Dana Rowen blinked as she looked up at Kaiden Leonas and then calmly explained once more.

“His Majesty has no intention of granting you a title that reflects your abilities. No matter what achievements you accomplish in the future, he won’t acknowledge them. The only way for you to attain a higher status is through this…”

“No, I mean, why does the princess want to marry me?”

Interrupting a royal—how audacious.

Dana thought this, but knowing his character well, she chose to overlook his rudeness for the moment and responded.

“For the sake of this kingdom, Khalid needs a capable leader. I must marry someone, and if that’s the case, I want to choose someone suitable to rule Khalid and loyal to Rowen as my husband. And I know you are Rowen’s most loyal knight.”

“…Are you talking about me?”

Kaiden furrowed his eyebrows slightly, as if hearing something astonishing for the first time, and Dana was taken aback. She remembered him as the one who fought to the end to protect Rowen, which was crumbling due to war.

‘Ah, could it be.’

She recalled that the war in Rowen occurred more than a year after this moment. Perhaps Kaiden Leonas wasn’t very loyal to Rowen yet, and some event in the next year would strengthen his loyalty. Or maybe his loyalty emerged when the kingdom faced a crisis due to the war.

Dana spoke in a firm and decisive tone.

“You might not realize it yourself, but you are a very loyal and honorable knight to this kingdom. That’s what I believe.”

The man offered no reply. Once again, Dana couldn’t discern the meaning of his silence. He seemed too calm to be angry, yet his expression was too rigid to suggest he was positively considering her proposal.

Dana wondered if the man, who hadn’t yet recognized his own loyalty, was interpreting her words as mere fabrication. So, she explained her reasoning frankly, in a manner befitting his character and his own words.

“Because of your humble status, you have no choice but to rely on me, yet I need a strong knight. I need your strength.”

Kaiden raised one of his dark eyebrows in a frown. He looked at Dana silently, then turned his head slightly, as if organizing his complex thoughts, and gazed into the distance.

Dana waited quietly for a moment. As a royal, waiting was usually someone else’s responsibility, but this moment felt different. After a brief pause, Dana spoke, not expecting to receive an answer to such a proposal today.

“How much time do you need?”

“Time?”

Kaiden looked at Dana and asked in return. His demeanor, which prompted her to speak twice, was quite inappropriate, but Dana, having prepared her mind sufficiently, answered with unwavering composure.

“Time to decide on my proposal. I hope it doesn’t take too long.”

The man quickly responded to Dana’s words.

“I don’t need time. I’ve already given my answer.”

Dana widened her eyes and stared at Kaiden. He had answered? Recalling their conversation, Dana remembered that he had said ‘yes’ to her initial question. Unsure, she asked,

“So, you’re saying you’ll marry me?”

“Yes.”

Kaiden answered firmly, and Dana was the one surprised.

“But I haven’t mentioned my conditions yet.”

“Conditions? Are there conditions?”

Kaiden asked again, leaning in his usual casual manner, and Dana ignored his rude posture as she spoke.

“Yes. But it’s too heavy a topic to discuss here. It would be better if you came to Eluan Castle to see me again, and we can talk then.”

“Very well.”

The man straightened up again and simply stood there, quietly watching Dana.

As she looked at him, Dana realized that she had just promised to marry the man she had hoped for over the past three years. Of course, they hadn’t discussed all the conditions yet, and his mind could still change. She understood that until the wedding was over, nothing was truly settled.

She felt the weight of his desire for a high title.

‘He really wanted such a high title.’

Dana thought it made sense, considering the time he had spent being overlooked despite his accomplishments. His obsession with rank wasn’t necessarily a bad thing for her, so she didn’t dwell on it any further.

‘More than that, something, something.’

For some reason, Dana felt her heart flutter. She was about to marry a loyal and strong knight who dedicated himself to protecting the kingdom. Although his behavior was not what one would typically expect from someone dealing with royalty, it was not as bad as she had feared.

In fact, it was much more acceptable than she had anticipated. She had even imagined him leaving without responding to her sudden proposal.

‘What exceeded my expectations was…’

The only thing that surpassed her expectations was his appearance.

‘To think such a handsome man possesses such outstanding abilities and deep loyalty to the kingdom.’

It was truly unbelievable.

