"Lian?" called Dion to his wife who had been listening to their conversation from outside the door.
Ferid and Theodore also turned to Jillian who was standing in front of the open door. The woman looked a bit panicked at being caught listening to their conversation because she shouldn't have done that. But Jillian tried to remain calm, she raised her head and smiled.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to listen to your conversation. I just happened to be passing by and saw the slightly open door," she explained calmly. "If you'll excuse me..."
As Jillian was about to turn to leave, Dion caught her arm which made her turn to him. Dion asked Jillian to stay there and asked her opinion on the strategy he had come up with.
Dion also asked his father for permission to let Jillian be in their meeting, at first Ferid looked like he would refuse, but after Dion said that Jillian could improve their strategy, the man agreed.
"So... I'm sure you heard what I explained earlier. We're going to attack the Western region of the Kingdom of Tondalis. It's a fairly large kingdom and has a lot of wealth at our disposal if we manage to capture their territory," Dion explained.
"The Western Region of Tondalis, huh... The place is indeed fertile. There are a lot of crops that can be utilized there, the area is also quite large and there are also several rivers surrounding it. It's good enough to be utilized properly," said Jillian looking at the map of the kingdom's territory.
"You know a lot. So what do you think?" Dion asked Jillian again. He didn't expect her to be so knowledgeable about other kingdoms.
The Crown Princess watched the strategy that Dion drew on the map on the table. She studied every move made. After understanding some of the situation, Jillian took the existing pencil and made a new thin line while explaining the strategy she had in mind.
What Dion had come up with was already very good, there were just a few points that needed to be fixed and Jillian explained again why she had made the decision.
"The Tondalis Kingdom is known for its many shadow troops. They wear cloaks that cover their faces and run to attack with very fast movements. Using only a knife, they can paralyze many people by attacking their vital points. That's why we need a formation to dispel this," she explained.
"How do you know about this? I've never heard of it," Theodore asked.
"Hmnnnn... About that... I also once held a kingdom. I got a lot of information to stop them from taking our territory," Jillian replied. "Alright, let's continue."
She went on to explain the strategy she had to perfect Dion's strategy. During her explanation, Jillian was very focused. Her tone was relaxed but firm, straightforward and straightforward.
They easily understood what she was saying at that time. Dion glanced at Jillian who was still focused on explaining, a little smile on the man's face.
'She is indeed a great woman,' he praised silently. Dion had indeed recognized Jillian's intelligence all along. He knew that his wife was known to be not without real skill, because he had experienced it all himself.
Seeing Jillian's serious look made Dion quite fascinated even with his own wife. But he did not want Jillian to realize that because the two of them were not someone close to each other.
"Hmn... What a great plan. I like this one. You are smart," Ferid the emperor praised after listening to Jillian's explanation which he thought was much better.
"Most of it is the Crown Prince's plan, I just supplemented it a bit. You should praise the Crown Prince for this," Jillian said as she held Dion's arm, pulling him to stand closer to her.
However, instead of praising Dion, Ferid changed the subject and began discussing the troops to be sent to Theodore. Dion, who felt his job was done, chose to withdraw. He left the room together with Jillian without saying anything else.
Dion seemed to be silent and did not open his mouth at all, as if he was covering up something. Jillian, who realized it, immediately tugged on Dion's sleeve. The man stopped and turned to Dion.
"You're great, I'm amazed by your strategy. You're really talented," Jillian said.
For a moment, Dion just stared at the woman. He didn't expect to get that sentence from her. He sighed softly and touched Jillian's hand that was holding his sleeve. "You don't have to do it just to comfort me,"
"I'm not doing it just to comfort you, I'm telling you the truth. It's rare that I recognize your greatness, you know?"
Dion actually chuckled at Jillian's words to him. This was the first time he had heard that from someone. Especially since she was a woman who was once his rival. It felt so funny and ridiculous at the same time. But Dion also felt quite happy to hear the compliment given to him.
"What's so funny about that? Instead of thinking about it, how about you accompany me?"
"Keep you company?"
Jillian nodded. "Yes, we'll do archery at the army fort, shall we? Instead of reading books in your room all the time. It must be very boring," she explained as she tugged on Dion's hand to get him to come with her.
"So what do I get out of accompanying you?" asked Dion as he looked at his arm.
"Huh? Nothing. Let's just have some fun there, or can we have a duel to see who can hit the bull's-eye? How about it, do you dare?"
"Ohh... Or are you afraid to accept it for fear of losing to me?" she continued in a teasing tone.
The man accepted Jillian's challenge, he was also quite bored in his room. So the two of them decided to go there to play darts.
On the other hand, Ferid, who was having a discussion with Theodore, slowly started talking about Jillian and Dion. He thought that Dion's brain was not as smart as usual, and he even had to use Jillian to complete his strategy.
He even considered his first son useless for not being able to think of a plan properly.
"What a shame. Just like that he even needs help," she commented.
Theodore who heard that could only stay silent, he did feel unhappy when his twin brother was demeaned like that. But there was nothing he could do but keep quiet, because he knew the consequences if he tried to defend Dion.
He could only hope that Dion could find what he had been looking for, in Jillian. Theodore believed that Jillian could give him something that Dion never had before.