I Married the Dragon I Killed

As soon as Perda finished his speech, several nobles approached him.

“Greetings, Regent Perda Valdrova. Your speech was truly inspiring.”

“I’m not very skilled with words, so I don’t know if I managed to convey it properly.”

“What are you saying? Your words moved me deeply! I definitely want to be part of that great dream, Regent!”

Most simply expressed their approval, saying it had been a good speech.

Others reacted passionately, as if they had genuinely been inspired.

Mature men think with their heads.

Young men think with their hearts.

In their hearts, heroes are still embarking on adventures and pressing forward toward the princess locked away in the castle.

Meanwhile, Perda was thinking about his own speech with his head.

‘How embarrassing.’

Hope.

Friendship.

They were not words that suited him.

He could not even think of things like that, much less write them.

Unless he were an experienced politician, it would have been impossible to deliver something of that level.

He discreetly glanced toward the person responsible.

Olivia Arken.

She was standing near the main round table reserved for the banquet’s important figures.

Naturally, she was not alone.

She was conversing with several high-ranking young noblewomen.

‘Golden Rose, right?’

The social circle that revolved around Olivia Arken.

It supposedly existed to keep men from getting too close to her.

The golden rose named Olivia was protected by thorns and leaves.

Perda watched her smile.

It was artificial.

Strangely artificial.

And that felt odd to him.

When she was with him, he had never sensed that falseness.

‘Perhaps she has simply become much better at acting.’

After receiving greetings from all the assembled nobles, Perda approached Olivia.

It was part of the scenario she herself had prepared.

“Thank you for all the assistance you provided for the festival.”

“It was nothing. For me, it was an honor to be able to help.”

“Then I hope you enjoy the evening.”

Olivia smiled faintly and tilted her head slightly.

Perda did not add anything further either.

The two parted naturally.

It was a clean interaction, impossible to associate with two people caught up in romantic rumors.

‘She’s doing a good job.’

Satisfied with her help, Perda continued making his way through the hall and greeting the guests.

Although it was a banquet for everyone, there was an unspoken rule separating nobles from knights.

The difference could be seen in their clothing.

The nobles wore extravagant attire.

The knights wore more modest vests.

Among them, Perda spotted two familiar faces.

Zed and Malcolm.

“Your speech was truly impressive, Regent.”

“It was really incredible! Completely incredible!”

They wore similar clothes.

But the impression they gave was entirely different.

Zed looked elegant and refined no matter what he wore.

Malcolm looked like a hopeless farmer regardless of what he put on.

‘William would be perfect for a place like this.’

William was a man whom even Perda considered a role model.

In fact, Perda had wanted him to attend.

But William had politely declined the invitation.

As captain of the guard, he was determined to stay awake all night fulfilling his duty during the festival.

It was unfortunate, but worthy of respect.

“Regent, could I borrow your ear for a moment?”

Unlike the smile he was wearing, Zed’s voice was filled with complaints.

“How much longer do you plan to let this guy shadow me?”

“Shadow you?”

“Every time I try to go somewhere, he asks, ‘Sir Zed, where are you going?’ and starts following me around like a puppy.”

“Oh, really?”

“If I want to shake him off, I’d have to tell him I have a secret mission. And what do you think would happen then? This idiot would spread it everywhere. Then it wouldn’t be a secret mission anymore, would it?”

With bloodshot eyes from stress, Zed stared at him.

Perda had no reason to concern himself with someone else’s stress.

But Zed’s argument made sense.

“Go. I’ll handle it.”

“Then I’ll take my leave.”

He departed quickly.

It was impossible to tell whether he was walking lightly because a burden had been lifted from his shoulders or because he was trying to escape unnoticed.

“Huh? Where did Sir Zed go…?”

“He remembered something he had forgotten. I sent him on an errand.”

“Oh, I see.”

“There’s no need to look for him. Why don’t you try socializing with the other knights?”

“Ah… well…”

Malcolm scratched his head awkwardly.

“To be honest… maybe I was bothering Sir Zed. I’m not good at this sort of event, and I wanted to ask for his help…”

So that was why he had been following him.

“You became a knight of the Imperial Family. Have you never attended something like this?”

