Sorry, I got distracted by your looks

Millie spoke resolutely, which made me both proud and a little sorry for her.

Grrrrowl~!

Suddenly, a thunderous sound erupted from Millie’s stomach. She wrapped her arms around her belly, embarrassed.

“I haven’t eaten anything since breakfast.”

“What? How could they starve you for so long? That’s too much!”

Seeing my outrage, Millie quickly tried to calm me down.

“Please don’t be angry. He hasn’t eaten either. We truly ran like mad to get here.”

There was a slight nuance in her tone, as if she were subtly defending him. I narrowed my eyes at her.

“What is this feeling of disappointment? Are you taking his side now?”

“I’m not taking anyone’s side! Honestly, aside from Sir Pallet, every knight I met was unpleasant.”

That was true. The knights had treated me differently from how they treated Millie. Even though I was an illegitimate daughter, I was still, in name, the daughter of a marquis.

“I was surprised to see someone genuinely distressed about being separated from his liege. I wondered if that was the famed knightly spirit I’d heard about. In that sense, I truly respect him.”

Millie suddenly grew serious as she looked at me, then firmly grasped my hands.

“I will serve you with that same dedication from now on.”

“Oh, Millie.”

I hugged her tightly and patted her back.

“You don’t need to do anything more. You’re already doing enough.”

Just then, a plate was slid toward us.

I turned to see William holding a plate of warm soup, along with bread, jerky, and a pouch of dried fruit.

“Are you feeling better?”

“Yes, thank you for bringing Millie to me.”

When I smiled at him, he averted his gaze, looking slightly embarrassed. Then, he handed the food to Millie.

“You worked hard to get here.”

Starving as she was, Millie hesitated only slightly before nodding and accepting the plate and pouch.

William, without another word, turned back toward the fire and began shoveling food into his mouth.

There was definitely something going on between the two of them… I glanced between them, scrutinizing their expressions. Just then, I met eyes with Mikrok, who had been retrieving blankets from a tree. He paused momentarily, looking at me intently before silently walking past us and entering the adjacent tent.

An inexplicable sense of disappointment welled up inside me, but I took a deep breath and led Millie into my tent.

Watching her eat so heartily made me feel a little better.

Yes, I should just forget about what happened at the valley! I made up my mind, repeating it to myself over and over.

****

Inside the tent William had hastily set up, Mikrok was haunted by the phantom sound of lips brushing against lips.

‘Damn it!’

It wasn’t even a deep kiss—just the briefest of contact. And yet, his heart was pounding like that of a teenage boy.

Even he found it ridiculous.

Other than his mother, the late queen, he had never been this close to a woman’s lips before.

Mother. Just thinking of her sent a chill through his heart.

His mother had been a princess of the Samal Kingdom, which bordered Pritan.

Leah was nothing like his mother. And yet, why did thoughts of her bring up memories of his mother?

His mother had truly loved her husband, but she could not disobey the orders of her father, the King of Samal. Before young Mikrok’s eyes, she had collapsed, coughing up blood.

“Mother!!”

“Mik… Your father must never, never know the truth…”

When Mikrok was fourteen, his mother had suddenly passed away, poisoned. Only he knew that the Samal royal family had been behind it.

Since his mother had begged him to keep it secret, Mikrok never told his father the truth. Instead, he sharpened his blade in silence.

Devastated by the loss of his wife, the previous King of Pritan threw himself into hunting demons and monsters. He was ultimately killed while recklessly attacking a dark dragon’s lair, unprepared.

It was a foolish attack and a meaningless death, less than three months after losing his wife.

At just fifteen, Mikrok ascended the throne.

Two years later, he led his army against the Samal Kingdom and slaughtered his mother’s entire family. The king and royal family, all bearing the same blue eyes as his mother, were wiped out without hesitation or mercy.

The King of Samal had given poison to his daughter, the Queen of Pritan, instructing her to slowly poison her husband. He had hoped to manipulate young Mikrok as king, controlling Pritan through him.

But he had underestimated his daughter’s love for her husband. Rather than harm him, she had taken the poison herself to protect him.

“Why didn’t you tell Father the truth?”

“No. Your father would never, never forgive Samal.”

Even in her dying moments, she had worried about her homeland.

“Promise me. Promise you won’t tell him…”

“Mother…”

Mikrok had kept that promise. But his mother had failed to realize one thing: that her son was even more ruthless than her husband.

Once he became king, Mikrok spent two years meticulously planning his revenge. And when the time came, he showed no mercy.

“You… Why you…?”

The King of Samal had been utterly shocked when his grandson stormed the palace and slaughtered his people.

He never imagined Mikrok knew the truth.

But he would never get an answer. Mikrok’s sword had severed his head before he could speak another word.

Samal was no more. Its people and lands were absorbed into Pritan.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Mikrok looked down at his right hand. The scarred, burned skin on his palm seemed oddly faded.

When Leah’s lips had touched his, he had felt a strong, tightening sensation in his palm. Stronger than when he had first met her.

Just then, William entered the tent. Mikrok stretched out his hand toward him.

“Will, look at this. Do you see anything unusual?”

William studied it carefully. “I don’t really notice anything.”

“Look again. Doesn’t the ‘Dragon’s Breath’ seem fainter?”

William sighed and examined the hand more closely. But he saw no difference.

Pritan royals were born with burn-like scars on their faces or hands, known as the ‘Dragon’s Breath.’

Mikrok’s father had once had a large mark on his face, which had disappeared when Mikrok was three years old.

“Father, the ‘Dragon’s Breath’ is spreading on my hand.”

“You should consider yourself lucky. Mine was on my face until I met your mother.”

“But yours is gone now!”

“Because I met your mother. If not for her, I would have hidden my face forever.”

“If I find someone, will my scar disappear too?”

“You must love and be loved in return. Only love can erase the ‘Dragon’s Breath.’”

When Leah’s lips brushed his, the sensation had been overwhelming. Could she really be the one to erase his mark, as his mother had for his father?

Just imagining being in love with her made warmth spread through him.

If his scar had been on his face, Leah—who was clearly drawn to good looks—would never have followed him.

In that sense, his luck was nothing short of extraordinary.

“Did something happen today, Your Majesty?”

William, noticing his king’s unusual demeanor, voiced his concern.

Mikrok said nothing. But his ears burned red.