Chapter 5:
“It’s for One Person—Is That Okay?”
While riding with King Miklok, I let out a sigh, worried about Milly who had been left behind at the marquisate. That was all—but he abruptly stopped his horse and confronted me.
From the look in his eyes, it seemed like he was ready to wring my neck.
“It’s not like that. Really, we’re not like that at all.”
“We?”
He scoffed in disapproval, but I stood my ground. There was no reason to be ashamed this time.
“Yes, we. We’re just friends!”
“Then what was that sigh about?”
“I was worried about Milly. You saw it too, didn’t you? That knight of yours who looks like a mountain bandit clamped a hand over her mouth and dragged her off.”
“Ah…”
He nodded, seeming to remember the scene.
“Was he planning to bring that maid with him, too?”
“We haven’t been apart since we were eight. I’m worried if she can endure the Frettan winter, but I still hoped we could go together.”
My voice trailed off sadly, and he looked directly at my face. What… why does he look at me like that? So intensely?
“You worry about your maid, but not yourself?”
“Myself?”
“The Frettan winter won’t be any easier for you either…”
Was he… worried about me?
I glanced at him. His deep indigo eyes were calmly observing me, but I couldn’t read any emotion in them.
I quietly lowered my head. I may have lived over ten years as a noblewoman, but before that, I’d survived the empire’s worst slums. And for ten years, I’d trained in swordsmanship and horseback riding to build up my endurance.
No matter how harsh Frettan’s winter was, as long as people lived there, I believed I could adapt.
Still, it felt awkward to share all that with him.
“Why worry about that? Would someone as handsome as Your Highness really let me freeze to death?”
I said it cheerfully with a smile. But something about it must have annoyed him again, because King Miklok’s eyes narrowed.
“You’re wearing that mask again.”
“Huh?”
He stared at me, unimpressed, then changed the subject.
“If you truly want to bring that girl with you, I’ll send a separate carriage.”
“Really? You’ll really bring Milly to Frettan?”
“Yes. Hold on tight. We’re moving again.”
With that, he suddenly spurred his horse. Maybe the short rest had rejuvenated the beast, because it took off like a demon from hell, even faster than before.
Oh god, what is this insane speed?! My head was spinning, so I closed my eyes.
Still, just knowing Milly would soon be with me in Frettan made me feel a little better.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Last chance. Where is Bibi?”
At the stables of the Marquis of Uzkal’s estate, William—King Miklok’s closest knight—had been facing off with Lea’s maid Milly for thirty minutes.
He was supposed to depart immediately, but this tiny maid, barely a handful, was holding him up. It was infuriating.
At dawn, William had gone to see the Marquis and his wife.
“The truth is, His Highness Miklok and your daughter Lady Lea departed overnight. Not eloped—just left early.”
“…What?”
The couple stared at him in disbelief, and William felt shame burning his face. It wasn’t even his scandal, so why did it feel like he was the one embarrassed?
Still, the marquis and his wife didn’t seem too angry.
“We were planning to leave this morning anyway. Leaving a little earlier isn’t a big problem,” the marchioness said, then whispered to her husband, “Derek, then we should go see the Emperor today and collect the promised money…”
“Ahem. Let’s go inside, dear. Sir William, safe travels. Send our regards to the King of Frettan.”
The marquis quickly wrapped up the conversation, not sparing a single word for his own daughter. It was obvious he had no affection for Lea, his illegitimate child.
But William didn’t care about the inner workings of this household. He needed to return to Miklok right away. Except!!
His horse, Bibi, which had been calmly tethered in the stable last night, was gone. In its place was Lea’s maid, Milly.
“Promise to take me too. Otherwise, I’ll never tell you where your horse is!”
Milly, with her stubborn eyes, sat on top of her suitcase, holding him hostage.
“Ugh!”
William clenched his fists and tried to calm down.
Milly flinched a little at his outburst but held her ground.
“I’m not asking for a noble lady’s carriage. I’m just asking to come along since we’re going the same way. Refusing that is just petty!”
“Petty?!”
William was speechless.
“I’m the king’s closest knight. Even leaving his side for a few hours is enough to give me anxiety. And you want me to take you with me? Do you know how much time you’re wasting?”
“If you’d just agreed to take me in the first place, we’d have left already. You’re the one wasting time!”
“If I take you, it’ll waste more time!”
Finally, William snapped.
“Bibi and I aren’t going on a pleasant ride. We’re going to sprint like we’re in a war zone! Do you really think you can handle that speed? Don’t be a burden. Stay here!”
