I Will Become the Queen of the Enemy Country

Karan suddenly got up.

He went straight to the bathroom to wash himself.

Despite the still chilly weather, he turned on the cold water to cool down the hot heat.

The cold water flowed down his body. Karan washed carefully and meticulously from head to toe.

His shower time had lengthened since he met Elise.

“You woke up early.”

As he came out shaking his head, Haltbin greeted him with a sleepy face.

It was still before sunrise.

“Go back to sleep.”

Haltbin must have had a hard time yesterday.

It’s because he left the aftermath of the gift Chase sent to Karan to him.

It wouldn’t have been difficult to retaliate against them as it was an extension of what they always did, but it would have been hard to erase the traces.

‘Was it hard to retaliate without leaving a trace?’

Whatever it was, Karan, who knew about his subordinate’s hard night, was going to give Haltbin a day off.

“I was going to sleep more, but you’re busy moving around early.”

Haltbin and Karan’s rooms were connected by a very thin door.

So that he can react immediately if something happens to Karan.

Karan, who hides his presence in daily life, moved comfortably in his room, and the noise he made woke Haltbin from his light sleep.

“Be careful.”

“That’s not what I mean. Aren’t you tired? You have to go to the banquet in that stuffy uniform tonight.”

Haltbin, with his drooping eyelids, put a kettle on the stove.

These days, Haltbin was engrossed in imitating the Bedrokka nobility.

The cup of tea he drank in the morning was an extension of that imitation.

Karan was uncomfortable with the mockery-like imitation, but he did not refuse the teacup offered by Haltbin.

“What time is it now?”

Karan, who took a sip of the tea prepared by Haltbin, asked.

“It’s 6 o’clock.”

“Is that all?”

Karan looked out the window and gulped down the tea when the warmth of the teacup had cooled down somewhat.

“I need to check the time.”

“Yes, it’s 6:05.”

Strange. Why is time passing so slowly?

Karan put the empty teacup on the table and got up.

“Where are you going?”

“I’m not going anywhere. I’m going to exercise.”

Karan took off the shirt he was wearing and did push-ups on the spot.

Karan slowly bent his arms.

Next to Karan, who was doing push-ups with his arms bent, Haltbin enjoyed the leisure of dawn.

One, two, three, four…

“Your Highness, you’re too fast.”

Haltbin stopped Karan, who was doing push-ups at a speed that would not come out even in a normal posture.

Sweat poured out on Karan’s body and face. The wash he had just done was in vain.

“Ha, was I too fast?”

Thud. Karan’s two feet fell to the floor. Then he shook off the sweat-wiped hand.

“So what time is it now?”

“It’s 6:30. Do you have something today? Why do you keep asking the time? Who are you meeting?”

“Eise.”

“Ah…”

With that one name, Haltbin understood all of Karan’s actions.

Haltbin cleared the teacup and headed to his room.

“Where are you going?”

“I’m going to sleep. I feel like I’m going to be a victim of time if I stay here.”

Haltbin’s action was very wise.

That morning in Bedrokka, even the warriors who were counted on were exhausted from dueling with Karan.

“Phew, so what time is it now?”

After making the tenth warrior kneel, Karan asked.

Heave, gasp, the warrior who was catching his breath with his hand on the floor instead of the warrior who had finished the duel and was resting said.

“It’s 10 o’clock.”

Karan grinned. It’s time to go.

“You all worked hard.”

Karan hurried back to his room. He washed himself carefully again and dressed up with the help of his attendant.

And he arrived at Elise’s mansion at 12 o’clock.

He had no idea how many times he had changed his hairstyle. In the end, he went back to the hairstyle he had at first.

Karan touched his hair.

He wanted to leave a good impression on Elise until the very end.

“Shall I ring the bell, Your Highness?”

The servant, who was sitting next to the coachman, opened the door and asked.

“No, there’s no need for that. Instead, move the carriage to the shade of the tree. It’s too conspicuous.”

Karan’s visit to Elise’s mansion was not to disturb her time, but to meet her as soon as possible.

Karan hoped that Elise, who had been tired yesterday, would rest enough, prepare calmly, and come out.

The time he was eager to see her was entirely his part.

‘I must be the only one who wants to see her.’

It was bitter, but not anxious. Because she promised. Elise was not a person who took promises lightly.

