CHAPTER 10………
. A Love Like a Furnace
Seeing Millie speak kindly about the rough and rugged William, I wondered if maybe she liked him. But apparently, that wasn’t it at all.
“So that’s what it was? I thought… Then what kind of man is your type?”
“Oh my, milady…”
Millie suddenly blushed, looking shy.
“I like someone gentle and kind. His height should be just enough so my head brushes his shoulder. His hair—soft blond. Absolutely no beer belly. And eyes… a warm golden honey color would be perfect.”
“…That’s pretty specific!”
Millie squirmed, twisting her body bashfully, a smile creeping out despite her efforts to hold it back.
Wait a second! Soft blond hair, golden honey-colored eyes, gentle and kind, and just the right height for Millie to reach his shoulder… Why does that sound so familiar??
“Millie, don’t tell me—”
When I stared at her in shock, her cheeks turned crimson and she quickly averted her gaze.
“Your ideal type is… Robbie?”
“Shhh! That’s a secret!!”
Millie pressed her index finger to her lips in an exaggerated gesture. It was both funny and a little heartbreaking.
“Our Millie, carrying a flame for Count Stone all this time. That must’ve been tough.”
“It’s not like I was lovesick or anything. I know my place, milady.”
Her smile looked lonely. But I knew better than anyone—Millie’s pure heart and upright nature were in no way inferior to Robbie’s. I could say that with confidence.
The only problem was the difference in status. And that one hurdle was impossibly high…
“When we get to Fritan, let’s both change our fates. I’ll go from being the unwanted daughter of a marquis to the cherished queen of the kingdom, and you’ll meet someone a hundred, a thousand times better than Robbie. You’ll fall in love, and get married, and be happy.”
“Wow~ not a single part of that sounds easy.”
Millie giggled at my words, then grew serious.
“Milady, are you really okay?”
“With what?”
“Marrying the King of Fritan. You really hated the idea, didn’t you?”
“That was before I saw his face. If I’d known he was that handsome, I never would’ve plotted an escape in the first place!”
Millie looked at me in shock.
“Milady! You said being a ‘face-fanatic’ was just an act! You said you were only pretending to fool the marquis and his wife!”
I scratched my cheek sheepishly.
“I thought so too. But I guess not? Maybe I really am a hopeless face-fanatic down to the bone.”
Millie gave me a look like she couldn’t believe her ears. Well, I couldn’t believe myself either.
I’d only spent about three days with King Miklok. Yet I didn’t want to go back to the time before I knew him.
His subtle, thoughtful care behind a seemingly indifferent face, the playful glimmer in his eyes whenever he teased me—I already missed all of it.
Surely I’d fallen for him so helplessly because of his ridiculously good looks, right?
Maybe Mother left behind that outrageous will because she already knew this about me…
At first, I thought I could always run away after marrying him. But not anymore.
Luckily, he didn’t seem to dislike me either. So I decided: I’d live well with my impossibly handsome husband.
Mother’s greatest wish was for my happiness. I’d do my best to be twice as happy—for her sake too.
While I was making this solemn vow, the carriage suddenly stopped, followed by a knock. It was Ralph.
“We’ll rest the horses for a bit before moving on. We’ve got about thirty minutes. Would you like to take a short walk?”
“Yes, that sounds nice.”
Millie pulled a thick shawl from the carriage. The northern air had grown chilly.
“Wow, this is so warm. It’s not wool… What kind of fur is it?”
“I’ve never felt fur this thin and soft before.”
As we admired the shawl and stepped outside, Ralph approached.
“That’s a Falls Shawl. Light and soft, isn’t it? But isn’t it a little too warm to wear right now?”
“Too warm? No, it’s perfect. But… what’s a Falls?”
“It’s a monster with very soft fur. The most popular fur for clothing.”
“Ugh! It’s monster fur?”
Millie recoiled and tried to take it off, but I tightened it around her. The frozen lands of Fritan were unforgiving—we had to adapt to their ways.
“Hailey warned me I might freeze to death the moment I arrived. Guess she wasn’t exaggerating.”
“What should we do?”
“What else? We’ll just have to get used to it.”
✦ ✦ ✦
At that moment, Miklok was inspecting the Queen’s Palace, looking dissatisfied.
“You emptied the royal warehouse, and this is all the heating magic stones you found?”
William, sweating buckets, stripped off his outer coat.
“All, you say? Your Highness, this place is sweltering! I can hardly breathe.”
“Nonsense!”
Miklok dismissed him with a scoff.
“Even the bedchamber is hotter than this. If Hell had a furnace, it’d be about this temperature!!”
“We Fritanians may be fine, but someone who’s lived her whole life in the temperate Harun Empire might feel cold.”
Sweat dripping down his forehead, Miklok spouted ridiculous excuses.
