CHAPTER 09…………
. The Only One Who Doesn’t Know Your Condition Is You!
Just like William calling his horse “Bibi,” I, too, was suddenly seized by a burning desire to give our horse a cool name.
“Your Highness’s nickname is ‘Blood-demon Mad for War,’ right? Since it’s your horse, how about something that fits—like Savage or Ferocious? Sounds strong, doesn’t it?”
“What?”
From the way his face twisted up, I guess he really didn’t like it.
Heh, then he’ll definitely like this one!
“Then how about Bloodstorm? It means a storm of blood—‘Blood-demon and Bloodstorm’! Wow, it even rhymes. Bloodstorm, you like it too, don’t you?”
I honestly thought it was a brilliant name. But then, the horse, which had been standing so calmly until now, suddenly reared up on its front legs, thrashing as if in a fit.
“Eek!”
As my body lurched backward, I instinctively clung tightly to his arms.
“How is it possible to come up with a name so awful that even a beast despises it?”
Lifting his perfectly shaped brows, he looked down at me with genuine curiosity.
“Despises it? No way, Bloodstorm wouldn’t! This was just coincidence…”
Hiiiiiinnnngggg~~~!!!
The wretched horse reared again, making me jump out of my skin. Once my pounding heart finally calmed down, I glared daggers at the back of its head.
“Fine, fine! I won’t call you that! Just be ‘Horse’ forever, then. Hmph!”
King Miklok, who had been listening to my grumbling, shook his head and soothed the horse by patting its neck. Then he said,
“For everyone’s sake, it’d be best if you never name anything again.”
He kicked the horse’s sides sharply. As the insolent beast bolted forward like the wind, he threw in one last remark.
“And don’t even think about naming our children!”
“What?! Who said I would? I wouldn’t anyway!!”
Our children. OUR children?!
The words burst out of nowhere, and I was so flustered I shouted back incoherently.
But all of my protests were utterly ignored.
On the hill opposite the northern border of the Haren Empire, a carriage from the Kingdom of Pritan and six knights of the Special Order were waiting.
According to plan, they should have been galloping toward the Marquis of Uzkal’s estate.
But once they received word that Miklok himself was bringing his bride-to-be on horseback, they chose to wait instead of crossing the border.
Beside a red-haired knight peering through a telescope, another knight with the same fiery hair approached.
“Ralph, it’ll be a while before they get here. At least an hour, right?”
“Do you not know Prince Miklok and Captain William’s riding skills? They’ll be here in twenty minutes.”
“You idiot, they’re not alone. They’re bringing the future queen and her maid!”
“Freddy Soren, is that any way to talk to the vice-captain of the Special Order?”
“What?! You little punk, how dare you talk like that to your big brother?!”
These two were the infamous twins of the Kingdom of Pritan’s most elite unit, the Special Order: Freddy Soren and Ralph Soren.
So alike that even comrades sometimes struggled to tell them apart, but their personalities couldn’t be more opposite.
Freddy, the elder, was all action and brawn, always moving before thinking. Ralph, the younger, was cool-headed and clever.
Though Freddy surpassed his brother in swordsmanship and horsemanship, Ralph had climbed the ranks faster thanks to his brains and leadership.
Freddy didn’t really mind—except when Ralph used his higher rank to act smug, like right now.
Then Ralph’s lips curved into a smile as he stared at the border.
“They’re here. Told you so.”
At his signal, the resting knights quickly prepared to receive their king.
Moments later, Miklok and William arrived on horseback, each with a woman seated in front of them.
“We pay our respects to the great Prince Miklok of Pritan!”
The six knights of the Special Order dropped to one knee in unison. Miklok and William dismounted.
“You’ve worked hard.”
“It’s no trouble at all! It’s an honor to serve the future queen. Actually, we all wanted the job so badly we drew lots for it…”
As Freddy babbled, Ralph jabbed him in the ribs, telling him to shut it.
Freddy shot his brother a glare but then sneaked a look past Miklok’s shoulder.
Not just Freddy—every knight was sneaking glances at the woman riding with their king.
Their war-mad ruler getting married?! They were dying of curiosity about the bride-to-be.
Noticing their thoughts written all over their faces, Miklok couldn’t help but smile faintly. He helped Lea down from the horse and introduced his men.
“These are the pride of Pritan—the strongest knights of the Special Order. This is Vice-Captain Ralph Soren, and that one who looks exactly like him is his twin, Freddy Soren. They’ll be assigned to guard you during the journey, so remember their faces.”
“Thank you for coming such a long way because of me.”
At Lea’s kind words, the Sorens lit up with smiles.
They had already been thrilled that their king was finally marrying, but to think the queen would be this beautiful and gracious!
The other knights clearly felt the same; their eyes shone with emotion. William, watching this, scoffed.
“You fools, get a grip! You’re supposed to be the bloodthirsty demons of hell, and now you’re gazing at her like puppies? What if the enemy sees those eyes?”
“They won’t. If they do, I’ll cut their throats on the spot.”
