I Married the Dragon I Killed

An aristocratic tea party.

No matter what kind it was, it was never held modestly.

Even if they had to push themselves a little, on the day of the party they tried to decorate everything as luxuriously as possible.

Because that represented the host’s wealth, history, and capability.

That was why the tea parties held in the imperial capital boasted a completely different scale and magnificence.

It was a place overflowing with vitality, since the young talents who would someday become lords, knights, or heads of families gathered there.

Young nobles and heirs wearing immaculate uniforms with their family emblems on their chests, and noble ladies and princesses wearing colorful dresses that resembled flowers in full bloom.

All of them had come adorned with the desire to become the protagonists of that place.

However, despite all those desperate desires, within the Empire there existed a presence so overwhelming that it made all of them look like mere leaves growing beside a flower.

Olivia Arken.

Golden hair and blue eyes, a beauty capable of ruining nations, to the point where rumors spread that even right after waking up in the morning she was still beautiful.

Daughter of the emperor and possessor of both talent and beauty, she was the ideal woman anyone would want to obtain in any era of history.

“Look, it’s Lady Olivia.”

“I heard she would attend this party, but it was true.”

“How can she be so beautiful…?”

A beauty that drew admiration from both men and women.

All the young nobles pretended to wander casually while stealing glances at her and lingering nearby.

They knew perfectly well that someone of their status could not even dream of speaking to her.

Even so, there were those who firmly believed that without courage they could never conquer a beauty.

“It is an honor to meet the imperial princess of the Empire. As Guardian of the Golden Dawn and Sword of the Frontier, I would like to introduce myself—.”

“We are sorry, but.”

The one who interrupted his words was a woman seated beside Olivia.

Smiling sweetly, she said,

“At the moment we are having a gathering among noble ladies. Only members of Golden Rose may participate in this conversation.”

“A-ah, I see…”

“Then.”

The man ended up retreating without even being able to say his name, humiliated.

The seated women watched the defeated man’s back while giggling among themselves.

“Another insect that doesn’t know his place.”

“Exactly. They even rejected the heir of Duke Mersel, and a mere frontier marquis dares try to speak to Princess Arken?”

They mocked him with quiet laughter.

Olivia slightly tilted her head while holding her teacup.

“Even so, if he is someone who protects the borders, perhaps we should have at least greeted him, don’t you think?”

“Oh, there’s no need for that!”

“Exactly! If you don’t keep inferiors in their place, they start climbing all over you!”

“Ah, really?”

“Of course!”

“Ahh, seriously, Princess Arken is far too pure…”

“I want to protect her until the day I die!”

The noble ladies were practically melting over her.

And Olivia watched that scene while pretending innocence.

Smiling, she thought,

‘Yeah, sure. Protect my ass.’

Olivia knew perfectly well how beautiful she was.

She knew how to use that to her advantage, and she also knew how to protect herself.

These “bodyguards” were actually women who admired her while simultaneously envying her.

‘Because all the men only look at me.’

Even if they wore jewelry worth fortunes or dresses designed by the most famous tailors, that overwhelming presence made it so nobody even paid attention to them.

From the perspective of those luxury items, Olivia’s existence was annoying.

When one person shines too intensely alone, jealousy and envy inevitably arise.

And Olivia knew perfectly well how to handle them.

She deliberately chose to surround herself with women who envied her.

Under the form of an exclusive social club called “Golden Rose.”

It was a perfect symbiotic relationship.

‘I can protect myself without saying a single word, and the girls acting as guards can approach the men they’re interested in.’

Olivia protected her flower, and the guards could choose and keep the suitors fluttering around her.

Once they began a romantic relationship they had to leave Golden Rose, but the positions would always be replaced, so there was nothing to worry about.

It was a social circle whose loyalty increased the more it renewed itself.

“As expected of someone with Golden Blood, she’s perfect in every way!”

Golden Blood.

An expression born from the belief that the blood of the Arken family contained the qualities necessary to rule as emperors.

Olivia deeply hated those words.

