Sorry, I got distracted by your looks

“We get to eat and sleep inside the carriage, but they’ve been riding all day. When do they even sleep?”

“Aha~ I was curious about that too, so I asked Sir Freddy. Apparently, the knights sleep for about four hours while we do.”

“Oh! That makes sense! It was so strange to see them riding when I fell asleep and still riding when I woke up.”

At that, Millie suddenly frowned.

“Well, at least they get to sleep. Sir William, on the other hand, barely slept or ate for two whole days.”

“How did you even manage to keep going?”

“I just slept on horseback. I trusted that he wouldn’t let me fall.”

…What? That’s some incredible trust.

“Wait, don’t tell me… you mean Sir William—?”

“Sir William, what about him?”

“Do you like him??”

Millie immediately choked on her tea. Coughing violently, she hurriedly pulled out a handkerchief and wiped the tea she had spit out, then looked at me with an intensely serious expression.

“Lady Leah, I have my own preferences, you know. Sir William is just someone I trust as a knight and as a person.”

Her eyes were filled with pure indignation.

‘Ah. Maybe not?’

I suddenly felt a little embarrassed, wondering if I had completely misread the situation. Millie really knows how to be misleading sometimes.

Seeing how she spoke favorably about rugged and rough William, I thought she might have feelings for him—but apparently, that wasn’t the case at all.

“So that’s how it is? I see… Then what’s your type?”

“Oh my, my lady…”

Millie suddenly blushed and fidgeted shyly.

“I like kind and gentle people. Someone whose height is just enough for my head to barely reach their shoulders, with soft blonde hair, and absolutely no belly! Their eyes should be warm and golden, like honey.”

“…That’s surprisingly specific!”

At that, Millie shyly twisted her body, a smile creeping onto her lips despite her best efforts to suppress it.

Wait a second! Soft blonde hair, honey-colored eyes, a height just right for Millie’s head to reach his shoulders, kind and gentle personality… That sounds way too familiar!

“Millie, don’t tell me…?”

As I looked at her in shock, her face turned bright red, and she averted her gaze.

“Your ideal type… is Robby?”

“Shh, it’s a secret!!”

Millie frantically pressed her second finger against her lips in an exaggerated shushing motion. Her reaction was both amusing and slightly pitiful.

“My dear Millie, so you’ve been harboring feelings for Viscount Stone all this time. That must have been tough on you.”

“It’s not that bad. I know my place, after all.”

Her smile suddenly looked wistful.

Millie’s pure soul and steadfast nature were no less remarkable than Robby’s. Having known both of them for so long, I could say that with confidence.

The only thing standing in the way was their difference in status. But that one obstacle was a nearly insurmountable one…

“When we arrive in Pritan, let’s change our fates. I’ll go from being the unwanted daughter of a marquis to the cherished queen of the Pritan king, and you’ll meet a man a hundred—no, a thousand times more wonderful than Robby, fall in love, and get married.”

“Wow~ not a single part of that sounds easy.”

Millie chuckled at my words but then suddenly grew serious.

“My lady, are you really okay with this?”

“With what?”

“Marrying the King of Pritan. You really hated the idea before.”

“That was before I saw his face. If I had known he was that handsome, I never would have tried to run away in the first place!”

Millie’s eyes widened in shock.

“My lady! You said being obsessed with looks was just an act! That you were only pretending to deceive the marquis and marchioness!”

I suddenly felt a little self-conscious.

“I thought so too! But turns out, nope! I guess I really am a looks-obsessed fool down to my bones!”

Millie stared at me in disbelief. Well, I get it. I can hardly believe it myself.

I had only spent about three days with King Mikrok. But I never wanted to go back to the time before I knew him.

His subtle yet thoughtful gestures, the playful glint in his eyes whenever he teased me—I already missed all of it.

Was I so utterly captivated by him simply because of his handsome face?

‘Did my mother leave behind such an absurd will because she had already figured out my true nature?’

To be honest, at first, I thought about escaping even after the wedding. But now, that thought was gone.

Fortunately, it seemed like he didn’t dislike me either. So, I was determined to make things work with my incredibly handsome husband.

My mother’s greatest wish was for my happiness. So I would do my best to be happy for both of us.

As I quietly resolved myself, the carriage suddenly stopped, followed by a knock. It was Ralph.

“We’ll take a short break for the horses to drink water before we continue. You have about thirty minutes. Would you like to take a short walk?”

“Yes, that sounds good.”

Millie retrieved a thick shawl from inside the carriage. As we traveled north, the weather had become noticeably chillier.

“Wow~ It’s so warm. This isn’t wool—what kind of fur is this?”

“I’ve never seen fur this thin and soft before.”

As we marveled at the fur, Ralph approached us.

“It’s a Falls shawl. It’s incredibly light and soft. But isn’t it a bit too warm for now?”

“Not at all. It feels perfect. But… what’s a Falls?”

“It’s a magical beast with very soft fur. It’s the most coveted material for fur clothing.”

“Eek~ You mean this is monster fur?”

Millie recoiled and tried to take the shawl off, but I wrapped it more snugly around her.

Pritan was infamous for its harsh winters. If we were going to survive there, we had to adapt to their ways.

“Sister Hailey warned me that I might freeze to death the moment we arrive, and I guess she wasn’t exaggerating.”

“What should we do?”

“What else? We’ll have to get used to it.”

At that moment, Mikrok was glaring around the Queen’s Palace’s parlor with dissatisfaction.

“We emptied the royal treasury’s third storage, and this is all the heat-infused magic stones we have?”

Next to him, William, who had been wiping the sweat off his forehead, finally gave up and took off his jacket.

“What do you mean ‘this is all’?! Your Highness, this place is unbearably hot.”

“Nonsense.”

Mikrok snorted dismissively at William’s words.

“The bedroom is even hotter than this. If there’s a hellish furnace somewhere, it’d probably feel just like this!!”

“Well, it’s fine for those of us born and raised in Pritan. But for someone who’s only ever lived in the Harlan Empire, with its four seasons, this might feel cold.”

Even with beads of sweat forming on his forehead, Mikrok stubbornly refused to acknowledge the issue.

“I guarantee it!”

William clenched his teeth as he spoke.

“Unless they’re a monster that lives in fire, no one will say this place is cold.”

Growing even more irritated by the heat, William finally unbuttoned his shirt after shedding his waistcoat.

“Look! My shirt and vest are soaked with sweat. Unless you want Her Majesty to become a steamed chicken, please stop.”

“Is that so? Well, if you insist.”

Still doubtful, Mikrok inspected each of the heat-infused magic stones in the room before finally turning away.

“Your Highness, aren’t you hot?”

“Of course I am! I’m going straight for an ice-cold bath.”

As Mikrok hurriedly left the drawing room, William clicked his tongue in exasperation.