“You’re practically the only person who has ever invited me to an event like this. I couldn’t even attend my knighting ceremony. I only received the document. I thought that during the Spring Commencement Festival I’d be staying at the inn, eating leftovers and sleeping. But you invited me. I wanted to help maintain your prestige… and ask how I should behave. I guess I ended up bothering Sir Zed.”

He was someone who might never reach the highest circles of knighthood.

But his determination surpassed anyone else’s.

Perda had considered sending him back to his room.

However, he changed his mind.

“So you’d rather follow orders than socialize in places like this.”

“Yes! I’ll do anything I’m capable of doing!”

“Then I’ll give you an order.”

Malcolm’s imaginary tail began wagging like that of a happy puppy.

“Keep watch for any incidents during the event. Understood?”

“And should I intervene if something happens?”

“No. Don’t intervene. Just observe. Eat something, drink something, and stay alert. Understood?”

“Yes, sir!”

He accepted the order.

However, a moment later, he felt that something was strange.

But since his job was simply to obey orders, he stopped thinking about it.

In truth, it was not very different from what he had already been doing.

The difference was that now he had an official mission.

And with that, the matter of Malcolm was settled.

After weaving through numerous strangers, Perda finally found someone he knew.

Arwen.

His name had not even been on the original guest list.

Perda had added it personally.

“Arwen Wolfheart, knight of the County of Consilus, presents his respects to the Regent. Thank you for inviting me to the Spring Commencement Festival.”

“Count Consilus thinks highly of you. Shouldn’t I help you a little?”

“Please don’t say such things.”

Although he had never been told directly, Perda knew that Consilus valued Arwen greatly.

He was an elderly man.

And he needed someone to inherit his domain.

Someday, Arwen would cease to be merely a knight.

He would be acknowledged as the adopted son of Ulvera Consilus and inherit the county.

That was why Arwen needed to become someone close to Perda.

And why Perda needed to look after him.

“Zed told me there’s a woman you’re interested in.”

“C-cough… nothing important has happened yet…”

The typical reaction of a young man who knew only the sword and honor.

Then he discreetly glanced somewhere.

A young woman in a green dress returned his gaze and smiled sweetly.

Perda was certain he had seen her before at the Grand Council.

“She’s from House Purity.”

“Yes. She’s the third daughter of the family.”

She looked like a princess straight out of a fairy tale.

And not necessarily in a good way.

She gave off an almost concerning sense of innocence.

Unlike the eldest daughter or the second daughter, who seemed like carefully forged political weapons, this young woman gave the impression of having been raised carefreely inside a greenhouse.

Which meant she possessed no political value.

Arwen would probably not suffer too much because of her.

Even so, just in case, Perda decided to warn him.

“Don’t do anything foolish here.”

“Of course. What kind of trouble could I possibly cause in a place like this?”

“If you’re going to do something strange, do it after you return to the county.”

“Huh? Ah… yes, understood.”

Arwen did not understand what Perda meant.

After finishing the conversation, Arwen walked toward the young noblewoman.

Arwen smiled shyly.

The young woman smiled sweetly.

For some reason, seeing that scene made Perda’s stomach hurt.

While some people could not even hold their fiancée’s hand, others were happily enjoying themselves.

‘I suppose this atmosphere doesn’t help either.’

What had it been like when he attended these kinds of parties before going back in time?

No one had approached Perda when he attended as a guest.

It was as though they had sent him an invitation merely out of obligation and had been inconvenienced when he actually showed up.

‘It was just like Malcolm.’

That was probably why he had felt a certain sympathy for him.

Because he himself had gone through it.

Because he knew exactly how it felt.

Even now, Perda felt lonely.

No.

Lonelier than he had been back then.

It was as if he had left half of himself somewhere else.

Shortly afterward, a signal rang out from the orchestra.

They had already had enough time to converse and laugh.

Now it was time to truly liven up the atmosphere.

It was the signal that the dance that would ignite the banquet was beginning.

The elegantly dressed bees began fluttering around the flowers that interested them.

‘The host’s obligation.’

Perda looked for a flower that the bees were ignoring.

A thin young noblewoman with black hair and freckles.

She was not particularly beautiful.

