Along with words he couldn’t understand in English, his lips overlapped. Soft and warm lips gently pressed down on Roxiana’s lips.

Roxiana, not knowing what had happened, opened her eyes wide and looked at his eyelashes that were very close.

She couldn’t breathe.

Even though it wasn’t her first kiss with a man, her body stiffened as if it were a strange experience.

Though she knew it was right to push away the sudden kiss from a man who wasn’t her lover, she couldn’t. The warmth flowing between her parting lips was maddeningly sweet. The spring-like warmth that melted and swept through her mouth was excessively refreshing, as if she would become addicted.

Reason became dim as if buried in foam, then slowly disappeared.

Before she could feel that the sweetness flowing from him was life force, Roxiana instinctively clung to his neck. She naturally realized that the warmth he transmitted was healing her soul and life.

Her soul, not yet perfectly healed, craved his flame.

The power flowing from him was absorbed by Roxiana like warm water. Feeling as if her whole body was soaking in a fragrant bathtub, Roxiana closed her eyes.

His heat caressed her entire body and gently embraced her tired flesh. In that peaceful kiss, Roxiana sank into a deep slumber.

As her arms that had been clinging to his neck fell onto the bed, Floyd removed his lips from hers. It was just a kiss to heal her injured body, but an unfamiliar impulse gathered around his lower abdomen, which was annoying.

Floyd let out a deep sigh that moved his shoulders, and stroked her forehead as she slept soundly.

Although color had returned to Roxiana’s cheeks now, he still couldn’t feel at ease. She was so small and fragile that he was anxious she might crumble like a soft pudding if touched even slightly wrong.

Floyd sat by the bed watching her for a long time before leaving the bedroom.

+++

The knight commanders waiting in the reception room straightened their posture when Floyd came out. Floyd walked briskly past them without a glance, and the knight commanders quickly followed behind him.

After moving some distance from the bedroom, Adrian asked.

“My lord, my lord. Are you going to kill that bastard?”

Everyone knew who “that bastard” referred to.

“We’ll see.”

“When will we rescue the princess’s family?”

To Hexten’s question, Floyd calmly explained.

“First we’ll proceed with the planned subjugation, then think about it afterwards. By the time we finish the subjugation, the holy knights who entered Kanta should have finished their work and returned.”

“Even if the princess’s family has become undead, they should still be in the well. We need to consider the case where they escaped outside through the passage in the well.”

“Yes. But the passage in the well is small, and undead have no intelligence, so they’ll remain in the well.”

After saying that much, Floyd gritted his teeth.

He remembered the Franche royal family who had treated him well long ago. Thinking that they might be wandering in a well without a speck of light made his anger swell and his heart feel like it would burst.

If I’m in this state, how must she have felt?

Recalling his own attitude of just yelling at her without knowing this, he became even angrier.

‘You stupid and rude bastard! Go out and die!’

As soon as they left Lily Palace, heat erupted, causing the knight commanders to step back.

Floyd took a deep breath to calm the heat and said.

“We depart tomorrow. The bear comes too. We need to finish as quickly as possible and return.”

Cain, who had been excluded from this subjugation but was now joining, clenched both fists.

+++

Elise glared at the middle-aged man standing before her.

“What did you just say?”

Despite her deliberately sharp voice, the middle-aged man showed no sign of fear.

“I said that the lord is too hasty and foolish. Suddenly starting road construction? I understand your desire to impress His Highness the Crown Prince by achieving merit, but using public affairs for personal gain will result in a heavy price.”

The middle-aged man speaking as if coaxing a child was Earl Bricks Lutein, one of the people Lucas had assigned to Elise. Elise couldn’t believe that he, who should be more loyal to her than anyone, was the first to object, and she glared at him.

‘Damn old man.’

The officials summoned to the meeting room were nodding as if agreeing with his words.

It was an extremely awkward situation.

Joseph V had only written a document stating he would entrust King Terren City to Elise, but had not gone through the process of directly summoning her to the audience hall to grant her the territory.

To make matters worse, the people Lucas had assigned were loyal to Lucas, but not to Elise. As soon as they were away from the capital, they revealed their contempt for Elise without hiding it.

