TYHL 42

~Chapter 42~

Ch.5

‘See? I knew you overdid it.’

Khalid shook his head, letting out a sound of disapproval.

“Huff, huff… Wa… water…”

Seeing Ruby pale and collapsed in front of him made the feeling worse.

“Tch. Really. What are you even trying to do.”

Ruby was lying down, using Sir Leon’s cloak as a mat, breathing heavily. Khalid handed him the water bottle nearby. Ruby accepted it like holy water.

“Breathe first, then drink.”

“Th-thanks.”

“Why push yourself? You can’t even finish one lap properly.”

“My words exactly…”

Maybe he’d gotten too confident lately.

Ruby muttered and gulped down the water.

Khalid, with his hands on his waist, looked down at him.

Ruby’s short silver hair swayed weakly in the breeze. Whoever had cut it had done it carelessly, chopping it far too short.

‘Hah.’

Khalid swallowed the curse rising in his throat. His eyes were drawn to Ruby’s clear lashes casting shadows over bright eyes.

Even like this, still so pretty.

‘A boy? Northern people must be insane.’

Pathetic.

He thought it was ridiculous.

‘The 7th daughter of the Magic King.’

Khalid looked at Ruby wiping away sweat and remembered her true identity.

‘She’s a princess.’

He let out another hollow laugh.

‘The princess of magicians, living disguised as a boy, training as a knight.’

Of course, he knew Ruby wasn’t like an ordinary princess.

Ruby had said it herself:

“The Magic King… takes children with strong magic power and claims them as his own. The palace is full of ‘children of the king.’”

“So I’m not really his child. I’m more like a weapon he polished carefully. I’m not the kind of princess you’re imagining.”

Thinking back, Khalid realized Ruby’s atmosphere had changed since the first time they met. Now she was livelier and brighter—something good to see.

“That’s why I hate being treated like a princess.”

But sometimes, when she showed that self-mocking face, she looked far too much like an adult.

It made Khalid unbearably anxious.

“Still… to me, you seem like a princess.”

He couldn’t stop himself from adding it quickly.

“At least to me, you are.”

Bright, warm, noble.

Otherwise, how could he explain the way he desperately wanted to protect her?

Maybe this was the loyalty of a knight to his princess. That’s why the word “master” had come out so naturally.

‘What is someone like her doing here?’

His chest burned with emotions he couldn’t sort out—anger, frustration.

Ruby seemed to be the only one unaware of how special she was.

It wasn’t just her status. She was also an incredibly skilled magician. All that complex knowledge inside her small head—already enough to make her the strongest.

And yet here she was, crawling around like the weakest.

‘Seriously.’

He didn’t even know where to start pointing it out.

“Haa… I feel a little better now…”

Ruby groaned and slowly sat up. Khalid quickly stepped behind her.

“You should’ve paced yourself.”

“I got excited…”

Ruby leaned against his shin like a pillar and tilted his head back, smiling faintly. Seeing that smile, Khalid felt strangely dizzy.

“Little brat! Where’s my little brat?!”

From far away, Grandpa came charging, raising a cloud of dust.

“I brought you an energy drink! Drink it, quick!”

Khalid chuckled dryly.

Grandpa fussed over Ruby, handing him a bubbling drink.

‘Well, she’s definitely being treated like a princess here.’

To see such a strong elder acting flustered over a kid half his size…

“Tch. Isn’t Borvel here yet?!”

“It’s… it’s not bad enough to need a doctor…”

“You collapsed while running!”

“I didn’t collapse, I just… gave up because I was exhausted…”

Khalid had heard about the Jebert elder. Before Leviathan Jebert, that old man was the strongest on the continent.

‘Didn’t he once blow up shells by throwing them with his bare hands before they could even ignite…?’

His violent temper had always overshadowed his skill.

Void Jebert soon appeared, wiping Ruby’s forehead with a white handkerchief.

“Ruby, what are you going to do? You can’t even finish one lap.”

Though he scolded, his hands moved busily, just like at the dining hall.

Ruby flared up.

“I can do two laps on the mini training ground!”

“That’s not even a fraction of this size!”

“Don’t rub it in when I’m already hurting!”

“Please, what’s there to rub in? You don’t even—”

The two argued back and forth.

Khalid looked down at Ruby’s small round head from the side.

Ruby never fought with anyone. She always acted like she didn’t care.

He hated that. She looked like someone always ready to leave.

And in the end, she had left him once. So maybe he wasn’t wrong.

‘Come to think of it.’

The only time she reacted strongly was when something involved Leviathan Jebert.

Did Ruby always want to come here?

“His Excellency is here!”

Finally, the man himself appeared.

All this fuss just because Ruby got tired running…

‘Honestly, they’re making too much of it.’

“Ruby.”

Leviathan Jebert appeared, smelling of ink. His presence alone was overwhelming, making the knights stiffen.

Like the leader of beasts strolling casually.

He didn’t look like a noble, but like a mercenary leader. Khalid knew men like him were the most dangerous.

‘That glare… deadly.’

His violet eyes scanned the area instantly. Khalid clicked his tongue, unsettled.

“Uncle!”

Ruby didn’t hesitate, holding out her hand. The Duke softened immediately, lifting her naturally into his arms.

“You hate tiring things, so why overdo it?”

“Exactly.”

“Look at you. Pale as a ghost. Not cute at all.”

“I know!”

“What do you mean you know.”

Tap. He poked Ruby’s nose affectionately.

Khalid watched silently.

‘She really is a treasure.’

Of course. His beloved, precious child.

Maybe that was why Ruby was here.

Forget the Magic King—maybe she just wanted to be here.

Khalid thought dimly: I’d actually prefer that.

‘But… I feel jealous.’

Seeing Ruby have another pillar to lean on.

Khalid tapped his foot against the ground, frustrated.

‘Still… it’s been a while since I’ve seen her smile.’

A knight of a princess had to know his place.

The boy stepped back quietly, a little bitter.

That night.

After finishing training, Khalid was heading to the Order’s dorms but changed his mind, turning toward the main castle.

He was still bothered by the conversation he had with Ruby earlier.

“The number of tracking mages has increased.”

Khalid had reported the situation of the Kingdom.

“Don’t worry. They’re still searching the South. The Empire’s land is huge—it’ll take time.”

“But what if they suddenly come North…?”

“Strangely, even the Babylon Imperial family isn’t cooperating with them. The diversions are still working, so it’s fine.”

“Diversions? You mean your animal friends?”

“…Something like that.”

He had been manipulating traces to mislead the tracking mages. It was only temporary, but enough to buy time.

‘Even so, she looked uneasy when I said that.’

Creak. Khalid gently pushed Ruby’s bedroom door—then froze.

“…Why are you here at this hour?”

There was already a guest in Ruby’s room.