Sorry, I got distracted by your looks

From the moment the wedding started, Mikrok had struggled to focus.

He kept glancing at Leah in that wedding dress, finding it difficult to even stand still.

A dangerous desire burned within him—he wanted to rip that gown off of her.

But, of course, he couldn’t do that in the middle of the ceremony.

Then, the priest’s voice rang out.

“By the authority vested in me by the Holy Goddess Vestea, I hereby pronounce Mikrok, King of Pritan, and Leah, Queen of Pritan, as husband and wife.”

Leah Pritan.

She was now

his.

Traditionally, this was the moment when the groom sealed his vows with a kiss. So, Mikrok calmly leaned in and pressed his lips to Leah’s.

But then—he lost control.

The moment her lips touched his, something in his mind

.

He had not intended to kiss her so deeply in front of a holy priest.

But all he could think about was

. More contact, more time, more of

.

With that singular desire overtaking him, he instinctively pulled her soft lips deeper into the kiss, prying them open and tasting every inch.

Leah’s kiss was intoxicatingly sweet.

He had never realized how incredible a kiss could be.

For a brief second, he thought of his parents.

His father had been notorious for kissing his mother at every opportunity, whether people were around or not. It had been a running joke in the castle.

When Mikrok was five, he had once gone looking for his mother to read him a story—only to be chased out of the room within five minutes by his father.

Curious and frustrated, he had sneaked a glance back… only to find his father practically

his mother’s lips.

At the time, he had been utterly

.

Now?

Now he

.

For the first time, he felt guilty for ever blaming his father.

After the wedding, Mikrok made up his mind.

“William! We ride out immediately, wipe them out, and return like the wind! Have everyone ready to depart!”

Barking orders, he rushed off to his chambers.

The sooner he put on his armor and left, the sooner he could return to Leah.

That was the plan—until he walked in to find Leah clutching his helmet to her chest, glaring at him in outrage.

“You are

leaving for battle without completing our wedding night! If word spreads all the way to House Uzcal that I was abandoned—”

For a brief moment, Mikrok wished she were holding

instead of his helmet.

Watching her flustered expression, he hesitated, then asked,

“You… truly wish to consummate the marriage?”

“Who said

?! I have

dignity, you know!”

He had braced himself for an entirely different answer—so her response left him completely thrown.

“What??”

His eyebrows shot up.

Was she demanding the wedding night or not?!

“I wouldn’t force such an unreasonable request on a man about to leave for war!”

She tightened her hold on the helmet and looked down.

“…Not that I

if you don’t have dignity, but… what exactly

you want me to do?”

“Just one hour.

in this room for at least an hour.”

She lifted her head, eyes shining with determination.

“Stay long enough for people to

we spent our wedding night together. I’ll take care of the rest.”

“…Is that really necessary?”

“Of course! If we don’t, the entire castle will see me as nothing more than a

queen!”

Mikrok scoffed.

“If anyone in this castle so much as

of disrespecting you, just tell me. I’ll personally rip out their tongues.”

“No, that’s

necessary.”

Leah shook her head so fast it was almost comical.

At times like this, he really was an

tyrant.

“…Just give me a little time.”

Mikrok sighed.

“One hour?”

“Three hours would be better, but… yes, just one hour.”

He reached for the bell rope by the bed and gave it a firm pull.

Outside, Millie sprinted in like an arrow.

“You called, Your Majesty?”

“Tell William the expedition is delayed by three hours.”

“Y-yes, right away!”

“Also, we’ll be having dinner first. Have it prepared in the adjoining lounge.”

“Right away, Your Majesty!”

Millie dashed out, barely containing her excitement.

For the first time in his life, Mikrok made the conscious decision to give in to his desires.

Leah’s innocent, pleading expression had completely dismantled his earlier resolve.

He had initially planned to return and

claim his wedding night.

But now he realized just how foolish he had been.

Of course, Leah clearly had

scheme in mind.

But it was too late.

Did she even realize she had just awakened a very

beast?

The longer he let himself dwell on it, the hotter the slow-burning fire in his gut grew.

She asked for one hour.

But delaying the expedition for three?

A

decision indeed.

****

The knights, expecting to leave immediately after the wedding, were now met with an unexpected delay.

The air buzzed with excitement.

“Wait… does this mean…?”

“His Majesty is actually

the marriage?!”

“I knew it! Our king is a man, after all!”

Nobody dared to say it out loud, but their faces practically

with amusement.

“I doubt we’ll be leaving before dawn.”

Freddy, having removed his helmet, smirked at his younger brother, Ralph, the deputy commander of the special forces.

But Ralph, ever composed, dismissed him with a flat expression.

“His Majesty isn’t like

.”

Freddy scoffed.

“You say that after

the king kiss his bride like that?!”

The memory of Mikrok’s fiery kiss during the wedding resurfaced.

“You ever seen His Majesty

like that before? Right now, he’s in a state where even a million dark dragons couldn’t pull him away from her.”

Seeing Ralph remain unfazed, Freddy shook his head in pity.

“Hah. Then again, what do

know about women? You poor bastard.”

Of course, Freddy himself wasn’t much better.

But looking at Ralph, he felt a

sense of sympathy.

Ralph, however, ignored his older brother’s nonsense.

Mikrok wasn’t merely a man—he was a

.

And Freddy was underestimating the weight of a ruler’s responsibilities.

“His Majesty will be back in exactly three hours. Stay ready.”

“Want to bet on it?”

“Fine. If I lose, I’ll give up my deputy commander position.”

“Ooh, bold! Alright, if

lose, I’ll give up any future love interest to you.”

Ralph stared at him, speechless.

“…What kind of bet is that?”

“You don’t even

women! It’s a win-win!”

“…And what if I

like whoever you’re giving up?”

“Then it’s still a win for me!”

Freddy grinned, convinced of his victory.

Ralph sighed, realizing this bet was utterly meaningless for him.

No matter who won,

gained nothing.

With Mikrok agreeing to stay, I finally felt a sense of relief.

“An hour was all I needed… Thank you, Your Majesty.”

“Mik.”

“…What?”

“Call me

, not ‘Your Majesty.’”

“…Oh.”

My face immediately burned.

Just saying his name felt incredibly intimate.

“…Thank you… Miik…”

“…What was that?”

“I

thank you.”

His gaze bore into my lips.

Clearly, he wasn’t satisfied.

As if

I say it properly.

I nervously rolled his name around in my mouth, hesitated—then finally said it.

“…Thank you, Mik.”

The moment I said it, his lips curled into a slow, satisfied smile.

He

liked that.

“Well then… now that I’m here,” he murmured, voice dropping, “What is it that

want?”