After all, even though that same Golden Blood ran through her veins, instead of extending her influence into politics she was trapped in a flower garden like this.

“Yes well, I suppose.”

Olivia replied in a rather unenthusiastic voice.

The atmosphere immediately cooled down.

Since she had answered halfheartedly, the gazes of the young noblewomen became sharp.

“W-we are terribly sorry, Princess. I never intended to offend you!”

“Oh, even if the young lady of the Hons family did not mean it that way, to us it certainly sounded rather bad.”

“Exactly. How could you bring up such a topic in a place like this?”

The others immediately began pressuring her in unison.

The daughter of the Hons family began to grow desperate.

They were trying to use the slightest weakness to isolate her.

‘Seriously, they’re like snakes.’

Olivia hated them, though she responded with practiced naturalness.

“Oh, why are you reacting like that?”

“I felt she had been disrespectful toward Princess Arken…”

“How could that be? I was merely thinking about something for a moment. I’m sorry, I wasn’t even able to properly focus on all of you during this gathering…”

Olivia’s blue eyes moistened slightly.

The members of her private guard flinched and desperately started trying to smooth things over.

“N-no, not at all!”

“Lady Olivia looked wonderful while reflecting. She seemed like a living painting.”

The women let out small laughs to ease the atmosphere.

Though inside they were surely insulting her, saying she was pretending to be kind.

Let them criticize her if they wanted.

The mask one wears until the very end eventually becomes one’s true face.

Someone changed the subject to dispel the tense atmosphere.

“Speaking of something else, have you heard already?”

“Heard what?”

“The news about Regent Perda.”

At those words, Olivia’s hand stopped for an instant.

“It seems that man accomplished quite a feat this time in Hallim.”

“Oh, Hallim, that blasphemous place?”

“They say women in indecent clothes seduce men there…”

“Hoho, what kind of imagination do you have? It’s not about that! There was an Escolea exhibition.”

“Do you think there was only an exhibition? I heard all the men who go to Hallim come back completely bewitched…”

As was typical of conversations among noble ladies, the discussion began drifting off-topic.

“There.”

Olivia opened her mouth.

Even though she had attended these kinds of gatherings countless times, it was extremely rare for her to participate when the topic involved men.

“What happened there?”

“Eh? Ah, well… they say a monster rift appeared and creatures came out of it. There were seven wolf monsters.”

“Seven?”

“And they say he stood out tremendously there. There wasn’t even a single fatality!”

“Really?”

“Ooh…”

The young noblewomen let out uninterested exclamations while blinking.

It was not a topic they cared about, nor did they understand how impressive that truly was.

But Olivia did.

‘Not having a single death in the middle of a surprise attack… that’s very close to a miracle.’

She had always been interested in tactics and strategy.

Thinking that someday she might end up commanding an army, she had studied numerous military records and learned the art of war, while constantly researching the enemies they might face.

That was why she perfectly understood the scale of Perda’s achievements.

‘Did he use dark magic?’

The lost grimoire of the Shadow Arts of Barbatos crossed her mind.

During the visit to the Empire, it had been reported that the seal weakened after a fierce battle with a researcher, and that the grimoire disappeared by taking advantage of that moment.

Though in reality, that report only existed because Olivia had used her influence to make it so. The truth remained unknown.

‘There are questions that should remain questions.’

That was what Olivia did for the sake of the cause.

“I heard rumors that he uses dark magic.”

Just as she was thinking that, someone brought up the topic.

When she looked at who had spoken, she saw it was the daughter of the Hons family, the same one who had made the earlier blunder.

As soon as the gossip started, everyone perked up with interest.

“Dark magic?”

“Yes. They say that, in such a sudden moment, Regent Perda reacted alone and pierced the head of the monster that was coming out of the rift.”

“Isn’t it exaggerated to say he uses dark magic just because he had that level of reaction speed?”

“According to what’s being said at the top, the one who caused that monster rift was Regent Perda himself. They say he staged all of it to show off in Hallim.”

