CHAPTER 45……………….
Why Am I Not Enough?
Miklok recalled the moment he faced Rudik Maon, the last survivor and heir of the Maon tribe.
A carriage dangled precariously on the edge of a cliff. Inside, children kidnapped from a village were tied to posts and held captive.
Just as Miklok and the knights were fastening the carriage with ropes to secure it, one child’s foot suddenly caught fire for no apparent reason.
“The Maon are demons who wield fire—one of them is inside!”
Sensing danger, Miklok leapt into the carriage before William could stop him. He had been wearing fireproof armor from the start, knowing it was safest for him, not his knights, to face such an enemy.
As he climbed inside, the knights on the opposite side pulled with all their strength to keep the carriage balanced.
Miklok began freeing the kidnapped children one by one, scanning the interior with sharp eyes. His gaze fixed on a small girl clutching a newborn at the far end of the carriage.
When he passed the infant outside, he noticed the girl bore a cross-shaped scar on her cheek. Though her appearance had changed, that scar could not be hidden.
“You must be Rudik Maon!”
“Heh, so you figured it out?”
Miklok’s dagger shot toward Maon, but Maon dodged. As if expecting the move, Miklok immediately followed with his longsword, striking Maon’s shoulder.
Maon dropped the guise of a young girl and revealed his true form as a youth. Having lured Miklok and his knights here, his strength was already spent—only desperate resistance remained.
He forced out the last of his magic to cast a temporal barrier inside the carriage. Time inside slowed as though trapped in a vacuum. Blood welled up and spilled from his mouth, but he ignored it.
“Answer me, King of Fritan! Why did you massacre the Maon tribe? Was it because we were weak?”
Miklok did not answer immediately. Even if he explained, would the boy accept it?
Maon’s eyes burned with hatred as he continued coldly.
“Or was it because we are demons you despise?”
“You were annihilated because your chief made a foolish decision.”
“Are you saying one golden pine is worth more than the survival of a tribe?”
“We already lost many lives protecting the golden pine. It was defended with blood—so it must be paid for in blood. The Maon chief knew what he risked when he acted.”
At Miklok’s words, Maon sneered bitterly.
“We were merely guides. The Harlan Empire drove the logging. Yet only we were exterminated. How do you explain that?”
“Harlan posed no true threat to the golden pine. They are greedy fools, nothing more.”
Miklok decided to offer a final courtesy to the dying youth.
“And you? When the saplings were transplanted to your land, you incited Harlan. You dreamed that once they felled every pine, only you would hold them. It was your chief who betrayed trust first.”
Maon was struck speechless, though his sense of injustice remained.
“You could have given us one—just one chance!”
“That one chance could have thrown Fritan into peril. A king cannot make such a choice.”
Tears of anguish spilled from Maon’s eyes. Miklok eased his killing intent for a moment.
“Successor of the Maon. Do you call it cruel that your people were destroyed for your chief’s folly? That is the weight of a leader’s decision.”
At those words that cut like a blade, Maon clutched his chest and wept bitterly.
“Your chief dared meddle with Fritan’s golden pine and yet held a reckless festival without preparation. His folly was not once, but many times. This was the festering wound bursting at last.”
Miklok pulled his sword from Maon’s shoulder and aimed it at his heart.
“I do not fail to understand your rage. But I am King of Fritan. I cannot let my people be endangered again. If you will not surrender, you will die by my sword.”
Maon gave a faint smile.
“I may be the last heir of a slaughtered tribe, but I will not beg for my life.”
With that, he seized Miklok’s blade and drove it into his own heart.
“King of Fritan, let us walk the road to hell together!”
As the sword pierced his heart, cracks spread through the temporal barrier, unleashing fierce flames that engulfed Miklok’s body.
The fireproof armor dulled the blow, but agony swept across his face.
Miklok pressed the sword, still lodged in Maon’s heart, down into the ground with all his might.
The blade pierced the carriage floor and sank deep into the earth.
With a thunderous roar, the carriage exploded into fragments, but because he clung to the sword to the end, both his and Maon’s corpses were spared from being swept over the cliff.
*
Shine sat frozen for a long while.
“Do you have more questions?”
“No.”
“The decisions of a king and his line carry unmatched weight. Remember, so do yours. If that answers you, then leave.”
Irritated at Miklok’s curt dismissal, Shine protested.
“Don’t you even want to ask what decision I made?”
“I’m not curious.”
He replied with indifference and turned back to the mountain of documents on his desk.
