Adrian, who had lost the initiative to Arsen, grumbled throughout and said to Roxiana as he left the dining hall.

“Adrian Tellis and the Red Spiders will cover the princess’s path with flowers. Oh, and this one as a bonus.”

He then grabbed Cain’s ear next to him and pulled him over. Cain frowned and swatted Adrian’s hand away.

“Why are you making oaths on my behalf?”

“The princess is busy, so I’m managing her time.”

Cain glared at his twin brother with a growl, then awkwardly smiled in front of Roxiana and thumped his left chest with his fist.

“Cain Tellis and the Black Bears will always be a sturdy shield before the princess and a hammer to break obstacles.”

Then he added, scratching his head sheepishly.

“If you need anything, please feel free to ask.”

Roxiana stood motionless in front of the dining hall, watching the backs of the knight captains as they walked down the corridor. From the moment she heard Arsen’s oath until now, an unexpected emotion filled her heart.

In truth, she had expected the knight captains to oppose her decision to live as ‘Roxiana Franche’. She had prepared how to persuade them when that happened, but she never dreamed they would not only not oppose but swear to protect her.

Because of this unexpected turn of events, she couldn’t even thank them properly. The word ‘thank you’ seemed too meager to express this overwhelming feeling.

Kirshan, who had remained until the end, whispered.

“I will be both the poison that kills and the medicine that saves people according to the princess’s orders. If there are matters to be handled discreetly, please command me.”

Only after Kirshan joined the other knight captains did Roxiana realize she shouldn’t just stand there looking foolish.

“Everyone…”

She barely managed to utter a thin voice as her throat choked up, but the knight captains’ keen hearing did not miss her voice. They stopped and turned around.

Roxiana gazed at the five knights standing at attention.

Arsen Chetek. Adrian Tellis. Cain Tellis. Hexten Renardo. Kirshan Lepe.

Despite not having many conversations with Roxiana, they fully believed her words. They could have considered everything she said to be lies, but they didn’t.

They empathized with her sorrow, sympathized with her anger, and showed trust in her chosen path.

So no matter how overwhelming it felt, even if her heart seemed about to burst, she had to express this feeling properly. She had to convey it.

Roxiana clasped her hands together, bowed deeply, and said.

“Roxiana Franche will walk upright on the path you have created for her.”

+++

Even after the knight captains were out of sight, Roxiana stood motionless in front of the dining hall door.

What had just happened seemed like a dream.

“Ahem.”

Only when she heard a cough behind her did Roxiana become aware of Floyd’s presence. Realizing that he had been watching as his knight captains made their oaths to her made her feel embarrassed and sorry.

Roxiana turned to him and said.

“I’m sorry.”

“I’m not sure what you’re apologizing for. For forgetting about my existence until now? For neglecting me?”

“No, it’s because the knight captains…”

“Arsen. Adrian. Cain. Hexten. Kirshan.”

“Pardon?”

“From now on, call them by their names. Those guys even made oaths, so you shouldn’t keep such distance, princess. Calling them comfortably by their names would be an honor for them.”

Come to think of it, Robert, who had been her bodyguard, had said something similar.

−”There’s nothing more honorable than having the person I serve treat me comfortably. Doesn’t it mean I’m doing my job well?”

Roxiana nodded, feeling a bittersweet nostalgia.

“Yes, I should do that.”

Despite his knights swearing to protect Roxiana in front of him, he didn’t seem upset. Rather, he looked pleased.

“Are you tired?”

“No.”

“Then would you make me a glass of juice in the Lily Palace? I heard from Hexten earlier that the drinks you make are incredible.”

“Ah… Yes, that sounds good.”

Although it was quite late, her heart was still pounding, and she didn’t think she could sleep. Roxiana headed to the Lily Palace with Floyd.

Floyd watched with delighted eyes as Roxiana entered the empty kitchen, turned on the lights familiarly, and prepared the juicer. Roxiana took out fresh apples, washed them clean, peeled them, cut them into appropriate sizes, and put them in the juicer.

With a loud noise, the well-ground apples were placed in a hemp cloth and squeezed tightly to complete the process.

“If you like it sweet, I can add a little honey.”

