Trash Prince and Ice Queen 10th Re - Life-Chapter 130: Go to The Front Line

A few moments later, the room remained silent. The food served on the table by the waitresses sat completely untouched. Even Hardim and Grumir, as the hosts, were speechless. The only sound was Thorena humming a cheerful tune next to Geoffrey, who sat frozen like a statue. His head was bowed, staring at his plate as if hoping it might save him, his body drenched in sweat even though the room wasn’t particularly hot.

Since the atmosphere had become so heavy, thick, and stiff, Ard finally spoke up to break the ice.

"Hardim, do you have any idea where the Githiess egg we’re looking for might be located?" Ard asked.

"Hmm... according to spies from the palace, the egg is in the Giant Kingdom, but I don’t know its exact location myself," Hardim answered.

"I’ve heard from the dwarven merchants who travel there and visit my tavern that the egg is in the palace square. They worship it as their guardian deity. I haven’t seen it myself, though, since I’m always here," Grumir added.

"I see. So, at least the egg is safe if it’s being worshipped," Eva muttered.

"Right. We don’t need to rush there just yet," Mirea added.

"Right now, my papa is at the border of Le Rien Infernal, overseeing the construction of additional boundary walls there," Thorena remarked casually.

Every head immediately turned toward Thorena, who was casually chugging her drink from a large beer mug, looking like she was thoroughly enjoying it. After Thorena finished drinking, Hardim spoke up.

"His Majesty is at the border, Princess?" Hardim asked.

"Yep. Otherwise, there’s no way I’d be able to wander around the city like this, right?" Thorena answered nonchalantly.

"Hmm... that’s true. There’s no way His Majesty would just sit by and watch the Princess stroll through the city without an escort like this... so, what are you going to do, brother?" Grumir asked Hardim.

"Hmm... I don’t know yet," Hardim answered.

"How about we head straight there? We could also help out while we’re at it, right?" Ard asked.

Everyone immediately fell silent and began to think. The atmosphere turned quiet again as everyone became occupied with their own thoughts, especially Hardim and Grumir; only Thorena looked calm and relaxed, while Geoffrey remained tense. After a moment, Grumir spoke up.

"That seems like a good idea, brother. I know a few zeppelin pilots who often come to my tavern. I’ll talk to them about taking you all to the border," Grumir said.

"Is it really that far?" Eva asked.

"Far and dangerous. Many underground monsters like inferno wolves, magma golems, and stone serpents roam the path leading to the border," Grumir answered.

"That’s true, plus it’s quite difficult for humans since you’d have to trek through the hot mines," Hardim added.

"Hmm... alright then. In that case, please arrange transportation for us," Ard said.

"So, we’re heading to the border, big brother?" Adeline asked.

"Yep, no point in delaying any further, right?" Ard answered Adeline.

"Okay, I’m ready," Adeline replied enthusiastically.

"What if we just ride our familiars?" Alicia asked.

"It would be too hard on them if the terrain we’re crossing is truly different from the surface," Eva answered.

"That’s true. We can’t rely on them and need to save their stamina; it’s not impossible that we’ll have to fight later," Mirea added.

"Okay, then we just wait to leave," Milia said casually.

"In the meantime, I’ll take you all to an inn owned by an acquaintance to get some rooms for you," Hardim said.

"Hmm... get a room for me and him, too," Thorena said, still holding onto Geoffrey.

The atmosphere fell silent once again as everyone turned to look at Thorena and Geoffrey. Based on what she just said, Thorena intended to go with Ard, Eva, and the others to the border to meet King Murmic II, her father. Of course, this became a major concern for the group, as they didn’t want to cause trouble by bringing a princess to the border or the front lines.

Finally, Geoffrey, who had been silent and stiff from the start, began to move. He pulled his arm from Thorena’s embrace and turned to face the princess beside him.

"I am truly sorry, Princess, but I actually already have a fiancée in the capital of the Durnhill Kingdom. We are set to be married after I graduate, so it’s simply impossible for me to be with you," Geoffrey said, bowing his head.

"Hmm... okay. I never said I wanted to be with you forever, did I? I just need your seed. Like I said, I want to be the bridge between the human and dwarf races. I want your child," Thorena said nonchalantly.