The easily influenced young noblewomen nodded as if it made sense.

Watching those reactions, Olivia felt disgust inwardly.

“And what do you think, Princess?”

The daughter of the Hons family passed the turn to her.

Olivia blinked with innocent eyes.

“Lady.”

“Yes, Princess.”

“Even so, I do not think it is right to call someone a dark mage when he saved people without suffering major losses.”

“Eh? A-ah, that…”

The daughter of the Hons family began growing nervous again.

The atmosphere, which had been ready to enjoy the gossip, completely changed in an instant.

“Exactly. Seriously, she doesn’t know how to read the atmosphere.”

“A noble lady speaking ill of a hero… I think this deserves a proper reprimand.”

Now the others were showing far more obvious hostility than before.

There was no way to fix it anymore.

She would practically be expelled from Golden Rose and end up isolated at all future tea parties.

‘They’re not doing it with bad intentions.’

After all, she herself had dug her own grave.

‘Even so, the regent seems to have everything under control.’

After declaring the conquest of the demonic lands, he gained Lorga’s support, and now he had even distinguished himself in Hallim.

There was no longer anyone capable of stopping that hero’s advance.

He would definitely build a second capital.

‘I should do something as well…’

Compared to him, Olivia had accomplished nothing.

To build power within the Empire, she needed to become a saint.

But all she did was maintain her figure, talk nonsense with young nobles, and learn etiquette and formalities she did not even care about.

Whether the taste of black tea was this way or that, or whether sweets were prepared in a certain manner.

Being an imperial princess was suffocating like this.

‘This is far too far from becoming a saint.’

Even those who dedicated their entire lives as monks might never attain the title of saint. How could she achieve it while living surrounded by such luxury?

‘But I have to do it.’

Because if she managed to become a saint, then she too would obtain that cursed Golden Blood.

***

The first thing Perda did upon returning was check the progress of the village’s construction.

The scene before him was different from the future he had imagined based on Isabella’s reports.

“It has progressed quite a bit.”

He had been away for about three weeks, but the previously chaotic atmosphere had become considerably more organized, and several buildings had already been erected.

There was enough space to completely remove the tents that had been used as temporary shelters.

“That’s right. It exceeded expectations by quite a lot.”

“How far ahead of schedule is it?”

“Two months.”

“That’s no longer simply being a little ahead.”

Isabella, the blue-haired dragon spawn administrator, adjusted her glasses.

Those words especially wounded the pride of someone connected to the Domain of Knowledge, but Isabella replied calmly.

“The speed of the original workers was within estimates. Of course, we also considered loss of manpower and supply issues, but this was a variable dropped from the heavens.”

She was not saying that merely to protect her pride.

Perda knew that, so he asked,

“And what was that variable?”

“An armored knight.”

“An armored knight?”

Isabella nodded.

“Yes. He appears to be a wandering knight. Since he made a vow of silence or something similar, the workers began simply calling him the armored knight.”

“Hmm…”

Perda reviewed the personal information and payment records.

The personal data contained barely the minimum they could determine through external observation.

And upon seeing it, Perda understood something.

“It’s not a vow of silence.”

“No?”

“Normally, those who take a vow of silence carry a plate with their name and affiliation. Even if they do not speak, they at least make clear who they are.”

Perda knew this well since he came from a family of knights.

Someone with a vow of silence might live as a wanderer, yes, but it did not fit someone working at a construction site like this.

Then perhaps they were paying him an enormous amount.

Perda checked the payroll sheet.

“He’s receiving more than twenty times the salary of the other workers.”

No less than two silver coins, equivalent to two hundred copper coins.

However, Perda frowned.

“Far too little.”

Isabella nodded.

“To be honest, even paying him thirty silver coins would still be too little for someone like that.”

“Then why didn’t you?”

“He didn’t seem dissatisfied. In fact, he looked as though receiving money itself felt strange to him. After the two silver coins, he no longer wanted to accept more. And if he himself does not ask for it, why should we pay him more?”

“Hmm…”

Considering the wage and the value of a knight, two shillings a day was practically exploitation.

