"I’m afraid he doesn’t look like that, Princess. But he is my most loyal hound."
A stray dog wandering the wilderness could only be given a name and used as a hound once it served a master.
"The Margrave is also the subject I trust most. He is capable, valiant, and loyal."
"So, you mean he is of great utility?"
"You will know once you see him for yourself."
Though he spoke words of praise, his eyes were desolate. The only time my father, who always maintained a gentle demeanor, had recently flown into such a rage was over the matter of Derek. Not long ago, Derek had been confined to his castle, having lost half an ear. According to his cousin Enoch, it was merely an accident, but it seems the Margrave is involved in some way. Having quickly grasped the situation, Harold closed his mouth and looked quietly out the window.
* * *
The urgent dispatch stated that he would arrive within a few days. I knew the King was on a tour, but he had never once come this far to the border region, so it was an exceptional event.
The castle became busy in an instant. The maids swept and polished the floors of the grand hall until they shone, and wiped away even the slightest speck of dust from the glass windows. The room where the King would stay was also furnished with the most luxurious and finest items to suit his tastes. The servants slaughtered the pigs, cows, and chickens from the barn, while the cooks skinned and prepared the hunted boar, deer, and antelope.
The kitchen maids checked the smoked sausages and cheese made the previous winter.
The knights, led by Greg, stood on stricter emergency guard in case of any unforeseen circumstances, and Robert was so busy overseeing all these tasks that he didn't have a moment to breathe. Since it was a situation where one would even borrow a cat's paw to help, Roxana also assisted Robert in preparing the castle. It was mostly work involving creating and organizing ledgers. Her handwriting was neat and easy to read, so she was a great asset to Robert.
The preparations, which had mobilized everyone in the castle, were finished, and the day the King had notified finally arrived.
A whistle blew, signaling the King’s procession. The knights, standing tall with capes embroidered with the family crest, waited for the King in a disciplined manner, centered around their lord, Curtis.
Ten carriages entered, escorted by over thirty knights on either side. The commoners living within the outer walls all prostrated themselves on the ground, welcoming the King’s visit.
As the lead carriage smoothly entered the inner castle amidst a solemn atmosphere, every knight under the Marquess of Russell straightened their backs and pointed their long swords toward the ground. Then, they crossed their hands and placed them on the pommels of their swords.
Before long, the carriage that had entered the inner castle came to a stop. No sooner had Curtis approached it than the King’s captain of the guard opened the carriage door. The man who stepped down, treading on the back of a prostrate attendant, was an old man with graying hair. Curtis smiled faintly, placed his hand on his left chest, and bowed politely.
"You have suffered much on your long journey, Your Highness."
"If I didn't come myself, you would just keep making all sorts of excuses not to visit, even when I call for you."
"That is..."
"I’m joking. Do you think I don't know how busy the Margrave is with reclaiming his territory and governing his people?"
The King, who laughed heartily and good-naturedly while looking at Curtis’s troubled face, turned around and held out his hand to someone who had been riding in the carriage with him.
"Come, see for yourself. Harold. What the Margrave looks like."
"Oh, Father. If you say that in front of him, what does that make me?"
The young woman, who replied in a feigned, sulky tone, took her father’s hand and stepped out of the carriage. Curtis, as if flowing like water, took the Princess’s left hand, bowed his head, and kissed the back of it.
"It is an honor to meet you, Princess Harold."
"Oh. Do you know my face?"
It was the exact opposite of the rumors. Harold, having confirmed Curtis’s face, saw a spark of interest in her eyes. The Margrave was not a barbaric, hulking brute. He was more handsome than even the bards he occasionally summoned to the royal castle. No, he was far more masculine than that lot who were only slick on the surface, and his sharp, refined beauty, like a well-honed sword, caught her eye.
"It is rumored that you are so beautiful that one cannot forget you once they have seen you."
"I should return that rumor to you, Margrave."
"Princess. Are you already setting your sights on him? You’ve been unable to help yourself whenever you see something rare since you were a child."
The King, who had been stroking his beard, intervened. Curtis, who had let go of the Princess’s hand at the quiet warning, proceeded to introduce his own family.
"Your Highness. This is my younger sister, Frey Russell."
