Hounds of War [Yandere Generals x Female General Reader]

Prologue.

An imposing fortress built from graey stone stood on the edge of a steely harbor, part of the uniform structure rising from the depths of the water itself. With its square walls and tiny windows, it gave off the feeling of a stronghold more than a castle, but that was only to be expected given that it was the dwelling of the Royal Family of Estain; a rigid northern country renowned for their military prowess.

Within one of the many dark and shadowed chambers of the castle, the figure of a man could be seen reclining before a fireplace, the sole light in the room came from the crackling fire by which he was reading a letter.

The letter was written on expensive foreign paper, the edges embossed with gold. He had scoffed at the tacky frivolousness of the letter, but such flamboyance was to be expected, considering that the letter had come from the king of Luccia, a country well-known for its extravagance.

The man smirked wickedly as he read the formal letter. He had a handsome face that was generally adorned with a fair expression, but since he was alone the king of Estain dispensed of his kind facade and let his inner cruelty show on his face.

"So, King Ilidoro of Luccia is requested war aid from Estain," he chuckled to himself, eyes flashing with cruelty. "it only took a seven-year stalemate to wither his pride to the point where he would ask for help. Pathetic."

Skimming through the content of the letter again he let out a sigh. It would benefit the country if he agreed to send war aid, but he had to be careful, lest Luccia grew too powerful and declared war on Estain.

Staring at the flickering flames in thought, the handsome king was struck by inspiration. All that mattered was that Luccia thought Estain supplied them with aid, if it proved to be of any use would be irrelevant. Luccia would be indebted to Estain either way. The king grinned evilly as a plan formed in his mind. He would send Esedict General Y/N Denlleonis, a feral woman who had only recently returned from her battles in the frontier lands.

The king despised her. She was too honorable, and put more alliance in the governs of war than she did her king, which made her nearly impossible for him to control. He could send her and a small group of men to assist the Luccian front as alleged war-aid when he was really just ridding himself of a particularly bothersome thorn in his side.

It did not matter to him which country won the war after all. Estain had not only remained neutral but had also sent war-aid to both countries engaged in war, meaning that no matter who won, Estain would profit.

The creak of the door opening startled the king from his thoughts. He rushed to paste a benevolent expression on his face, not wanting to be discovered for the manipulative man he really was.

"My king," A sickly sweet feminine voice called from behind his armchair. "Now that the advisers are gone, will you share your thoughts with me?"

"Of course, you are a far better listener than all my advisors combined," The King's face returned to its cruel expression once he knew the identity of his visitor was his wife and queen. He didn't have to pretend to be virtuous when he was with her, because she was just as heartless as him. "Come, sit on my lap pet, and I will tell you everything."

The queen obeyed and perched herself on the arm of his chair by the fire. She looked up at him with her blue eyes wide, expectantly waiting. Her face shone with innocence and naivety, but the king knew better than anyone the cunning and devious mind that hid beneath her raven hair and beautiful face.

He twisted a loose strand of her midnight hair around his finger as he said, "Ilidoro, the king of Luccia sent me a letter requesting that Estain send Luccia war-aid. They have been stuck in a stalemate for seven years, so I would say that they sorely need our help. I decided that I would send General Denlleonis and a few of her top soldiers to whip the Luccian army into shape and lead them to victory."

"But my king, you told me yourself that even with the assistance of the other generals you are still not fully able to control General Denlleonis," The Queen pointed out, such a convincing look of ignorant confusion on her face that even her husband was nearly fooled. "how in a spineless nation like Luccia ever supposed to withstand her?"

"Oh, I don't expect them to, my queen," The king of Estain smirked as he stared into the dancing flames. "I am sending general Denlleonis solely so I will not have to clean up her messes for a while. It doesn't matter who wins this little war, we have sent war aid to both sides so the victor will owe us regardless. No matter who comes out on top, Estain will profit."

"You're so devious," She gasped in horror, clapped her hands to her mouth. Moments later her pure facade melted, replaced by a wicked grin of her own and a cruel glint in her eyes that matched her husband's. "And that's what I love about you."

"Only half as devious as you, my pet," The king said, his tone revoltingly affectionate as he rubbed their noses together. He pulled her further onto his lap and placed a passionate kiss on her lips. Pulling away he said, "That's enough talk of war for today. Let's go out into the capital, I'll buy you anything you want as long as you only occupy that manipulating mind of yours with me for the rest of the day. How does that sound, my queen?"

A/N

I know that the prologue has very little to do with any of the main characters in this book, but it is important because it ties several of my books together. Don't worry though, the first chapter will be very exciting as a sort of compensation for the prologue.

I hope you enjoyed the little banter between the evil king and queen of Estain because I am hoping to write a whole book about them in the future.

Thanks for giving this book a chance, and,

Until next time I'll see you on the other side

~J. C. Coltt.