is going to be really stupid, right?
Eh, not really. It's just not what most readers will expect. It's realistic, but some people might find it stupid.
I've completely lost the plot of the world building
Second Princess Valiere is tasked with hunting down some reported bandits. If she fails she loses Faust as her advisor. On the way, it is discovered that the bandits were absorbed by regional nobility and the soldiers in her army as they flee to Villendorf. This regional noble attempted to seize the birthright from her older sister and failed (details of the failed succession will be revealed later). In an attempt to gather treasure and gifts for the neighboring kingdom, Villendorf, Caroline, the regional noble in question, raided a village owned by Queen Liesenlotte.
Queen Liesenlotte, Duchess Astarte, and First Princess Anastasia find out that Valiere, her 10-20 knights, Faust, and his 10-20 guards (I think there's 32 soldiers for Faust and Valiere in total) are now chasing down a small army of 100 soldiers and bandits. The queen sends Astarte and her knights as support, though it is not possible to arrive before Valiere and Caroline meet.
At the raided village, Sabine (seeing that Valiere [and herself] is going to lose Faust) forgoes noblesse oblige (
responsibility of privileged people to act with generosity and nobility toward those less privileged) and pressures/shames the surviving villagers into forming a militia to bolster their troops and they set off to intercept Caroline.
There's some chapters characterizing Caroline. She's overly dramatic, but is well loved by the soldiers she served with that have accompanied her.
Caroline gets to the border with none of her treasure or captives, and offers insider information to the Villendorf border guards. Whether it isn't enough, or they don't wish to provoke another war, they turn Caroline down. Seeing that Faust, is waiting on Caroline, they insist she defeat him to prove that she is worth taking in. The Villendorf border guard (likely veterans from the previous war) recognize Faust as the one who slew Reckenber, the hero of their kingdom and an unparalleled superhuman herself.
It's really only 10 chapters, though. Might be worth it to reread.