“Did you know I’m engaged to someone?”
“Yes, I know.”

He looked up at me and nodded calmly.
“And I also know that the engagement was arranged when you were very young.”
“What… does that mean?”
“Nothing at all.”

Mikhail spoke with a serene expression on his beautiful face. It was impossible to read his true thoughts. An engagement from childhood…

Indeed, even now, Allenan was busily travelling between the homeland and here to uphold our engagement. Could I ever betray someone like him? I had never seriously considered marrying him. After all, I had to survive until I was nineteen before anything like marriage could even be discussed.

Besides, the childhood engagement felt less like a formal betrothal and more like having a close and intimate companion. Not that I intended to refuse him if the time for marriage ever came.

‘What should I do?’

I had a feeling Mikhail was trying to court me.
After all, that’s how it was in the novel. Since the original work was practically a prophecy, it wasn’t strange for me to trust it so deeply.

I looked at him kneeling before me and said,
“Rise, Sir.”
“You’re refusing me, then?”
“I don’t even know what it is I’m supposed to accept.”
“I’m not asking for much. Just allow me to protect you.”

In the novel, was this how he died protecting me?
If so, what exactly did Euphil do to try to kill Myrthi?

Before, I would have readily accepted his loyalty and said, “Protect me.” But now, accepting him felt like drawing a clear line against both Euphil and Allenan.

As I hesitated, Mikhail spoke again, his tone gentler.
“Please, just let me protect you. I’ll ask for nothing else.”
“Does protecting me hold such meaning for you?”
“Yes. Protecting you is my everything.”

I looked into his eyes.
His sincere gaze locked onto mine, and I found myself captivated. Slowly, I extended my hand to him.

“Very well, then. Sir Mikhail, from now on, you are to guard my life.”
“As you wish, Princess.”
“You must follow my commands and prioritise my wishes above all else.”
“Of course.”

Becoming the heir to a marquisate was likely a dream beyond reach for a boy from the slums.

However, he returned to the past connection bearing the grand title of Marquis Capile’s top disciple, determined to renew his vow.
I smiled softly. Regardless of what thoughts crossed my mind, he was a welcome presence. And so, I said,
“Congratulations on becoming one of my people.”

His face flushed, and he bowed deeply.
Through the dark blue strands of his hair, I could see his ears turning red.

Allenan Cartain was currently attending a royal council meeting that was as dull as it was endless. His face remained stiff throughout.
“Princess Myrthi is in danger.”
“The Third Prince is on his way.”
“Moreover, Marquis Capile’s disciple has sworn allegiance to her, they say.”

A wry smile tugged at his lips.
The attendees of this meeting were, without exception, those who bore the name of the Hagadun family, not Cartain.
In other words, they were relatives on his mother’s side.

The royal in-laws of Alkaden had been holding sway over the kingdom for more than sixty years. While the queen’s power supported and maintained their influence, Allenan couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of disillusionment every time he found himself in these council chambers.
Especially now, with a drought looming over the eastern lands, all they could do was endlessly debate his betrothed.

“They say she already has a fiancé, yet there’s talk of a knight’s vow?”

A knight’s vow often carried romantic connotations. While some knights swore loyalty to married women out of reverence, such oaths usually served to honour the woman’s family. But to swear allegiance to the forsaken second princess, who lacked familial support, and even make a knight’s vow on top of it? Such rumours were bound to spread.

Allenan Cartain let out a soft, sigh-like laugh, his thoughts clouded by a single face.
Silvery hair tinged with a pinkish hue, and vivid, violet eyes brimming with life.
She was the sole light within the chaotic fortress of his mind.

And so, at the age of twenty-three, Allenan immersed himself in the conversations of his in-laws.
“With her betrothed firmly in place, what’s there to worry about?”
“Your Highness! You simply don’t understand!”
“And what exactly don’t I understand?”
“Do you know anything about the affairs of Alkaden, given how often you visit Crothasone?”

The one responding so hotly to Allenan’s gentle smile was none other than the queen’s younger brother—his uncle, a man who could be considered the third most powerful figure in the kingdom.

Allenan’s warm smile hardened instantly.
“Are you addressing me?”

The prince, known for his ever-kind, almost puppy-like smile, was a fitting heir to the throne in both name and presence.
When he wiped the smile from his face, the queen’s brother momentarily froze, though he maintained his composure and continued,
“Yes! I’m speaking to you! You must stop visiting Crothasone so frequently!”

“My fiancée is there. What fault is there in visiting her? Besides, isn’t it you who are ignorant of Alkaden’s true state of affairs?”
“What did you say?”
“Today’s discussion should have been about the drought in the eastern lands. That’s what we should be focusing on.”

The in-laws scowled, but Allenan seized the moment to press on.
“The eastern region contains our largest plains. If no crops grow there, do you realise how devastating the impact will be, even for a trade-heavy kingdom like Alkaden?”

“And what do you propose we do?”

For the first time, the queen, who had been silently listening, addressed Allenan.
He inclined his head slightly before continuing,
“We must prepare for the drought. Dig reservoirs, distribute seeds, and establish irrigation systems to withstand the worst. This is what we should be discussing now, not Princess Myrthi.”

“And you say this despite the fact that the Third Prince is on his way?”
“I say this because the Third Prince is on his way.”

Allenan’s eyes gleamed coldly.
In his mind, the image of a boy, extraordinary since childhood, remained vividly imprinted.

He was dangerous.

Allenan thought this and spoke with certainty.
“He will bring a storm to Crothasone.”

And that storm was already approaching.