"Huh," Ard, Eva, Hardim, Grumir, and the others all turned to look at Thorena. She appeared to be staring at Geoffrey quite seriously, despite her smile.

"Hey, hey now, Princess, please don’t confuse dwarven culture with human culture. To humans, marriage is sacred, it’s not just about having offspring," Hardim said.

"Hmm... is that so? Regardless, I’m still going with you all to the border. Surely you won’t refuse, right?" Thorena asked, looking at Geoffrey.

"I... I don’t refuse," Geoffrey replied. He had no other choice and didn’t want to make the situation any worse.

"Alright, that settles it," Thorena said casually before taking another drink.

After that, they began to discuss other matters, trying their best not to bring up the topic that had everyone feeling like they were suffocating. Geoffrey went back to being silent, his mind racing as he tried to figure out how to convince Thorena that he didn’t want to be with her.

He looked over at Grumir, who seemed to understand Geoffrey’s predicament. Grumir then invited Geoffrey to step outside for a moment to have a man-to-man talk and explain the traditions of the dwarven race—which, in truth, had no formal rules regarding romantic relationships between men and women.

For the dwarven people, whose numbers were few, romantic relationships between men and women were simply about physical intimacy, having children, and carrying on the bloodline. However, there was an unwritten law that they only paired with one person, and polygamy did not exist among them. Dwarven women could give birth up to ten times and did not always have to stay with their men, as the children born were raised by the community together, since those children were the pillars of their future.

Geoffrey understood, and he also explained the rules of humans on the surface, where for nobles or royal families, it was perfectly fine to have more than one wife, but cheating was still cheating; they could not be with other women if they were not bound by marriage. If Geoffrey were to be with Thorena, he would have to make her his wife so it wouldn’t be considered adultery, and clearly, he would break his fiancée’s heart, even though she would surely accept it. The two of them continued to discuss these cultural differences outside of the room.

Meanwhile, inside, the atmosphere remained silent. Everyone simply watched Thorena, who looked relaxed and acted as if nothing had happened at all. Ard and Eva shifted closer to each other and began to whisper.

"This dwarven princess is truly selfish, and she actually doesn’t understand anything," Ard said.

"Yep, she’s even more intense than Beatrice and your sister, Adeline. But it’s a good thing you weren’t the one she targeted, otherwise, we’d have a real problem," Eva said.

"Huh... what do you mean by that?" Ard asked.

"Obviously, the rest of us would be ready for combat if that princess set her sights on you," Eva answered with a smile, though her eyes showed she was dead serious.

"I... I see," Ard muttered.

Ard turned to look at Alicia, Mirea, Claudia, Milia, Patricia, Beatrice, and Rosalind. They were all keeping a close eye on Thorena while occasionally glancing back at him. Just as Eva had said, they all looked ready for battle, seemingly irritated by Thorena’s selfish and annoying attitude—except for Mirea.

She was studying Thorena out of pure curiosity regarding the hair on her face, her muscular build, and all the physical traits that were similar yet distinct from humans; because even though Thorena looked lean now, her body contour suggested she could easily become stout or even massive.

Since the atmosphere was getting increasingly awkward and stiff, Hardim finally stood up. Every eye in the room immediately turned toward him, including Thorena’s.

"Alright, let’s head to the inn owned by my acquaintance. Once my brother Grumir secures transportation for us, we’ll head straight to the border to meet King Murmic II," Hardim said.

"Hmm... alright, let’s go, Princess Thorena," Eva said, standing up and extending her hand toward the princess.

"Fine, lead the way, Hardim," Thorena said as she stood up and took Eva’s hand.

Finally, they all walked out of the room. Eva and the girls, including Adeline, immediately crowded around Thorena—whether they intended to give her a piece of their minds or were simply trying to get to know her was unclear. Ard, Ainsley, Irwin, Irina, and Hardim walked behind them. They turned back to see Geoffrey and Grumir still sitting at the table at the front of the room.

"So, what about Geoffrey?" Irwin asked.

"I don’t know. I honestly have no idea what to do," Ard replied.

"Hmm... for once, I don’t know how to help him either. Let’s just hope the girls can talk some sense into that dwarven princess."

"Yeah... let’s hope so. Hopefully, this whole mess is settled before we meet the King, so there aren’t any misunderstandings later," Ard muttered, lost in thought as he glanced at Hardim walking beside him.