Veronia silently watched Kian as he ate the mille-feuille.

Because of this, Kian was eating so messily that it was unclear whether the pastry was going into his nose or his mouth.

Normally, dessert time was filled with light chatter and a warm, cheerful atmosphere, but here, there was only silence and stillness.

“I was told the King has recently taken a liking to mille-feuille, so I had it prepared—but I wonder if it suits your taste.”

Kian fidgeted awkwardly, looking down at the mille-feuille in his hand.

“Oh. Actually, I’ve been eating it often lately because Lady Lucy likes it. It’s not bad at all.”

“I see. Since Lucy likes it, we must take care of her. I’ll make sure to send some mille-feuille to Lucy as well.”

Kian’s lips curled upward in delight, since he hadn’t expected this.

When Valije kept giving Veronia thumbs-up, she glared at him as if telling him to stop.

Then, silence fell again.

Valije glanced at Veronia with a nudge, whispering impatiently,

‘You promised to tell him about the birth dream.’

Veronia sighed and turned her gaze toward Kian.

“Your Majesty.”

“Yes, Mother.”

“Perhaps…”

“Yes?”

“Perhaps, if you’re curious about Your Majesty’s birth dream… I could tell you.”

The moment the word “birth dream” was uttered, Kian had already stretched his neck like a meerkat, listening intently to Veronia.

Then, as if he’d been waiting for this moment, he nodded vigorously.

“Yes! I want to hear it!”

Seeing Kian’s eager nod, Veronia’s mood lifted slightly. She chuckled softly and said,

“Since you’re so curious, it’s only natural I should tell you. But don’t expect too much—it’s not as grand as you might imagine.”

“Yes, Mother.”

“Your Majesty’s birth dream, you see…”

Veronia was walking alone along the seashore. All she could see was the endless blue sea and blue sky.

Walking by the sea, with the refreshing breeze blowing against her, felt mesmerizingly dreamlike and beautiful.

She was strolling peacefully through this beautiful place alone, when suddenly, waves surged toward her as if to engulf her.

The towering wave loomed over her, ready to swallow her whole—then froze solidly in place.

When she touched it, the wave was just water. Yet it remained perfectly still, suspended above her head.

And within it, something shimmered brilliantly.

It was a golden pearl.

Entranced by the beauty of this golden pearl—the likes of which she had never seen before—Veronia unconsciously reached out and grasped it.

Then, the wave receded backward and vanished into the sea.

Before she could even marvel at its beauty, the golden pearl in Veronia’s hand began to swell dramatically.

It had grown into something the size of a ball.

Startled, Veronia tried to drop the golden pearl from her arms—but it vanished into her abdomen.

And her belly grew beautifully, roundly.

Kian, having heard the entire story, gaped in awe.

He realized the golden egg in the tale was himself.

“So… that egg was me…”

“Indeed, Your Majesty’s birth dream was of a golden egg.”

“!!!…”

He was glad he’d asked to hear the dream. He’d assumed Valije never mentioned it because he didn’t have one.

But a golden egg birth dream?

Kian decided he must absolutely record this in the royal annals.

Or at least, he would certainly include it when writing his memoirs in old age.

“I didn’t know I even had a birth dream, since Father never mentioned it. I must tell Lady Lucy.”

“She will surely love it.”

As silence returned again, Valije lifted his teacup and glanced sideways at Veronia.

“You did say you had another story to tell, Your Highness.”

Veronia shot Valije a sharp look, then turned calmly toward Kian.

“What matters more is whether Your Majesty wishes to hear another tale. Is there anything else you’d like to know?”

When Kian glanced at Valije for cues, Valije winked as if urging him to speak.

Reassured, Kian carefully opened his mouth.

“I’m curious… how the two of you first met…”

Veronia bit her lip tightly and glared at Valije.

“So the Consort hasn’t told you anything at all?”

“No. Father said Mother would tell me.”

Veronia looked pointedly at Valije as if to say, ‘Is that so?’ Valije shamelessly shrugged his shoulders as if confirming it.

“Then please, do tell us.”

Unable to resist under Kian’s sparkling, expectant gaze, Veronia sighed and began again.

“Our first meeting was at a banquet. Back then, I kept running away whenever I could—those young men scheming to marry me were unbearable to look at. But the Consort grabbed my ankle to stop me from fleeing.”

