Chapter 24.
Let’s Go to Pritan!
Miklok felt a sudden dizziness at the sight of Lea standing before him like a phantom. His heart leapt before his brain could process it.
“Lea, how are you here…?”
“I missed you so terribly, Your Highness Miklok.”
As she nestled into his arms, he held her shoulders.
Disbelieving, he gently twisted her hair around his finger, then slowly caressed her face, neck, and shoulders. His eyes gradually darkened.
“Mmm…”
She closed her eyes under his touch, letting out a strange moan as her body writhed at his hands.
“Kiss me.”
She raised her lips and reached for his neck, but Miklok grabbed her arms and roughly pinned her against the wall.
As she gasped and clung to him in excitement, his large hand seized her throat.
“Ghh! Y-Your… Highness…?”
“Bored now. Let’s stop. Are you the princess of Malau?”
His once burning gaze was now icy cold.
Looking down at her with an unreadable, emotionless stare, he made her pride waver.
Yet the veins bulging on the hand and arm gripping her neck made her choke with fear, gasping for breath.
She clawed at his wrist with both hands, trying desperately to remove his grip.
“Are you all right?”
William rushed into the bedchamber with his sword drawn.
“You’re slow as ever. What, were you planning to show up after I’m dead?”
“My apologies.”
Miklok teased him sarcastically, but his gaze remained fixed on the woman.
When William looked up and saw the woman suffering in Miklok’s grip, his eyes widened in shock.
“Your Majesty the Queen?!”
“Will, are you out of your mind?”
Miklok responded coldly and looked down at the woman with a sharp glare.
“I had my suspicions when they insisted I stay the night, but to think she’d appear in my queen’s form.”
He looked ready to snap her delicate neck at any moment.
“How should I end you? Surely you were prepared for this when you dared such a thing.”
Though he spoke to her, his voice was clearly meant for others outside. As his grip tightened, her desperate struggle for air intensified.
At last, the doors to the chamber burst open, and the King of Malau and his attendants rushed in, falling to their knees.
Miklok flung the choking woman toward the king.
“Hah… hah… hah…”
Gasping raggedly, her violet eyes gradually turned deep green, revealing her true form.
She was a beautiful woman—seductive, arrogant—completely different from Lea except for her hair color.
“Explain.”
Miklok’s frigid command made the King of Malau bow so low his forehead hit the floor.
“Oh great King of Pritan, please do not misunderstand. Sending a daughter to attend to a guest in bed is the Malau tribe’s highest form of hospitality. It’s an ancient tradition. If my daughter has offended you, I beg your forgiveness.”
“An excessive welcome. Does this tradition also include altering one’s appearance?”
His voice was steeped in distaste. The king bowed even deeper.
After the peace treaty was signed, the King of Malau had wanted to solidify the relationship further—what better way than a royal marriage?
But recent rumors that Miklok had already taken a consort troubled him.
That’s when his daughter Shine declared,
“Even if he has a consort, I’ll make sure she’s out of the picture. He’ll be mine the moment he sleeps with me.”
“Shine, the King of Pritan is not a man to take lightly.”
“He’s still a man. Whether demon or human, no man has ever resisted me.”
Smiling confidently, Shine brushed her hair aside. She had promised that if he stayed in Malau Castle even one night, she’d ensnare him.
“With illusion perfume and transformation magic, he’ll fall instantly. Once he has me, he won’t be able to throw me away.”
Emboldened by his daughter’s confident boast, the King of Malau assisted in the plan. Everyone overlooked her because of her pretty face, but Shine had always been known for her brilliance.
With her looks and cunning, she could surely conquer even someone like Miklok. But the result was a complete disaster.
Strangely, Miklok—expected to erupt in fury—remained eerily silent.
As William stood guard, sword drawn, Miklok leisurely changed his clothes and sat down, calmly watching them.
The silence dragged on, oppressive and suffocating, but no one dared to speak.
“Dawn has broken.”
William turned from the window to Miklok. Miklok nodded and stood, looking down at the King of Malau.
“I’ve honored the promise to stay one night. I and the Pritan knights will depart immediately.”
Nervous, the king licked his lips and hurriedly pulled Shine forward.
“Despite what happened, I ask you to keep my daughter by your side to further strengthen the alliance between our nations—”
“The alliance,” Miklok interrupted, his voice tinged with anger.
“—will hold so long as the treaty’s terms are honored to the letter. So I suggest you refrain from playing tricks.”
“She doesn’t need to be a consort or concubine. Just… let her stay by your side, let her serve you.”
At this desperate plea, Shine trembled with humiliation.
“Thanks for the offer, but I barely have enough time to care for my one and only consort…”
Miklok’s voice turned chillingly cold.
“Let me give you some advice. Don’t use your daughter to fulfill your ambitions. Not if you want the Kingdom of Malau to last another thousand years.”
“But… isn’t that how all human kings have built their kingdoms?”
“Then you must not have heard what happened to the Kingdom of Samal—my maternal homeland.”
The casual remark made the king and his ministers go pale.
