Rowena looked at Helios's red eyes and grinned. He let go of his tied hands with great ease. All the guards until Cedric himself were surprised to see this because the rope used to bind Rowena was a very thick rope. It even took twenty sword slashes to untie the rope but how could the woman untie the rope with her bare hands.
After releasing her bound hands, Rowena took her beloved sword that had been given to her by Edgar in the past. He took off the scabbard and plunged his sword into the ground. "In my own name, Rowena Ernest, I will surrender my life to His Highness the Crown Prince Helios Edmond la Sunverro. I will be the weapon against every enemy and help His Highness the Crown Prince to conquer all the kingdoms of this continent. I swear to be your knight loyal and obedient. This oath will end when my wish has come true one day."
Helios took the sword that Cedric was holding. He pointed the sword at Rowena's right shoulder and said, "From today on you, Rowena Ernest, I will make you my knight."
After receiving Rowena's knightly oath, Helios immediately invited Rowena and Cedric to enter his tent so they could discuss a new strategy to conquer the kingdoms in the northern continent. Actually Helios found it a little difficult to set up a subjugation strategy. This is because the climate in the north is very different from that in the west. The air temperature in the north is very cold in contrast to the warm west.
"Please give your best opinion in this subjugation mission," said Helios.
"You put me to work right away? Isn't this too soon?" Rowena asked.
"Could you speak formally to His Highness the Prince, Dame Rowena?" said Cedric.
"Never mind, Cedric. I'd rather he speak casually to me than use that boring formal language," Helios said to Cedric.
Helios turned to Rowena and said, "Of course you have to get to work now. Besides, I'm sure you've got an extraordinary strategy to present."
Rowena smiled at Helios' praise. "The kingdom to be conquered this time is the Valeccio Kingdom, right?"
"Yes, you're right. We will conquer the Valeccio Kingdom," Helios replied.
"Then give me three pieces of paper and a pen," said Rowena.
Hearing Rowena's request, the Crown Prince immediately ordered a bodyguard to get the items Rowena wanted. A few minutes later, the guard came back and handed Rowena two pieces of paper and a pen.
Rowena began to draw a map of the area on the three pieces of paper. It only took the woman an hour to complete the drawing.
"What are you drawing, Dame Rowena?" asked Cedric who felt that what Rowena had done was a waste of time.
Rowena spread out the three maps she had just drawn on the table. "This is a map of the Valeccio Kingdom, Terania Kingdom, and Richella area."
"Then what does the map of the Terania Kingdom and the Richella region have to do with the conquest of the Valeccio Kingdom?" asked the confused Helios.
"I'm going to have our troops conquer all three of these territories at once. You know if there's a chance the only thing we have to do is make good use of it," Rowena explained.
"Alright. Seems interesting, please explain the strategy you will use." Helios said.
Rowena began to explain the strategy she had thought of earlier to Helios and Cedric. The two men listened carefully to Rowena's explanation.
Helios clapped after Rowena finished her words. "I really like your strategy. Tomorrow we will discuss this strategy with the troop commanders and other division heads. Don't forget to join tomorrow's meeting, Rowena."
"Of course, Your Majesty. Then I shall return to my camp first." Rowena walked away from Helios's camp.
Seeing Rowena who had left there, Cedric immediately walked up to Helios and said, "Your Majesty, I'm not sure that we can trust Rowena. She just doesn't have loyalty to her own kingdom even though she is a real citizen of the Kingdom of Edelle."
"No, Cedric. From the first time I saw her, I was sure that she would be loyal to us. After all, she is an intelligent woman who always thinks about the benefits she will get for the actions she has taken. As long as you are aware of all the possibilities that could happen, being a knight of our kingdom is the most profitable choice for him for now."
"Are you sure, Your Majesty? In my view that woman is very cunning and we also don't know what she is planning now. As you can see she was able to free herself, but instead she allowed herself to be captured by our troops."
"Cedric, are you doubting my instincts now. Of all the advantages I have so far, my instincts are the one that stands out the most," said Helios who was proud of himself.
"No, Your Majesty."
Elsewhere there was Rowena lying on her hard bed. She looked up at the ceiling of his tent and took a deep breath. The atmosphere tonight can be said to be very quiet. Some of the troops were fast asleep, while others were on guard.
The silence made Rowena think back to some of her past. When she was just 6 years old, her mother came to his room and held his hand. Erica, Rowena's biological mother, cut her hand with a knife until it bled and then smeared the blood on Rowena's forehead. After that she put his forehead and the forehead of her daughter.
Because of that, Rowena's consciousness was lost for several hours. After she came to her senses, she saw her mother who was already beside him holding her hand tightly. Erica said that Rowena would have a dark path in life to overcome it seek and submit to the star of the Sunverro Empire.
Little Rowena who listened to her mother's words began to get confused. Then Erica explained that all members of the Odelette kingdom had the ability to predict the future. This ability can be used to predict one's own future or the future of others, but this ability can only be used once. And now Erica had used that ability to predict the future of her only daughter.
As Rowena grew older, she finally understood what Erica had said in the past. If interpreted it means that Rowena will lead a very sad life, but to minimize that all she has to do is find the Crown Prince who is the star of the Sunverro kingdom to be her master. In the end the words came true.
"Did I do the right thing, mother?" Rowena muttered.