The officials of King Terren City looked down on the young woman from Kanta who suddenly appeared claiming to be the lord. They resented her for sitting in the position of lord of a city without having properly learned management or politics, just because she made a tiny contribution to the destruction of Kanta.

Among them, the attitude of Earl Bricks Lutein, whom she had appointed as an advisor, was the most disrespectful.

“What would you know when you just wore pretty dresses and attended parties in Kanta? Our lord seems to have no idea that road construction is completely different from party preparations.”

Other officials laughed loudly in agreement with one official’s words. Elise’s face turned bright red. Elise glared at the officials while biting her lower lip.

Among those present, no one was on Elise’s side. Even Hunter Trenton, the guard knight, seemed to have no intention of silencing them for Elise.

‘Yes, I knew it wouldn’t be easy to accomplish something on my own.’

But she didn’t know it would be this difficult.

When she lived in Kanta, everyone was kind to Elise just because she was Roxiana’s best friend. Even though Elise’s parents had been driven out for embezzlement.

Elise thought it was her own power, not realizing it was thanks to the protection of Roxiana and the Franche royal family.

Suppressing the urge to scream, Elise said.

“King Terren is in a very good location, so if we pave the roads well and renovate buildings to greatly expand the lodging business, it will become a wealthy city with many people coming and going.”

This was Retrochika’s advice. God had given Retrochika a brilliant mind instead of good looks. Retrochika was the only person Elise could trust now.

“So, my lord, how can you be so sure of that? You keep saying it’s in a good location, there will be many travelers, but don’t we need accurate data prepared for us to believe and follow? Anyone can dream unrealistic dreams. Who can’t talk?”

As the official said, Elise, who had just worn dresses and attended parties, had no way of knowing how to find, organize, and prove data. Bricks, who was supposed to do that work for Elise, was at the forefront of driving Elise into a corner.

It was hard to accept this situation where no one was willing to move for her. She had expected everyone to go out of their way for her since she became the lord with Lucas’s support.

Elise clenched her fists, glared at the officials, and said.

“I received the authority to be in charge of this territory from His Majesty the King, and His Highness the Crown Prince personally sent me here.”

“Ah, then we should directly report this problem to His Majesty the King and His Highness the Crown Prince and ask them to solve it.”

“Our lord of King Terren runs straight to tattle as soon as a problem arises. His Majesty the King will be so pleased.”

Once again, laughter mixed with mockery rang out.

Elise had never been in a situation where she was openly ridiculed. She could easily imagine what they would say about her once she left this place, but she couldn’t stand it any longer.

Elise abruptly stood up and fled the meeting room. The sound of the officials laughing loudly spread through the closing door.

‘Why…?’

She couldn’t understand.

‘Why doesn’t anyone listen to me? I’m the lord of this city? Even if this city isn’t mine, it’s as good as mine as long as I sit as the lord? Why doesn’t anyone follow me?’

Roxiana was also just a princess who enjoyed wearing dresses and attending parties like Elise, but the officials who frequented the palace were always polite to her and listened to her words. No one ever laughed at her.

If Roxiana could do it, she should be able to do it too. She deserves the same treatment Roxiana received.

Because Roxiana and I are no different.

‘No, we were different. She had a king backing her. Roxiana without a king or country would be in a worse situation than me now. Of course. Who would want to move for her? She’s nothing but a slave with nothing. But I have the Crown Prince.’

Just as Roxiana had the king, Elise has the Crown Prince. The problem was that she couldn’t pour out every little detail of this issue to Lucas.

‘I can’t be seen as a troublesome woman to the Crown Prince. If I whine about one thing not going well, I’ll be no different from other women. I must become the one and only existence in the world for Lucas.’

So she needed someone other than Lucas whom she could trust completely. Someone who could do anything for her. My own slave.

Retrochika said he would create such a slave for Elise, but she couldn’t keep waiting for his gift forever.

‘Then I’ll make one myself.’

Elise stopped walking and turned around.

Behind her was Hunter Trenton, the guard knight. Hunter Trenton, who didn’t stand up for Elise but faithfully followed her according to Lucas’s orders. Looking at the guard knight with a sturdy physique and neat features, though not as handsome as Lucas, Elise swallowed a smile.