“Have the Malau delegation prepare for departure. The sooner, the better.”
Shine glared at him, seething, then whirled around. Just as Miklok lifted his head, expecting her to leave, he froze.
With defiance burning in her eyes, Shine suddenly tore off her cloak and flung it before him. She then yanked at her uniform collar, the buttons popping off one by one.
The uniform fell open like a gown—she now stood half-naked before him.
“What indecency is this, in broad daylight?”
“Look closely! See what you’re rejecting!”
She spread her uniform wide.
“Neither humans nor demons could resist a body like this. Are you sure you won’t regret it?”
Miklok sighed lightly.
“I thought I’d explained clearly enough. Seems I wasted my breath.”
“Now I’m more certain than ever. Having you is what will serve my country.”
She traced her delicate white throat seductively with her hands.
“With one touch, you could have both me and Malau.”
“Tsk.”
At the sound of his annoyed tongue-click, she lifted her thick lashes in anger.
“Can’t you do things like this alone, in your room?”
At his cold words, shame and humiliation surged in her chest. Tears welled in fury.
“Why not me? What am I lacking?”
Miklok sighed again, stood slowly, and picked up her cloak. Draping it over her bare shoulders, he spoke gently.
“It’s not that you are lacking, Princess.”
She looked up at him in wounded confusion.
“As I told you—I hardly have enough time to cherish the one woman I already have.”
He sighed once more.
“Find a man who will cherish you so.”
Then Miklok turned back to his desk, burying himself in the paperwork.
Tears spilled from Shine’s eyes. Clutching the cloak tightly around herself, she turned and left.
*
“Milli, I think my meeting with the Chancellor will run long. You may take free time until dinner.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. Call if you need me.”
Thanks to Queen Lea’s extended meeting with Duke Zenon, Milli was granted rare free time.
Normally, she would spend it experimenting with Sophia and Adele on Lea’s styling, or sharing tea with the West Palace maids while keeping watch on the Malau delegation.
But lately, she had lost her enthusiasm for everything.
On the day Lea healed Miklok’s injuries and fainted, the news that William might lose his arm struck her like lightning. When she heard Lea had awakened, she wept and begged recklessly for William’s life to be saved.
Though his treatment ended safely and normalcy returned, embarrassment weighed on her afterward.
Miklok, Lea, Sophia, and Adele all looked at her differently now.
“It’s as if I announced to everyone myself that I’m head over heels for Sir William… sigh.”
Fortunately, Lea never questioned her. Likely she was waiting for Milli to confess on her own. But Milli had no intention of doing so—not yet.
Unable to sit idle, Milli donned a coat and headed to the stables.
At the center, among the royal knights’ horses, stood Vivi in all her stately glory. Recognizing Milli, Vivi stretched her long face forward and rested it on her shoulder.
“Vivi, you’ve grown even more majestic since I last saw you!”
Milli pulled three sugar cubes from her pocket and offered them.
Vivi’s broad tongue swept over her palm, and the sugar vanished instantly.
“You greedy thing!”
She tapped Vivi’s long face lightly.
“How many times have I warned you not to eat just anything off the ground!”
“Hey!!”
Startled by the voice behind her, Milli spun around. There stood William—the very person she longed to see yet dreaded to face.
Though he scolded Vivi, his blazing gaze was fixed on her.
“Wh-what brings you here?”
“Do I need a reason to visit my horse?”
“R-right… I’ll be going, then.”
Face burning, Milli turned to leave.
“Milli, want to ride with me?”
Her legs froze at his words.
“I feel stifled—thought I’d ride Vivi for a bit. If you’d like, join me.”
When she stared at him blankly, he turned away and began saddling Vivi.
“Vivi would like it too.”
Muttering in an unsure tone, he glanced at her. Drawn by an impulse she didn’t understand, Milli nodded.
“Yes, please take me with you.”
William’s lips curved unconsciously at her unexpected consent.
Mounting Vivi in a flash, he reached down and swept her up, seating her in front of him as he had once done on Laurel Hill.
“Ah!”
“Sorry, too hasty. You alright?”
“Yes, I’m fine.”
Sitting sideways on Vivi, she was acutely aware of his arms enclosing her as he held the reins. Her head leaned toward his chest, and she could think of nothing else.
Fearing she might change her mind and ask to get off, William urged Vivi into a run.
The wind was a bit chilly, but holding Milli in his arms as they raced was bliss beyond words.
Now, feeling her relax and lean softly against him, William’s body thrilled with a sweet tension.
