The Private Jet
The rooftop of Conwy Castle.
"Supreme Commander."
Kancho walked over, his mouth smeared thick with whipped cream.
"What're you doin', sir?"
Jinhyuk quickly draped an arm over the railing, trying to look like he belonged there. He lifted the wine glass at his side and put on a look of melancholy—the cold city-boy type.
"Just taking in the night view, I suppose."
"See anything, sir? It's pitch-black out there!"
Kancho clambered up onto the railing and peered around. The truth was, Jinhyuk had been zoning out—wondering what he'd even take back to Korea.
"Actually, I was stargazing."
He carefully lifted his gaze. Kancho tipped his head back in tandem.
"Clouds everywhere, sir. Not a star in sight—not even a speck!"
Jinhyuk swallowed dryly. He'd wanted to project the image of a cool, refined Supreme Commander. He'd failed. He scooped the fluffy Kancho into a hug.
"What'd you eat?"
"Whipped cream cake, sir!"
"Why dessert already? Didn't you eat anything el—actually, you should probably stop."
He rubbed Kancho's swollen belly. Any more and the little guy really might explode. Everyone had eaten a lot, to be fair.
He turned around. Conwy Castle had prepared a special buffet just for them, and when it first appeared there'd been so much food he'd wondered how they'd ever finish it. Now that he looked again, most of the platters were scraped clean.
"Kancho."
"Vice Commander Kancho, reporting!"
"What would people say if they saw this? They'd think I ate it all myself."
"They'd call you a pig, sir, wouldn't they?"
"Yeah, they would."
He nodded slowly. It used to embarrass him a little. He'd gotten used to it by now.
Shovel, shovel, shovel!
Maybe using a fork had been too much trouble. He watched Momo scooping tiramisu with her bare hands. Her belly was already a mountain unto itself, but her appetite showed no signs of stopping.
"Kancho. Go stop her. She's going to burst."
"Understood, sir! Honestly, you can't take your eyes off her for a second! Yoddle Rangers, move out!"
Kancho hopped down and scampered toward Momo—then launched a dropkick.
"Wait, what?!"
He'd said stop her, not hit her!
Momo toppled over, then sprang right back up and started swinging. Chunks of tiramisu went flying in every direction. Jinhyuk watched the brawl for a moment, then turned his gaze back outside. He shouldn't have said anything.
The royal family had tried desperately to stop her, but Queen Elysia would not be swayed. She'd stepped forward in person and announced the truth about the dynasty's origins and Berid Windsor.
That was her refreshingly straightforward logic. Thanks to that, Britain was already on fire again—before the shock of the coup had even settled.
"Remarkable."
Seira stood beside him, staring at her phone.
"To hear Berid's name spoken by another in this age..."
"Agreed. I thought this was a completely different world, never mind a different era. Still—it's a good thing. History's been set right, even if it took this long."
Seira smiled.
"Berid would have been truly grateful, had he known. And he would have been glad that his sword found its master—that even a fraction of the debt had been repaid."
"You think so? That's a relief, then."
He drew Peracan. He hadn't been able to use it on the fifty-eighth floor, but he vowed he'd put it to work on the next one.
"Someone's coming, sir! Disengaging from combat!"
Kancho, who'd been locked in a hair-pulling match with Momo, dismissed his manifestation. In an instant, the two of them vanished from their spots at the buffet. It hadn't even been a second from the moment Kancho's voice rang out. The power of endless drills, huh.
He was just reflecting on the importance of practice when Sophia, Charles, and Olivia came up to the rooftop.
"I see you... enjoyed your meal."
All three stopped in their tracks at once. Their bewilderment was palpable even from here. Fair enough. That's the normal reaction.
Never mind that the food had vanished without a trace—the wreckage left on table after table was a sight that would short-circuit anyone's brain.
Sophia's lips curved into a faint smile. I was worrying over nothing.
She was run off her feet preparing for the succession ceremony, and even so, leaving Jinhyuk to eat alone had weighed on her. She'd rushed up here because of it—and now, seeing how thoroughly he'd enjoyed the meal, she felt at ease.
"You're busy. You didn't come all the way up here just for me, did you?"
"Of course I did. Who do you think it is that I can still breathe?"
Sophia walked toward him carrying two cups of freshly brewed tea.
"Mm. Black tea."
Jinhyuk took the cup and smiled. Just the aroma was enough to warm him.
"Charles told me. You're leaving soon."
"Time to head home. And you're all busy as it is."
"I'm sorry. Even with my benefactor here, I keep getting called away."
"Don't be. Of course you're busy. You're about to become queen."
Sophia leaned against the railing and let out a small sigh. If it were up to her, she'd stay right here and keep him company. And it wasn't just gratitude. She simply wanted to talk with him.
Maybe it was because she'd spent most of her life locked away in a castle. That brief conversation on the train—the mood of that moment, the feeling of it—was all still vivid. What a shame.
Once Jinhyuk left, once she became queen, conversations like this might no longer be possible. But she couldn't very well dump a feeling this sudden and unprompted on her benefactor...
