The maid respectfully led Clobber through the grand and magnificent halls, each step seeming to echo with the weight of history beneath their feet.
However, after only a few steps, the maid suddenly stopped, casting a glance at Clobber to signal him to continue forward.
Only personal attendants were permitted to accompany visitors to the Duke's throne room. No other servants had the right to approach the Duke directly.
With a resigned sigh, Clobber took a deep breath to steady himself. He then walked alone onto the long, red carpet that stretched toward the throne.
The carpet was long and dignified. From what Clobber could observe, it seemed to be made from the wool of the rare, long-haired sheep raised by magical beasts. However, in the grand hall, its economic value was secondary.
What truly mattered was what the carpet symbolized: power and status. Only those of high rank were allowed to walk on it; servants always avoided the carpet, walking around it instead.
Clobber advanced, feeling the solemn atmosphere surrounding him grow heavier with each step. After several dozen paces, he finally reached the foot of the throne.
The throne remained as majestic as ever, but it was nothing compared to the woman sitting upon it.
Veronica Ashgold.
Clobber had been too nervous during his oath-taking ceremony yesterday, focused entirely on kneeling and reciting his vows, so he hadn't really taken a close look at his liege's appearance.
Now, as he knelt before her, he followed the customary formalities, bowing his head.
"Most Honorable Duke, your loyal knight Clobber salutes you. May your beauty shine as brightly as the sun, and may your sword remain as sharp as the teeth of a dragon."
His words weren't flattery; they were the truth. Veronica Ashgold's appearance was simply breathtaking.
Her face was like a finely crafted masterpiece, radiating an almost magical charm.
Her skin was pale as snow, smooth as silk, with an ethereal glow. Her eyes exuded nobility and authority, the depth of her gaze like a clear, endless pool of wisdom and power.
Her nose was straight, her lips slightly curved in a smile that seemed effortless, yet held an air of control, as though she ruled everything around her with ease.
Her presence was regal, her every movement graceful, as though she was born to command.
At that moment, she sat upon the throne, a warm smile on her lips as she watched the young knight below her bow.
As Duke, she had seen countless people bow before her—some out of annoyance, some for purely transactional reasons, and others with far more unsavory intentions.
Most of these people had been buried in the annals of history.
Now, she was the only Dragon Knight in the southernmost part of the continent, a great ruler whose duchy was thriving and even rivaled her brother's Emerald Kingdom in power.
Her strength was unmatched, standing at the pinnacle of the continent, but her focus had shifted. Instead of prioritizing personal power, she now dedicated herself to the growth and prosperity of her nation.
Previous expansion wars had been thwarted by that irritating figure in the Moai Forest, but this time, Veronica was confident she could defeat him and finally reclaim the land.
But beyond the grand ideals of strengthening her nation, Veronica Ashgold also had her own personal quirks and preferences.
It was well-known that the Golden Dragons loved all things beautiful and rare.
As a courageous and fearless Golden Dragon Knight, Veronica shared that trait—but with a twist. She was particularly drawn to treasures that aligned with her own sense of beauty.
For example...
A handsome young man with flowing golden hair, tall, with a striking appearance.
This was actually the original intention behind Veronica's creation of the Dragon Breath Knight Order. As the most powerful fighter and ruler of a nation, why shouldn't she have a knight order that was both beautiful and strong?
But as time passed, she had trouble recruiting the right candidates, and slowly, Veronica began to lower her expectations.
For example, when she first began recruiting, she only wanted young men under twenty. Veronica had a soft spot for youthful charm, and only handsome, elegant young knights met her aesthetic standards.
However, when the first recruitment drive failed miserably—she couldn't even find five decent candidates—Veronica was left disgusted. Among the applicants, none were handsome, some had scars, and one was a hulking giant over two meters tall, full of muscle but lacking any refinement. She nearly threw up at the sight of them.
So, reluctantly, she relaxed the age limit to twenty-five. This eventually allowed her to recruit the first batch of knights, who, while not ideal, were still passable in terms of quality.
And thus, the recruitment continued, with various groups of knights coming and going.
(Word on the street is that the longest anyone has served in the Dragon Breath Knight Order is under four years, which makes it one of the most frequently changing knight orders in the entire duchy.)
Veronica had nearly given up hope of finding someone who matched her ideal aesthetic, until Clobber arrived at Saint Gold Castle yesterday.
When Veronica first met him, she was immediately struck by his handsome appearance and graceful demeanor.
What's more, Clobber had just turned sixteen, still full of the fresh, youthful energy that Veronica adored. This only made her more drawn to him.
That's why she had arranged for Clobber to be posted in the throne room—to give herself the chance to admire his looks whenever she wanted.
If it weren't for the grudge from the last surprise attack, Veronica might have even considered canceling the ongoing campaign.
As Clobber would put it, "I've fought my whole life; can't I just enjoy myself for once?"
But in the end, Veronica's rational side won out, and she didn't cancel the western expedition order.
Still, that didn't stop Veronica from pursuing Clobber.
Yes, pursuing.
Since childhood, Veronica had focused all her attention on training, and after becoming friends with a golden dragon, her journey had been one of extraordinary achievement. By the time she was thirty, she had become a Sky Knight, a force to be reckoned with.
Eventually, she went on a journey and, through unknown circumstances, managed to break through to become a Dragon Knight, merging with the golden dragon Vivian and cementing her place as one of the continent's strongest.
She then turned her attention to expanding the Golden Duchy, which was once a barren wasteland, and within just a few decades, it rivaled the older, more established duchies.
This success forged Veronica into someone with the "heart of a conqueror."
If she wanted something, she would stop at nothing to take it.
When she was younger, Veronica had thought about having a romantic relationship. But her brother had always kept her under his protective wing, and her intense focus on martial training left her little time for such things. So, she never truly experienced love.
As she grew older, the idea of romance faded, especially as she approached her one-hundredth birthday.
Though, to a Dragon Knight, one hundred years was still considered young—almost childlike—it was a long life by human standards, long enough for several generations to pass.
And frankly, none of the men she met ever met her standards. She was a "beauty lover," someone who only admired good looks.
As she neared her one-hundredth birthday, her tastes shifted. She found herself drawn to younger men, perhaps because of a growing maternal instinct.
But as time went on, the pressures of ruling a nation forced her to push such thoughts aside, instead focusing solely on the expansion and strengthening of her duchy.
That is, until Clobber came into her life and reignited a spark of hope.
If it weren't for her sharp intuition telling her that Clobber was a proud, self-respecting young man, she might have already tried to bed him.
But she wasn't one to rush. She enjoyed the chase.
After all, why gobble down the delicious fruit in one bite when you could savor it bit by bit, peeling back the layers to reveal the sweetness beneath?
As Veronica thought this, a mischievous smile spread across her face, and she giggled softly to herself. Her laughter caught Clobber's attention, making him glance up toward her.
"Ah, cough, cough," Veronica quickly cleared her throat and regained her composure.
"Rise, my loyal knight. I allow you to stand by my side and protect me. It is your duty as a knight," Veronica said, pointing to the space next to her throne.
"??"
Since arriving at Saint Gold Castle, Clobber felt like his entire worldview was being shattered.