Trash Prince and Ice Queen 10th Re - Life

After entering the city and finding a spot in an inn with a small tavern on the ground floor, Ard, Eva, and the others sat down across from Raymond. He sat in the middle, flanked by the two sisters—the one called Rosalind who was actually Reyna, and the one called Reyna who was actually Rosalind. Raymond stared intensely at Ard and Eva.

"Are you... the third prince of Fredonia?" Raymond asked.

"That's right, Mr. Raymond," Ard answered.

"And you... are Princess Evangeline of the Orthus Empire?" Raymond asked.

"I am. It seems Beatrice has already filled you in," Eva replied.

"Whoa... Sister Eva is a princess?" Adeline asked. She was sitting next to Ard and had only just realized Eva was imperial royalty.

"She is, but please keep that a secret," Ard said.

"You got it! I'll keep Sister Eva's secret safe," Adeline replied cheerfully.

"Yes, Princess Beatrice did tell me. Um... alright, let's get straight to the point. Please, look after my sister, Reyna," Raymond said, bowing his head toward Ard.

"Hey! Brother, why are you jumping straight to that?" asked the Rosalind who was actually Reyna.

"He's right. They still need an explanation. Don't just skip ahead," added the Reyna who was actually Rosalind.

"I've already explained to all of them why you two swapped places, so I don't think there's anything left to clarify. Isn't this great, Reyna... I mean, Rosalind? Brother Ray approves of your relationship with Ard," Beatrice interjected suddenly.

"Grr... you always beat me to the punch, Princess," Rosalind muttered, looking annoyed.

"But if your father finds out, this is going to be a huge problem, right? Honestly, I'd like to meet Reyna's... I mean, Rosalind's father," Ard replied.

"Of course it would be a disaster. That's why I'm here representing him. For now, our father doesn't suspect a thing because, honestly, he rarely speaks to Reyna anyway. That's why, before we go to the palace to meet King Brutus, it would be best if they switched back for a while," Raymond said, placing his hands on the shoulders of the twin sisters sitting on either side of him.

"Hmm, can the King actually tell them apart?" Eva asked.

"As long as they keep their mouths shut... no," Raymond answered.

"Hmm... I see where this is going," Ard replied, staring at the Rosalind who was actually Reyna in front of him.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Rosalind asked.

"No reason," Ard said.

"If they switch back, that means Beatrice can't go around causing chaos," Alicia noted.

"Yep, that's right. It could get messy if Beatrice suddenly blabs about the wrong thing," Geoffrey added.

"It looks like we'll have to work together to keep Beatrice in line for a while," Claudia said, nodding as she crossed her arms.

"Yeah, agreed. Let's figuratively chain her up," Pyria added.

"Hey! Why am I the target here? There's no way I'd leak this to Papa," Beatrice said, clearly annoyed.

"Hmm... okay... I don't believe you. We're going to keep a maximum eye on her," Milia said.

"Agreed. Totally agreed," Irwin added with a series of nods.

"For the time being, we'll be filling in for Rosalind... uh... Reyna... oh, whatever," Ainsley added, adjusting his glasses, completely lost staring at the two identical twins in front of him.

"Grr... do you guys really think I'm that much of a liability?" Beatrice asked.

"Yes... exactly that much," Alicia, Claudia, Milia, Pyria, Geoffrey, Ainsley, and Irwin answered in perfect, blunt unison.

"Uuuh... you guys are so mean," Beatrice muttered, hanging her head.

"It's okay, Sister Beatrice. I'll help keep an eye on you too," Adeline said, gently patting Beatrice on the shoulder.

"Thanks, Adeline, hehe," Beatrice replied, her cheerful mood returning instantly.

"But I'm still dying to know—is there any way to tell them apart besides their clothes?" Mirea asked, having spent the last few minutes intensely studying the two sisters.

"Once they open their mouths, you'll know," Raymond replied, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

"Big brother!" Rosalind and Reyna shouted in unison, turning to glare at Raymond.

"See?" Raymond asked, looking at Mirea.

"Oh, I see it now. It's their teeth," Mirea noted.

"Exactly. That's how I can tell them apart so easily. I've been with them since they were little," Raymond said.

