The man who looked like he had been snacking for fifty years instead of eating proper meals was the cousin of the current queen, Livia Delka.
Everyone knew that Count Liche had been able to take a central position despite lacking ability only thanks to his cousin, the queen.
He was a textbook example of someone with no skills but an abundance of greed.
And yet, that pathetic man, who had no qualifications whatsoever, was going to replace her as the commander-in-chief of the kingdom’s border forces?
If the word “incompetence” took human form, it would look exactly like him.
“…Has that old man finally lost his mind?”
“Pardon?”
Liana muttered a harsh insult toward the king, ignoring Count Liche’s stupid question.
“Your Highness?”
“No, never mind. You’ve come a long way. Rest for today and we’ll talk again tomorrow.”
When she said “rest,” the clueless Count Liche, lacking even a speck of tact, tried to ask where the commander-in-chief’s barracks were, but fortunately, Liana walked off briskly before he could say anything more.
“Y-Your Highness, where should I stay for the night…!”
His flustered shout fell on the empty space Liana had already vacated.
Having arrived with dreams of a grand welcome, the current situation was utterly baffling to him.
“Hah…! How dare they treat a man sent by His Majesty the King like this!”
A few minutes later, a soldier appeared in front of the fuming Count Liche, sent by Liana.
“Count Liche?”
“Yes, I am Count Liche.”
Clearing his throat dramatically, he responded to the soldier who called his name.
‘Ahem, since I’ll be ruling this place as commander from now on, I should display impressive charisma right away.’
“Her Highness has instructed me to guide you to your lodging.”
“Hm? Ah, very well. Lead the way.”
Forcing a solemn expression, Count Liche nodded.
Though he hated the soldier who interrupted his pleasant fantasies, his knees had started to ache from standing on the rough ground for so long.
What Count Liche didn’t know was that the border army was a rough and hardened force, facing monsters daily, and the only person they showed loyalty to was Liana.
Leaving Count Liche behind, Liana headed straight for her barracks.
Now that the damn man sent by the king had arrived, tonight would be the last night she’d use this tent.
Even if she delayed her departure as much as possible by taking care of what she had to do at the border fortress, a week would be the maximum.
Fwap.
She roughly pushed aside the thick tent flap.
Her mood hadn’t been great yesterday either, but seeing the man who was to replace her made it sink even further.
“You should know when to stop your petty checks…”
Liana was well aware that his father, the king, considered her a threat.
If someone were to ask who was the most famous royal in Rown, nine out of ten would say Liana.
Naturally, the greedy king despised that.
The fact that her name was more widely known than the king’s in his own kingdom was unbearable to him.
‘…The monsters are said to be quiet today, right?’
She had thought swinging her sword freely might improve her mood, but the scout report had said the Great Forest was calm.
That meant the border army wouldn’t be heading out today.
With practiced hands, Liana took off her armor and sat on the bed in just a light shirt.
As she moved, the curled-up black furball on the white bedsheet stirred, revealing its golden eyes.
Yip—Yap!
Seeing Liana, the furball wagged its tail excitedly and tried to stand on its injured leg.
Before it could put weight on its bandaged limb, Liana gently picked it up.
“You’re not healed yet. I told you not to move.”
She scolded it gently, though of course, the furball couldn’t understand.
At least, that’s what Liana thought.
Whimper—Huff!
The creature snuggled up to her arm with its good leg, full of affection.
Seeing its little ears twitch and its cute behavior, Liana couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.
“My goodness… how are you this affectionate?”
Even when they first met, injured and all, it hadn’t resisted her touch.
Smiling at the loving pawing, Liana scooped the furball up and placed it on her firm abdomen.
After fidgeting for a moment, it curled up comfortably.
“…Should I just flee to some faraway land?”
The royal palace only gave her a pitiful sum as a maintenance allowance, but if she gathered all the hidden funds she had stashed away, it would be a considerable amount.
Even if she took all her subordinates with her, it would be enough to live comfortably for at least ten years.
“…Or maybe I should just start a mercenary group with them?”
If the ones who followed her agreed, forming a mercenary corps and leaving Rown sounded like a good plan.
All the subordinates Liana had taken in weren’t originally from the border army; they were all orphans with no place to go.
Kyle and Ayle, the knight and magician who led her units, were the same.
