Altina the Sword Princess

Regis Aurick is a soldier in name only. Clumsy with a blade, incapable of riding a horse, and entirely indifferent to the empire he serves, he prefers the quiet company of books over military duty. Exiled to a remote border garrison as punishment for his incompetence, Regis expects nothing more than a life of obscurity. Instead, his mundane existence is upended by the arrival of a striking young woman with crimson hair and ruby-red eyes: Fourth Princess Marie Quatre Argentina de Belgaria, whom he comes to know simply as Altina. Despite being constantly underestimated by her own regiment—and even by Regis himself—Altina harbors a fierce ambition. She seeks to reform an empire corrupted by self-serving nobles and drained by senseless wars. Wielding the Grand Tonnerre Quatre, a legendary imperial sword resting at her hip, she approaches the apathetic bookworm with a direct proposition, asking him to serve as her tactician based on whispered rumors of his strategic brilliance. Determined to prove her worth regardless of the danger, the princess draws the reluctant scholar into her cause. Together, they embark on a sweeping tale of warfare, romance, and political intrigue.