He figured that would scare her off. Most knights would flee at one of his roars.
Milly looked like she was about to cry.
“Tell me where Bibi is. If His Highness allows it later, I’ll send a carriage for you. I promise on my honor.”
At those words, Milly suddenly stood up. William thought she was finally giving up, but instead of bringing Bibi, she pulled out a long rope from a corner of the stable.
“I’ll tie myself up tightly so I won’t fall off or cause trouble.”
Clutching the rope and looking up at him with tearful eyes, William realized it.
He had lost.
“Argh!!!”
Furious, he stomped his feet and waved his arms. Milly shrank back, but still kept looking at him.
Grumbling, he grabbed her suitcase, snatched the rope from her hands, and threw it aside.
“Fine. Lead the way to Bibi.”
“Really? Yes, sir!!”
Milly let out a sigh of relief. A tear slipped down her smiling face.
Seeing her tears made William feel like the villain. He turned away and grumbled,
“If you cry from exhaustion later, I’m really leaving you behind.”
“I won’t cry! Never! This way, sir.”
Milly wiped her tears with her fists and led him to the ginkgo tree at Laurel Hill. There, under the tree, Bibi was calmly grazing.
Apparently, Milly’s rope-tying skills were bad, because the rope had come undone.
Still, Bibi hadn’t wandered off and was patiently waiting.
Seeing that made William even more annoyed.
“You idiot! You just followed a stranger here? You’re getting special training from hell when we get back!”
Snort!
As if understanding him, Bibi shook her mane defiantly.
“How did you do it?”
“Do what?”
“Bibi’s sensitive. He won’t follow anyone but me or His Highness. How did you get him here?”
“Oh, that?”
Milly grinned and pulled something from her pocket. A sugar cube.
“Coachman Tom told me—there’s no horse in the world that can resist sugar.”
William, who always thought Bibi was special, was offended that his horse had succumbed to such a cliché.
But what could he do? Bibi was the one who gave in.
William swiftly mounted Bibi and spurred him forward. The startled horse reared up.
“Wait! You have to take me too—kyaa!”
Milly panicked, afraid he’d break his promise. But before she could finish, William bent over mid-gallop and hauled her onto the saddle in front of him.
Without a care whether she was shocked or not, he increased their speed.
Seated sideways on the saddle, Milly instinctively clung to his waist. The speed made her dizzy, and she squeezed her eyes shut.
She was afraid he might shake her off in annoyance—but surprisingly, William let her be.
Because her eyes were shut, Milly no longer found this bandit-like knight scary.
Truthfully, William had been startled when she suddenly grabbed his waist. He wondered what she was up to.
But seeing her trembling with her eyes tightly shut, he realized it wasn’t intentional. Well, riding a royal warhorse on your first time would terrify anyone.
Afraid he might go soft seeing her struggle, William kept his eyes ahead and spurred Bibi again.
Sensing his master’s mood, Bibi thundered forward, slicing through the wind.
✦ ✦ ✦
Growl~
No matter how hard I tried to ignore it, my stomach roared relentlessly.
It was the second day since we’d left the marquisate. Last night we had stayed at a village inn, but now that we were near the border, there were no towns in sight.
So, we decided to camp in the forest. As soon as I got off the horse, I finally felt some relief—and my stomach demanded food immediately.
While Miklok King pitched the tent under a tree, he glanced over at me and smirked. Ugh, so embarrassing!
I quickly looked down to hide my red face.
“I meant to finish the tent first, but it seems your stomach won’t wait.”
“It’s fine. I can manage. Please finish.”
Trying to act like I wasn’t hungry, I kept a straight face, and his eyes gleamed mischievously.
“Shall I, then? It’ll only take an hour.”
An hour?! I wanted to scream, but held it in.
Instead of continuing the tent, he built a fire and set a small pot to boil. Once the soup started bubbling, my hunger intensified.
They say Frettan fights wars like meals, and he sure looked skilled at camping, despite being a king.
He handed me a bowl of soup, jerky, bread, and dried fruit.
I wanted to devour it all in one bite, but twelve years of etiquette held me back. Truly, education matters.
He watched me eat—diligently yet gracefully—then grinned and asked,
“I wonder if you’re aware…”
“Of what?” I asked, munching on bread.
“Our escape was quite impulsive, so I forgot… the tent we’re using tonight—it’s for one person. Is that okay?”
I froze mid-bite, the bread still in my mouth.