The Vain Princess and Her Dragon Knight

Chapter 6

"I'm already sixteen! Other girls my age are getting married. Why should I go to school?" It wasn't that Gloria wanted to marry—she simply resented having her comfortable, idle palace life upended without warning.

The King chuckled, stroking her hair. "Would my Rori darling prefer to get married, then?"

The implication was clear: she had to choose. The King knew his daughter well. She would never pick marriage.

Gloria choked. After a long pause, she muttered reluctantly, "Fine. School it is."

"That's my good girl." The King beamed, promising with conviction, "You'll love it there. And with Su Ka and another young man accompanying you, I'm certain you'll be as happy as you are at home."

"Su Ka *brother*?" The King's matchmaking tone made Gloria blush. She couldn't help sneaking another glance at the young wolf's ears—so fluffy, so tempting to touch. But when her gaze dropped to his face, that ice-cold expression, those sharp brows half-hidden under dark hair, and those ink-black eyes gleaming with a single, startling point of light—like the greatsword on the wall behind him, lethally sharp and capable of killing without a trace—she immediately cooled.

Fine. Heart still as water.

---

Since attending school was now a settled matter, Gloria's mind raced, plotting how to make her new life as comfortable as possible. This wolf looked difficult to get along with. Her hopes rested entirely on the other companion the King had mentioned.

"Daddy, you said there would be another brother?"

She prayed silently for someone gentle—ideally a kind, nurturing, motherly type with a broad chest. Gloria had never told anyone, but her greatest, most secret dream since childhood, as a consummate idler, was to have a gentle, caring, endlessly patient man whose chest she could lie upon and be the happiest little slacker on the continent.

"Yes, I've already sent for him. He should arrive shortly." The King patted his round belly. "Rori, you barely ate at the banquet, didn't you? Young ladies can't keep skipping meals. Your waist is so slender it can barely hold up your gown. It worries your father to see it."

Gloria sighed inwardly. Whether Eastern parents or those of a fantasy world, they all seemed convinced their children were starving. Not refusing her father's kindness, she settled into her chair. "Then I'll have a cup of oat milk. Two spoons of honey, one of peach jam, and… three ice cubes, as usual."

The King had always loved preparing her food from the time she was tiny. "You and your ice, even in winter. It's bad for your digestion…" His grumbling over his little daughter was a far cry from the legendary Holy Swordsman who could single-handedly slay a ten-ton berserk sea monster.

Su Ka watched, stunned, until he heard the King call his name. "Su Ka, would you like something to drink?" The portly old King held a delicate teapot in one hand and a pink, sparkly bunny-ear cup in the other, his smile warm and kind.

"Ah, no, Holy Swordsman… I, er…" Su Ka stumbled over his words, his cold, sharp eyes betraying a flicker of embarrassment. Finally, he managed, "My apologies, Holy Swordsman. Just plain water, please." His two wolf ears drooped. "My language is still clumsy. I'll… I'll work harder!"

"No need, my boy. You're already exceptional. Being a Level Three Swordsman at your age is a testament to both your talent and diligence."

"Mm!" Encouraged by his idol, Su Ka nodded firmly, straightening his back. When the King handed him the water, he accepted it with a booming "Thank you, Holy Swordsman!"

Gloria let out a small "pfft." She quickly hid her face behind the bunny-ear cup. She'd assumed Su Ka was a cool, aloof lone wolf type—turns out he was a stammering husky. She could practically see his tail wagging up toward the sky. A little adorable, actually.

---

Soon, the "other brother" was escorted in by the study guards. Gloria looked up and her face lit with surprise. "Cui! It's you?!"

The gentle elf, upon seeing her behind the desk, didn't seem surprised at all, his jade eyes curving.

The King's eyebrows lifted with amusement. "Oh, my little Rori, have you already met Cui?"

"Of course! We met at the ball earlier. If you hadn't sent Elstar rushing to fetch me, I'd be dancing with him right now."

"Oh dear! Daddy's ruined his little darling's dance time!" The King immediately set down his teapot, zipped to Gloria's side like a plump bumblebee, and before she could process what had happened, he'd lifted her from the chair and guided her to stand between Su Ka and Cui—one dark, one light.

"Go on, enjoy your evening! Have a wonderful time~" he said, waving them off.

