I Will Become the Queen of the Enemy Country

“Your Highness! What are you doing with that wall? If you touch it wrongly, it will collapse!”

“I can hear Elise’s voice from over there.”

“Are you out of your mind? There’s no way Miss Elise is here!”

Karan frowned. Haltbin, who was about to grab his arm, quickly pulled his hand back.

If he had just grabbed his arm, he might have had to live as a one-armed man for the rest of his life.

“You heard it too, didn’t you?”

Karan asked, looking at one of the warriors. The warrior looked back and forth between Haltbin and Karan.

Haltbin pleaded with his eyes for him to think rationally.

“I must have heard it wrong…”

“If you lie to me, I will kill you.”

“…I couldn’t have heard it. I definitely heard it.”

Logically, they shouldn’t have been able to hear Elise’s voice, but the warrior really did hear it.

Above all, Karan wanted him to say that he had heard her voice.

He was a loyal knight who would do anything for his master.

“You heard it, Haltbin. Everyone, step back!”

Karan shouted. As the warriors stepped back a few steps, Karan affectionately stroked the wall.

“Elise, if you’re nearby, step aside. If you hear me, will you knock on the wall?”

Then, thump, thump, thump, the sound of the wall resonating was heard.

As soon as he heard that signal, Karan swung his sword.

They say that the sound of a sword cutting through the wind can be heard, but when a real master swings a sword, the sound of the wind being cut is heard after the sword has passed.

That was the case when Karan swung his sword. Only after he sheathed his sword did the whooshing sound of the wind being cut was heard. And then, with a crash, the wall collapsed.

A pile of stones poured out to Karan’s feet, but he didn’t flinch.

A cloud of dust rose and then settled, blurring and then clearing the view.

Beyond that, Elise was there.

Even though dust was getting into his eyes, Karan didn’t close them.

He was afraid Elise would disappear if he closed his eyes.

“Your Highness! Come this way, quickly.”

She was calling him. Only then did Karan leap over the pile of stones and hold Elise in his arms.

“Elise!”

“Your Highness! Where are you hurt?”

Elise felt around Karan’s body.

Karan wanted to hold her tightly. But he was afraid he might break her. He bit his lip to control his strength.

“Your Highness, you’re not hurt, are you? Your Highness?”

It was a desperate call, as if from someone who had been worried about him all day.

“I’m not hurt.”

“Then all this blood is…”

“It’s not my blood.”

That one sentence was enough. Elise sighed in relief. Then, her tension eased and her strength drained away.

“I’m glad you’re safe.”

Elise murmured weakly. Karan pulled her waist to prevent her from falling.

Her clothes might get dirty, but Karan didn’t care.

He wanted to cut through the clothes that blocked him from her, like a cave wall.

He thought he would die without seeing her, but now that he was holding the living, breathing Elise, he wanted to dive into her vibrant body right away.

He could have done it.

But just because he was a beast, he couldn’t turn Elise into one too.

That doesn’t mean Karan would give up his desires.

He lifted Elise’s chin. For some reason, he planted small kisses on Elise’s equally messy face.

At the same time, Karan’s lips, carefully removing stray hair with his fingers, roamed around Elise’s lips.

It was a kind of announcement that they would kiss.

Elise, with her jewel-like eyes shining even brighter, scanned Karan’s features.

To her, it might have been a simple procedure to ensure Karan’s safety, but to Karan, it felt like a seductive gaze.

Karan quite liked seeing himself reflected in Elise’s eyes.

They paused briefly at a distance where their noses almost touched, gazing into each other’s eyes.

Then, closing his eyes, he took a deep breath. He could sense her presence through her scent as she approached breathlessly.

He couldn’t resist any longer.

Their lips met. Karan’s tongue swept over Elise’s lips.

Moist and heavy, with a strange movement, Elise’s lips slightly parted. Their tongues began to entwine.

Muffled coughs echoed here and there, and the sound of people shuffling was heard.

With tears in her eyes, Elise grabbed Karan’s collar and shook him.

Instead of stopping the kiss, Karan shook her more vigorously.

Heat emanated from his body.

“Karan, Karan….”

Through slightly parted lips, Elise called out to him repeatedly.

“Later. Properly, on the bed.”

Elise was trying to calm Karan down, but he would never forget that promise.

Karan kissed Elise’s hands one by one as he reluctantly pulled her away.

Karan survived, thanks to Elise.

And he realized. At any time, danger could befall him.

So even if they were apart, he planned to engrave her into his body as if they were together.