Suppressing her inexplicable excitement, Dana spoke to Kaiden.

“Then you should propose to me.”

Once they discussed the terms of the arrangement and he remained firm in his decision, she could send a letter to Taras. That was the moment Dana had envisioned.

“Understood.”

Kaiden responded to Dana’s words and then bent his knee.

‘What?’

Dana suddenly saw the man kneel on one knee and extend a hand to her. Kaiden Leonas sat there like a painting, looking up at Dana. Seeing him, she felt a thrill, followed by confusion. Right now?

‘Even if he’s not interested in women?’

Was he really going to propose without any preparation?

As Dana looked on in surprise, Kaiden spoke.

“Princess of Rowen, Dana Rowen. Please give me the opportunity to stand by your side.”

Dana sensed a slight tremor in the man’s voice as he began to speak. However, his expression remained calm, and his eyes, as clear as a starry night, were cool. Yet everything about him—his outstretched hand, his body, his face, and his gaze—was focused solely on Dana. It was as if nothing else mattered, neither the place nor the situation.

“Grant me the honor to hold your hand and wield my sword for you alone.”

Dana listened to the brief and straightforward proposal with a peculiar feeling.

There were no sweet words or elaborate expressions. It sounded more like a knight’s pledge of loyalty to a lady than a marriage proposal. It wasn’t elegant or graceful, but for that very reason, it was exactly what she needed.

Even without flowery language, his few words touched her heart more deeply and warmly than anything she had heard before. Dana felt that his proposal and his outstretched hand were like the end of a vast, endless sky, bringing clarity to an uncertain future. Despite the suddenness of the situation, she found reassurance in his decisive judgment and steadfast gaze.

At that moment, Kaiden seemed to be someone who knew exactly what she wanted and existed to fulfill all of it. So, even while thinking that this was a transaction and that Kaiden might change his mind after hearing her conditions, Dana felt her heart race. She placed her hand on his.

Her small, delicate hand rested weightlessly on his large palm. The feel of her fingers, accustomed only to touching instruments, couldn’t compare to the firmness of his hand, hardened by wielding a sword. Kaiden’s hand was warmer than she expected, while Dana’s hand was cold with nervousness.

As if she were a woman touched by a man’s passionate proposal, Dana responded with words as simple as his, her face flushed and her lips curling into a smile.

“With pleasure, yes.”

Ah.

Dana noticed that the moment her answer left her lips, Kaiden tightly closed his eyes before opening them again. However, it happened so quickly that Dana wondered if she had imagined it.

Kaiden moved his lowered hand to search somewhere within his coat. Dana watched as he pulled out a small box, which he casually opened with one hand, revealing its contents.

‘No, why…?’

Dana couldn’t comprehend it. Why was there a ring?

Inside the box Kaiden had retrieved was a ring set with a pale sky-blue aquamarine. With an indifferent motion, he roughly placed the box on his knee and took out the ring.

Dana saw the ring, which appeared almost like a toy in his large hand. The man, who had tossed the empty box aside as if discarding it, brought the ring toward Dana’s fingers, which rested on his other hand.

Dana watched the ring approach her hand, its movement sharply contrasting with the careless way he had thrown the box. Kaiden carefully slid the ring onto her finger, which was so slender it could only be compared to a flower stem next to his branch-like fingers.

Dana looked at the ring that fit snugly on her ring finger. It wasn’t a perfect fit, but it felt comfortably loose, and she stared at it, unable to grasp its significance.

‘Why a ring…?’

As Dana continued to stare, Kaiden looked down at the ring now adorning her pale finger and spoke.

“It belongs to you, Princess.”

Ah.

Dana recalled that his presence at the banquet today was because it was her birthday celebration. But she had already received a gift earlier during their introduction.

“This is the real gift.”

Even with his explanation, it was a gift she couldn’t quite understand.

‘A ring as a birthday present…?’

From a grown man to a grown woman he had just met?

While she struggled to find words, Kaiden bowed his head. He pressed his lips to the ring he had placed on Dana’s finger. Only the tip of his prominent nose brushed against the back of her hand before he pulled away.

Beyond that, not even his breath touched her. It was as if nothing else should make contact, like a vassal kissing the hand of their liege.

—
Dana: You should marry me.

Kaiden: Ok.

Dana: *shocked pikachu face*