Soon, they arrived at the experimental farmland village, which was already surrounded by many people.
They were smiling and watching the clearly marked fields with excitement.
The previously gloomy atmosphere was swept away, replaced by a sense of hope for life!
"Ah! Look! It's the Sun Princess!"
"Yes! It's the Sun Princess who refers to herself as 'this humble one,' and her knight!"
"Everyone, come quickly! The Sun Princess and her knight have come to our village!"
"Great, it's the Sun Princess! Long live the Sun Princess!"
"Long live—!"
Noticing Priscilla in her red dress stepping down from the dragon carriage, the villagers became even more excited.
Looking at Priscilla and Graham, their eyes were filled with respect and joy. They ran out of their homes, one after another, praising and admiring the Sun Princess's elegant figure.
In what was once a barren field, golden crops were now growing! These were the crops they depended on for survival!
This was the field Priscilla had handed over to Graham to implement his farming knowledge.
Priscilla glanced at Graham without showing any emotion and smiled sweetly.
"Yes, this is how it should be. You ignorant people must work hard. As long as you bow to my prestige, I will not be so heartless as to withhold my benevolence. You must continue to work diligently in the future."
"We understand!"
"Long live the Sun Princess!"
"We will work hard for the Sun Princess!"
Hearing her arrogant words and her calling them 'ignorant people', they were not even slightly offended, but instead felt even more admiration.
The villagers looked at Priscilla with excitement, feeling that their good days were coming!
Compared to the exploitative Leip Barielle, who didn't show up even once a year, the Sun Princess, Priscilla Barielle, who brought her knight to help them grow crops and increase their yield, was clearly better!
What did a little arrogance matter?
Compared to this perfect and generous Lady, they indeed were ignorant and pitiful people...
If Priscilla had not come here, they would have continued to be exploited by Leip until their deaths...
Priscilla then casually dismissed the villagers with a haughty remark and walked gracefully to Graham's side.
"How is it, Princess? Do you see now that I didn't lie to you?"
To irrigate the rice fields, he used a lot of magic. Otherwise, the growth of the crops wouldn't have been so magnificent.
Rather than his skills, it was the magic that worked.
The crops irrigated with magic would grow to become highly valuable 'magic rice', which has a high nutritional value.
Priscilla ignored his smugness. The wise Priscilla could see that Graham's hometown farming techniques were indeed effective, tripling the yield compared to her methods.
A comparison of the two experimental fields she chose made it clear.
Not to mention that this experiment was conducted in Priscilla's name, so the praise and credit naturally went to her as well!
"Well, you passed."
Priscilla nodded with satisfaction and smiled happily.
No matter what, having someone who is willing to go all out for her made her very happy.
"That's good," Graham sighed in relief, wisely not mentioning any rewards.
"I've already taught the villagers the planting techniques. Soon, no one in the princess's territory will go hungry."
Graham couldn't help but sigh.
This world is cruel. Commoners are subjected to unlimited oppression by the nobility, and every day, people die from hunger.
Priscilla is a very good ruler. Although she is very arrogant, compared to other nobles, you will find that she is both cute and kind...
Priscilla looked at her knight, the handsome and dashing Graham, and was momentarily lost in thought. Then, as if remembering something, she snorted coldly and sat directly in the dragon carriage.
Opening her folding fan, she covered her mouth, her eyes complex and silent, as if she was pondering something.
"Princess?" Graham looked puzzled. Why did she suddenly change her expression?
"Let's go back to the mansion," Priscilla said softly, closing her eyes and saying no more.
"Alright."
Graham felt a bit helpless. He could only sit in the driver's seat and urge the dragon carriage forward.
After that, Priscilla ignored him, leaving Graham slightly speechless.
He couldn't understand what he had done wrong.
He hadn't said anything, right?
...
Night fell swiftly.
Priscilla, having removed her gown and now dressed in her nightwear, lay reclining on a luxurious sofa, reviewing the latest documents.
Meanwhile, Graham stood quietly beside her, observing her in silence, simply enjoying the view.
She was, indeed, a feast for the eyes.
As for asking for a reward, he decided against it.
Not to mention that the content involved something as degrading as 'foot licking', just doing it would mean he'd forever be beneath this woman, never able to lift his head.