At her brother’s words, Frey, who had stepped forward hesitantly, lifted the hem of her dress and bent her knee.
"It is a true honor to have an audience with you. Welcome, Your Highness."
"Ah. So you are Lady Russell."
The old, cunning eyes scanned the young girl. Black hair and downcast eyes. She was a young girl whose features were identical to her brother’s. Her hand, clutching her skirt, was trembling as if she were nervous or terrified. After finishing his observation under Curtis’s silent gaze, the King smiled faintly.
"Did you say she was fifteen? Four years younger than the Princess. Yet she is so composed."
"You are too kind. She is still just a child."
Curtis, who replied on behalf of the stiff-looking Frey, instructed Robert to take Frey to her room.
"Then, please come inside."
"Wait."
The King, who had sent the Princess inside first, suddenly stopped. Then, he scanned every corner of the castle.
"Strange, Margrave."
His gaze was sharp, as if he were looking for someone.
"Isn't there one more person you should introduce to me?"
"Someone to introduce?"
"Don't tell me you don't know."
"Ah."
Curtis slightly raised the corners of his mouth. The reason the King had come all the way here, instead of returning straight to the royal castle after finishing his tour of the country, had become clear. He must have heard about Derek’s affair one way or another. Even if he had strictly gagged those involved, including the parties concerned, it was natural for it to leak out since there were many eyes watching. The King was looking for the woman who had caused Derek to have his ear cut off.
"Where is she?"
An inexplicable tension filled the surroundings at the quiet question. Curtis turned his head, smiling nonchalantly. Greg was ready to move the moment he gave the order. While the King was searching the surroundings thoroughly, like a hawk finding its prey, Curtis called out to a woman who had been standing far behind him.
"Come out here."
At the same time, Roxana, who had been hiding her body at a distance, revealed herself.
"Closer."
Roxana, who had approached his side, bowed her head deeply. If one tried to deceive him clumsily, they would only bring disaster upon themselves. Roxana Dalton was a woman who had never even left her own territory, except when she was very young. Curtis, having decided to act boldly, struck first.
"Is this the person you were looking for? I didn't know the rumors had already reached your ears, Your Highness."
Disappointment flickered across the King’s face as he checked Roxana’s hair.
"...Red hair, I see."
"Your Highness. She is the forest keeper’s daughter. I took her in a while ago."
"Ha."
The King, who blinked slowly, narrowed his brows. Red hair. There was a strange sense of incongruity somewhere, but it was only for a moment. There was no need to even check her face. The one he was looking for was a woman with blonde hair. The King, having lost interest in the woman, twisted his lips.
"How unexpected. To think the Margrave would take in a woman. I thought you had no interest in women at all."
"I am embarrassed that you speak so bluntly."
"It’s interesting, but unfortunately, she is not the woman I was looking for."
"I see. I didn't know Your Highness had a connection with a woman here. If you tell me who you are looking for, I will make inquiries."
Curtis replied with a sly smile. The King’s jaw tightened firmly at the nonchalant reaction.
A slippery snake of a man. Although he was famous for his high military achievements and thorough border defense, the man before him was closer to a cruel and calculating mercenary than a stoic and loyal knight. He had kept him by his side and favored him to keep the rising lords in check, but he had never truly trusted him.
"Tell me her features. Her hair, for instance."
At the calm words that followed, the King clenched his fist so tightly that the bones on the back of his hand turned white.
He could not tell the Margrave to hand over the woman named Melanie. If the incident where he tried to rape a woman and ended up having his ear cut off were to spread, Derek’s honor would be irrecoverably tarnished. Furthermore, since the matter had been covered up through Enoch’s mediation, his own prestige would also fall if he brought it up.
"No. No, it’s not necessary."
The King, who had rolled his cunning head and reached a conclusion, burst into a hearty laugh. In the softened air, he patted Curtis on the shoulder.
"Margrave. You are one of the subjects I trust the most."
"..."
The King leaned in close and whispered softly.
"So, I will let this slide for now. That fellow was at fault, too. But keep this in mind. The moment a hound bites its master, it is no longer a hound. It is just a stray dog. And I do not take in stray dogs."
"I will keep that in mind."
Curtis replied with a dry smile.
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