The King's Gift That Will Make Him Emperor
The next morning.
Having discarded the old, rough robes of the defeated Europia, Yuno boarded the escort carriage clad in the Valerian-style dress that Baron Erap had prepared in advance.
The corset that clung tightly to her body and the expansive red dress billowing outward made her look like a captured prize from the enemy nation.
Yet, paradoxically, Yuno’s beauty intertwined with the ornate dress, rendering her impossible to look away from.
Of course, I wasn’t admiring her perfection.
I simply breathed a sigh of relief, grateful that the corset made it a little harder for Yuno to move around inside the carriage.
The carriage, having left Halo behind, crossed the fertile and peaceful territory of the Valerian mainland, finally leaving the ruins of Europia behind.
Blue grasslands and bustling markets.
Faces of the people, their bellies full and shiny with health.
“Different... the lives of the Valerian people, unlike the Europian refugees...”
Yuno, unable to move freely because she was too busy gazing at the Valerian citizens living a different life from the Europian exiles, even though the corset was partly to blame.
Of course, the hugging continued.
And the fatigue, in an entirely unexpected form, began to creep over me as the escort route stretched on.
“Oh! Is that not the great hero of national salvation, General Lassen?!”
“It is an honor for our domain to welcome your feet! Please do spend the night at our castle and rest from the fatigue of victory!”
The lords of the rest stops along the path to Valerium greeted me with the fervor of an ant colony discovering honey, thrusting their faces forward eagerly.
The reason was simple.
That, despite being the commander of the fallen Europia, I was the war hero who had toppled the impregnable fortress of Eurosola in an instant.
And most importantly, the rumor that I was Sabre the Temporary Grand Duke’s most favored closest subordinate, the highest-ranking power after the emperor himself, had spread like wildfire.
‘Hah... Even without claiming the second-place official spot on paper, just the rumors alone are this impressive...’
They held feasts for me every time the convoy stopped and secretly pulled me aside into some corner.
“General, I have a third daughter who is very obedient and has a fine waist...”
“General! My sister lost her husband this time, so with the dowry...”
To forge a solid alliance with Sabre, the Valerian nobles pushed their daughters and sisters toward me, disregarding the label of traitor from the fallen nation, and thrust marriage proposals at me left and right.
But I cut down all those sweet offers with the precision of a blade.
“I am grateful for the thought, but I do not yet have the leisure to start a family.”
The lords clicked their tongues with disappointment, but in my mind I let out a cold fart.
‘This is hilarious. Why would they be so desperate to marry off their rural daughters? I was promised that if I go to the main house of the Callista family in the capital, the general’s wife would personally arrange a marriage for me to one of the capital’s high-ranking noble daughters.’
It was better to secure a solid central connection than to clumsily tie the loose strings with local nobles and end up with nothing.
My plan for a peaceful old age, health preservation, and a safer future remained unshaken.
Yuno’s eyes, watching from the carriage window as I firmly rejected the lords’ marriage proposals, darkened slightly.
I couldn’t guess her thoughts, but I didn’t ask.
After several days of this long escort journey, the night finally arrived at the last rest stop before the capital of Valerium.
In the lord’s guest room, Yuno and I were once again sharing one bedroom and one bed, as usual.
“......Haa.”
Lying on my back with my back to the bed, I let out a short sigh.
It was clearly an uncomfortable place to sleep, but humans are adaptable animals, I guess.
I had already, almost as a habit, naturally drawn Yuno’s waist close to mine, pressing my chest against hers and using her as a blanket.
‘Alright, today I’ll have to steel myself against her taunts and the hate-filled kisses.’
With eyes closed, I braced my jaw firmly, ready to block her desperate taunts that would shatter my calm.
But.
The taunts I was waiting for never came.
The Yuno nestled in my arms simply breathed quietly.
The way her waist had always wriggled to provoke me, the way she had stubbornly tried to steal a glance at my lips... none of it was there.
“......Yuno Queen?”
At my soft question, a quiet voice came from the darkness.
“Tomorrow... it will be Valerium.”
“Tomorrow morning, I’ll wake up there.”
“......I’m only now truly feeling with my whole body that the end is approaching.”
The end of a long journey.
The moment those carriage wheels rolled over the stone roads of the capital, Yuno’s life as the princess of the fallen Europia would come to a complete stop, replaced by the life of a prize and political hostage for Valerian.
