A month after King Richard ordered the army to assemble

Finally, a large part of the army had gathered near the capital, and the rest would join the main army later as they were close to the direction of the Alpshar Kingdom. The division belonging to the Merdonbia Kingdom was encamped in a clearing near the capital, and unfortunately, they had caused some problems. The Merdonbia soldiers were disturbing the people of the capital and the surrounding villages, especially the women. Because of this, Richard demanded an increase in military activities and an immediate departure. After all, a war with the Merdonbia Kingdom would have disastrous consequences, and it was evident that the commanders and soldiers of the Merdonbia army were aware of this fact and were exploiting it.

According to reports, the number of soldiers in the Merdonbia Kingdom's division exceeded about nine thousand, including all its units, and it was not right to fight such an army before the war with Alpshar. Of course, the army of the Asina Kingdom could easily destroy the Merdonbia soldiers with little difficulty, but they would still suffer losses, and Merdonbia would definitely declare war on the Asina Kingdom. Richard had no choice but to turn a blind eye to the crimes committed by the Merdonbia Kingdom's army, and thankfully, they were not involving nobles.

Finally, when the sun rose again in all its glory, there was a movement in the palace of the Asina Kingdom. Today was the day when King Richard and the entire army would go to war again. Richard had said that he would have lunch with his family before going to war, So everyone except Karl and his mother Leylia attended the dinner because they were in the palace.  Besides Ethan's biological family, Duchess Theodora and  director of the Royal Academy, and Mary, Ethan's first teacher, were also present at the table. Lastly, Anna and Luna were there too.

Because of the crowded dining table, people immediately engaged in conversation, and the atmosphere became cheerful. Everyone was talking and joking with each other. Ethan, quietly observing all this, felt a bit comfortable. After all, throughout his life and especially in the past month, he had been thinking about his future and becoming a king. Thinking about what he would do in the future had become a habit for Ethan, and sometimes he needed a special reason to take a break from it. One of those reasons had come true today, and seeing his family and seeing them happy was a therapeutic happened for Ethan.

"So, why didn't our daughter-in-law Eleanor come here? The snows blocking the roads have started to melt, and the wedding is approaching " Luciana said.

This question distracted Ethan's thoughts. "I am forbidden to see her because the wedding is approaching soon. This is a tradition of Moritan that dates back many years, and it seems they still respect this tradition" Ethan said.

"I understand. You can't imagine how excited I am to see you get married soon."Luciana said. her face full of pride for her son but maybe a little sadness because he was growing up so fast. 

everyone continued eating their meal and communicating with each other. Finally, they all dispersed to prepare in their own rooms. Ethan went to his room and began to put on his armor. Half an hour later, there were some voices of conversation and argument outside the door. A few minutes later, someone knocked on the door, and Ethan walked over to open it. When he opened the door, he saw Luna and Anna.

Luna tapped on Ethan's armor. "You look quite cool" she said.

"Yes, you look good " Anna said.

"Thanks you."

Ethan left the door open and returned, approaching the servant to put on the last pieces of his armor. After the servant had put on the last piece, he left the room. Anna and Luna were sitting apart from each other, and it couldn't be said that they were very happy.

"Is there something you want to say?" Ethan asked.

"I just wanted to say goodbye to you alone" Luna said.

"Goodbyes are unnecessary; after all, I'll be back" Ethan said calmly.

"At least, can't we spend your last hours together before you leave?" Luna said, pursing her lips.

"It's too late for that. We'll have plenty of time to spend together when I come back" Ethan said.

Luna stood up, approached Ethan, and extended her lips. They shared a brief kiss, and it was clear that Anna, who was watching all this, was displeased. As Luna was about to leave, she glanced at Anna, and it was clear that it angered her. After Luna left, the room fell silent. After fussing with his hair for a few seconds, Ethan sat across from Anna.

"Would you like to talk?" Ethan asked.

Anna remained silent for a few seconds. "I found out you slept with Luna" she said.

"Who told you that?" Ethan asked.

"Luna told me. We both wanted to spend some time with you before you went to war, but we ran into each other at the gate and had a little fight" Anna said.

"As you know, we were only talking through letters, and I wanted the subject of the letter to be only about you and me. But I'm sorry I didn't tell you" Ethan said.

"The problem is not that you didn't tell me, the problem is... I wanted to be the first. You're special to me and you're the one I care about the most, but I can't be sure you feel the same way about me anymore" Anna said.

"You know that you are special to me, Anna. It's just the way things turned out and it was out of my control. When I get back, I promise I'll take at least a week to spend time with you" he said.

"Will it just be the two of us?" Anna asked.

"Just the two of us" Ethan said, moving closer to Anna. He looked into her green eyes for a while and gently kissed her defined lips. Both of them cursed inwardly, as they had no more time and reluctantly distanced themselves from each other. Ethan stood up and headed for the door.

"I'll miss you. Again..." Anna said as Ethan left.

Ethan walked slowly through the corridors, and because of the sound of the magnificent armor he wore, he could be heard from afar. As Ethan walked through the corridors, a few guards accompanied him, and they reached the door of the palace in a group. Henry and Isabella were standing in front of the main entrance of the palace, and Ethan approached them. When they exited the door, they saw hundreds of royal guards standing ready, and Richard was standing proudly on his horse. There was almost no sound in the wide courtyard of the palace, and everyone was listening to what Richard had to say.  Richard moved his horse back and forth a few times, looking at the faces of the guards. Finally, he stopped his horse in the middle of the guards.