Moreover, he knew that if he actually did it, Priscilla would be utterly disgusted with him.
Any future hopes of anything would be difficult then.
He wasn't willing to do something so foolish.
Seemingly satisfied with what she had read, Priscilla put down the documents, opened a folding fan to partially cover her face, and gazed at him with her red eyes.
"Come here, Gra~"
"What are your orders, Princess?" Graham slowly approached her and stopped a foot away, looking at her with confusion.
Behind her fan, Priscilla's lips seemed to curve into a smile. She shifted her body, slowly moving from a reclining position to sitting upright, and in front of him, she lifted one of her crystal-clear, snow-white feet.
"Lick it. This is the reward I promised you."
Graham's pupils constricted at her words. After thinking for a moment, he slowly reached out his hand…
Priscilla's eyes stayed fixed on him, and as his hand moved closer to her foot, the coldness in her gaze grew stronger.
"…"
Finally, Graham grasped her foot. Priscilla's body trembled slightly, it seemed she wasn't as calm as she appeared.
However, Graham didn't lower his head to claim the promised reward. He just held her foot for a moment before releasing it.
Seeing that she was still watching him with her red eyes, Graham smiled and said, "Princess, instead of licking your feet, I'd rather have a different reward. For example, I want to be your eighth husband in the old man's stead!"
"…Heh, really? Then go ask that old skeleton if he agrees." Priscilla was momentarily stunned, then responded with amusement.
"As long as you agree, Princess, he'll definitely agree too. Besides, I already told you, I've made a deal with the old man. Once the 'Royal Selection' is over, he'll give you to me."
"Hmph! A mere commoner dares to covet me? Since you don't want the reward, it's forfeited. Now leave! I'm going to rest."
"Seriously? The reward is forfeited just like that? Fine, Princess. If you want me to leave, then tell me, what exactly must I do to achieve the goal I just mentioned?"
Graham's gaze was intense as he stared at her. Foot-licking seemed trivial compared to his ultimate goal.
Besides, the whole reason he became a knight here was to pursue her.
"You want to be my husband?" This time, Priscilla finally put down her fan, revealing her breathtakingly beautiful, yet ice-cold face.
"Yes. I want to be your husband, Princess!" Graham confessed without hesitation.
Some things won't be understood unless spoken aloud.
"Kill Leip, then kill yourself. If you trade your life for it, you can become my husband."
"…Princess. That's…"
"If you can't do it, then leave! Don't bring this up again, or I'll have your head!"
Priscilla glared at him coldly, then turned away, leaving him with a beautiful view of her back.
It seemed she didn't want to look at him anymore.
"Goodnight, Princess."
Graham left with a grim expression. Though he'd never give up just like that. Taking a life? Sure!
Besides, he'd long since been annoyed by that old man Leip!
As he pondered his strategy, a smile appeared on Graham's face.
This Sun Princess, known as the Bloody Bride, seemed to have a hidden past.
What Graham didn't know was that after he left, Priscilla turned back to look in the direction he had gone, silent.
"This foolish knight, couldn't he just quietly stay by my side as a knight? What's so good about being my husband? What an idiot!" Though she said that, Priscilla couldn't help but clutch her chest, feeling a bit uncomfortable…
The world believed that the deaths of her first seven husbands were related to her—this was true, and yet not true...
It wasn't her who killed those people, she simply rejected them.
Those people didn't love her, they just wanted to satisfy their own desires, so she never let anyone touch her.
Even her precious foot was only touched by Graham.
"The world exists for me," she, with the 'Divine Protection of the Sun' is inviolable.
Therefore, those who were rejected by her would encounter various accidents and then die.
Even if she didn't reject them, they would still die, like her first husband.
He hadn't even touched her, yet he was scorched by the sun's radiance and died unexpectedly.
So, rather than a husband who would always die and had no feelings for her, Priscilla needed someone who could always be with her and care for her.
A guardian knight is the best position.
And also the person closest to her...
...
{T/N: Someone pointed out that all the paragraph 'T/Ns' that I drop ruin one's immersion in the story, and after thinking about it for a bit, I understood where they were coming from... So I'll try to limit them moving forward... Or rather, I'll simply write them at the end of every chapter if necessary.
Anyway, I want something interesting to read, any recommendations?}