Chapter 39

Earn’s POV

“So then… the only person who visits you at the palace is your youngest brother, right?”

Lady Miu’s voice broke the silence. She had already wiped away her tears, her breathing steady again, though her eyes still looked faintly pink.

I straightened instinctively. “Yes,” I answered. “Why do you ask, my lady?”

She smiled at me—soft, unguarded. “I’m just… curious about all of you. And I noticed how much the Queen cares about her knights.”

Her gaze dropped to her hands, which were clasped neatly on her lap. For someone who had spoken so boldly in the square earlier, she looked almost shy now.

“I want to follow Her Majesty’s will as best as I can before I leave the palace,” she continued. “If she treasures you all, then I should too. While I’m working alongside everyone, I’d like to treat you all well.”

She looked back up at me then, tilting her head slightly. Her expression had softened again, but there was determination beneath it.

“So please… there’s no need to be so cautious around me.”

She finished with a dazzling smile that made her eyes curve into crescents. It was the kind of smile that felt too bright for the dim carriage interior.

I held her gaze for a moment longer than I should have.

It’s true. After watching her all day, after seeing her rebuke me, defend me, comfort the farmers, and anchor every decision to the Queen’s wishes… I have reached a conclusion of my own.

Every word she speaks circles back to Her Majesty. Every action she takes strengthens the Queen’s authority rather than her own. She does not seek admiration. She redirects it upward.

She is… peculiar.

Not soft. Not naive. Just different from the nobles I have known.

I may not possess the political insight of the Duke or the battlefield experience of the Major General, but I have sharpened my instincts as a knight for years. I know what danger feels like. I know when someone is hiding a blade behind their back.

Lady Miu does not feel like that.

There are still mysteries surrounding her—too many to ignore. But as for one thing, I am certain.

She is not a threat to us.

And perhaps… She is someone worth protecting with more than just my orders.

“Oh, by the way, what does your brother do now?”

Lady Miu leaned slightly toward me as she asked, her curiosity as effortless as ever. The car swayed gently, light slipping through the windows in thin golden lines.

“He used to be a blacksmith,” I replied after a moment. “But he stopped pursuing it since he couldn’t join a guild, due to lack of connections.”

Even saying it aloud still tasted bitter. Talent alone is never enough.

“A blacksmith?” Her eyes widened. “That’s incredible!”

The sincerity in her voice caught me off guard.

She rested her fingers against her chin and hummed thoughtfully, gaze drifting upward as though she were piecing together a puzzle only she could see.

The silence stretched for several seconds before she suddenly turned to me.

“Earn!”

“Yes?” I blinked.

“How about I help your brother join Tungsten’s guild?” she whispered conspiratorially, cupping her hand near her mouth as if we were plotting something scandalous.

I nearly choked. “What? My lady, guilds are—”

She waved her hand dismissively. “I know, I know. They rarely accept outsiders. Especially without ties to the region.”

A mischievous smile slowly curved across her face—very different from her usual gentle one.

“Unless,” she said lightly, pointing to herself, “you have the proper connection.”

“Ehe…” She giggled, clearly pleased with her own cleverness.

I scratched the back of my neck, feeling strangely flustered. “We would be grateful, of course. But… why would you go that far for us?”

At that, she straightened.

“You’ve seen Tungsten,” she said calmly. “It needs rebuilding. Homes, storefronts, storage houses—maybe even new facilities. We’ll need skilled workers. Reliable ones.”

I nodded slowly. That much was undeniable.

“Also…” Her tone shifted, quiet but sharp. “Closed groups like guilds are where corruption festers first.”

Her smile returned, but it was no longer warm. It was calculating.

“I think it would be wise to have someone trustworthy inside,” she concluded.

I stared at her.

Ah.

So that was it.

Not charity. Strategy.

“Y-yes,” I managed, watching her turn back toward the window as though nothing unusual had been said.

Then suddenly—

“Oh!” She bounced lightly in her seat like an excited child. The calculating edge vanished completely.

“And of course! It will help him settle down properly too!” she added, clasping her hands to her chest with a bright grin.

