The Abandoned Prince Heals an Enemy Soldier on the Frontlines, Only to Discover She’s the Seventh Imperial Princess - Chapter 25: The Abandoned Prince Gets a Scolding

Chapter 25: The Abandoned Prince Gets a Scolding

“Nn… mm… huh!?”

I woke up as a wave of heat spread through my lower body.

It felt like I’d just been having a really important dream…

But that could wait.

I was wrapped in a soft, fluffy blanket.

Instinctively, I threw it off—

“…mmh… good morning…”

Clyne looked up at me, her sleepy eyes half-open.

And that’s when I realized—

Clyne and I were… connected.

I didn’t know how it happened, but we were definitely joined as one.

Even though she was technically older, her youthful appearance made the whole thing feel incredibly wrong.

“W-Wait, Miss Clyne!? What are you doing!?”

“…because… I want your baby… in this world too…”

“In this world too!? Wait, what do you mean!?”

I had no idea what she was talking about, but Clyne smiled happily.

That smile was so full of joy, so radiant, I couldn’t help but stare.

S-So cute!!

“B-But still! Stuff like this… should happen after we know each other better! Doing naughty things is bad!!”

Yeah, I know. Who am I to say that?

But seriously—

This was only the second time we’d ever met. Including just now.

And this was the first time we’d ever really talked.

When I tried to gently scold her about it, Clyne looked a little sad as she replied—

“…you… hate the naughty version of me…?”

“I love her!!”

There’s not a single guy out there who hates a cute girl being a little naughty.

Doesn’t matter if it’s a legal loli or a curvy busty beauty—it’s all good.

And so, I spent a very happy time with Clyne.

Honestly, I still had no idea why Clyne liked me so much…

But I decided to stop overthinking it.

Then came the consequences—

A scolding from Rosemary.

Well, technically, Salion got most of the heat since she was the one flying me around.

Still, I ended up worrying everyone.

Later, I found out that ever since the kidnapping incident, Clyne’s room had been sealed with a special barrier—

One that only allowed access to those with official permission.

Apparently, I had accidentally slipped through it.

When Rosemary tried to get approval, she went to Alcarion—

But for some reason, Alcarion kept dodging the topic and stalling for time.

Eventually, Rosemary pushed through and got permission.

Then she rushed to Clyne’s room—

Only to walk in on… well, me and Clyne doing certain things.

Yeah… I couldn’t even blame her for getting mad.

“I’m sorry. It’s just… it had been so long since I last flew that I got a little carried away. Next time, I’ll take it seriously—”

“Not flying with you ever again.”

Salion apologized, but I was done with flying.

Still, since both Alcarion and Rosemary insisted it was important, I reluctantly got back on Salion’s back…

And before I knew it, war had started between the empire and the kingdom.

Just as expected, the kingdom had made their navy the main force, sending out a fleet of 800 warships.

The empire, on the other hand, planned to face them with only 150 ships.

At first glance, it definitely seemed like we were outnumbered.

“W-We’re gonna be okay, right? The empire has fewer ships…”

That night, after… spending time with Alcarion, Rosemary, Salion, and Eliza,

I couldn’t sleep.

Even though I knew the empire had the advantage in terms of technology, I couldn’t stop worrying about the war.

Maybe sensing that, Alcarion—who was also still awake—answered me.

“There’s no need to worry. The kingdom’s warships still rely mostly on ballistas and sails.

With our magic engine-powered ships, we outclass them in speed and performance.”

“Y-Yeah, but… doesn’t sheer numbers still matter?”

“That’s covered as well. Following Rosemary’s suggestion the other day, we’ve constructed ten flying wyvern carriers and deployed them to the front lines.”

“Wait—already!?”

I was shocked.

It hadn’t even been a full month since I first mentioned the idea of wyvern carriers to Rosemary…

Turns out, they modified existing warships and added runways to them.

Using wyverns in naval battles gave the empire a huge advantage, and from what I’d heard, reports of successful missions were pouring in nonstop.

“It seems we even have room to show mercy. By setting fire to the kingdom’s ship masts and disabling their ability to sail, we’ve managed to avoid any casualties on either side.”

“O-Oh, that’s good…”

I didn’t know anyone in the navy,

But still—less death was always a good thing.

So far, the war had been going heavily in our favor.

Using my name as a reason had caused many nations to back away from supporting the kingdom—

That probably played a big role too.

The Agarham Kingdom was pretty much isolated now.

A few long-time allies were offering some reluctant support, but that was just limited to sending food and weapons.

None of them were sending actual troops.

Guess no country wanted to stir up trouble by picking a fight with a calmer, more powerful empire.

The claim of “taking back the throne from Hecton” had been enough of a reason to stop other nations from jumping in for revenge.

“But at this rate, I don’t think I’ll be needed for anything, huh?”

“That’s not quite true. Naval battles are important—but in the end, wars are won by the army that takes the land. Once the kingdom starts pushing out their ground forces… that’s when it’s your turn to shine, my dear.”

…Ah, I think I finally got what Alcarion was aiming for.

I had a lot of connections in the army.

Back when I was fighting on the front lines, many of the soldiers who looked out for me were originally part of the royalist faction.

And just to be clear—when I say “royalist,” I don’t mean Hecton.

I’m talking about those who supported my father, the former king.

When Hecton took the throne and his mom seized control, those same people got tossed to the front lines—just like me.

If I asked them to lay down their weapons, they’d probably listen.

But… would it really go that smoothly?

“I’m already feeling nervous…”

As I mumbled that, Alcarion silently pulled me into a hug.

She started gently patting my head.

“W-What’s this all of a sudden?”

“Don’t worry, dear. If worst comes to worst, I’ll wipe everything away.”

“Uhh, no need to go that far…”

Honestly, it was scary how believable that sounded coming from her.

She might actually be capable of doing it.

“In that case… why don’t we just drop everything and run away?”

“Huh?”

“We’ll take my daughters too, and find a small island somewhere to live in peace. I’m sure it would be lovely.”

“…Yeah. That… actually doesn’t sound too bad.”

Thinking about it calmly—

I’d never really felt like I belonged in the role of a prince.

I was just a regular guy in my past life. Suddenly being royalty was a lot to handle.

Alcarion’s idea sounded… tempting.

But at the same time—

It also felt like it would be a bit too irresponsible.

“Hmmm… yeah, let’s not. We can do that when things calm down.”

“When things calm down?”

“Yeah. Once we’ve finished everything we need to do and finally want to take it easy. Like a second life or something. For now, we’ve got a lot going on.”

“…You’re right. That makes sense. Let’s do that.”

And so, time passed as we chatted about nothing in particular.

I realized… I really liked moments like this.

And I kind of wished they could last forever.

Meanwhile, back in the Agarham Kingdom—

―――――――――――――――――――――

[Afterword]

A Random Tidbit

Author: “There are hardly any guys who don’t like naughty girls. (There are exceptions.) As for me—I love them.”

R: “Nobody asked…”

If you thought, “Clyne’s spicy,” “Mommy Alcarion is the best,” or “Totally agree with this afterword,”—Please consider leaving a comment, bookmark, ★ rating, or a review!