The wait with a promise was not pain, but excitement.

Time passed slowly but steadily. The excitement grew accordingly.

However, Karan’s excitement reached its peak around 1 o’clock and began to turn into anxiety.

Negative thoughts followed one after another.

Did she forget the promise?

Or was it a joke when she said yesterday that we should go to the festival together?

Did he take the joke too seriously?

“Your Highness, how about lunch?”

For the fourth time, the servant asked. Karan had skipped breakfast.

The servant had received an order from Haltbin before departure to take good care of him.

So he couldn’t let Karan skip lunch as well.

“I’ve had enough to eat.”

He got goosebumps at the chilly tone. The atmosphere had completely changed from just a few hours ago, and the servant shut his mouth.

Even the servant, who was close to a newcomer, knew that Karan in this state should not be touched.

It was one of the pieces of advice he received from his seniors as soon as he was assigned to take care of Karan.

[When His Highness speaks, if it feels unusually chilly, then from that moment on, think you’re dead and don’t act, speak, or think.]

[How do I know it’s unusually chilly? He’s blunt even in normal times.]

[Your body will tell you.]

The servant was about to step back when he finally realized what he meant.

A big hand suddenly popped out and Karan moved.

The servant’s breath stopped for a moment. It was as if a carnivorous animal that had been crouching all along waiting for its prey had spotted its prey and moved.

Of course, the prey was himself.

The servant closed his eyes tightly.

‘Am I going to die because I thought when I was told not to think?’

The servant, who still didn’t know that Karan cherished his people terribly, turned pale.

“Get out of the way.”

Karan’s voice changed.

At the voice dripping with anxiety and desperation, the servant came to his senses and stepped aside.

Karan’s atmosphere had changed again. Just 10 seconds ago, it seemed like ice was falling, but now it was so warm that it was hot.

In one second, it had gone from winter to summer.

What could have caused this change?

Following Karan’s gaze, the servant realized that there was another person he should be loyal to.

It was Elise in a blue dress.

“I’m sorry, Your Highness.”

Even without words, it was clear enough.

Because Elise’s emerald eyes were full of apology.

“No.”

Karan answered, avoiding her gaze. His cheeks were slightly flushed.

‘He must be really angry. He won’t even meet my eyes. Well, I would do the same.’

Despite diligently preparing, it was still 4 o’clock.

She didn’t know when Karan had started waiting, but considering the sleepiness of the coachman, he must have waited at least an hour.

“You’ve been waiting a long time, haven’t you? Even if I’m tired, I rarely oversleep like this…I fell asleep without hearing the wake-up call.”

Elise did not make excuses or lies that there was a reason.

“Did you sleep without hearing the wake-up call?”

Only then did Karan give Elise a glance.

How reassuring it was, Elise smiled faintly.

“Yes, it’s so stupid, isn’t it?”

Elise sincerely thought so.

From sleeping without asking to be woken up based on her usual habits.

And not being able to get up without hearing Regina’s wake-up call.

“No. But.”

Karan reached out as he looked at Elise’s flushed cheeks.

His hand touched her forehead.

“…You’re hot.”

A wrinkle formed on Karan’s flat forehead.

“Your Highness…”

Elise was quite taken aback as it was the first time Karan openly frowned.

“I’ll make up for being late today. So, cheer up…”

“Elise.”

Karan cut off Elise’s words.

She kept saying that Karan would be angry, but he was not angry in the first place.

Anxiety and unease made him struggle, but it was different from anger.

And that emotion disappeared without a trace the moment she appeared.

The moment he saw Elise running out, he felt like he could repeat the oppressive wait over and over again.

Someone said,

The moment of waiting for a loved one is, even that is joy.

Does Elise not know that?

Indeed, there was a big difference in their hearts.

The reason Karan avoided her gaze was because her clearly exposed neck and collarbone were provocative.

How well the blue dress suited her.

His cheeks flushed in an instant, and Karan didn’t want to be caught with a red face like a country bumpkin.

He needed time to calm down, but when he heard Elise say that she was not her usual self, his head turned.

“You have a fever.”

The blush on her cheeks was not makeup, but a flush from the fever.

Her body was hot not because she ran, but because she had a fever.

“A fever? That can’t be. I’m fine.”

“That’s not for Elise to decide. Elise, shall we go home?”

Karan said something he didn’t mean.