Ard immediately began studying Rosalind and Reyna as they spoke to their brother with annoyed expressions. He focused on their mouths—or more specifically, their teeth—and compared their faces. He thought back to the Linzi who had been his wife in his second life. It turned out that the teeth of the Rosalind who was actually Reyna looked just like those of his wife, Linzi. But when he looked over at the Reyna who was actually Rosalind, he realized that the Linzi from his sixth life was actually the Rosalind who was currently playing the role of Reyna.

After thinking it over carefully, Ard finally realized that the "Linzi" from his two past lives were actually two different people. In his sixth life, the Rosalind who was actually Reyna had left the Kingdom of Rellios and never returned, even after Beatrice had come home. Now that everything was clear, Ard felt a wave of relief. He looked at the Rosalind who was actually Reyna—the one who had kissed him earlier—and instinctively reached out to take her hand. Rosalind turned to look at him, surprised.

"Huh... what is it, Ard?" Rosalind asked.

"Nothing... it's just that you really are the Linzi in my memories. I didn't choose the wrong person," Ard said with a smile.

Rosalind's face instantly flushed deep red. She looked down in embarrassment, trying to hide her face from the others. Meanwhile, Eva, sitting right next to Ard, just smiled and crossed her arms, nodding to herself.

"Fine... for now, I'll allow it," Eva remarked.

"Allow what?" Ard asked.

"Nothing. Don't worry about it," Eva replied.

"I'm glad everything is cleared up then. But why did you all come here on foot? And what's the situation like out there?" Raymond asked.

Without wasting any time, Ard, Eva, Beatrice, and the rest of the group began recounting the story of their journey from the academy to the Kingdom of Rellios. They took turns explaining the current state of the world and the chaos spreading outside. Raymond listened intently, arms crossed over his chest. Once they had finished their story, he let out a breath.

"Alright, I understand. But for tonight, you should all stay here at the inn and get some rest. You can meet King Brutus tomorrow. Right now, he's in a meeting with the high-ranking officials to organize our defenses because word has it that the war might reach us soon... and that includes you, Princess Beatrice," Raymond said.

"I understand. That's fine with me. As long as I'm back in the capital of Rellios, I can finally relax," Beatrice replied.

"Now, I'll fill you in on what's actually happening in this kingdom," Raymond said.

Raymond updated them on the latest situation. Envoys from the Kingdom of Ateras had recently arrived in Rellios to plead for help. Apparently, the Orthus Empire had joined forces with the Kingdom of Durnhill, and they were planning an assault on Fredonia. Since Rellios maintained good relations with both Fredonia and Ateras, the King intended to provide support and was preparing for battle. Hearing this, Ard was visibly shaken.

"Is that really true, Brother Raymond?" Ard asked.

"It is. It looks like the war is coming for this kingdom too," Raymond answered.

"There's a good chance that, as a dragon rider, I'll be deployed to either Ateras or Fredonia," added the Reyna who was actually Rosalind.

"Wait... what reason would Durnhill have to attack Fredonia?" Eva asked, sounding confused.

"This definitely has something to do with Julius. To the King of Durnhill, Julius is his golden boy," Mirea cut in.

"I'm not entirely sure why Durnhill declared war on Fredonia, but the envoy who arrived yesterday confirmed it. He also asked about you, Prince Ard," Raymond said.

"I see. My father and Brother Alexis were right. Alright, I understand," Ard replied, lost in thought.

"Um... Brother... is our kingdom going to war?" Adeline asked softly.

"Yes, but you're safe here with me," Ard said, stroking his sister's hair.

"Okay, Brother. I'm ready to help. I'm strong," Adeline said with a serious face.

"Okay. I'll be counting on you then," Ard replied with a smile.

"Ard, it looks like we need to move fast," Eva said.

"Yeah. After we meet with King Brutus tomorrow, we'll immediately plan our departure for the Dragon God's residence... up in the mountains," Ard replied.

Alicia, Mirea, Milia, Claudia, Pyria, Beatrice, the Rosalind who was actually Reyna, Geoffrey, Ainsley, and Irwin all turned to look at Ard and Eva. They each nodded, ready to set out once more for the home of the Dragon God to seek his guidance. Their eyes burned with determination, and not a single one of them showed even a hint of fear.