Chapter 26 – "Only She Can Do That"
The academy courtyard buzzed with life as usual, but Mario and the girls stood gathered around, staring in disbelief at the glowing message window floating above their heads.
[System Notification – Audio Message from Andrew]
"Hey, guys… If you ever planned to rescue me, now's the time. They're trying to make me do you-know-what with the princess. Apparently, I'm a prince now. A forced one. Get me out of here. Fast."
Mario let out a loud laugh that echoed through the academy hallway.
"Pfft—If we don't hurry, Andrew might already have a kid by the time we arrive! A little prince running around calling him 'Dad.' Can you imagine?" he said, wiping tears from his eyes.
The others chuckled—except for Caroline.
Smack!
Caroline's punch landed right on Mario's shoulder, hard enough to make him wince.
"Only I'm allowed to do that with Andrew!" she shouted, red-faced, her voice echoing in the corridor.
Everyone fell silent.
Emma blinked. Sofia raised an eyebrow. Even Liz covered her mouth to hide her growing grin.
Caroline's eyes widened as she realized what she just said. Her blush deepened into a full crimson flush. "I—I mean—! You know what I meant! Forget I said anything!"
"Too late," Mario grinned, rubbing his shoulder. "It's on record."
Emma leaned into Caroline's side, teasing, "So when's the wedding?"
"Shut up!" Caroline groaned and buried her face in her palms.
An hour later, the party stood in front of the grand gates of the Royal Palace. The stone structure towered above them, wrapped in golden banners and patrolled by guards dressed in ornate silver armor.
Mario stepped forward. "We'd like an audience with His Majesty. We're here to speak with General Andrew and the princesses."
The guard frowned. "And who might you be?"
"We're from the Academy. Mario, Caroline, Emma, Sofia, and Liz. Andrew is—"
"We are under strict orders," the guard cut him off, "no audience is to be granted to outsiders today. Please return with a formal invitation."
"But we know him!" Caroline argued. "He's the general who just returned from war, and—"
"Orders are orders," the guard repeated, unmoved.
Emma sighed. "This is ridiculous."
Mario looked at the rest of the group. "Well… if they won't let us in during the day…"
Caroline cracked her knuckles.
"…We wait for the night," Emma whispered with a mischievous glint in her eye.
Caroline nodded. "We're getting him back. And when I see that princess, I'm going to—"
Sofia placed a calming hand on her shoulder. "Let's try not to start an international incident… until we're inside."
They all exchanged looks, each determined.
Tonight, the game would change.