Gloria stood in the corridor, thoroughly bewildered. To her left, a brooding, dark-haired wolf youth with fluffy ears. To her right, a gentle elf whose smile bloomed like a hundred flowers. And directly before her—Elstar, standing guard at the door.

"Daddy!" She stomped her foot. "If you keep teasing me, I'm not speaking to you tonight!"

The King chuckled, caressing her cheek. Then he straightened and turned toward the silent silver-armored knight. His expression shifted, the warmth fading as he angled his face away from Gloria. Only once the princess and the two young men had moved ahead and Elstar was about to follow did the King finally speak, his voice carefully measured, calling the knight back as they passed.

"Guardian Knight, you should have been more thorough in your report to me."

Elstar halted. The King's tone was neither harsh nor lenient. "I'll forgive it this once, for Rori's sake. She's young, naive. Her moods flare and fade quickly." Had Elstar not come to the study earlier to inform him that the princess was upset—that Gareth had broken his promise regarding the first dance—the King wouldn't have arranged this meeting tonight. He'd planned a more casual introduction the next day. This rushed, forced introduction in his study was far from ideal.

Elstar remained silent.

The King pressed his fingers to his brow, weary of this "mute knight" his daughter seemed so inexplicably fond of. He had to carry the entire conversation. "Elstar, when reporting, you must consider all factors. Don't make hasty judgments. Rori was getting along perfectly well with that elf. She wasn't upset about the dance. You shouldn't have interrupted her evening."

Still, Elstar said nothing. The King's mouth tightened with frustration. "The Knight Corps should have taught you: a knight needs no thoughts of his own. He only needs to obey orders."

More silence.

The King finally sighed, his exasperation giving way to helplessness. "Oh, never mind." He'd find another way. This poor old father worried endlessly over his delicate daughter. He'd known all along that the knight Gloria had chosen as a child wasn't a promising seedling, yet he'd let him into the Corps anyway. And now, look. From start to finish, Elstar was as silent as a carved statue. What on earth did his precious girl see in this mute block of wood?

---

Up ahead, Gloria, who had been chatting with Cui, overheard something behind her and turned. "What's this about 'obeying orders'?"

"Nothing, darling. Just idle chat." The King smiled, unwilling to burden her with trifles.

But Gloria, for once, wasn't so easily dismissed. She glanced at her silent knight, then back at her father, her large golden eyes narrowing with suspicion. Had they been talking about her behind her back? The thought that her knight might be taking orders from someone other than her—her one and only master—instantly soured her mood. The princess would not allow such a thing to happen. After a moment's thought, she lifted her skirts and walked back.

"Daddy," she said, looking up at the King with earnest seriousness, "this is my Guardian Knight."

The King, realizing his daughter had misunderstood, chose not to explain. "Of course, my darling. I know he belongs to you."

"Daddy!" Gloria frowned. Seeing her stubborn expression, the old father felt a bittersweet mix of pride and melancholy. His little girl was growing up, learning to protect other boys. But her taste really was questionable. He cast another troubled glance at Elstar. That helmeted man had been plain-looking and physically unremarkable since childhood. Just because he now wore a handsome suit of armor didn't change the fundamentals. The two young men *he'd* personally selected were far superior—the classic gentle, husband-material elf beloved by older generations, and the icy, aloof heartthrob currently trending among the youngsters. If he were a few centuries younger and the opposite gender, his heart would be fluttering just like those young ladies'.

Gloria could read her father's expression effortlessly. He hadn't grasped her meaning at all—in fact, he'd veered off in a completely absurd direction.

"Daddy!" she repeated, voice firm. "Elstar is *my* Guardian Knight. Even you, my beloved father, cannot give him orders over me. He belongs to me alone and obeys only me!" She wanted a knight wholly devoted, incapable of betrayal. "If Elstar answers to both of us, he'll develop divided loyalties. You wouldn't want my knight to be vulnerable to bribery from outsiders, would you?"

The King was taken aback. He'd never expected Gloria to think so deeply. He'd always seen her as a child who'd chosen an unqualified knight on a whim, so he'd tried to arrange extra protection around her. "Oh. Yes. My little Rori has truly grown up." His voice filled with genuine pride. "Daddy won't interfere with your choices anymore. I should have respected your intentions from the start."

Only then did Gloria's smile return, genuine and bright. She stood on tiptoes, and like a pure white dove, flung herself into her father's embrace and kissed his cheek. "Thank you, Daddy."