“Wow. So Father… I mean, Father Consort… had that kind of courage?”

Suddenly, Valije’s shoulders broadened and his posture straightened proudly.

“Well, I was full of youthful vigor back then. Come to think of it now, it was Duke Blake who told me about that incident. He was just a child then—now he’s a fine young man.”

Kian blinked several times in disbelief.

“It’s strange to imagine Father Blake ever being a child.”

“He was very clever.”

“So what happened next?”

“Well, after that…”

The more Veronia thought about it, the less she could forgive Valije for his bold, unyielding attitude toward her.

‘A man aspiring to be the next captain of the Royal Guard dares to lecture me without fear?’

Nothing about him pleased her.

She thought him fearless and harsh. Yet… when she saw him with others, he was only stern with her—he was gentle and considerate otherwise.

‘Arrogant. He needs to be taught some manners.’

Veronia stepped into the center of the royal training grounds. Those gathered for training immediately knelt upon seeing her.

“Your presence honors us, Your Highness.”

Veronia drew her sword and pointed precisely at Valije among them.

“You’re the most likely candidate for next captain of the Royal Guard, aren’t you?”

“It hasn’t been decided yet.”

“How good must you be for such rumors to spread? Why don’t you show us your skill?”

“I dare not spar with Your Highness.”

“Who said anything about sparring? I want to see your skill.”

Valije didn’t quite understand what the princess meant. He raised his head and asked Veronia,

“What do you mean?”

“I want to see your skill.”

Then Veronia shouted to the others,

“Everyone except Valije Tahigon, step outside the circle!”

No one dared question the princess’s command. They obeyed Veronia and retreated beyond the circle.

Veronia looked at Valije with a sly smile.

“Are you ready?”

“Wh—what…”

Veronia immediately unfurled a scroll. The scroll shimmered brightly, and soon, a skeleton was summoned.

‘Clang, clang,’ the sound of the skeleton’s iron armor clashing rang out loudly.

“You should be able to handle this much. Even if you think you might die, don’t worry—I’ll heal you before you actually die.”

“Your Highness!”

“Calling me won’t help. It’ll be resealed in ten minutes anyway. Just preserve your life until then. Even though it’s a specter, it’s quite strong—don’t underestimate it.”

Kian, listening to the story, stared at Valije as if doubting its truth.

“Wow… is that really true?”

“It really happened.”

Kian looked at Veronia again with renewed admiration.

“Mother, you truly… do whatever you set your mind to!”

“At that time, I thought Your Highness was not in your right mind, Your Majesty.”

Veronia continued speaking with an expression of disinterest, as if listening to someone else’s story.

Valije gritted his teeth and fought. He had no choice—this wasn’t an illusion!

The armor of the skeleton Veronia summoned was so hard that none of Valije’s attacks landed.

An ordinary sword was useless against a specter—you’d need a holy-watered or silver-plated blade.

But all he held was the wooden practice sword he’d been using during training.

Thus, he could only dodge attacks to avoid being killed.

Only after exactly ten minutes did the skeleton vanish back into the scroll.

Valije, drenched in sweat and collapsed on the ground, stood up angrily.

“Your Highness, what is the meaning of this!”

“I told you—I wanted to see your skill.”

“Your Highness truly does not care for others’ lives.”

“Don’t you think you were the one who spoke recklessly without regard for your own life?”

Veronia left as if she had no further business there.

The knights guarding the training grounds were so overwhelmed by the intimidating presence of the future monarch that none dared ask Valije if he was alright.

“Father Consort was really cool back then.”

“He’s still cool now.”

“Well, that’s true.”

Veronia raised her eyebrows as if disagreeing with that statement.

“Now he’s become a fool.”

“A fool?! Your Highness!”

“He’s changed, hasn’t he?”

“That’s because he died and came back to life. Doesn’t dying and returning change a person? Everything just looks good to him now.”

Kian clapped in strong agreement with Valije’s words, and Veronia found the sight of the two father and son quite pleasant.

‘Yes. Being alive—nothing is more important than that.’

Veronia smiled faintly, but when her eyes met Kian’s, she hardened her expression again.

“The decisive moment that led to our meeting begins from here.”