They all knew the infamous rumor: Miklok had personally destroyed his maternal grandfather’s kingdom.
“We’ll be taking the tribute you prepared for us. But,”
At the sound of his resolute tone, the King of Malau lifted his head slightly.
“Surely there must be a price for impersonating my consort. As an apology for today’s offense, let’s settle it with 3,000 tons of heated mana stones.”
“Th-Three thousand…?”
“Is that a problem?”
It would take draining two entire mines to gather that amount, but the King didn’t dare try to negotiate.
“As you wish. We’ll send one thousand tons within the month.”
As the king bowed his head so low it nearly hit the ground, his ministers followed suit.
Having secured everything he wanted, Miklok and William left the Malau Castle without hesitation.
Outside, the elite knights of Pritan were on standby, fully prepared to storm the castle at a moment’s notice.
“Are you unharmed?”
Ralph ran up in a panic to meet them.
“There was a minor incident, but the Queen will be warmer this winter because of it.”
“Pardon?”
Not understanding, Ralph looked confused, but William signaled for him not to ask.
Mounted on his horse, Miklok turned to his men and shouted,
“Good work, everyone. Let’s go home!!”
“Wooooaaaah!!!”
A joyous roar erupted. Miklok and the Pritan knights swiftly departed Malau Castle.
“The budget for the Queen’s Palace is way bigger than I thought. Do we really spend this much every year?”
In the chancellor’s office in Pritan Castle, I sat across from Duke Xenon, reviewing the financial documents I’d be managing from now on.
“No, Your Majesty. This is just the second half’s budget.”
“So next year, the Queen’s Palace will receive twice as much?”
“As you know, there was no queen during the first half of the year, so barely any budget was allocated.”
Duke Xenon chuckled lightly.
“Now that we have a proper lady of the house, I hope you’ll manage it well. Once you get used to it, perhaps you could oversee the castle’s internal finances too.”
“Ugh! Don’t rush me, Duke Xenon!”
I glared miserably at the ledger.
Thirteen gold—that’s how much I got when I sold my tiara to fund my escape. It was the largest amount of money I’d ever held.
Now I had to make monthly spending decisions with more money than I could even fathom. It was overwhelming.
They say the rich spend money well because they’re used to it—well, I needed time to build that nerve.
As I stared hard at the numbers, it felt like I was having a staring contest with the budget. Duke Xenon smiled at the sight.
“Since Your Majesty is working so hard, I should give you a gift.”
“A gift? Yes, please~”
“I actually received word just now from Joseph, captain of the second unit.”
“What did he say?”
At the word “message,” my ears perked up. Could it be about Mik?
“The monster subjugation progressed faster than expected, and they’ll be back a month ahead of schedule. The second unit is already en route to the castle.”
“And His Majesty? Miklok?”
Seeing my heart about to burst, Duke Xenon deliberately opened the letter slowly, trying to tease me.
“Let’s see… His Majesty Miklok stayed one more day at Malau Castle, so he’s returning a day later than Joseph. If the letter’s correct…”
He drew it out, clearly enjoying the suspense.
“He should arrive within four days at the latest. Are you happy?”
Such an obvious question—I could only nod vigorously.
Mik, my beloved husband… He’s finally coming back to me!
I practically floated as I left the chancellor’s office and headed toward the Queen’s Palace.
At the palace gate, Millie spotted me and ran up excitedly.
“Your Majesty, word is His Majesty Miklok and the knights are returning! Everyone’s buzzing!”
“I heard. They’ll arrive in four days.”
“Oh my gosh! They’re all safe, right?”
Millie clasped her hands together, eyes brimming with tears.
“Of course. Just a few minor injuries. So, Millie…”
I trailed off, looking straight at her. My gaze was playful but intense, and she looked a little flustered.
“Um… Why are you looking at me like that?”
“You need to decide soon. Which of the three is it?”
“I told you, it’s nothing like that! It’s cold—I’ll go make some tea.”
She bolted. I laughed but quickly remembered what I needed to do and rushed inside.
“Adele, call Chief Attendant Colin. His Majesty and the knights will arrive in four days. We need to decorate the castle and prepare a grand welcome banquet.”
“Wow! This will be the biggest event since His Majesty’s coronation!”
Adele’s face lit up with excitement.
“We’ll be so busy for the next few days. We might not even get to sleep! Everyone needs to be ready. And Sophie—go summon the royal chef to my office right now.”
Though I barked out orders and warned of hard labor, Adele and Sophie looked absolutely delighted.
As I walked to my office, I thought about the Queen’s Palace budget Duke Xenon had given me. Knowing I had more than enough funds made half my worries disappear.
“The welcome banquet will be covered by the Queen’s budget, and I’ll request a separate one for decorating the castle.”
The more I planned, the more energy surged through me.
For those brave men returning without a scratch, I’d make sure they feasted, drank, and celebrated for three straight days and nights.
I’d throw a truly unforgettable and emotional party.
Suddenly, I recalled the image of Duke and Duchess Xenon and Violet strolling through the Crown Prince’s garden.
“Yes! That’s it!!”