When I found peace in Sabre’s mansion, Yuno would be thrown into the chaotic royal family and torn apart by beasts.
Having sensed the end of that despair, Yuno had stopped meaningless resistance and self-harm, her heart heavy and quiet like a clam closing before a massive wave.
The small, delicate waist of the Yuno who rested obediently in my arms that night felt even colder and thinner than usual, ready to break.
The quiet final night before entering the capital.
Without any kiss or tug-of-war of desire.
We simply relied on each other’s regular heartbeat and closed our eyes quietly in the darkness.
Thud.
Thud.
“It’s noisy.”
“That’s my heart... doing what it does.”
Neither of our heartbeats was quiet, and sleep wouldn’t come.
* * *
The carriage wheels began to roll smoothly over the paved stone slabs.
Outside the window, a majestic city wall stood in all its glory.
The heart of Valerian, the new dominant power of the continent and soon to become an empire.
The capital, Valerium.
“Waaaaaaaah!”
“The heroes have returned! Blessings upon Valerian!”
“Long live the Grand Duke Sabre! Long live the Grand Duke Sabre!”
The moment we passed through the east gate, thousands of Valerian citizens who had rushed out upon hearing the news of victory filled the streets with ecstatic cheers.
Above, multicolored flower petals rained down like a blizzard, and the festival trumpets thundered in our ears.
But the escort carriage that cut through the center of the joyful gathering remained silent.
Yuno, as if she couldn’t hear the cheers outside, kept her head bowed low, staring only at her intertwined hands.
Her slightly trembling shoulders told everything: the beginning of the humiliation and servitude that the queen of the fallen nation would face in the heart of the enemy’s capital.
The carriage stopped in the wide square inside the east gate.
The door opened, and I stepped out in full armor after a long time.
And there, under the morning sunlight, was a young man with golden-blond hair that shone brilliantly.
‘......Ah.’
Red hair as if kissed by the sun, clear eyes without a hint of impurity.
And most of all, that perfectly straight back, straight and proud.
The male lead of the original novel , and the number-one contender for the Valerian throne.
‘Is this guy coming out to greet us himself?’
I kept my expression calm on the surface.
Naturally, Michael, unlike the original, was seeing Yuno Princess for the first time this time.
“Valerian First Prince, Michael.”
Michael approached me with a stiff, official voice and gave his greeting.
“We welcome you to the capital, General Lassen. By order of His Majesty the King, this prince will personally escort and guide your group to the palace.”
I gave a formal Valerian salute and spoke.
“Lassen, who escorted the queen with the full surrender of Europia under the command of Grand Duke Sabre the Commander. Greetings, Your Highness.”
Even after my formal victory report, Michael’s expression remained unchanged.
When Michael turned to guide us, his eyes sharpened and locked onto me sharply for a moment.
A gaze that couldn’t hide contempt.
‘He really doesn’t like me.’
I let out a small laugh inside.
No matter how much I was the war hero who brought victory to Valerian, to Michael, who was the upright knight itself like the original male lead, I was simply a disgusting traitor who sold out my own country.
The original male lead’s contemptuous gaze was, in a way, completely natural.
But.
‘There’s no time to waste on that.’
I wasn’t upset or angry.
‘His temperament is upright, so of course a traitor like me wouldn’t look good in his eyes. Besides, if he were to become emperor later with that temperament, he’d be a wise ruler, but it doesn’t matter. I’m just going to be cooped up in the capital, quietly marrying and feasting off the family money anyway. No need to get close to the next emperor or make enemies.’
He was nothing more than an annoying high prince who had no use to me.
I brushed off Michael’s blatant contempt with a shrug and helped Yuno down from the carriage in the red dress.
Michael’s gaze lingered on Yuno for a moment.
But it was just a flash.
He turned away coldly, showing no emotion toward the unknown prisoner from the fallen nation.
The first meeting of the two protagonists who should have grown to love each other through arguments and friction in the original story passed by in this mismatched gaze, emotionless.
* * *
We followed Prince Michael’s guidance and finally headed toward Valerian’s royal palace.
The palace was already bustling from the entrance.
Countless laborers and carpenters were carving massive marble pillars and gilding them with lavish gold, carrying out a grand expansion project.
The great ambitions of the Valerian king, who would soon declare himself emperor and announce the unification of the continent, poured out from the construction site kicking up dust.
