Chapter 42
‘She overdid it.’
Khalid shook his head, a displeased sound slipping out unconsciously.
“Haah… haah… water… some water…”
Seeing her lying there in front of him with a pale face only made it worse.
“Tch, seriously. What are you even trying to do?”
Rubian was sprawled out on a knight’s cloak—someone named Leon, apparently—gasping for breath. When he handed her a nearby water bottle, she grabbed it like it was holy water.
“Breathe first, then drink.”
“Th-thank you…”
“Then why push yourself? You can’t even finish one lap properly.”
“Exactly…”
Maybe she had gotten too confident lately.
Muttering to herself, Rubian gulped down the water.
Khalid stood with one hand on his hip, looking down at her.
Her thin silver hair fluttered weakly in the breeze.
Whatever lunatic had cut it—it was absurdly short.
‘…Hah.’
Khalid swallowed the curse rising in his throat. His gaze lingered on her long eyelashes casting shadows over her clear, bright eyes.
Even like that, she was still pretty.
‘A boy? Are all northerners insane or something?’
Seriously.
It was ridiculous.
‘The 7th daughter of the Mage King.’
Watching Rubian wipe her sweat, Khalid was reminded once again of who she really was.
‘She’s a princess.’
A hollow breath escaped him.
‘The princess of mages, running around here disguised as a boy and training as a knight…’
Of course, he knew Rubian’s situation wasn’t like that of a typical princess.
‘She practically lives as if she’s forgotten that status herself.’
To be honest, he had never lived in the Mage Kingdom, so he didn’t know exactly how the king’s children were treated.
But Rubian had once said:
“The Mage King… takes children with exceptional magical power and makes them his own. There are many ‘children of the king’ in the palace.”
“……”
“So rather than being his daughter, I’m more like a weapon he carefully refined. Not some princess like you’re imagining.”
Thinking back, when had it started?
Khalid felt that the Rubian he first met and the Rubian now were quite different. Of course, she was more lively and brighter now.
“That’s why I don’t like being treated like a princess.”
But sometimes, like now, the self-deprecating expression she showed—
It felt far too mature.
And it made Khalid unbearably restless.
“…Still, I think you are a princess.”
That was why he couldn’t help but add:
“At least to me.”
Bright, warm… and therefore, more noble than anyone.
Otherwise, he couldn’t explain why he wanted to protect her so much.
Someone had once told him that this kind of feeling was similar to a knight’s loyalty to their princess.
And so, once he realized it, the word “master” came naturally to him.
‘Then what the hell are you doing in a place like this?’
Something—anger or frustration—burned black inside him.
It seemed like the only person in the world who didn’t know how special she was… was Rubian herself.
And it wasn’t just her status.
As far as he knew, Rubian was also an incredibly skilled mage. It must be because of all the complex knowledge packed into that small head of hers.
She already possessed overwhelming power—yet here she was, rolling around like the weakest one.
‘Seriously…’
It was so absurd he didn’t even know where to begin criticizing.
“Haah… I feel like I can live again…”
Rubian, who had been lying flat, slowly pushed herself up.
Khalid quickly stepped behind her.
“Told you not to overdo it.”
“I got excited…”
Leaning back against his leg for support, Rubian tilted her head up and smiled faintly.
Seeing that face made him feel slightly dizzy.
“You little brat! Where’s my youngest brat?!”
At that moment, a bull came charging across the field, kicking up dust.
“Grandpa made an energy drink! Drink this quickly!”
Khalid let out a small laugh.
The old Duke Zevert fussed over Rubian, making her drink a bubbling concoction.
‘Well… she’s definitely being treated like a princess here.’
Seeing him panic over a kid who barely reached his waist.
“Tch, where’s Borvel?!”
“I-it’s not serious enough to call a doctor…”
“Didn’t she collapse while running?!”
“She didn’t collapse—she just got tired!”
Khalid had heard some things about the old Duke.
Before Leviathan Zevert, that man had supposedly been the strongest on the continent.
‘Something about throwing cannonballs by hand because he couldn’t wait to light the fuse…’
His personality was so insane it overshadowed his skill.
At that moment, Void Zevert approached.
He wiped Rubian’s forehead with a white handkerchief.
“Ruby, what are you going to do? You can’t even finish one lap.”
He grumbled, but his hands kept moving.
He had been like that in the dining hall too.
Rubian snapped back:
“I can do two laps in the mini training field!”
“That thing is barely a quarter of a quarter of this size!”
“Hey, don’t hit me with facts when I’m already hurting!”
“As if there’s anywhere to hit you in the first place—”
The two bickered.
Khalid watched Rubian’s round head from an angle.
She never fought with anyone.
She always looked like she didn’t mind anything.
He hated that.
It felt like she was always ready to leave at any moment.
And in the end, she had left him once—so it wasn’t entirely wrong.
‘Come to think of it…’
The only times she showed strong reactions were when it involved Leviathan Zevert.
Had she always wanted to come here?
“His Grace has arrived!”
And right on cue, the man himself appeared.
All this fuss just because she got tired from running…
‘Though I guess I’m not one to talk.’
Still, everyone else seemed just as excessive.
“Ruby.”
Leviathan Zevert appeared, carrying the scent of ink.
His mere presence was overwhelming. The knights stiffened instantly.
A predator strolling in lazily.
Rather than a noble, he looked more like a mercenary leader.
Khalid knew people like that were the most dangerous.
‘Just one look… terrifying.’
Those violet eyes swept across the area.
The sharp glint in them made Khalid click his tongue.
“Uncle!”
Rubian didn’t hesitate and reached out her arms.
In an instant, his expression softened, and he lifted her naturally.
“You hate being tired, so why overdo it like this?”
“Exactly.”
“Look at your face. Pale as a ghost. Not cute at all.”
“I know!”
“What do you mean you know?”
He lightly tapped her nose, his touch full of affection.
Khalid silently watched.
‘She’s like a treasure.’
Cherished and doted on.
Maybe that’s why—
The reason she stayed here.
Forget the Mage King… maybe she simply liked this place.
Khalid found himself wishing that were true.
‘Still… I’m a little jealous.’
That she now had something else to rely on.
He lightly nudged the leg that had been supporting her.
‘Still… seeing her smile again after so long…’
A knight devoted to his princess should know his place.
Feeling a bit bitter, the boy took a step back.
That night
After finishing training, Khalid was heading toward the knights’ quarters.
But after a moment’s hesitation, he turned around.
Toward the main residence.
The conversation he had earlier with Rubian weighed on his mind.
“The number of tracking mages has increased.”
Khalid reported what he had learned about the kingdom’s movements.
“Don’t worry. They’re still searching the south. The Empire is huge—it’ll take time.”
“But if they suddenly reach the north, it’ll be a problem…”
“Well… the Bamylon imperial family seems oddly uncooperative, and the misdirection is still working, so we’re fine for now.”
“Misdirection? You mean your animal friends?”
“…Yeah, something like that.”
To prevent the tracking mages from following Rubian’s trail, he had carefully fabricated false traces.
It was only a temporary measure—but effective enough to buy time.
‘Even after saying all that… she still looked uneasy.’
Creak—
As he carefully pushed open the bedroom door, Khalid froze.
“…What are you doing here at this hour?”
Someone else was already in Rubian’s room.
