Various events swept through the empire, and the long winter finally passed to welcome springâs arrival. The world rejoiced and cheered at the return of the hero, the founding king of the Pendragon Kingdom and Soldrake. However, their joy quickly turned into shock when it was revealed that the immediate family members of the Pendragon Kingdom were almost kidnapped, including the kingâs son and sister.
Moreover, their shock soon transformed into confusion when it was revealed that the mastermind behind the incidents were Mirinâs Margrave and the High Lord of Roxan.
It was only thanks to the emperorâs quick and bold decision that the confusion subsided relatively quickly without spreading to the entire empire.
Margrave Otto was deprived of his status and sentenced to isolation in a spire until the day he died. In addition, the High Lord of Roxan was also deprived of his status to a regular lord for threatening members of the Pendragon royal family, who were also a part of the imperial household.
Roxan couldnât even gather their soldiers to retaliate, since they possessed no justification. Jamie Roxan had been alone in his actions and had never consulted with his subordinates.
In addition, the Great Territory of Roxan was located in the middle of the empire. As such, Roxanâs vassal lords had to stay as quiet as a mouse as soon as three of the imperial legions surrounded the great territory.
No families would side with Roxan after they committed such an atrocious act due to their jealousy towards Pendragon. Doing so would be akin to rushing to dig their own graves, and they would be dishonoring themselves while showcasing their disloyalty to the empire and the imperial family. Such things were even more important to nobility than even their own lives, so everyone made sure to stay silent.
Once, the great territory and its ruler shared a close relationship with the imperial family of Aragon, but now it walked an inevitable, perfect path of decline.
Just like seven years ago, the royal family of Pendragon once again made its name known to the world.
Passersby walking along the Pendragon Kingdomâs royal road became wide-eyed. A large, luxurious carriage was being led by four horses and dozens of knights in shiny armor.
âWhich noble family is that?â
However, it was the symbol embroidered on the processionâs flag and the carriage door that truly shocked and caught the eyes of the travelers.
- An archangel with wide wings holding a sword and a shield.
The people of the Pendragon Kingdom were once citizens of the Aragon Empire. Almost everyone instantly recognized the symbol of the group.
âItâs the Lindegor Duchy!â
Although the carriage had already left them behind in dust, the pedestrians stared at the dust cloud with blank gazes. Soon, one of them raised their voice.
âThatâs right! I heard about it! The only bride candidate that His Majesty Isla didnât get to meet! I heard it was the eldest lady of the Lindegor Duchy!â
âWow! So they came all the way here to see him?â
It was truly quite amazing.
Even before the Pendragon family was elevated to royalty, the Lindegor family had always maintained its position as one of the most powerful families of the empire. The Lindegor shared a close-knit, blood-tied relationship with the imperial family, just as the Pendraogn family did.
Even if Isla was a renowned king of Valvas and an amazing knight, he was rather shabby and lacking compared to the Lindegor Duchy. However, the daughter of the duchy was making a trip all the way to a different kingdom just to see its knight.
âIs His Majesty Isla finally getting married?â
âRumor has it that heâs in a relationship with the mayor of York Town.â
âNo way! What are you talking about? They say that heâs completely enamored by the younger sister of Margrave Mirin. The one that was taken prisoner to the castle!â
âKyah! That must be blissful!â
The men stared at the fading carriage with envy, while the women looked rather depressed and gloomy.
ââŠI wonder what you could be referring to?â
âI hear that sheâs coming here personally. Moreover, twenty knights and the familyâs general are accompanying her. Thereâs no reason for her to bring so many unless sheâs completely determined.â
âI have not even met her yet. I need some time toâŠâ
âSheâs even bringing a personal letter from Ian, or rather, His Majesty. Just give it up, Elkin.â
Isla closed his lips when Raven patted him on the shoulder with a grin.
Isla already knew as well â the fact that he would have to marry Joshua Lindegor, the last candidate recommended to him by the emperor and the only one he had yet to meet.
Refusing to do so would mean picking a fight with the emperor.
He was left with only one choice for the sake of Valvas and Pendragon.
âDonât be so depressed. You already have the mayor of York Town and Fiona, right? It is the natural duty of a king to have multiple concubines.â
ââŠThen why is there only Baroness Conrad, or rather, Her Majesty the Queen?â
Raven shrugged with a relaxed expression. Lindsay was soon scheduled to be crowned as the new queen.
