Chapter 8
“Become the Person His Highness Treasures Most”:
Miklok’s maternal grandfather, the King of Samal, handed poison to his daughter, the queen of Pritan, with one cruel order—slowly poison her husband, the King of Pritan, until he died.
He wanted to seize control of the Pritan Kingdom once his young grandson Miklok ascended the throne.
But what he didn’t understand was the depth of his daughter’s love for her husband.
Miklok’s mother chose to take the poison herself to protect that love.
“Why didn’t you tell Father the truth?”
“No. Your father must never know… He could never, ever forgive Samal.”
Even in death, she worried for her homeland.
“Promise me. Promise me you’ll never tell him…”
“Mother…”
Miklok couldn’t ignore her dying wish. But there was one thing she had overlooked:
Her son, Miklok, was even more ruthless than her husband.
Once he took the throne, Miklok spent two years plotting revenge. And then, without mercy, he wiped Samal off the map—just as he’d planned.
“Y-You… Why…?!”
The King of Samal was horrified as his grandson stormed the palace like lightning, turning it into a bloodbath.
Never in his wildest dreams did he think Miklok had learned the truth about his daughter’s death.
He never got his answer. Miklok’s sword severed his neck without hesitation.
Every royal and noble of Samal was slaughtered. The kingdom lost its sovereignty and was annexed into Pritan.
Miklok’s gaze, briefly lost in the past, shifted to his right hand. The flesh inside his palm looked as if it had been seared by a severe burn, deeply gnarled.
When her lips had touched his, he’d felt the ‘Dragon’s Breath’ in his palm tighten violently. It pulsed stronger than when he first saw her.
Just then, William entered the tent.
Miklok held out his hand to him.
“Will, look at this. Doesn’t something seem off?”
“I’m not sure… I don’t see anything?”
“Look closely. Doesn’t it seem like the Dragon’s Breath has faded a little?”
Under Miklok’s pressing insistence, William reluctantly examined the scar, but couldn’t find any visible change.
Those born of Pritan’s royal blood carried a scar on their face or hand, like a burn. It was called the ‘Dragon’s Breath.’
Miklok’s father, the former king, bore a large Dragon’s Breath on his face. It had caused him great distress until marriage.
But Miklok never remembered his father having a scar.
He’d been told the Dragon’s Breath vanished when Miklok was three.
When Miklok was young, he once tearfully showed his palm to his father.
“Father, the Dragon’s Breath got bigger since yesterday…”
“You got yours on your hand. That’s a blessing. I had to wear a veil over my face until you were born.”
“Really? But you don’t have a scar now!”
“If I hadn’t met your mother, I’d still be hiding my face.”
“Will my scar disappear too if I find a wife?”
“You need to love and be loved. Only love can erase the Dragon’s Breath.”
As Leah’s lips brushed his, that powerful sting on his palm brought his father’s words back to him.
Could she really erase the scar, like his mother had?
Just imagining loving her and being loved by her sent a warm flush throughout his body.
Then again, if this grotesque mark had been on his face, a beauty-chaser like Leah would’ve never followed him.
Thinking about that, Miklok felt absurdly lucky. Not just lucky—unbelievably so.
“Did something happen earlier today, sire?”
William asked, sensing Miklok’s unusual mood. But Miklok didn’t respond—his ears just turned red.
✳✳✳
“Drrrr~ drrr-rrr~”
After riding for two days without rest, Millie was clearly exhausted.
Her snoring made it impossible to sleep, so I slipped outside the tent.
The sun had risen, brightening the forest. But all was quiet near the camp.
A little distance away, William was boiling water over a fire.
“You’re up early, Sir William.”
“Good morning. Did you sleep well?”
He handed me a cup of warm tea.
I crouched by the fire with the tea in hand, and he gave me a blanket.
Wrapped up and sipping slowly, I felt much more at ease.
I finally asked what had been bothering me.
“Why is His Highness so eager to return to Pritan so quickly?”
“Well, the truth is…”
William hesitated before continuing.
“Near the Pritan border lives a demon tribe called the Maon.
At the end of each summer, they raid the nearby villages.”
A demon tribe? I’d only heard of them living in northern packs—I’d never seen one.
“There are other dangerous beasts too. Normally, the purge begins in two months.
But this year, the timeline was moved up.”
“Why?”
“Because of Duke Jake of the Haran Empire.”
Ah, I remembered Miklok mentioning that Jake had touched Pritan’s national treasure.
“Two months ago, that man tried to illegally harvest a sacred golden pine—one of Pritan’s highest-protected trees.
He even used the Maon tribe to do it. Idiots.”