“That’s alright.”

Floyd lifted the bottle filled with juice.

“The weather’s nice, shall we go out to the garden to drink?”

The weather really was nice. In the night sky of Torkan after the rainy season, countless stars were densely packed and twinkling. They sat on a bench by the pond and looked up at the sky for a moment.

“Kanta is still cool at this time, but Torkan is already hot. It’s not even cold at night.”

“This is just the beginning. It will get hotter in June, and July is when the real summer starts.”

Roxiana couldn’t even imagine what Torkan’s summer would be like, when it wasn’t even that cold in the middle of winter.

She found it curious that she was paying attention to the weather at times like this.

‘I guess I’ve gained some peace of mind now.’

If so, that’s good. One needs to have the leisure to look around for thoughts to become free. Free thoughts will be the foundation for creating better solutions.

“Now that you’ve received oaths from my knights, let’s talk candidly.”

Floyd got to the point.

“What do you really want to do, princess?”

Now Roxiana decided to be honest too. She decided to show what was inside her to him, who didn’t show any dislike even when his knights swore loyalty to her.

‘I should show trust first to gain trust in return.’

Even without such a reason, she trusted him.

When he was away from Torkan, Roxiana occasionally, no, quite often thought of him. Every time Roxiana nearly died, every time she tried to use her power, every time she mentioned death, she thought of Floyd who would get angry and raise his voice.

As she pondered his actions like this, she naturally came to understand.

Ah, that wasn’t anger but worry. It wasn’t displeasure but anxiety. He raised his voice and got angry because he was worried and anxious that I might die, get hurt, not wake up, or be in pain.

Just like her family did long ago. Like when her father got angry when she was caught trying to sneak off to the circus with Ranian.

This natural understanding turned into trust towards him. And so Roxiana now decided to make him understand her.

“The first thing I want to do is to reclaim my family. And then.”

Roxiana turned her head to look at him. He slowly turned his head to meet Roxiana’s eyes.

“I will make those responsible for my family’s deaths pay for their crimes.”

“You’re speaking rather difficultly. In short, you mean you’ll take revenge, is that it?”

“Yes, I will. I need to get revenge on them.”

He took his gaze off Roxiana, turned his head forward, and let out a deep sigh.

“Princess. Revenge doesn’t bring forth anything.”

“No. Revenge does bring forth something.”

“Oh? What does it bring forth?”

“Peace in my heart.”

“…”

“I need to see them pay for their crimes to be able to sleep with both legs stretched out.”

Floyd sighed again. He rubbed his face with both hands and said.

“Princess. I’ve also dreamed of revenge like you before. So I know very well how you feel now, what kind of determination you’ve made. There’s really no one who understands better than me. But that, it makes life much more tiring than you think.”

“Yes, I could take revenge by forgetting everything and living comfortably, happily, and joyfully.”

“Yes, that’s exactly it. Look at me. This successful subjugation of monsters is probably burning Lucas’s insides. That bastard is probably grinding his teeth now, confined in the Crown Prince’s Palace, hearing news about me. He’ll have trouble sleeping with both legs stretched out. Even though I’m just living my life, he’s losing sleep worrying about me. Is there anything more satisfying than this?”

“Of course. Seeing those people despair, suffer, and fear every day, and finally kneel before me and apologize. That seems more satisfying to me.”

“And what about your life that becomes desolate in the process? The more you focus on them, the more painful it will be for you too, princess. Just as they become obsessed with you, you too will become obsessed with them.”

“No, I won’t.”

Roxiana stood up abruptly and stood in front of him.

“Because I have Your Highness.”

He lifted his head sharply. His ash-gray eyes gazing at Roxiana wavered. Looking down at his eyes that were solely focused on her, Roxiana said.

“As long as Your Highness is by my side, I won’t be consumed by them.”

He had pulled Roxiana out of a narrow box, rescued her from darkness, and created a path in the empty mire.

“So, Your Highness, please continue to share your bright light before me as you have done until now. Please shine dazzlingly. Then I will not be consumed by them, not be eaten by dark emotions, and walk without wavering on the path that the knight captains have created for me to reach them.”