It was late.
The evening glow had long disappeared behind the mountains. Daniel rubbed his temples, clearly weary. He had been waiting for hours.
How much longer would it be? At last, a servant hurried out from within.
“Count Drunia, His Majesty the King will see you now.”
What an endlessly long wait.
Instead of voicing his irritation, Daniel merely furrowed his brow and followed the servant into the King’s office.
The large windows, rimmed with gold, offered only the darkness of night. At the desk, the King sat with his hands clasped, resting his chin on them, a sly smile playing on his lips.
“I’ve kept my friend waiting, haven’t I? Come, have a seat.”
At those words, Daniel stared at the King for a moment.
Friend? Who keeps a friend waiting for six hours?
This wasn’t the first time the King had treated Daniel with such disrespect.
In public, the King would embrace him and praise the Holden Trading Company for saving the kingdom in times of crisis. Yet in private, he would leave Daniel waiting for hours or treat him with subtle scorn.
Behind his back, the King weighed and debated Daniel’s worth, even when it came to things like his marriage—particularly the proposal to wed Saintess Deborah.
Was helping the King ever a good decision for me?
Doubt crept in as Daniel clenched his fists.
Today, the King’s behavior irritated him more than usual. Perhaps it was because he had been about to leave for Rewybourne. What normally felt like petty harassment now stung deeply.
I was supposed to leave with her…
With a dark expression, Daniel thought of Rosietta and sighed softly. Before the servant could reprimand his demeanor, he sank into one of the sofas in the office.
They called me here because a mere orphan managing a trading company isn’t worthy of an official audience hall, didn’t they?
The King, still smiling as if nothing were amiss, sat across from him.
“I called you here to discuss your marriage.”
“Your Majesty, I’m sorry, but I have no intention of getting married.”
The middle-aged King widened his eyes, staring at Daniel.
“No intention? You’re a young, eligible leader of a trading company. Why wouldn’t you want to marry?”
“Well…”
“Is the Saintess not to your liking? If that’s the case, you can tell me freely.”
The shrewd King stroked his chin, clearly testing Daniel’s reaction.
Freely? What a joke.
Tired of the circular conversation, Daniel resolved to make it clear that he had no plans to marry.
Then the King smiled faintly and asked in a gentle tone, “Or… is there someone else you like?”
“Pardon?”
Forgetting himself momentarily, Daniel openly frowned. The King laughed heartily.
“Ah, I mean that red-haired young lady you brought to the ball last time.”
“…….”
“That girl. She didn’t seem to be a noble.”
The King’s gaze lazily swept over Daniel, making his skin crawl as though a snake were slithering over him.
Why bring up Rosieta now? What was the King’s intent?
The King continued speaking.
“Is she a commoner too? The nobles who attended said they’d never seen her before. Her name was Rose, wasn’t it?”
“Did you investigate her?” Daniel asked, unable to hold back.
“Count Daniel Leandro, watch your words,” the servant behind him warned coldly.
Still, the King maintained his composed smile.
“Investigate? What a hurtful thing to say. I was merely curious. I wondered why Count Leandro kept rejecting the Saintess for marriage.”
“…….”
“Then, suddenly, you brought that girl to the party. I recall asking you to bring the Saintess, didn’t I?”
By now, the smile had vanished from the King’s eyes, though his lips were still curled upward in an empty gesture. Sitting with crossed legs, he tapped the armrest of his chair with an air of arrogance.
“You claimed you were introducing a friend who had helped Holden Trading Company. Nice excuse.”
“…….”
“But don’t try childish antics like that to test my patience. I’m not a particularly patient man.”
From the moment Rosieta was mentioned, Daniel’s expression had hardened like stone. His lips twisted bitterly.
“What exactly is the reason for summoning me today?”
“Well, what do you think it is?”
The two men locked gazes, the tension in the room so thick it seemed to freeze the very air.
It was the King who broke the silence, smiling faintly.
“If you don’t have feelings for that red-haired woman, then marry the Saintess. It’s the best choice for you, Count Leandro.”
“What exactly makes it the best choice?”
“A marriage with the Saintess, beloved by the kingdom, will bolster the status of a mere orphan-turned-trading company leader. It’ll silence some of the dissent in the noble council, too.”
The King’s blatant words left Daniel speechless. The King shrugged.
“I’m under constant pressure as well. The nobles keep filing petitions, questioning why I granted a title to an orphan. Surely you can understand my position.”
In the end, it was clear: the King intended to use Daniel for his own political convenience.
Daniel felt a deep sense of revulsion whenever the King’s true nature surfaced like this. The same King who played the benevolent ruler in front of wealthy merchants and nobles…
The King rose from his seat and gave Daniel’s shoulder a careless pat.
“Oh, and I hear you’ll be spending the summer in Rewybourne. Come back to the capital as soon as summer ends and marry the Saintess.”
“…….”
“If you delay with some half-hearted excuse, I might think you’re trying to run away.”
With that veiled jab, the King dismissed Daniel, practically forcing him out of the office. The servant bowed to Daniel in the corridor before returning inside.
Click. The door shut, leaving a suffocating silence in the darkened hallway.
Standing there with a grim expression, Daniel sank into his thoughts, his face tense with restrained anger.
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