“All troops, retreat!”

The retreat, leaving the monsters behind, was carried out by Elise.

What new experiences would he have because of her in the future, Karan’s heart pounded.

****

The journey back to the Count’s Castle was treacherous. This was because they had to take care of the injured soldiers in the rear.

The injured were divided and transported in wagons and carriages, and those who could walk carried their share of the load.

In their exhausted state, having to carry more than their share of the load, everyone’s faces were clouded.

Then, Elise showed her skills to the fullest.

“Thanks to you, it’s much easier. It’s really light.”

Elise tirelessly drew magic circles that made objects lighter.

She drew so many that later her vision turned white.

Elise was so tired that she couldn’t remember how she got back. She came to her senses after arriving at the Count’s Castle.

It was very late at night.

“The southern castle is empty. Let’s use it as a temporary ward.”

Rosh gave up a castle for Leber and the patients.

At Karan’s order to disband, the soldiers returned to their quarters.

Now it’s time to rest.

Karan looked for Elise to have a proper conversation with her.

Elise was having a conversation with Rosa.

“Shall we go up, Elise?”

Elise hesitated at Karan’s turn.

She had things to do and things to say, but she hadn’t made up her mind yet.

“Rosh, let’s talk in detail next time.”

Elise tightly held Rosa’s hand, who must have been tired, and followed Karan up to the bedroom.

Upon arriving in the bedroom, Karan looked forward to having a deep conversation with Elise.

But Elise pushed Karan away when he tried to kiss her.

She had never approached him first since their first night, but she had never pushed him away either, so Karan was quite shocked by her rejection.

But he calmly kissed the back of her hand and stepped back.

“Are you tired, Elise?”

His voice, suppressing his boiling desire, was deeply submerged.

“Your Highness, I have something to tell you.”

“Ah, a conversation.”

Come to think of it, in Bedrokka, a conversation between a couple was considered very important.

Karan sat down politely on a chair.

Elise took a deep breath. Would Karan believe what she was about to say now?

She might look like a madwoman.

‘I should beat around the bush and say it’s the foresight of a shaman, as I told Lord Kram.’

Elise sat across from Karan.

“Would you like some tea or alcohol, Elise?”

Karan, who couldn’t even guess how serious a conversation Elise was trying to have, just thought this time was a light ritual to deepen the relationship between the couple.

“No, Your Highness. I don’t want to drink alcohol because my words might sound like a drunkard’s bluff, and I don’t want to drink tea because it might sound like a gentle suggestion.”

Is she going to make a shocking confession? At her words, which sounded like a declaration of war, Karan’s lips straightened.

‘She wouldn’t be saying she’s going back to Bedrokka, would she?’

Karan didn’t feel his thoughts were a simple delusion.

She could have been disappointed in Tetris after seeing the Dex territory. And her husband, of all people, left her in this desolate castle to deal with monsters.

It would have been a relief if it had ended there.

But they even had to ask Elise for help in a desperate situation.

He prided himself on being the continent’s greatest warrior, but his pride was not the issue.

And Elise had even seen the hideous forms of the monsters…

He knew it was shameless to hold her, but Karan had given up on shame from the moment he decided to marry her.

“Elise, this time was special. I should have helped you adapt to Tetris, I’m sorry. No matter what His Majesty’s orders were, I should have stayed by your side. From now on, I won’t make you lonely, nor will I show you any monsters.”

Of course, he couldn’t live like that forever. After all, Karan was a warrior, and as long as the monsters were rampant, he had to fight.

But he could ignore the call of the nation for a few months. He could handle the backlash that would come.

If he could just keep Elise by his side, Karan could do anything.

“Elise, let’s go to the capital tomorrow. I’ve been too indecisive here. So don’t say you’re going back to Bedrokka.”

Karan stood up. At the sound of the chair scraping, Elise looked up at him.

“Your Highness, what are you talking about? We can’t leave the Dex territory. And me going to Bedrokka? Leaving you behind? What misunderstanding do you have? Please sit down, Your Highness. What I’m trying to say is…”

Elise intended to explain calmly. But since Karan was making an absurd misunderstanding, she decided to put the conclusion first.

“The gate will open.”

Karan paused.

“What did you say, Elise?”

Karan leaned forward, propping himself on the table.

“I said the gate will open, Your Highness.”

Elise repeated her words so that he couldn’t mishear.

Karan frowned and closed his mouth, perhaps shocked.

Elise anxiously waited for his response, wondering what would happen if he didn’t believe her words.