We entered the grand throne room, temporarily used but grand and magnificent enough to easily overshadow even the Europian audience hall.
Along both sides of the throne room, illuminated by hundreds of lights, the high ministers of Valerian’s central government stood in formation in their ceremonial robes.
The oppressive feeling of the heart of the victorious nation filled the hall.
And high on the dais.
An old king with a face full of wrinkles and red hair like a lion’s mane sat on a throne painted gold, resting his chin with arrogance.
The ruler of Valerian, King Valeran.
“Abaama.”
Prince Michael, standing below the dais, knelt on one knee first and reported the situation.
“Along with Grand Duke Sabre’s victory report, the queen of the fallen Europia and the escort commander, General Lassen, have arrived.”
After Michael’s report ended, Yuno and I stepped forward together and knelt deeply.
With Yuno bowing her head low, I spoke formally to King Valeran.
“I greet the great ruler of Valerian. Lassen, who escorted the queen with the national seal of the fallen Europian Kingdom.”
The echoing report from inside the grand hall ended, and King Valeran slowly rose from his seat.
“Ha ha ha ha!!”
King Valeran’s loud and rough laughter thundered through the hall.
The king strode down the steps and approached Yuno, who was bowing her head.
“Finally...... finally, we have the arrogant blood of Europia beneath our feet!”
King Valeran spit greedily.
“This is a great achievement that will never be repeated in the history of Valerian Kingdom... no, the soon-to-be Valerian Empire! Having brought the enemy to our feet and made them kneel, the world will now know who owns the continent!”
“Long live Your Majesty! Long live the Valerian Empire!”
The ministers arrayed there all let out enthusiastic cheers at once.
In the center of that grand victory celebration, Yuno gripped the hem of her red dress tightly and remained silent.
The country her father had tried to protect.
The homeland she had to sell in just one day while wearing the crown.
It was being trampled and humiliated right in front of her.
But as the queen of the fallen nation and a prisoner, all Yuno could do was clench her lower lip and swallow her humiliation.
King Valeran’s gaze left Yuno and turned to me.
Those lion-like eyes scanned me from head to toe with interest.
“Lassen, is it?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“What a curious and amusing matter it is. There was once someone called the pride of Europia and praised as the Holy Spear... but in the end, that proud Holy Spear turned and bit its master, becoming my excellent sword and kneeling at my feet.”
King Valeran feigned admiration for me, but underneath, he cleverly mocked my existence, which devoured the incompetence and betrayal of Europia like a meal.
I kept my expression unchanged even with such insulting words and bowed my head calmly.
“I only ask for Your Majesty’s forgiveness for the foolishness of a subject who finally recognized his true master.”
With my shameless flattery, King Valeran laughed heartily again, pleased.
“Good, very good! A living hunting dog knows the value of being alive, for it knows that when the hunt ends, the time to beg the master is better spent scratching the bones with its teeth!”
King Valeran returned to the dais, hands behind his back, and shifted the topic to the distribution of merits.
“I have read the victory distribution report that has come up to the capital carefully. But there is something strange.”
King Valeran’s eyes narrowed.
“Lassen, your name plate is placed far too low compared to the achievements you have accomplished. In another report from Grand Duke Sabre, your overflowing merits are piled like mountains, and the fact that you opened the rivers of Eurosola and accepted surrender is all written as your strategy.”
King Valeran looked down at me, resting his chin.
“Moreover, even the fertile Kalsten territory that should have been given to the second-place official is listed under the name of your subordinate instead of you. You quietly entered the capital.”
‘Sabre... you said you wouldn’t shrink my achievements even a little.’
‘You really filled them all the way up to the emperor.’
‘This is a problem because of too much brotherhood...’
“Speak, Lassen.”
King Valeran’s voice grew heavy.
“What exactly do you want? Gold coins? Or an even larger territory? I will soon be emperor. This is the first favor I will bestow as emperor. If you desire it, I can immediately clear out that useless old man in the north and swap the entire wide territory for your position.”
A ripple spread through the hall.
The faces of several ministers who had territories in the north changed.
I immediately knelt and lowered my head without hesitation upon hearing the extravagant and ruthless offer.
“I am deeply grateful for Your Majesty’s grace, but this humble Lassen is unworthy to receive it.”
I conveyed the utmost sincerity and truthfulness in my voice as I politely declined.
I was clearly saying to withhold the pension or promises.