Hughes, however, wore a more cautious expression. "While the design is ingenious, there is one significant issue," he said, glancing between Ravenna and John. "We haven’t tested these crossbows in a live combat scenario. none of our soldiers have trained with them, using them in combat will bring Complications"

  "Complications indeed," John added grimly, crossing his arms.

  Ravenna leaned forward, her gaze sharp and resolute. "It’s a risk we have to take," she declared. "If we’re going to hold off a force more than twice our size, we need every advantage we can muster. Have the soldiers train with them until the very last moment. Familiarize them as much as possible."

  John and Hughes exchanged uneasy glances but sighed in reluctant agreement. Hughes finally nodded, his shoulders sagging slightly under the weight of the decision.

  "Very well, Your Highness," Hughes said. "Now, with that settled, let’s return to the matter of the enemy. Based on what we know, here’s what I believe."

  He paused, tapping a finger on the edge of the map laid out on the table. The intricate cartography of Jola Island and its surroundings seemed to come alive under his scrutiny.

  "These are knights masquerading as pirates," Hughes began, his tone firm. "That much is clear. But why the charade? They must have a specific reason for wanting us to believe they’re pirates. If so, then they need witnesses—credible ones—to confirm this narrative."

  Ravenna’s lips twitched in subtle approval, impressed by Hughes’s quick grasp of the situation. He truly was the captain of her knights for a reason.

  "They’re aiming for plausible deniability," John interjected, his brow furrowed in thought. "They intend to dispose of the slaves and ensure that we spread the tale of a pirate raid—keeping their noble house’s involvement buried. Isn’t that it?"

  "Exactly," Ravenna said with a small nod. Despite her initial hesitation to reveal too much, she realized there was no point in keeping her knights in the dark. They had pieced it together with startling accuracy.

  "But it’s not just about the town," Hughes added, his hand moving across the map to highlight various points of interest. "If that were the case, they could’ve dumped the slaves at any coastal village while staging a raid. The fact that they’ve chosen Jola is significant."

  "They need me as a witness," Ravenna replied, her voice edged with frustration. "An imperial princess’s testimony carries far more weight than that of any noble family or common townsfolk."

  "Precisely," Hughes agreed. "And based on this, we can expect them to rush straight into the city."

  Ravenna and John exchanged confused looks. "Rush into the city?" John asked.

  Hughes nodded, his expression growing more serious. "Their objective is to convince us—and by extension, the imperial court—that this was a pirate raid tied to the slave auctions in the capital's crime syndicate. To sell this illusion, they will act like true pirates: attacking recklessly, sowing chaos, and perhaps even attempting to kidnap Your Highness to stage a ransom. Such a scenario would lend credibility to their story."

  Ravenna’s eyes narrowed. "It would also ensure that my testimony aligns with their fabricated narrative," she murmured.

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  "And they likely believe we’re unaware of their plans," Hughes continued. "This means they’ll come at us with confidence, assuming we’ll be caught off guard."

  Ravenna tapped her fingers against the table, her mind racing. "Then evacuating the city and setting an ambush should work, correct? We could free the slaves and trap them before they realize what’s happening."

  Hughes shook his head, his expression grim. "It’s not that simple, Your Highness. Consider this: they undoubtedly know how many knights are stationed here. If their plan is this elaborate, they’ve done their homework."

  Ravenna’s glare bore into Hughes, her suspicion growing. He’d clearly deduced which noble house was behind this, even without her explicitly stating it. Hughes met her gaze with a nervous smile but pressed on.

  "From what I can infer, they’ll split their fleet into three groups and position them at strategic points: the southern port, the eastern beach, and the western beach," Hughes explained, tracing his fingers along the map to indicate the locations.

  John frowned, leaning over the table. "Why spread their forces like that? If their goal is to convince us it’s a pirate raid, wouldn’t it be more efficient to send a smaller group to wreak havoc in the city while they unload the slaves at the port? No one in their right mind would want to hold Jola Island—it’s a strategic location, and the imperial court would reclaim it within hours. Attempting to take it is sheer folly."

  "True, but their objective isn’t just to dispose of the slaves. They also want to kidnap Her Highness," Hughes countered. "That’s the best way to ensure her testimony aligns with their story."

  Ravenna nodded slowly, the pieces falling into place. "So they’ll widen their attack radius to account for the possibility that I’m not in the castle during the raid," she said. "This way, it still feels like a chaotic pirate raid, but they increase their chances of capturing me."

  "Exactly," Hughes confirmed.

  John let out a frustrated grumble. "If they’re coming at us from three directions, holding the city will be nearly impossible. Even if we evacuate the citizens to the northern estate, defending against a multi-pronged assault will stretch our forces too thin."

  Ravenna, though well-versed in politics and management, felt out of her depth in military strategy. She leaned heavily on Hughes and John, trusting them to come up with a plan that could counter such a daunting threat. Her dark eyes shifted between them, silently urging them to devise a solution.

  Hughes broke the tense silence with a determined voice. "We’ll attack them from behind." His finger traced the map spread across the table, pointing to strategic points along the coastline. "Since their goal is to dispose of the slaves here, we can hope they won’t retreat until they’ve achieved that. That gives us an opening."

  He gestured to the southern port, which is currently under renovation. "The port is in repair, which works to our advantage. We can block their approach with debris and abandoned ships, creating an obstacle that slows them down. While they’re struggling to dock, we’ll deploy smaller fishing boats to sail in behind them. With the element of surprise since they don’t know we are expecting them, we can strike when they’re least prepared."

  Hughes’s gaze shifted to the western and eastern beaches. "At the western beach, we’ll use the layered rock formations to our advantage. Stationing men there will give us a tactical high ground to ambush them in narrow lanes. The eastern beach, with its open desert terrain, is trickier, but we can position our forces to lure them into unfavorable ground, where mobility is limited, and they’re exposed."

  He paused, tapping the map thoughtfully before continuing. "While these skirmishes are unfolding on land, we’ll use the fishing boats to board their ships. Our new steel crossbows will be critical here. If we can take out their captains and key officers, we’ll throw their chain of command into chaos. The steel arrows should also be able to damage their sails and rigging, crippling their ability to retreat quickly."

  Ravenna nodded slowly, following his reasoning, though her face betrayed her concern. "But what if they realize they’re outmaneuvered and try to flee before they’re cornered? They could simply retreat into the open ocean and regroup."

  Hughes grimaced, acknowledging the risk. "That’s the one problem we can’t completely solve. Without larger warships, we lack the means to blockade them effectively or chase them down if they retreat. Still, their intent to dispose of the slaves here suggests they won’t pull out immediately. Their timeline works in our favor if we act decisively."

  “So if we had a way to stop them from retreating we can do something?” Ravenna asked with a firm voice.