through me. But I’d seen the difference now.
I’d seen Marcia.
I’d watched her fight with my own eyes. Dominate the battlefield, lead troops who would die for her, win the loyalty of commanders twice her age.
If anyone was going to lead this kingdom to victory, it wasn’t us.
It was her.
And worse still, something didn’t sit right with me about Eunice’s men.
They weren’t just loyal—they were too close. Too protective. Too obedient in ways that made me uneasy. They acted like they owed her more than just rank. Like they shared something. Something I wasn’t a part of.
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Chapter 39–Defeat
Secrets.
And yet, Eunice still smiled like everything was fine.
But when I didn’t respond, her expression faltered. Her eyes turned glassy with tears she refused to let fall.
“You regret marrying me, don’t you?” she whispered.
I looked away. I didn’t want to lie, and I couldn’t afford to tell the truth.
“Don’t say things like that,” I muttered instead. “It’s not the time.”
She tried to smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes. She turned away without another word.
Later that evening, I was summoned to a strategy meeting. The senior commanders were already seated around the war table when I entered. Dravic stood at the head, flanked by his captains.
Marcia stood to his right, commanding attention the moment she spoke.
She had memorised the terrain. She had analysed enemy patterns. She proposed ambush routes, fallback zones, and
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Chapter 39 – Defeat
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supply line adjustments before any of the others could. Dravic didn’t interrupt—he nodded, approved, added details, but never overruled her.
She was a commander now, in all but name.
I watched her from the side of the tent, and regret clawed at my
heart.
I used to think I was the better choice. That I was the one meant to lead. But now… I saw it clearly.
I had let her go.
I had lost her.
Not the other way round.
And I had chosen someone who couldn’t even admit defeat.
When the meeting ended and the commanders dispersed, I lingered. Marcia rolled up one of the maps, her gloved fingers steady and precise.
Taking a deep breath, I stepped forward.
“Marcia,” I said softly.
She didn’t glance at me. Didn’t look up from the map.
Chapter 39 – Defeat
“I have something to ask you,” I said.
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