Sorry, I got distracted by your looks

At long last, our carriage arrived at Pritan Castle. With Ralph escorting me, I stepped out of the carriage.

Despite being wrapped tightly in magical beast fur, the chilling wind made my body instinctively curl inwards. This truly was a land of perpetual frost.

At the entrance of the castle, William stood waiting with a broad grin on his face. Had I finally grown accustomed to his rugged, bandit-like features? Seeing him after a while, I actually felt somewhat glad.

“Welcome to Pritan Castle.”

“Thank you, Sir William. It seems like winter has already begun in Pritan.”

“How could that be? This is the warmest time of the year.”

Ah, I see! I was momentarily stunned but quickly composed myself and looked past him.

Only two maids were standing by. King Mikrok was nowhere to be seen. A faint sense of disappointment crept in.

“Have you had lunch?”

“Yes, thanks to Sir Ralph’s persistence, I ate quite well.”

“That’s good to hear. The ceremony will begin in two hours. Sophie and Adele will assist you in getting ready.”

“A ceremony? What ceremony?”

I looked up at him, confused. Were they planning some sort of welcoming banquet for me?

“Why, your wedding ceremony, of course!”

William looked at me as if it was more surprising that I didn’t know.

Wait, what?! I had only just arrived in the Kingdom of Pritan, and they expected me to have my wedding in just two hours? This was absurd!

“Hold on! I’ve been traveling in a carriage for over a week. I’m in no condition for a wedding!”

Unlike my growing panic, William remained completely composed.

“Don’t worry. Sophie and Adele will take care of everything. Isn’t that right?”

He turned to the two maids standing politely behind him. At his cue, the more serious-looking Sophie stepped forward.

“Chelsea is preparing a hot spring bath for you right now. It will help ease your fatigue and leave your skin smooth.”

Then, Adele, whose eyes burned with enthusiasm, took her turn.

“Once you’re done bathing, we’ll help you get dressed. We’ll have everything ready in time, no problem.”

This was completely insane. I was utterly speechless. This couldn’t be happening.

“What about a dress? A wedding dress?”

“The former queen’s gown has been prepared for you.”

“Will it even fit me?”

“Of course. Sophie and Adele will make sure of it.”

Wait—were Sophie and Adele some kind of fairy godmothers? Every solution seemed to end with them!

“A wedding immediately upon arrival? You could’ve at least warned me…”

I shot William a look of pure exasperation, but he only seemed perplexed by my reaction.

“I didn’t tell you?”

“When?!”

“The night we camped in the forest, when I handed you that cup of tea.”

He looked slightly offended as he continued.

“I clearly mentioned that thanks to you, we’d be able to return on schedule, and His Majesty was very pleased about it.”

“Excuse me!!”

I stared at him, dumbfounded.

“Saying we’d return on schedule and saying I’d be getting married the moment I arrived are two completely different things!”

William finally seemed to realize his mistake, his expression turning slightly sheepish.

“Ah… I see. I suppose I could have explained it better.”

As I stood there in shock, William, sensing that the situation was turning against him, swiftly made his exit.

“I’ll go report to His Majesty. Sophie, Adele, and Millie—I’ll leave her in your care.”

And with that, he disappeared like the wind.

The two castle maids stood politely in front of me, while Millie gazed at me with concern.

Well, it was too late to argue now. I straightened my posture.

“Sophie, Adele, right? Okay, what do we start with?”

After leaving Leah, William hurried straight to Mikrok’s office.

Mikrok was in the middle of a meeting with Duke Mark Zenon, his chancellor, discussing the winter relief efforts for the kingdom’s impoverished districts.

“The tribute grain from Lil Kingdom will be distributed to the northern district residents first, correct?”

“Yes, that area is in the worst condition.”

Mikrok set the report he had just received down on the table.

“The western district seems to be in urgent need as well. They say an abnormal cold front has already hit. Divert some of the resources there first. Also, put our goldwood trade with Harlan on hold for now. Find another route for wheat imports.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

As their discussion continued with no end in sight, William clapped his hands together loudly. Both Mikrok and Duke Zenon turned to look at him.

“I think you both seem to be forgetting something. Today is Your Majesty’s wedding day. The future queen has already arrived at the castle.”

“Your Majesty, shouldn’t you go now?”

“No need. I’ll see her at the ceremony.”

Mikrok’s tone was curt as he responded to the chancellor’s question.

William smirked inwardly, recognizing that Mikrok was once again saying the opposite of what he truly meant. But he refrained from commenting.

Mikrok picked up another document, then hesitated before speaking.

“…Did she say she was cold?”

William paused before answering.

“Well… she was wrapped head to toe in furs.”

Mikrok gave a slow nod. Truthfully, he wanted to go to her immediately.

He wanted to check if her journey had been too exhausting, and if she liked the heating magic stones he had arranged all over her room. But…

If he saw her now, he felt like he’d abandon all his responsibilities.

When he had first brought her here, practically abducting her, he never imagined he’d come to resent this monster-hunting expedition so much.

At the time, he had been purely relieved that she would arrive in time for their wedding before his scheduled departure.

He had thought that once she was out of sight, she’d be out of mind. But even after parting ways, his head was constantly filled with thoughts of her.

Mikrok’s expression darkened slightly. Sensing the shift in his mood, William cautiously asked,

“…You’re not thinking of delaying the expedition, are you?”

William’s wary gaze and unsteady voice revealed his deep concern. And truthfully, Mikrok did want to delay it. But that was impossible now.

The Maon Tribe had openly mocked the Kingdom of Pritan by playing into the hands of the Harlan Empire. As king, he couldn’t tolerate such provocation.

The timing of the expedition had been carefully decided. The only option now was to depart quickly, eliminate the threat, and return as fast as possible.

Mikrok turned his attention away from the documents and asked William,

“When does the ceremony begin?”

“In about an hour. You should start getting ready.”

Mikrok frowned down at the stack of paperwork before him. Duke Zenon, sensing the situation, swiftly gathered the documents and set them aside.

“I’ll handle the rest. Please go prepare.”

“What about the knights?”

Mikrok turned to William.

“They’re ready to depart as soon as the wedding ends. Don’t worry about that—just focus on getting married first.”

Mikrok ran a hand over his face before asking hesitantly,

“Can I go see her now?”

“No, absolutely not!”

Given how little time she had to prepare, if he went to see her now and disrupted the process, there was a real risk the wedding might not even happen today.

“Seeing the bride before the wedding is bad luck.”

“What kind of nonsense is that…!”

Mikrok grumbled, but William ignored him and dragged him off.

As he entered the royal dressing chamber, the castle’s tailors, maids, and attendants—all of whom had been waiting—rushed at him without hesitation.

Normally, no one would dare approach the king so boldly.

But today was different.

Today was his wedding day!

All of them were slightly giddy at the thought of how much more stunning this already perfect model of a man would look once they had worked their magic on him.

No matter how much Mikrok scowled, his opinions were completely ignored.