When the commoner knight emerged like a comet in the darkened north, revealing his name and presence, Taras initially ignored him. However, after the knight eradicated the rampaging monsters in Leonas, Taras could no longer turn a blind eye.

Thus, the lowborn knight received the castle and territory of Leonas and became a baron. But that was where it ended.

Even after Kaiden Leonas became a baron and continued to achieve great feats, Taras never granted him a larger territory or a higher title. He didn’t summon him to the capital to commend him either. As a result, Kaiden Leonas remained merely a baron in the north.

Yet, Kaiden Leonas did not give up. When the king refused to bestow a title that reflected his abilities, he hunted monsters even more fiercely. It was said that he was burning himself out in an effort to earn a higher title and escape his insignificant status. Still, Taras did not grant him a title or territory that matched his contributions.

At the time, Dana didn’t understand why Taras refused to acknowledge him or grant him a higher title, but now she could vaguely guess. Perhaps Taras was even jealous of the knight.

Everyone talked endlessly about the impressive knight who overcame his humble origins and gained fame. Some even claimed that he swept away monsters like the first king, Daischultz. Others suggested he might be a being sent by the gods to Rowen. The baron of common birth became the most famous and widely discussed knight in the kingdom.

As the knight’s fame soared, whispers circulated that his swordsmanship was more beneficial to the country than the king’s insignificant divine beast. In the north, he was hailed as a hero and was more popular than the king.

Minstrels in the cities sang poems praising the commoner knight as the greatest knight of Rowen. When the king withheld a higher title from Kaiden Leonas, songs mocking the king’s jealousy of the commoner knight emerged.

Since Dana had heard those songs, Taras must have known about them too. If only Kaiden Leonas’s fame had been slightly less overwhelming, perhaps the king would have rewarded him with an appropriate territory and recognition.

However, he was exceptionally talented, too famous, and excessively admired by the kingdom’s people. That fact was likely enough to unsettle Taras, who had never been particularly popular since his coronation due to his connection with an unimpressive summoned creature.

Once, during a meal, Taras referred to Kaiden Leonas as a lowborn man blinded by ambition for titles. He claimed he couldn’t grant an unworthy title to such a vulgar person. At the time, Dana simply accepted it because Taras had said so.

‘He might have been ambitious for titles, but at least he was an honorable knight who stayed and defended the kingdom to the end.’

While the noble royal Taras abandoned the people and the capital, the knight, insulted as lowborn, remained to protect the kingdom and sacrificed his life. Perhaps his desire for a title stemmed from his high self-esteem. He might have only wanted a status that matched his abilities and loyalty.

‘I need that knight. This time, I won’t let such a loyal and skilled knight waste his talents. I’ll ensure he can use his skills for Rowen with a status that reflects his abilities.’

Dana could give Kaiden Leonas what he desired. She could offer him the title and high status that Taras would never grant him, no matter how many achievements he accumulated. The means was marriage.

‘This time, I won’t marry Prince Ergart. I’ll marry Kaiden Leonas.’

She planned to request that Taras grant Kaiden Leonas the title of Duke of Khalid and allow their marriage. Taras might not be pleased, but she had to persuade him somehow.

Although it was disappointing that she wouldn’t have full authority as the Duchess of Khalid, it was better for Kaiden Leonas, a commoner, to receive a title directly from the king and become a high-ranking noble. In other words, by becoming the Duchess of Khalid and making Kaiden Leonas the Duke, both she and Kaiden Leonas could achieve their desired outcomes.

Currently, the assets of Khalid were not hers and were only temporarily permitted, but if her husband received the dukedom, they would gain the wealth, military power, and all authority. They could become the true masters of Khalid.

She intended to make a deal with marriage as the bargaining chip with Kaiden Leonas.

‘As far as I remember, Kaiden Leonas never married.’

Of course, from what she had heard, his character seemed far from being able to share his heart with a noble lady or engage in marriage talks with noble families.

‘But I can endure it. I know how loyal a knight he is. Even if he lacks manners and refinement.’

She had to endure that much. To protect Rowen. To safeguard this kingdom and its people. Remembering that he was the knight who fought for Rowen until the very end, she could understand and be patient.

‘The knight received his barony when I was eighteen.’

She recalled that it was before her engagement to Prince Ergart.

Dana planned to wait until she became an adult.

Three years until she turned twenty and officially became an adult. When Kaiden Leonas, despite his achievements and being hailed as a great knight in the north, was still not recognized by King Taras and wasn’t granted a title higher than baron, she would approach the knight whose patience had likely reached its limit and propose a marriage-like deal. With a powerful and loyal knight by her side, she would become the master of Khalid and strengthen the north.

She needed to build strength to make Rowen formidable. To create a Rowen where those who would sacrifice their lives for the country stood at the center, not the nobles who caused her parents’ deaths or would abandon the kingdom in times of crisis.

That was Dana’s plan upon arriving in Khalid.