Freddy replied proudly. William could only sigh in disbelief that he was serious.
Ralph stepped forward and opened the carriage door for Lea.
“Please, Your Highness. We’ll escort you safely to Pritan Castle.”
With Miklok’s help, Lea entered the carriage. Freddy swiftly grabbed Millie’s luggage from her hands.
“Thank you. Pritan’s knights are certainly very kind.”
Unlike some people, Millie thought but kept to herself, smiling brightly instead. Freddy grinned warmly back.
“Full speed ahead. Until we reach Pritan Castle, guard the future queen with your lives. Understood?”
At William’s command, the elite knights responded firmly, mounting horses and forming ranks around the carriage.
“I’ll see you at the castle.”
Miklok called to Lea, who had poked her head out of the carriage window. Before she could even answer, he vanished at terrifying speed, William and his horse Bibi chasing after.
“What? They’re not coming with us?”
Lea’s mouth fell open as she stared for a long time in the direction they had disappeared.
Racing after Miklok’s wild gallop, William began to wonder if this was really the same king once known as the blood-drenched maniac of war.
That morning, when Lea had disappeared into the tent after warming herself by the fire, Miklok had made an unexpected declaration.
“When we meet the royal carriage, you’re coming with me straight to Pritan Castle.”
“What??”
William’s face twisted in dismay. After nearly two weeks of chasing Miklok’s heels, he was already worn out.
He had been looking forward to moving at a sane pace with the carriage, but now he had to keep burning his legs raw again?
“I get that you like to oversee everything yourself, but Your Majesty, at least trust your men a little. Preparations for the campaign must be thorough by now.”
Miklok looked at him like he was talking nonsense.
“Of course the preparations are flawless. I oversaw them personally before leaving.”
“Then why the rush?”
“I need to open Royal Treasury Number Three.”
William blinked, stunned. Treasury Number Three contained the heat stones. In frigid Pritan, those magical stones were more valuable than any jewel.
“Why suddenly Treasury Three…?”
“How could someone who’s only ever lived in the mild Haren Empire survive Pritan’s cold? At the very least, I need more heat stones installed in the queen’s palace—bedroom, reception room, study, lounge.”
William’s jaw dropped. Had he heard right? Miklok went on.
“If I’d known this, I would’ve looted more heat stones on our last campaign…”
“But we raided two mines!”
“And left one untouched.”
Miklok looked regretful, as if scolding his past self from three months ago.
“So… just because the future queen said she felt cold earlier…?”
“She was hugging a blanket in this weather. Imagine what it’ll be like in Pritan—she’ll freeze to death.”
William had guessed something must have happened between them since the moment Miklok commented on his breath fogging in the cold. But this was worse than he thought!
“At least send a messenger bird. Why must Your Majesty personally—”
“Because I have the key to Treasury Three.”
Miklok answered with a small smile. And William was left speechless.
The world would never believe it if someone said that the great King Miklok was personally rushing ahead to plaster the queen’s palace with heat stones.
This absurd exchange had taken place just that very morning.
Now, chasing after Miklok’s flying horse, William thought,
The king looks exactly like a man in love. And, unfortunately, he has no idea how far gone he really is.
The carriage, drawn by twelve horses, was so luxurious it almost felt wider than the room I had stayed in at the Marquis’s estate.
Inside, it was spacious enough for ten adults to sit comfortably. Even better, by pulling out the seats and reclining the backs, it could transform into makeshift beds.
Most amazing of all, the ride was so smooth that, with the windows shut, you could almost forget the carriage was speeding along at breakneck pace.
“The more I look at this carriage, the more fascinating it is. Twelve horses are pulling it, yet there’s barely any shaking.”
“Millie, what fascinates me isn’t the carriage but the knights.”
“Huh?”
Puzzled, Millie peeked out the window. Six knights, including the coachman, were rotating positions around the carriage—front, back, and sides—as they galloped.
“We can eat and sleep inside here, but they’re running nonstop all day. When do they ever sleep?”
“Ah, actually I was curious too, so I asked Sir Freddy. He said they do get about four hours of sleep while we’re resting.”
“Ohhh! That makes sense. I was amazed they were running before I fell asleep and still running when I woke up.”
Then Millie suddenly frowned.
“But at least they sleep. Sir William, though—he barely slept at all for two days, hardly ate anything either.”
“How did you manage, then?”
“I just slept right on horseback. I trusted he wouldn’t let me fall.”
…Wait, that’s some serious trust.
“Don’t tell me… Millie, do you like Sir William?”
“Like him—what?!”
Millie sputtered, spraying her tea everywhere. After coughing and catching her breath, she hastily pulled out a handkerchief to wipe the mess and answered with deadly seriousness.
“Miss Lea, I have preferences, you know. Sir William is just someone I trust—as a knight and as a person. That’s all.”
Her eyes blazed with righteous indignation.
Oh… guess not?
I must’ve read too much into it. How embarrassing. Millie, you’re really good at confusing people.