âI already have kids, donât I? Moreover, I have a son to succeed the throne as well as the most beautiful daughter in the world. Even if we are both kings, things just are not the same, Elkin.â
Isla was left speechless.
Raymond and Elsia came running from the other side of the castleâs back garden while holding Soldrakeâs hand, leaving behind the guards and maids to run after them. They were now eight years old.
âOh, my! Be careful! You might get hurt. Hahaha!â
Raven burst into a joyful laughter as he took the two children into a tight embrace. They were more precious to him than even his own life.
âIâm here, so thereâs no way that they can get hurt, Ray.â
âOf course. Haha! Thank you, Sol.â
âThere is no need to thank me. I alsoâŠâ
Soldrakeâs indifferent gaze turned toward the two children. Surprisingly, a small smile came to her lips.
âI also find these children adorable.â
Although she wasnât yet perfect, Soldrake was slowly adapting to human emotions. Raven felt quite touched, and a smile came to Islaâs lips as well. He no longer felt the sorrowful, unapproachable energy from Raven that he did when he first came to the land of Pendragon as a free knight.
His lord was now a caring father who embraced and kissed his two children, and the strongest being on earth was a strong supporter and a guardian for all of them.
âYour Majesty! I heard someone from the Lindegor Duchy is coming!â
Over the past few months, Elsia had become quite fond of Raven, perhaps even more than her mother. She chattered excitedly with a blush.
âWell, apparently, someone is coming to marry Mister Isla.â
âHehe! I already knew that!â
âWhat!? You should have told me then! Ah! ButâŠâ
Raymond shrugged, and Mia complained with a slight frown. Raven raised his adorable daughter to his arms.
âWhatâs going on? Is there something wrong?â
âNo, but, but what about Aunt Mia?â
âHmm? What about Aunt Mia?â
Raven tilted his head with confusion at the unexpected words, and Elsiaâs innocent eyes filled with worry.
âAuntie always talks about Mister Isla. Earlier, when I said that someone from the LIndegor Duchy was coming, she went in with a very sad face.â
âEl! You shouldnât say things like that!â
Raymond became flustered and gauged his fatherâs reaction.
Children were pure and innocent. As such, they were more conscious and receptive of peopleâs emotions. This meant that Elsiaâs story and Raymondâs reaction wereâŠ
Raven was no longer inexperienced in the affairs of men and women as a married man himself. He turned towards Isla. Isla didnât appear simply flustered, but almost shocked.
It meant that Isla was also ignorant of the matter.
However, Raven could not be completely certain yet. He would need to have a conversation with Lindsay, Elena, as well as Mia.
Although he was greatly surprised, Raven pondered.
âElkin being together with Mia?â
It wasnât something he ever thought about before. Even so, the idea wasnât all too unfamiliar or strange. Mia was quite young when Isla first became his knight, but now she was old enough to be married, while it was rather a little late for Isla.
In addition, an age difference of about 10 years would not pose a problem in noble families or royal families. There were even cases where the bride was about ten years older due to political affairs.
However, this marriage wouldnât be political at all.
âMy lord, the princess and the prince must have misunderstood something. Princess Mia and I areâŠâ
Raven smiled bitterly as Isla started to make excuses. He seemed embarrassed, but he didnât seem to hate it either. Isla had a very different expression compared to when Raven mentioned Iriya and Fiona to tease him.
âThis⊠might be a little complicated.â
âWhat? W, what could you be referring to, my lord?â
Isla started to even stutter, and Raven gave a confident smile.
âTrust me on this, brother-in-law. I will take care of things with the Lindegor Duchy.â
âI will let Seiel know.â
âM, my lord! Even Lord SoldrakeâŠ!â
The face of the knight king was dyed crimson red. Suddenly, a group of figures approached them while quickly crossing the back garde.
It was Killian, Karuta, and Vincent. The burly human knight had a black eye, and the orc was carrying a wooden stick over his shoulder. It was evident that Karuta had forced Killian to âtrainâ with him after having a bout with Vincent.
The three figures could be called the pillars of the kingdom along with Isla. Raven spoke with a frown while jumping up from his seat.