“I swear to you!” William gritted his teeth. “Unless she’s a fire-dwelling monster, no human alive could possibly call this cold.”
Overheated with both heat and anger, William ripped off his vest and unbuttoned his shirt.
“Look at this—soaked through with sweat! Unless you want to roast Her Highness like a chicken, stop this madness at once!”
“…Really? Hmph. Fine, then.”
Still suspicious, Miklok inspected each heating stone one last time before finally turning away.
“Are you not hot, Your Highness?”
“Of course I am. I could jump into an ice bath right now.”
As he strode out, William couldn’t help but click his tongue at the king’s stubbornness.
✦ ✦ ✦
At last, our carriage reached Fritan Castle. Ralph escorted me down, and even bundled in monster fur, the icy wind made me shrink into myself. No wonder they called this land frozen.
At the gate, William waited, grinning. That brutish face of his didn’t look quite so scary anymore—maybe I’d gotten used to it.
“Welcome to Fritan Castle.”
“Thank you, Sir William. Has winter already started here?”
“Not at all. This is the warmest time of the year.”
Oh no. I tried not to show my shock.
Two maids stood behind him, but there was no sign of King Miklok. A pang of disappointment hit me.
“Have you eaten?”
“Yes, thanks to Sir Ralph’s insistence, I ate plenty.”
“Good. The ceremony begins in two hours. Sophie and Adelle will help you prepare.”
“Ceremony? What ceremony?”
I blinked in confusion. A welcome banquet?
“Why, your wedding ceremony, of course!”
He looked at me like I was the crazy one.
Wait. I’d just arrived. And now I was supposed to get married in two hours??
“Hold on! I just spent over a week in a carriage. I’m not in any shape for a wedding!”
But William seemed perfectly relaxed.
“Don’t worry. Sophie and Adelle will take care of everything. Right?”
He turned to the maids. Serious-faced Sophie stepped forward.
“Lady Chelsea is preparing a hot spring bath for you right away. It will relieve your fatigue and smooth your skin.”
Then the eager-eyed Adelle chimed in.
“After your bath, we’ll take care of your hair and makeup. We’ll have everything ready in time.”
This was insane. My jaw dropped.
“What about the dress? The wedding dress??”
“The late queen’s gown has been prepared.”
“Will it even fit?”
“Of course. Sophie and Adelle will make it fit.”
What were they, fairy godmothers? Everything was “Sophie this” and “Adelle that.” Honestly!
“Getting married the moment I arrive… you could’ve at least warned me.”
I shot William a glare, but he looked genuinely surprised.
“I didn’t tell you? Really?”
“When??”
“The night we camped in the forest, when I brought you tea. I told you His Majesty was delighted that we’d make it back in time for the scheduled date.”
“Excuse me!!”
I stared at him, speechless.
“Making it back on time and holding the wedding the very day I arrive are two completely different things!”
Only then did William give an awkward laugh.
“Ah… I see. My explanation was lacking.”
As I stood there dumbfounded, William slowly backed away.
“Then I’ll go report to His Majesty. Sophie, Adelle, Millie—she’s in your hands.”
And just like that, he was gone.
The two maids stood before me politely, while Millie gave me a worried look.
Well… what choice did I have? I straightened my back.
“Sophie, Adelle, was it? All right then. What’s first?”
✦ ✦ ✦
After leaving me, William rushed to Miklok’s office.
The king was in the middle of a discussion with Chancellor Marquis Zenon about winter relief measures for the poor.
“The tribute grain from the Kingdom of Ril goes to the northern district first, correct?”
“Yes, that area is the worst off.”
Miklok tossed aside the report.
“Send it west instead. They’re facing an unusual cold snap. And suspend the gold-pine trade with Harun for now—find another route to import wheat.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Their conversation seemed endless, so William clapped loudly. Both men turned in surprise.
“You two seem to have forgotten something—today is also Your Highness’s wedding day. The future queen has already arrived.”
“Shouldn’t you go to her, sire?”
“I’ll see her at the ceremony.” Miklok sounded gruff.
William, knowing the king’s words always clashed with his heart, hid a smile.
Miklok picked up another paper, then hesitated.
“…She didn’t say she was cold, did she?”
“Well… she was wrapped head to toe in fur.”
Miklok nodded slowly. Truthfully, he wanted to run to her.
He wanted to check if the journey hadn’t been too hard, to see if she liked the heating stones he’d arranged all over the palace. But…
If he saw her now, he’d want to throw all his duties aside.
When he first brought her here almost by force, he never imagined monster-slaying would become so unappealing. At the time, he’d only been glad she would arrive in time for the wedding and his scheduled campaign.
Out of sight, out of mind—or so it should have been. But ever since parting from her, she had filled his every thought.
As Miklok’s expression darkened, William asked nervously:
“…Surely you’re not thinking of postponing the campaign, are you?”
