Well Done
The dead of night had fallen over the mountain stronghold’s office. Stacks of documents towered on the desk—literal remnants of Gareth’s trading company after Veronica had taken it apart piece by piece and reassembled it. In her hands, a map that allowed her to grasp the empire’s entire logistics network at a glance had finally been completed.
“It’s finally over…”
Veronica rolled her stiff shoulders and stretched with a groan. A sharp crack echoed, followed by a wave of aching pain, yet a victor’s smile curved her lips. The gold veins of the eastern empire now belonged neither to the imperial family nor to any count—they belonged to this stronghold.
“At this rate, we might as well say we control the entire eastern logistics network. No… we already do.”
She tidied the desk and rose from her seat. Beyond the window, deep darkness cloaked the early dawn, and the chill air brushed the tip of her nose. She should have dragged herself straight back to her room and collapsed into bed, but there was one reward Veronica was determined to claim tonight no matter what.
“Still, staring at numbers for so long feels like my head’s about to split open. When that happens, there’s only one thing I need…”
Veronica walked down the corridor as if in a trance. Her destination was the room at the very end—Rodin’s, marked by the roughest wooden door. A faint light leaked through the crack, meaning he was still awake.
“Hehe, not sleeping yet? Whether you’re awake or asleep doesn’t matter. I’m not letting you off the hook tonight.”
She gripped the doorknob and took a deep breath. Any trace of imperial princess dignity had long been buried beneath mountains of paperwork. Right now, she was simply a slightly greedy, exhausted head administrator craving compensation for her hard work.
“Rodin… you have no idea how much brainpower I poured into protecting your peaceful cabbage farm. Just wait. Your personal ‘machine’ is coming to collect her reward.”
The door burst open without warning. Rodin turned his head. He was sitting at the head of the bed, sharpening the blade of the pickaxe he would use to till the cabbage fields tomorrow. Shhhk. Shhhk. Blue sparks flew from the whetstone as it kissed the metal. It was nothing more than routine maintenance of a farming tool, yet in Rodin’s hands it filled the room with the same oppressive aura as if he were forging a legendary divine blade.
“Hey, princess. Why the hell are you in my room again instead of sleeping? I already fixed the wall you smashed.”
Rodin scowled and set the tongs down. But his eyes had already scanned her exhausted gaze and disheveled hair.
“The wall you fixed is too sturdy, so I got lonely. Rodin, I’m really tired right now. My head feels like it’s going to explode.”
Without waiting for a reply, Veronica strode into the room and perched herself on the edge of his bed. Rodin shook his head in clear annoyance, yet quickly moved the sharp pickaxe blade to the corner so she wouldn’t get hurt.
“If you’re tired, go sleep in your own bed. Why are you hanging around someone else’s? So damn bothersome.”
“Do you have any idea how many gold coins I took from that Gareth bastard today? Even if you used the highest-grade fertilizer for a hundred years, you’d still have some left over.”
“…I know. Dagan and Gil have been running around the whole stronghold bragging with gold bars since earlier. Good work. Now go to sleep.”
At Rodin’s indifferent praise, Veronica’s lips puckered into a pout.
“You’re just going to brush me off with a single ‘good work’? I told you I’m not a machine that works for free. Give me proper compensation.”
“Then what, you want more money? Go grab another gold bar from that box over there. Stop bothering me.”
Rodin started to pull up the blanket as if to lie down, but Veronica had no intention of backing off. Instead of answering, she tapped his thigh with her fingertip.
“I don’t need money. I swallowed an entire trading company whole. You think one gold bar is enough to settle the bill?”
Rodin leaned back with a bad feeling, but Veronica’s eyes were far more earnest and determined than usual. She nestled into the spot beside him and declared, as if claiming the most natural right in the world:
“Instead, give me compensation. Lap pillow.”
“What? Are you out of your mind? My legs are rock-hard. You’ll get a herniated disc if you sleep on them.”
“I don’t care how hard they are. And stroke my hair too. While saying, ‘Well done, Veronica.’”
Rodin let out a dumbfounded chuckle. She was probably the first woman in history to demand the Mercenary King’s lap—the man who once made the entire continent tremble—as a pillow.
“Ugh, seriously… Aren’t you supposed to be an imperial princess? Where the hell did you cook and eat your pride? Show some dignity.”
“I already threw all my pride away in front of you, Rodin. Come on, hurry. I’m about to collapse any second. If you refuse, I’ll just pass out right here on the floor.”
When Veronica actually closed her eyes and swayed dramatically, Rodin grimaced and grumbled.
“…You’re really a pain in the ass. Five minutes. Not a second more. Got it?”
