Chapter 10 We, the four sisters, will forge ahead together on any path except yours! ...

Eleanor fell into deep thought.

Thinking about it this way, Andra contributed to every victory in every battle in my past life.

She's like an ace with off-the-charts stats; you can pick her without hesitation no matter the situation.

Andra possesses unparalleled talent in combat and warfare.

Eleanor closed her eyes and suddenly recalled the scene from her past life where she was explaining the art of war on Earth to everyone.

The "strategy of war" she remembered was only superficial, like the subheadings of a book.

So most people watched with relaxed smiles, appreciating the little princess's theoretical musings. Even Manzhu, Jingji, and Hudora only took it as some kind of profound wisdom condensed from the past, paying only a little attention to it.

Only Andra listened most attentively, and even created his own battle formation by simulating the descriptions in those stories, and incidentally recreated some classic cases in reality.

"Eleanor, you're a genius!"

After a fierce battle, as soon as Andra took off his armor, he grabbed her waist and spun her around wildly: "The 'Three-in-One' formation is so awesome! Those guys really know how to run in one direction!"

Eleanor looked down at her beaming expression and said: "Genius? The real genius is you, Andra. You can go straight to the bonus questions after learning addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division."

*Smack*

Eleanor, sitting at the table, slapped the back of her hand.

Phew~ Don't overthink it. The most important thing right now is to find a way to "live well even without Andra".

Her original plan was to place it.

First, let Andra be placed in a safe place, and let Manju and Thorn get along well with Andra. When Mother passes away and the country is in chaos, take the opportunity to send Andra back to Hetuya, so that the two can go their separate ways and live peacefully.

But if Andra returned to Hetuya in 8 AD, how would he navigate the subsequent years, especially 16 AD – the year of the death of the King of Hetuya?

Eleanor shuddered.

Andra cannot lose to Attila.

Given her unparalleled strength and ambition, she could very well use Attila to eliminate Aguno, and then take the opportunity to eliminate Attila and successfully seize power.

This situation is very favorable to Hertuya, but terrible for Norlana.

If all other conditions remain unchanged, the Battle of Enlin would not only lack the strongest general, but would also face a powerful army led by Andra!

Eleanor took a deep breath and drew a heavy cross on that line in her notebook.

So, what can I do to avoid the worst possible outcome?

Eleanor pulled a papyrus sheet from the side and hesitantly began to sketch on it.

Send Andra back to Hetuya as soon as possible, assign her some agricultural experts, and provide her with some improved varieties of seeds...

Eleanor casually crossed out that line.

No, Andra's domestic affairs abilities are questionable. In her previous life, she and her ministers handled all matters, big and small, except for military affairs, which were entirely in the hands of the monarch.

Moreover, the planting conditions on grasslands and plains are vastly different. Even if Andra were willing to settle down and focus on production, Hetuya would still fall into famine after the cold disaster.

As a highly responsible monarch skilled in combat and warfare, Andra would inevitably turn his sword against the wealthy Norlana.

This has nothing to do with personal relationships.

Eleanor laughed self-deprecatingly: Even in her past life—a queen who had served as regent for many years and a lover with whom she had shared decades of affection—she still couldn't prevent the country from falling and her family from being destroyed.

Then...

[Do not return Andra before 8 AD; let her remain in Hetuya as a general of Norlana to fight against Attila.]

Eleanor tapped the tip of her pen: This was how she did it in her previous life, and it seemed to work.

However, doing it this way... seems like there's something we haven't considered. What could it be?

She propped her head up with her hand, her eyes unconsciously scanning the room until they met Coral's gaze.

"~" The gentle older sister smiled at her and secretly made a rather unseemly face.

Eleanor couldn't help but laugh and made a face back.

The instant she grabbed his cheek, she immediately realized something was wrong: feelings and, most importantly—interests!

The past life and this life are different. Putting aside the feelings between the two, she cannot offer Andra enough benefits in this life.

The reason Andra pointed her sword at her sister in her previous life was because this action simultaneously satisfied her triple needs: protecting her lover, surviving, and vying for the throne.

Eleanor had an epiphany: In her previous life, in 16 AD, Andra and those around her were very certain that she would marry Andra, and they had already declared an alliance in every sense of the word.

Whether it was the Andra, the Nolana, or the Attila and Hetuya, they all regarded Andra as "the Hetuya crown prince who will marry the Nolana princess".

Therefore, her counterattacks against Attila were "just and reasonable" actions, and each victory added a chip to the scales.

However, this life is different.

Eleanor will no longer develop the kind of relationship with Andra they had in their previous life; they will become a "simple" princess and hostage.

In this way, Andra would not be able to claim Norlana by marrying the princess, her gains from defending the city would be greatly reduced, and she might even be regarded as a traitor by the Hetuya.