But she was not ugly either.

She simply had that air of someone who went unnoticed.

Of course, Perda had no idea which family she belonged to.

He walked up to her and extended his hand.

“As the host, I would like to invite you to dance. Would that be acceptable?”

The freckled young woman looked around and then pointed at herself.

“Oh? Would you really dance with someone like me?”

“It would not be right for someone to be unable to enjoy such a wonderful occasion.”

“If you do not mind, Regent, I would be delighted to accept.”

The young woman shyly took his hand.

When most of the couples had already formed, the orchestra moved from the introduction to the main piece.

It was not a passionate dance.

It was a light waltz.

The volume was also adjusted so that men and women could converse comfortably.

The couples began exchanging information about themselves.

Naturally, Perda said nothing.

He thought fulfilling his role as host was enough.

He had no intention of making conversation for the sake of conversation.

“So, you are engaged to Lady Valdrova, correct?”

The freckled young woman brought up the topic first.

“That’s right.”

“Have you seen her in person?”

“Yes.”

“Um… weren’t you afraid? I suppose that’s a rather foolish question…”

“I wasn’t afraid.”

The young woman’s eyes widened.

“Is that possible? We’re talking about a dragon.”

“…”

“Oh, excuse me. I keep saying inappropriate things. It’s just that for someone as insignificant as me, it’s difficult to imagine someone marrying a Great Authority…”

“Don’t worry about it.”

As she said, no one could truly understand what it meant to be engaged to Valdrova.

Only Perda knew what kind of person she was.

“She possesses more wisdom and warmth than any human being. I have seen it with my own eyes, so I know.”

“Really?”

“She is also interested in countless things. She is always trying to understand others and empathize with them.”

That hidden side of her.

The side that only Perda knew.

And the side he wanted to show the world.

So he slowly began talking about Valdrova.

The young woman listened attentively before saying,

“The more I watch you, the more I think you are a very warm person as well.”

“Excuse me?”

Perda did not understand what she was talking about.

“It’s obvious that you love her to your very bones.”

“And why do you think that?”

“Because when you talk about Lady Valdrova, a smile appears on your face.”

A smile?

Perda was surprised.

And because of that surprise, he lost the rhythm of the steps he was performing.

Fortunately, it did not turn into a disaster.

The young woman spun skillfully and naturally corrected the mismatch.

Then Perda asked her,

“Am I smiling?”

“Yes. Hadn’t you noticed?”

He had not.

For someone who rarely smiled in front of others, that was surprising even to him.

“Ah, right now it looks like your face is trying to return to normal.”

The young woman once again drew his attention.

“Smile like that. Show everyone that the person engaged to Lady Valdrova knows how to love.”

“Do you think that would be better?”

“Of course. Keep talking to me about her. Tell me what kind of person Lady Valdrova is.”

Hearing those words, Perda’s features naturally relaxed.

He followed the flow of his feelings.

He showed a sincere side of himself.

And he continued talking about Valdrova.

Before long, the piece came to an end.

“Thank you for granting an insignificant young noblewoman the honor of dancing with you.”

“No, I’m the one who should be thanking you.”

And this time, he meant it sincerely.

The freckled young woman held his gaze, smiled softly, and then left.

As he watched her walk away, Perda remembered something.

‘Now that I think about it, I never asked her name.’

He had enjoyed the moment so much that he had not even investigated who she was.

But suddenly approaching her to ask her name would also be discourteous.

They were still in the middle of the dancing.

He could do it later.

Following the plan that remained his highest priority, Perda moved.

‘Now I need to invite Olivia to dance.’

The scenario prepared to resolve the scandal.

She would reject him.

And thus they would prove that their relationship was not as close as the rumors suggested.

Perda walked toward the table where the Golden Rose was seated.

Just as planned.

Like two mere acquaintances.

Showing familiarity, but not affection.

He extended his hand toward that single flower.

“As the host, I would like to invite you to dance. Would that be acceptable?”

Olivia covered her lips with her fan.

And replied exactly as she was supposed to.

“Yes.”

“Very well, then… excuse me?”

No.

“I would be delighted.”

She had just destroyed the scenario she herself had prepared.

“Let’s dance.”