For warriors, such moves were necessary in battle. In their eyes, her courage in facing the berserk ogre head-on had earned their full trust. Now, whatever she said, they would follow without hesitation.
"Also... how many casualties do we have? Are there any warriors who won’t be able to recover soon?" Addison asked, her voice heavy with concern. Though she had traveled many times before, this was the first time she had ever experienced casualties within her own caravan, and the weight of it pressed hard on her chest. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦
"Answering the Princess," the warrior replied respectfully, "we have four deaths. As for the injured, thanks to Your Highness’s high-grade healing potions, although they were already at their weakest before the fight even ended, they managed to hold on until the battle ended."
"After you distributed the potions, their recovery stabilized. There were no further deaths. And in about five minutes, they should be able to move again, and we can continue our journey."
"That’s good to hear. Please, let them rest for a while before we move on. After all, we’ve just gone through a life-and-death battle, they deserve at least that much." Addison said softly, though she left the rest of her thoughts unspoken.
There was no need to burden them further with worry when, in their current state, they could do nothing about it anyway.
What she didn’t say aloud was that ’they needed to check whether the main group required rescue right now.’ The thought weighed heavily on her. If such an ambush had happened here, there was a real chance the main group was also under attack elsewhere.
But looking at her warriors’ condition, Addison knew they couldn’t rush in recklessly. Many were still too injured, their strength barely recovered. Charging forward now would only turn them into liabilities, or worse, cannon fodder.
Even she was wounded and drained, her body protesting with every breath. As much as she wanted to help, she doubted she could offer much in her current state.
Right now, what she needed most was rest. After sending the warriors away and making sure Zion had been properly dressed, Addison knelt beside him once more to check his condition. There were no visible wounds when she wiped him down earlier, but to be safe, she gently tilted his head and carefully fed him a high-grade healing potion.
Only then did she glance down at herself; her clothes were stained with blood and dirt, some of it her own. The cuts and bruises burned sharply beneath her skin, but she kept her composure, refusing to show any sign of pain.
The last thing she wanted was for the others to worry or, worse, blame themselves for forcing her hand in the battle.
None of them knew she couldn’t shift into her wolf form, and she intended to keep it that way. They probably assumed she chose to fight in her human form because of the sword she wielded, which was a gift from Silas.
In truth, though, that sword had become her best cover, a perfect excuse to hide a secret she wasn’t ready to reveal.
If her secret were ever exposed, that she couldn’t shift, those lurking in the shadows, and the ones secretly backing Mila’s claim to the throne, would surely seize the opportunity to act.
The coronation she had waited for all her life would be jeopardized, perhaps even delayed indefinitely, until she could prove her ability to shift. But who could say when that would happen?

Addison let out another heavy sigh, feeling a wave of dejection wash over her. Still, she couldn’t afford to let these thoughts drag her down. ’No,’ she told herself, ’I can’t lose focus now.’ She forced her mind to clear and pushed her worries aside, out of sight, out of mind.

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