Honestly, Jake sounded even dumber. How dare he provoke Pritan?
“Pritan and the Maon have long shared a secret agreement regarding those pines.
That’s why we’ve overlooked their yearly raids with only warnings.”
“So if they betrayed you first… the punishment will be severe.”
William nodded indifferently.
“His Highness cut off Duke Jake’s arm and sent him back.
And the monster purge was rescheduled. As for the Maon, there will be no warning this time—only extermination…”
William suddenly bit his lip and stopped talking, as if regretting how much he’d said.
“You don’t have to worry—I’m not about to leak any state secrets.
Besides, I don’t know any Maon personally,” I joked, smiling. William gave a faint smile back.
“The frightened Haran Emperor sent His Highness a marriage proposal from Marquis Uzkal.
But even with marriage on the table, His Highness didn’t want to delay the campaign.
Thanks to you, he’s glad he can proceed on schedule.”
As he added dried vegetables into the boiling pot, William smiled faintly.
“You seem to care deeply for His Highness.”
“As his knight, it’s only natural.”
“It’s not that natural. There are plenty of awful knights out there.
Even Millie can’t stand most of them—but she respects you.”
He looked a bit flustered at the mention of Millie.
“That’s surprising. I thought she spent all night cursing me…”
I chuckled and took another sip of tea.
“If I become Queen of Pritan, will I also be blessed with your noble loyalty?”
It was a lighthearted question, but William’s expression suddenly stiffened.
I laughed awkwardly.
“What? Is your loyalty reserved only for His Highness?”
“Become the one His Highness treasures most.
Then my life will be devoted to both His Highness and Lady Leah.”
His answer was measured but clear. I understood right away.
“If I become a queen in name only… your loyalty won’t be mine.”
“Hm… But honestly, I’m not too worried.”
He gave a faint smile, and I looked up curiously.
Why not worry a little?
At that moment, Miklok emerged from the tent, cloak fluttering as he approached.
“Did you sleep well, Your Highness?”
William greeted him and offered tea.
Miklok scowled, still looking half-asleep, but handsome as ever.
‘Seriously? Why does this man look hot even first thing in the morning?’
I quickly stood up to bow and return to the tent before I made another impulsive mistake.
But then his deep, low voice stopped me.
“Are you cold?”
“Huh? Oh… a bit. It’s summer, but we’re in the forest, so mornings and nights are chilly.”
Was that his way of saying I wasn’t fit to be Queen of cold, northern Pritan?
I had just been worrying about being a queen in name only—and now this?
I muttered in self-defense, “I did stay in the valley water a bit too long last night…”
Crap! Why would I bring up the valley?! That memory should be buried forever!
Glancing at him in panic, I saw his eyebrow twitch slightly.
“…I should wake Millie.”
Before my mouth could cause any more disasters, I darted back inside.
Millie was still fast asleep.
“Millie, get up. Sir William says we’re leaving soon.”
The moment I mentioned William’s name, Millie shot upright.
With military precision, she folded her blanket and changed clothes.
“My lady, let’s go!”
Her sudden transformation made me burst out laughing.
Once we packed up, William swiftly dismantled the tent.
By the fire, he had prepared breakfast for Millie and me.
“We’ll meet a carriage from Pritan around lunchtime.
It’ll be a much more comfortable ride, so please bear with it a little longer.”
Seeing our awkward positions, he kindly reassured us.
Oh~ the luxurious carriage from Pritan! Millie and I exchanged thrilled looks.
After breakfast, we erased all traces of our camp and loaded the horses.
Just thinking about riding again made my butt hurt, but Miklok lifted me onto the horse in one clean motion.
His firm body pressed close behind me.
Feeling awkward and tense, I looked away—and saw William and Millie riding a horse named Bibi.
I suddenly wondered about the name of the horse I was on.
“What’s this horse’s name?”
“Name? It doesn’t have one.”
“But Sir William’s horse has a cute name like Bibi. Why doesn’t this one?”
Miklok looked at me like I’d said something absurd.
“A horse just needs to run fast. Why would it need a name?”
“Even animals can form bonds. If you call it kindly, it’ll grow closer to you.”
“Then you name it.”
I didn’t expect that! So it really didn’t have a name!
Suddenly burdened with a naming mission, I racked my brain.
I had to come up with a cool name that wouldn’t lose to Bibi!
“Your Highness is called the ‘Bloodthirsty Demon of War,’ right?
So your horse should match—how about ‘Savage’ or ‘Brutal’? Pretty intense, right?”
“…What?”
His neutral expression twisted in an instant.