I went stiff at the sudden shift in her demeanor, managing only an awkward smile in response.

I could only blink at the speed of her transformation.

Just moments ago she had been speaking like a strategist plotting her next move on a battlefield of politics. Now she was practically bouncing in her seat, hands clasped together like an excited child.

She isn’t a threat to us… that much I’m certain of.

But to herself?

…Perhaps.

What a strange woman.

—

Lena’s POV

Jayden had reported a secluded town by the northern border during his first patrol yesterday. From the way he described it, I already knew it wouldn’t be good.

Still, I wasn’t prepared for this.

The car rolled slowly over the uneven dirt road, the tires struggling against hardened ruts and loose gravel. What little wind there was carried the scent of decay.

Ruined homes lined both sides of the path—if they could even be called homes. Most were nothing more than patchworks of salvaged wood and dented sheets of metal, barely held together even before whatever calamity had struck.

“Not a single person here is standing unscathed,” Jayden sighed from the driver’s seat.

My gaze swept across the wreckage. “Based on the map, this is the smallest town along the northern border. It stands right at Ravaryn’s boundary.” My jaw tightened. “It’s the most convenient target for pillaging and human trafficking.”

Paolo let out a slow breath beside me. “Even so… this is far worse than expected.” His tone was steady, but I could hear the anger beneath it.

Ahead, several bodies had been stacked together and covered with tarpaulins weighed down by stones. The sight made my stomach twist.

“I heard relief goods were distributed before we arrived,” Jayden continued, nodding toward the covered pile. “But from the looks of it, they haven’t recovered even slightly from the previous calamities. They probably never received any.”

“What?” Paolo muttered, disbelief sharp in his voice.

Jayden didn’t answer directly. “This town is the furthest from the palace. It’s also at the very end of Tungsten. Don’t you know what that means?”

Paolo’s gaze lingered on the wrecked structures as we passed them. “It’s a slum,” he concluded quietly.

The word felt heavy.

Makeshift walls built from discarded materials. Roofs patched with whatever scraps they could gather. Even before this devastation, survival here must have been a daily battle.

“There’s nothing we can do here,” Jayden muttered at last, his voice cold—resigned.

Nothing we can do here… Jayden’s words lingered long after he said them.

For a moment, I let myself imagine Miu sitting across from us in this suffocating silence. I could already see the way her brows would knit together, the way her hands would curl into fists before she even realized it.

A smile slipped onto my lips before I could stop it.

“They are people too!” I could almost hear her say it—clear, indignant, unwavering.

That’s just like her.

She swells with justice as if it lives in her bloodstream. Reckless. Blinding. Beautifully inconvenient.

Just like him.

My smile faded, softening into something quieter.

If only he were still here—wearing this title instead of me. Perhaps he would have grown into someone like her. Someone who refused to look away.

“Your Highness, pardon me for asking,” Jayden’s voice cut gently through my thoughts. His eyes lifted to the rearview mirror, meeting mine through the reflection. “But… will it really be alright leaving this to the lady?”

“What do you mean?” I asked evenly.

“The damage here is far worse than we expected. This isn’t something a simple runaway noblewoman can handle…” His gaze returned to the road, but the implication remained hanging between us.

My jaw tightened.

“No. Lady Miu will be fine.”

Because she is walking the path he would have chosen.

Because she refuses to abandon those everyone else deems insignificant.

“And Jayden,” I continued, my tone cooling, sharpening, “I know you’re concerned. But if you refer to her like that again…”

I let the pause settle deliberately.

“I’ll punish you for treason.”

The air inside the car went still.

“Y-yes, Your Highness. Please forgive me,” he answered quickly.

“Very well.” I leaned back slightly. “We will do our part. Lady Miu will handle the rebuilding.”

The division was clear. She would give them hope. We would remove the rot.

I turned my gaze toward the ruined town passing beyond the window. The broken homes. The covered bodies. The silence.

Compassion alone would not protect them from the next pillage.

“Prepare our men,” I ordered calmly.

My reflection in the glass looked colder than I felt.

“We will be hunting rats by sundown.”