Thankfully, General Illion had the foresight not to include Elizabeth here. Although she was the heir apparent, their previous interactions were more than enough for him to understand one thing. Elizabeth was far too naïve and straightforward, bordering on idiocy. It drove Illion to the brink of madness. Usually, he was calm and collected. He respected his superiors and carried out their orders without question. However, Elizabeth shattered his notions for royalty. He really had to wonder if King Harth chose the wrong person to inherit the throne. She was a walking disaster.
The other officers here thought the same thing, though no one dared to say it aloud. Slandering a princess was punishable by death! They were as frustrated as General Illion. Sir Lorenzo even petitioned to his brother, pushing him to change Elizabeth's mind. He knew how close they were, but he underestimated her stubbornness. At this point, everyone was gloomy and considered it a waste of time to continue here. They accomplished Elizabeth's wish of coming here. After all, she did not explicitly say what they were to do once they arrived. As for the business with the Imperial Princesses, they could delay it until they returned to the Alzar Kingdom.
Learning Lord Korogin's fate was enough and General Illion decided to give the order to turn around, giving Elizabeth no chance to intervene. Just as he was about to, he learned that a messenger from the Xingyuu Empire was flying over. The Alzar soldiers had half a mind to slaughter the messenger on sight. News of that gruesome battlefield had already spread, inviting their immense bloodlust. However, they stayed their hand as General Illion and the officers arrived on the deck. Elizabeth and her friends also joined them up top after hearing the commotion.
Elizabeth was like a polished jade, emerging amongst a crowd of dirty coal. Her pale skin was glistening, her red dress was shimmering, and her crimson hair was flowing in the air. Although she could not compare to Xiuying and Ming, who were regarded as peerless beauties, she could hold her own. It was enough to make people's heart stop momentarily. Compared to how she looked weeks ago, imprisoned by the Xingyuu Empire, it was incomparable. Outwardly, she presented the image of royalty, of a pure and noble princess above everyone else. Her authority was unquestionable!
However, everyone reflexively sighed when they saw Elizabeth. Of course, it was all internally. No one dared to voice their complaints as they kneeled in subservience. Everyone understood that she possessed a fiery temperament and a rigid stubbornness that made even General Illion bend. The only people that remained standing were Elizabeth's friends and General Illion who bowed gently. Elizabeth paid little attention to the people around her and watched as the messenger descended. Even if she was kept in the dark about Lord Korogin, the somber mood was infectious. She could tell something bad happened, so she was more eager than anyone to learn what happened.
The messenger and his partner nervously landed and retracted their gliders. Their gazes flickered onto Elizabeth, who appeared to be in charge, as they handed over a scroll. She snatched it and began reading it. No one said a thing as she reached the end of the scroll. Her hands formed into fists, expressing her anger. She was furious! General Illion instantly felt a cold sweat break out on him. Whenever she was involved, a storm was certain to follow. As he expected, Elizabeth turned her sharp gaze to him, her eyes ready to spit out fire.
"Why didn't you tell me that Lord Korogin was captured?" she fumed.
Her words brought a flurry of chaos to the soldiers around. At this point, no one knew of Lord Korogin's secret plans except for the top echelon of the fleet. It was absolutely unthinkable to them that Lord Korogin was captured! For them, he was a pillar of stability, the backbone of the Alzar Kingdom! As the Master of Strategy and the temporary monarch, every action of his had a profound effect across the war. Furthermore, he was in the most secure stronghold of the kingdom, the capital city of Algard! Did that mean that the capital city fell to the Xingyuu Empire? But that was truly impossible!
Fear crept up inside everyone. Their morale was thoroughly shaken! It was made worse by how the general and commanders did not say anything. It was a silent confirmation that it was all true! General Illion acted immediately and shouted, "Silence! Do not let the words of a messenger shake your mental state so easily! You all bring shame to the Alzar Kingdom!" His words helped snap people back to their senses, but he felt powerless against Elizabeth. "Your Highness, what did the message say exactly?"
Elizabeth harrumphed and threw the scroll over. "The emperor wants to exchange Lord Korogin and Sir Winstin for the Twin Imperial Princesses," she said.
"This…" General Illion and his commanders frowned.
Exchanging political prisoners was practically unheard of nowadays. The First Great Kingdom War did have such events, but the circumstances were different. Back then, the war was not a true fight to the death. The Alzar Kingdom and the Xingyuu Empire had unreconcilable enmity, but the two civilizations were matched equally in military, economy, and infrastructure. It was impossible to defeat the other without heavy sacrifices. Rather than destroying oneself to defeat thy enemy, it was better to wait for a perfect opportunity to strike. Hence, the First Great Kingdom War could span over a period of five hundred years! Over such a timespan, the number of war prisoners was not few. The two civilizations had many exchanges of prisoners in the past.
The situation was the opposite now. Thanks to Empress Mei's death being blamed on the Alzar Kingdom, the Xingyuu Empire was fully incensed into fighting. Ironically, the person who advocated for peace the most was the greatest trigger. The empire was willing to burn themselves to destroy the kingdom! There was no alternative other than death! From the Ambush of Sanguis Coast to the Teria Sea Campaign, and even now with Lord Korogin, they executed everyone. No one was left alive! The rare exceptions were extraordinary figures like King Harth or Lord Korogin. However, even King Harth was eventually executed. How could they imagine that the empire wanted an exchange now?