Eleanor's pen nib left large stains on the papyrus.

Why didn't Andra in my past life let me have a child? She could have easily gained the right to claim the Kingdom of Norlana simply by having a child.

They could even use their reputation to incite the nobles to take the initiative to overthrow the mediocre Ophelia... Why must they use violence to directly defeat Noranna?

Is it hatred and retaliation for the bullying and contempt of my childhood? Or is it... that I can't have "that child"?

That child who may be very powerful, who possesses both Hertuya and Nolana, and who will inevitably steal my love and support.

Snap.

Eleanor put down her pen, but her hands pressed against her forehead first, gently rubbing it.

"It doesn't hurt, it doesn't hurt, it doesn't hurt..." Coral's fingers gently circled between Eleanor's forehead and temples, only stopping slowly when Eleanor had completely relaxed her shoulders.

The mature nobleman's servant picked up the pen for the little princess and set it aside, asking softly, "Lily, is your head hurting again?"

Eleanor sniffed and shook her head: "No, I haven't felt any pain today."

Coral playfully flicked her nose. "Really? Then what were you doing just now...?"

Eleanor hesitated for a moment, then took Coral's hand and stood up, using her sleeve to push the draft paper aside.

"Sister, what if you have a very difficult task that you want to ask someone to do, but you can't afford to pay them enough?"

Coral fell into deep thought, while the servants beside her quietly rolled up the parchment for them, put the papyrus away on the shelf, and waited for the princess's instructions on whether to burn it or keep it.

After a while, Coral looked up and said seriously, "You can earn enough money from other places to pay the reward, or you can try to persuade her, and if necessary..." She made a pinching gesture: "Lie!"

Deceive? Deceive Andra?!

Eleanor shuddered.

Andra's ambitions are extraordinary. Even in her most desperate moments, she still considered herself the Crown Princess of Hetuya. What could attract her must be interests that were equal to those of the nation.

In her previous life, Andra was quite tolerant of jokes among friends.

Aside from those who make pledges but fail to fulfill them and are punished by military law, Andra always generously forgives those who make mistakes simply because they are mediocre or unlucky.

But Andra's nature is by no means tolerant.

There's no need to mention the second sister who died tragically and mysteriously. There was once a trusted captain of the guard who chose Attila over Andra and even offered some intelligence as a pledge of loyalty.

Eleanor still remembers Andra's furious expression.

"Let her die if she wants to!" she ordered through gritted teeth. "Have the torturer come and help her hold out for three days. Oh, and that guy's wife and daughter—"

“No, his wife doesn’t deserve to die. And his daughters are only three or five years old. What can children know?” Eleanor sighed, pressing down on the back of her hand, her body trembling slightly.

Andra's anger vanished abruptly when he was with his lover.

Even if just a second ago he was furious about someone's betrayal, wishing he could tear that person to pieces, the next second he would gently embrace her and whisper in her ear.

"Eleanor, don't be afraid."

Her lover cupped her face in his hands, the candlelight burning brightly in the depths of his eyes, "You will never betray me, just as I will never betray you."

The deep kiss from that night exploded in her mind, and Eleanor couldn't help but raise her hand to touch her lips; her throat was so dry.

"I want some water..." As soon as she spoke, a waiter quickly brought over an exquisite silver bowl and brought the rim of the bowl to her lips.

Ugh, I should probably start working on ceramics a little earlier in this life.

As Eleanor drank her water, she asked Coral, "What if I can't make money and I refuse to lie?"

"Let's replace them."

"No one is stronger than her."

"Huh? Hahaha."

Coral chuckled and wiped the little princess's mouth with a rabbit fur napkin. "Oh my little princess, why don't you invite a few more people!"

That's right. Eleanor's eyes lit up: real battlefields don't limit the number of soldiers on the field, and I even have memories of my past life—

Hahaha?

She laughed for a while, but then she couldn't laugh anymore.

It wasn't because her memory was too hazy; she still remembered many famous generals. But there was a small problem...

They were all Hetuya.

They're either Andra's or Attila's men, and several of them won't be born for another decade or more. How is she supposed to turn them against her?!

"Lily, Lily? Oh, my little princess, if you have a headache, just say so!" Coral exclaimed and hugged her tightly.

Eleanor's eyes slid down listlessly.

She looked out the window, somewhat lost, and muttered to herself, "What else can I do...?"

The lover who gave their entire youth in their past life has become their most powerful enemy in this life; just thinking about it is despairing.

"What are you doing? Do you want to go to school with Princess Myrcella?"

Coral angrily wiped the sweat from her forehead.

Eleanor suddenly grabbed her hand and lifted her up forcefully. "Yes, Coral, I want to go to school!"

We're all royalty from Norlana, so why should I be the only one struggling with Andra's situation? Let's all four of us sisters work together!

A note from the author:

----------------------