CHAPTER 63……………………
Getting Braver, Making Hearts Flutter
The nobles and King Malau, who had been anxiously awaiting the arrival of King Mikrok, finally saw the grand carriage of Mikrok enter through the castle gates.
“There he is, Your Majesty. It seems King Mikrok came by carriage this time, unlike last time.”
“There’s another carriage following behind. Judging by the amount of luggage, it looks like he intends to stay at Malau Castle for quite a while.”
When Chancellor Yamal and the nobles quickly reported this, King Malau nodded in satisfaction.
Though it was a pity that the throne of queen was not involved, once the princess married Mikrok, the bond between Malau and Pritan would surely be strengthened. From Malau’s perspective, it meant gaining a powerful backer.
As the carriage stopped in front of the castle, attendants rushed forward and opened the door.
Moments later, Mikrok appeared. Tall, broad-shouldered, brimming with charisma and kingly dignity—nothing lacking in this man. Seeing him, King Malau couldn’t help but smile. The thought that this man would soon be his son-in-law made even the smallest detail look endearing.
But just as he was about to rise from his seat to greet Mikrok personally, King Malau suddenly noticed something odd.
“What is this? Who is that woman stepping down behind him?”
“…Judging by her platinum-blond hair, which resembles ours, perhaps she is… King Mikrok’s consort?”
Equally flustered, Yamal tilted his head in uncertainty.
The woman whom Mikrok escorted tenderly had her long platinum hair neatly tied back, wore a practical blue dress, and yet her elegance and beauty were unmistakable even from afar.
King Malau tilted his head, for her face seemed oddly familiar—until he realized why. It was the very face his daughter Shine had once taken on when she transformed in order to seduce King Mikrok.
Behind the couple trailed Pritan’s knights and handmaids.
“Unbelievable. He comes to seek a concubine, yet brings along his legal wife? Yamal, is this common in the human kingdoms?”
“I have never heard of such a thing.”
While King Malau and Yamal were plunged into confusion, Mikrok approached, still escorting Lea at his side.
“It is an honor that King Mikrok himself has graced Malau Castle with his presence. I trust the journey was not too arduous?”
Since King Malau was so flustered that he even forgot his greeting, Yamal stepped forward and offered a warm welcome.
“It was a comfortable journey. I am grateful for your kind welcome despite our sudden visit.”
“When the King of Pritan, with whom we have forged friendship, visits, our Malau Castle shall always welcome him with open arms.”
Finally coming to his senses, King Malau hurried to offer words of greeting. Yet his eyes never left the woman standing beside Mikrok.
At that moment, Mikrok gently covered the back of Lea’s hand, resting lightly on his arm, with his own large hand. That one simple gesture conveyed the intimacy between them.
“This is my queen.”
“It is an honor to meet the brave King of Malau, who subdued the northern winds. I am Lea Pritan, Queen of Pritan.”
With a sweet smile, Lea gave a graceful bow. She looked around at the Malau people who had come out to welcome them, her eyes full of curiosity.
King Malau, briefly entranced by her smile, snapped back to himself.
“Word of King Pritan’s deep devotion to his queen has spread even to our small northern land of Malau. Seeing you in person, I now understand why.”
“You flatter me.”
Lea lowered her lashes shyly, though her tender smile still lingered on her lips.
Seeing this, King Malau licked his lips nervously and glanced about. He noticed that his daughter Shine, who should have been there to greet the King of Pritan, was nowhere in sight.
“Where is Shine? Where is Princess Shine?”
“Father, I’m here.”
When King Malau turned, Shine appeared, dressed in a crimson gown like a blooming rose, accompanied by Julmon.
Her long platinum-blond waves cascaded over her voluptuous chest, exuding a seductive charm quite different from Lea’s elegance—enough to topple ten men at once. Relieved, King Malau smiled.
“I greet the great King Mikrok and Queen of Pritan.”
“Princess Shine, how have you been? And Sir Julmon, you look well.”
The greetings exchanged between Lea and Shine were polite and proper, yet extremely formal. This made King Malau uneasy. Shine should be showering Mikrok with all her girlish charm, not stiffly observing etiquette!
King Malau decided for now to lead his guests inside the castle.
“Please, come in and rest from your travels. A grand banquet awaits you this evening. Why not enjoy food, drink, and entertainment for the day?”
“Rather…”
Mikrok trailed off, as if he had another opinion. King Malau looked at him curiously.
“A couple of hours of rest will suffice. Perhaps it would be better to conduct our main business first, then leave rest and festivities for later.”
“I… is that so?”
Even as he answered, King Malau quickly stole a glance at Lea.
To suggest negotiating for a concubine right in front of his queen—was King Mikrok truly such a brazen man? More troubling still was Lea’s calm expression, which revealed nothing.
Still, it was also true that settling a potentially awkward negotiation early would allow for peace of mind later. From King Malau’s perspective, moving the talks forward was welcome.