Perhaps another enemy wasâŠ
âThereâs trouble, Your Majesty.â
âHey, Pendragon scarecrow! This is bad.â
Ravenâs eyes became even sharper after hearing their words. However, he soon took on a puzzled expression while staring at the three. Their expressions werenât corresponding to their words. Rather, Killian and Karuta were even grinning.
Raven asked bluntly, feeling rather anxious and annoyed at the same time. As usual, Vincent spoke with his characteristic, sly smile.
âThe lady of the Lindegor Duchy has arrived at the royal castle, my lord.â
âI know. What about it? Do I need to go see her?â
Even if she was the daughter of a duchy, there was no need for the king to personally greet her. It would be natural to see her later in an official setting.
However, Vincent gave an unexpected answer.
âYes. I think you should.â
Raven responded with a small frown, and Vincent gave a shocking answer. His answer was shocking for some, but it also provided the chance of revenge for a certain someone.
âWell, itâs not only Lady Lindegor. Princess Ingrid is accompanying her as well. Of course, the princess also carries a letter from His Majesty the Emperor as well.â
Ravenâs eyes filled with disbelief and shock. He remembered his last encounter with Ingrid in the imperial castle. He had let it fade from his mind after the quiet last winter, butâŠ
Raven was frozen stiff like a stone statue, and someone suddenly grabbed his hand.
âThe lord and his knight will always be together. Walk with me, my lord.â
The knight stared at his lord with glimmering eyes. His gaze was filled with a firm, steel-like determination.
âKuhahahahaha! Thatâs the expression I wanted to see! Anyways, you never know how it is with scarecrows and their relationships with women!â
âThatâs because Karuta has an elf! I am quite jealous!â
âS, shut up, you punk!â
âAn orc and an elf doing the deed and forming a family. Well, it truly is something unprecedented. I will have to report back to the tower once the marriage is completed.â
âBut why do you not have a woman, Sir Ron? PerhapsâŠâ
âHeul? Come to think of it, youâre always surrounded by menâŠâ
âItâs because of work. I like women as well. I hope you sirs donât come to a weird misunderstanding.â
âEveryone, be quiet. Now that things have turned out like this, we need to stick together. We canât be making fun of each other now.â
âKeung! Thatâs right.â
The knights and warriors of Pendragon gathered around their king. The fame and skills of those gathered were enough to stand at the peak of the world.
The figures started to plan together with serious expressions. They appeared even more somber than they had ever been, even compared to when they were planning for a battle.
âYeah. Ray and all the other children are silly, right? Letâs go to your mother.â
Soldrake took the hands of the two children and walked between the trees, along the path laden with vibrant flowers and plants.
This was the Pendragon Kingdom, the land of the great dragon.
Duke Pendragon Side Stories  ćźÂ (Fin)
A message from the Author:
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the readers of Wuxiaworld for showing so much love for my novel. When I first started writing Duke Pendragon, I never imagined that readers outside of Korea would ever read and enjoy my story.
When I was younger, I grew up reading many translated versions of english novels, so it means so much more for me to be in a position where people are reading my novel in another language. I feel truly honored and grateful.
Some of my other novels are also set to be translated in Wuxiaworld as well, and I have high hopes and expectations. I hope the readers will also read and enjoy my other works as well.
Once again, I am truly grateful to all of you, and I would like to express my gratitude towards the translator, DantheMan for doing such an awesome job.
-Â Â Â Â Â From Korea, Frozen (Kim Hyungjun)
The ride is finally over! Thank you to all those who supported the novel since its release. This was the first novel that I translated from beginning to the end, so seeing it end (at least, the translations), means quite a lot. I would like to give thanks to Cosy and Grace for being awesome and making sure I actually worked, and to Mr. Kim Hyungjun (Frozen) for providing us with a great novel to translate!
That being said, just as he mentioned in his letter, his next novel, How To Live as the Vampire Lord (HLVL) will be released to the public quite soon, so I hope to see some familiar faces there as well (since Iâll be translating).
Once again, all of the translations would not be possible without all of you readers, so thank you for reading! Know that I do go through most of the comments, and I appreciate all of your thoughts and comments, so always feel free to let us know your thoughts as well! I will see all of you in HLVL!
Feel free to follow me on instagram as well @dpphotosss