As soon as Rodin adjusted his posture and offered his leg, Veronica laid her head on his thigh without hesitation. The hard, muscular texture pressed against her, yet the heavy warmth that seeped through felt more comfortable than any silk pillow.
Rodin’s thigh was exactly as hard as he had claimed. Yet to Veronica, that very hardness felt like an impenetrable iron wall that nothing in the world could break through, bringing her a wave of relief.
After hesitating for a long moment, Rodin lifted his calloused, rough hand. With surprising care, he brushed aside the hair that had fallen across her forehead. His touch was as delicate as if he were handling a fragile cabbage sprout.
“…Your hair’s really soft. Must’ve been tough dealing with those little rats, huh?”
“Don’t just talk—praise me properly. Hurry.”
Veronica murmured with her eyes still closed. Rodin scratched the back of his neck, fell silent for a moment, then finally spoke in a very small, low voice.
“…Well done. You worked hard hunting those little rats.”
His rough hand slowly stroked through her hair. Every time his coarse palm touched her, the tension that had built up in Veronica’s chest melted away like snow.
“Hehe, your hand is so warm, Rodin. It makes me sleepy. Can’t you do this every day? As compensation?”
“You dream big. If I did this every day, who would take care of my cabbages? The bugs would throw a damn festival.”
“I’m more important than cabbages, aren’t I? If I weren’t here, you wouldn’t even have anywhere to sell them.”
Rodin looked down at her, momentarily at a loss for words. Then he muttered very quietly.
“…They’re about the same. Both take a ton of work and are equally bothersome.”
At his words, Veronica let out a small laugh and clutched the hem of his clothes tightly.
Each time Rodin’s hand rhythmically brushed through her hair, Veronica’s consciousness drifted deeper into a hazy abyss. Nights in the imperial palace had always been filled with terror. She had to hide a dagger under her pillow and check every cup of tea for poison. But here, in this shabby room in the mountain stronghold, wrapped in the scent of sweat and earth that clung to this man, she felt neither poison nor anxiety.
“Rodin… being by your side feels like the safest bed in the world.”
“You talk pretty. Just don’t snore. I’m sensitive.”
Even at Rodin’s gruff reply, Veronica smiled.
“If I snore, you can just cover my mouth, right?”
“…Why would I cover it? I’ll just throw you on the floor.”
“Liar. You would never abandon me. We’re a community of fate now. I’m both your money source and your shield.”
Inside, Veronica made a vow. She would gladly turn the entire empire into her enemy if it meant protecting this warm presence and this blunt kindness. This was the true ‘home’ she had been searching for.
“That’s right. This is where I belong. I won’t let anyone or anything take this peace away. Whether it’s Count Valder or the emperor… I’ll crush them all.”
She rubbed her face against his thigh and sank into a deep, peaceful sleep.
The bluish light of dawn outside the window gradually gave way to golden rays as the sun began to rise.
The door flew open with a bang.
“Boss! The fertilizer’s here! I brought a whole cart of the smelliest—no, the best stuff from the south…!”
Dagan and Gil, who had come to report, flung the door wide open. What they saw was a sight that would go down in imperial history as utterly shocking.
The absolute ruler of the stronghold, Rodin, was leaning against the head of the bed dozing off, while the imperial princess Veronica slept soundly on his lap with the happiest expression in the world.
“Huk! Am I dreaming right now? The boss… gave up his lap? That iron-wall lap of his?!”
Dagan’s eyes bulged so wide they looked ready to pop out. Gil was already wiping away tears while covering his mouth.
“Hey! Is this for real? After smashing the wall and spending the night together yesterday, now they’re openly acting like newlyweds! Our stronghold finally has a proper lady of the house!”
“Hey… you two really want to die, don’t you? Can you keep your voices down?”
Rodin’s eyes snapped open, radiating killing intent. But because Veronica was sleeping on his lap, he couldn’t stand up and could only move his mouth silently.
“Mmm… just a little longer… five more minutes, honey…”
In her sleep, Veronica mumbled while hugging Rodin’s thigh tightly. At that moment, both Dagan’s and Gil’s faces flushed bright red as if they might explode.
“H-honey?! Did you hear that, Brother Dagan?! She definitely just said ‘honey’!”
“It’s wedding noodles! This is a full-on wedding noodle party! Everyone assemble! The boss is getting married!”
“Hey!!! You bastards really—!!! Don’t you dare move from there?!”
Rodin roared in a suppressed voice and slammed the door shut with his foot, but it was already too late. The rumor that “The boss is serving up wedding noodles!” spread across the entire stronghold at the speed of light.