“…Sigh, like that’s going to happen.”
After seriously considering it, Liana lay back on the bed with a sigh.
She could make her earlier words a reality—but didn’t, out of a sense of responsibility.
Position comes with duty and obligation.
Even if she was treated like crap, she had lived a comfortable life as a royal.
And Liana didn’t intend to deny that fact.
As she stroked the soft black fur she had carefully cleaned and bandaged, her face pouted.
“If only I’d been born a remote noble or even a commoner instead.”
A commoner might scoff at such a privileged complaint, but Liana truly felt that way.
How much must she hate her so-called family to think this?
She shuddered, recalling the faces of the people she’d inevitably have to see again soon.
Currently, there were two princes and two princesses in Rown.
The Crown Prince was born of the former queen. The second prince and second princess were from the current queen. And then there was Princess Liana Robellin, born of a minor baron’s daughter.
This lineup alone exposed the chaotic personal life of her biological father, the king.
‘The ancestors would weep if they saw this.’
The Kingdom of Rown traditionally had strong values against infidelity.
Yet the royal family’s genealogy was a complete disaster.
And the king—the main culprit—was the person Liana hated most in the world.
Second only to him was the current queen.
A noble-born lady from a marquis household, the current queen was dying to get rid of Liana.
“…How did her children inherit that foul personality so perfectly?”
As Liana muttered, the furball enjoying her touch lifted its head.
Yip…
Then, letting out a small cry, it gently rubbed its pudgy paw against her arm.
That tiny gesture brought a smile to Liana’s face.
The soft paw pressing against her arm felt like a comforting pat on the back.
“Are you trying to comfort me?”
She asked with a wry smile, and the furball blinked before barking brightly, Yap!
Liana froze for a moment.
“…Did you just understand me?”
Yap! it barked again.
She had suspected it might have some high-level monster blood in it—but could it really understand speech? This tiny creature?
“…My god, maybe it really is a genius.”
She muttered, clearly surprised—something rare for her.
Maybe it was just coincidence, but she decided to ignore that possibility.
The unpleasant royal faces that had floated through her mind had long since vanished.
“Dirty Paws, how did you end up there in that condition?”
She didn’t expect an answer, but the furball flinched ever so slightly.
Anyone could tell it had something to hide.
Luckily—or unluckily—Liana was lost in thought and didn’t notice.
‘Hmm, since it was in the Forest of Death, it probably didn’t have an owner…’
It was so sweet-natured and cute when clean that it could easily have belonged to someone.
Yet something told her it wasn’t a wild animal or monster.
Still, given its mysterious traits and the fact that it was found in the Forest of Death, the idea that it was ownerless made the most sense.
‘There aren’t even any villages near that forest, anyway.’
The Forest of Death spanned the borders of four kingdoms.
Naturally, there were no towns or castles near it.
That’s why Liana and the border army were stationed so close to the forest.
“Dirty Paws, if you’ve got nowhere to go, want to come with me?”
Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she asked sweetly.
Four years ago, she’d returned Rune to its original habitat, since even though he was young, he was capable of surviving on his own.
But this furball was far too small and fragile to be left alone.
At least, that’s what Liana thought.
“Hmm? If you understand me, say something.”
But maybe it was just her imagination. The furball tilted its head and simply pressed on her thigh with its paws.
Purr…
Then, seemingly satisfied, it lay down on its belly and began purring.
Somehow, the sight reminded her of a cat she’d seen long ago.
It acted like a dog one moment and like a cat the next…
Well, considering neither divine power nor healing magic worked on it, she never thought it was a normal animal anyway.
“…Seriously.”
Liana chuckled helplessly and gently stroked the purring furball’s head.
“I don’t know if you can understand me, but for now, let’s go to the royal palace together, okay?”
The calm furball barked again, Yap!
It really seemed to understand—but whether it was a genius or a fool didn’t matter to Liana.
As much as she hated returning to the capital, the thought of having this cute companion made her feel just a little better.
“Hm, since you’re coming with me, I guess I should give you a proper name…”
Right now, she was just calling it “Dirty Paws.”
That nickname had stuck because the black fur was so filthy when they first met.
But now that she’d decided to keep it, she couldn’t just keep calling it that forever.
“I’ll think about it a bit more, okay?”
Yip!
The cheerful bark made Liana burst into laughter again.