“Then allow me to escort you to your lodgings. Rest well, and we shall reconvene in two hours.”
“Thank you for your consideration.”
Once Mikrok’s party was out of sight, King Malau’s carefully composed face twisted.
“Yamal, Julmon, into my office immediately.”
“Why Julmon too?”
When Shine protested, King Malau turned to her and added:
“You as well.”
(Scene change – inside the guest quarters)
“Lea, shouldn’t you put some ice on your eyes? Mili, fetch an ice pack at once.”
“Eh? Y-Yes, right away, Your Majesty.”
The moment they entered their guest lodgings, Mik spoke in a slightly sulky, teasing tone.
As Mili went to get ice, William slipped out behind her, leaving Mik and me alone.
I leaned close to his face and looked up at him.
“Why suddenly the ice pack?”
“Because the moment we arrived, your eyes were darting all over the place. I figured you needed to cool them down.”
“Me?”
“Yes, you.”
Though Mik still wore a frown, he didn’t pull away from my nearness.
“You stared holes into King Malau even after I warned you not to look. And when that man Julmon appeared, you practically lit up with delight.”
His cute jealousy made me giggle before I realized it.
“You’re laughing?”
“Ah, sorry. But honestly, King Malau was brimming with mature charm. The best middle-aged gentleman I’ve ever seen.”
“Hah!”
“And the nobles and knights he brought with him—wow, I’ve never seen so many handsome men gathered all at once. You have to understand.”
“Oh? Surrounded by all those men dripping with allure, did you lose your senses?”
His open jealousy was so adorable I couldn’t resist—I tiptoed up and kissed his lips.
“Too late. Damage done.”
Though he grumbled, his arm slid gently around my waist, and his lips lingered, eager for more. I looped my arms around his neck and teased:
“And what about you? You were staring at Princess Shine in that scandalously revealing dress. What were you thinking?”
With a scowl, he replied curtly:
“I was wondering if she wasn’t cold in this weather.”
“Pfft!”
I burst into laughter, pressing my forehead against his chest.
When I hugged him tight, his mood softened, and he held me tenderly. I debated teasing him further but decided instead to be honest.
“I don’t know about allure, but I was shocked that so many of them had the same hair color as me. I’ve never seen anyone with platinum-blond hair before—not even in the Harun Empire.”
“True, I’d never seen anyone else either. When I first came to Malau Castle, I was startled by it too.”
I tugged his shoulder so his ear was closer to my lips.
“But honestly, my eyes were busy watching the demons, but my mind was on something else entirely.”
“What was that?”
“I was thinking—‘Even among all these exotic, dazzling demons, my husband doesn’t pale in the slightest.’”
His body twitched, and the corner of his lips lifted faintly.
“And now I’m thinking—‘Why hasn’t my handsome husband kissed me yet?’”
I tilted my head back to look at him, and his lips dropped down for a quick kiss.
“That’s it?”
Disappointed, I frowned, but he smoothed the lines with his finger and whispered:
“No more. We have an important negotiation ahead.”
“Alright.”
He clearly felt a heavy burden about the coming talks. I sighed lightly and nodded.
But instead of behaving, I cupped his face in both hands and planted kisses on his lips, nose, cheeks, and eyelids.
“You stay cautious. I’ll just cover my husband’s face with kisses.”
He let out a helpless laugh.
“You’re getting braver these days. Making my heart race.”
Then, like a playful contest, we both began showering each other’s faces with kisses—eyes, nose, lips—without restraint.
A knock came at the door, but we were too absorbed to notice.
“Your Majesty, the ice pack—”
Mili cautiously opened the door, only to freeze. William, right behind her, also stopped in his tracks.
Without pausing his kisses, Mik waved them away. The two quickly shut the door and left.
(Back to Malau’s office)
Unlike the warm atmosphere between Lea and Mikrok, the Malau side was grave.
“Why do you think the King of Pritan brought his queen here?”
In the office, King Malau, Princess Shine, Chancellor Yamal, and Julmon sat in silence, each lost in thought.
“Shine, you’ve studied human history. Has there ever been a precedent where a king brought his queen while seeking a concubine?”
“No history book mentions such a thing.”
“Tch, how strange.”
Then Yamal glanced at Shine cautiously before speaking.
“There can be only one reason.”
“And that is?”
“To emphasize that, no matter what new concubine he takes, his heart belongs to his queen.”
King Malau frowned, yet he couldn’t deny the logic. Shine, however, let out a scornful laugh.
“So, I should give up my foolish dreams?”
“N-Not necessarily, but…”
Though Yamal hurried to deny it, no one could think of another explanation.
“Father. No, this won’t do.”
“What do you mean, no?”
Suddenly Shine shot up from her seat as if making a bombshell announcement.
“Being the second woman to such a great man—ugh, it feels far worse than I expected. I won’t do it. I refuse to be the King of Pritan’s concubine!”
“What???”
This time, King Malau himself leapt up in shock.
“What nonsense are you spouting now?”