Working construction that damaged his pride while also receiving so little pay, he had a far more admirable personality than most adults.

‘Or perhaps he is hiding an important secret.’

Maybe he had a troubled past or had even killed someone.

But if that were the case, it was strange that he rejected any payment above two silver coins.

“And exactly how does he help? Does he know construction work?”

“No. He has no basic knowledge and is a complete novice, but he handles all the tasks that only require physical strength, so the pace of construction accelerated tremendously.”

Monstrous strength.

Hearing that, Perda immediately thought of one person.

“That armored knight.”

“Yes.”

“Did he look absurdly heavy and bulky? Like you’d run out of breath just from looking at him?”

Hearing that, Isabella reflected for a moment before answering.

“No. He wore a fairly ordinary half plate, like any wandering knight.”

“I see.”

Perda had thought of Alberdo, the walking fortress.

But since there were still no sightings of him, it seemed he moved quite stealthily despite his enormous body.

‘Monstrous strength…’

Just through physical strength alone, he had advanced construction by two entire months.

“If you are concerned, would you like us to investigate him?”

Perda shook his head at Isabella’s suggestion.

“No. Leave him for now. It would be troublesome if he noticed we were investigating him and fled.”

Only an idiot guts the goose that lays golden eggs.

“But we cannot ignore the value of that man. Think of a way to continue exploiting his capabilities.”

“A wise decision.”

If someone was useful to the Grand Duchy, they had to recruit him by any means.

And if they could not recruit him, then they would create a situation where he had no other option.

‘And if even that doesn’t work, then we’ll squeeze him dry.’

To the very last drop, turning him into fuel for this city under construction.

That was what Perda would do for the town he was building for Valdrova.

“Speaking of which.”

Isabella asked him,

“What name will you give the city?”

“Wouldn’t it be enough to call it Valdrova?”

Isabella’s tone became more serious.

“That is already the name of the castle and also of the Grand Duchy. If it is used too much, its majesty will eventually wear down.”

“What if that were precisely the goal?”

“Even I, as a spawn of Lorga, cannot accept something like that. I will firmly oppose it, so I ask for your understanding.”

Hearing that, Perda decided to give up.

She normally respected almost all his decisions, so using the word “firmly” meant the matter held great importance among dragons.

“Then we will have to give it another name.”

“That is why I held a proposal gathering.”

As though she had been waiting for that moment, Isabella pulled out some documents and handed them to him.

“Many interesting names were proposed, but in the end two finalists remained. One is Diarine, for being the front against the demonic lands. The other is Alterios, because it resembles a light illuminating the darkness. What do you think?”

Diarine and Alterios.

“Diarine sounds too gloomy, and Alterios seems connected to the Church of Alte.”

“Indeed, that was part of the intention. Ninety percent of the Empire believes in Alte, so it would be beneficial.”

A strategy to attract more immigrants.

It would have strategic advantages, but Perda did not want to become too involved with the Church of Alte.

He had already experienced enough unpleasant things involving them.

The Church of Alte showed no mercy toward heretics.

When they discovered he possessed a Red Circle and an affinity for darkness, they had practically wanted to kill him.

That was why he preferred a name that did not evoke Alte.

What would be a good name?

Suddenly, he remembered something.

“That time, what was the name of the project underway to save my fiancée?”

“Project Hestia?”

“Hestia…”

It was the name of a woman who, since ancient times, protected fire.

Nowadays she was barely a forgotten figure in history lessons.

The woman who protected fire.

Not bad.

“What about Hestia?”

“Personally I would prefer something heavier and more solemn, but this is not bad either. I will have it implemented.”

Perda repeated the name several times.

Hestia. Hestia…

It sounded good, and he also liked its meaning.

Valdrova was the owner of fire and strength.

And this would be a city for those who protected the fire, a bastion.

‘So I’ll have to squeeze that armored knight for everything he’s worth.’

Until he changed his mind, Perda would take advantage of everything he could.

That was Perda’s will.