"I'll come again."
Sophia turned to him, eyes wide.
"When Your Majesty isn't too busy."
Their eyes met, and both of them broke into a smile. After a couple of little coughs, Sophia demurely lowered herself in a playful curtsy.
"I'll be waiting. So please, do come."
"Of course."
Jinhyuk returned a light bow of his own.
"May I borrow your phone for a moment?"
He handed it over, and Sophia typed away with focus. When he got it back, an Ingsta account with exactly one follower had been added.
"It's my secret account. Nobody knows about it. You're my first friend, Jinhyuk. You might even be my last."
"I'm honored!"
After Cheon Seyeon and Jin Seohui, yet another incredible Ingsta friend had just landed in his lap.
"You still have the necklace, I hope?"
The necklace Sophia had given him on the train. He'd been wearing it and had completely forgotten. He pulled it out to show her, and Sophia's face lit up with a bright smile.
"Good. Please keep wearing it. And tuck it away before Charles and Olivia see. Originally, it's a necklace meant to be bestowed upon the queen's first knight."
"I don't need to give it back?"
"No. There was no formal investiture, but you're as much my knight as anyone. Anywhere with even the slightest connection to the British royal family will recognize that necklace. And they'll grant whatever you ask."
Jinhyuk swallowed and gripped the necklace tight. So that's what this thing was. He'd have to take even better care of it.
"Anyway—how are you getting home? Have you decided?"
"Not yet. But don't worry about it. I'll just go to the airport in Wales and catch a flight."
"I'd advise against the Wales airport, for starters. It's crawling with agency operatives and reporters."
Government ministries and all manner of agencies had been desperately petitioning the royal family. Please, let us meet the Runner. And if that wasn't possible, at least give us a hint that could identify him. The royal family had refused, of course—but these weren't people who gave up that easily.
"I sent you an address via DM. It's an airfield near Conwy Castle. There'll be a plane waiting for you there."
"Thank you. You even arranged a flight home for me."
"That plane is yours."
"Come again?"
He couldn't help but ask again. This wasn't a cookie or a box of chocolates. It was an airplane. And she was suddenly saying it was his?
"It's not one of those ultra-luxury models the Saudi oil billionaires fly around in—the four-to-eight-billion-dollar kind. The British royal family might look incredibly wealthy, but the actual liquid cash on hand isn't that much. I did the best I could within our means."
Even as he listened to the explanation, he was slightly stunned. He'd just acquired a private jet? Just like that?
"Olivia or Charles will handle all the maintenance and paperwork. You just call it when you need it and hop on. And when the schedule's free, I might borrow it now and then. I've never had a private jet this nice myself."
Slowly, he raised both hands. And fired off a pair of enthusiastic thumbs-up. He'd been planning to book out the entire first-class cabin again. No need for that anymore.
"Thank you! I'll take good care of it!"
He took a quiet breath and tried to calm his heart. If nobody had been watching, he'd have been bouncing on the railing.
Meanwhile, Sophia glanced toward Charles and Olivia and gave them a wink. The two of them chuckled.
In truth, they'd both tried to talk her out of it. The private jet she'd prepared cost well over three hundred million dollars. It wasn't that they begrudged spending money on their benefactor. It was that she was dumping nearly all of the royal family's currently available cash into a single purchase. There had been other options, after all—Tower items, real estate.
Apparently, he hadn't refused. Judging by his reaction speed, not even once. Typical Runner.
"Princess Sophia. It's time for the press conference."
"Is it that time already?"
Sophia let out a long sigh, then turned to face Jinhyuk. And held out her hand for a handshake.
"From the moment we met until now, I'm grateful for everything. I'll see you again, Jinhyuk."
"Until next time."
He didn't simply take her hand. He'd seen this on TV, after all. He dropped to one knee and pressed his lips to the back of Sophia's hand.
For a moment Sophia was startled—then a smile bloomed at the corners of her mouth. Please come back. My knight.
A radiant smile spread across her face.
The airfield Sophia had pointed him to.
"Woooow."
Jinhyuk arrived and could only click his tongue in awe. A single aircraft stood at the center of the field—black and gold blended in just the right proportions, giving the plane an air of old-world elegance. That's mine?
With Charles along, he couldn't exactly sprint over like a maniac. He merely threw a few hundred uppercuts in his heart.
"Preparations for takeoff are complete. We've also prepared a meal for the flight. Since you prefer to be alone, we've stationed no one aboard except the pilot."
"That's perfect. Thank you."
Charles stepped aside.
"It is I who owe you a great debt. Please, board."
After a warm exchange of farewells, Jinhyuk boarded the plane. Mm. That new-plane smell. The sofa and bed looked so luxurious he wanted to flop down immediately.
A few minutes after exchanging bows with Charles, the private jet raced down the runway and lifted into the sky.
"This is incredible, sir!"
"It's our plane!"
Kancho and Momo manifested on the spot and pressed their faces to the window. Jinhyuk sank into the plush sofa beside them.
And maybe a minute passed. He stood back up and reached for a translucent button.