The Tyrant's Pet

The Kingdom of Rikhill or what others called the land of green because of its green landscape. There was a rumor in the past that this land used to be blessed by the faes. The reason for the royal family’s strange hair color.

The Kingdom of Rikhill was small, but despite how small it was, it gained a name for itself. This fame and the interesting rumor behind it reached the ears of those who shouldn’t have. 

For instance, the ambitious count of the Rothschild, Count Miguel.

Miguel pushed the cabin door open, marching to the deck while many of his men ran around the ship. Standing by the edge, he narrowed his eyes. His lips curled up into a smirk as soon as he caught sight of his intended destination. 

There were many ships around and even ships that were heading in the same direction. This wasn’t a surprise. The land of Rikhill had been a center of trade since the land was riched with minerals. 

“The land where the faes used to live, huh?” murmured Miguel, eyes gleaming with anticipation and interest. “I have high hopes that my trip here will be worthwhile.”

The people of the Mainland weren’t allowed to go out of their territory. Leaving their land was considered a grave sin. However, Miguel was an exception. Considering the current proposals Miguel brought up to the mainland’s royal court, he had to have experience and knowledge of the outside world. 

Fortunately, the late King Maximus III had permitted him to set out on this mission. Even though the prince, Maximus IV, and Miguel didn’t have a good relationship. 

“My lord.” Suddenly, a knight approached Miguel from the side. The knight bowed slightly as a sign of respect before stating his reason. “We already received word from the land of Rikhill.”

Miguel arched a brow and glanced over his shoulder. 

“They are accepting your request to dock in their fort,” announced the knight solemnly. “However, we were still required to go through their search and follow protocol.”

“Haha!” Miguel couldn’t help but laugh. “Follow protocol, huh? Surely, the outside world was interesting.”

Miguel set his eyes on the island from a distance. His smile stretched even broader while his pair of cunning eyes shone with excitement. 

“Never once did I have to go through search or follow protocol. But alas, I pledged to not bring trouble to the king and our people.” — even though causing an amok in a land of humans was no problem to the land of vampires. “Very well. We’ll do what they want and follow their protocol.”

“Yes, my lord.” The knight beckoned a neck bow before turning around, shouting to his comrade to prepare to dock in the land of green. 

Meanwhile, Miguel stood still in the same spot. His eyes were fixed on the land of green, grinning from ear to ear. The Kingdom of Rikhill wasn’t the first land he set foot on since leaving the mainland. However, this was the first land he set sail on intentionally. 

“How exciting,” he muttered to himself. “I wonder what’s in this land that the faes sacrificed their existence just to protect it.”

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Miguel and his men followed protocol obediently. They cooperated with whatever the people of Rikhill had to do. Little the people of Rikhill, Miguel, and his men were prepared to slay them if they did anything offensive. Surprisingly, aside from the procedure that was stated in the letter, there were no hidden procedures that could incite trouble. 

“You are cleared,” said the man wearing a royal knight uniform to Miguel, whom he believed was a Count in a small kingdom in the far northern-west. 

“That’s it?” Miguel tilted his head to the side. 

“Yes, Count Miguel.” The knight nodded, bearing a stern countenance. “You said you want to meet the man in charge of the trade. If you go right in the corner, you’ll meet the king.”

The knight pointed at the tent nearby. “His Majesty is there.”

“The king?” Miguel furrowed his brows, assessing the knight’s face to see the slightest deception in the knight’s eyes. 

“Yes.” The knight didn’t show the slightest bit of hint that he was lying. “The man in charge of the trades in this land is His Majesty himself. Thus, the tight security for the safety of our king.”

“Hah…” Miguel rocked his head in understanding, a little surprised by this. He heard many rumors and stories about the Land of Rikhill, but this piece of information was new to him. 

Who would have thought the king himself would set up a tent as an office? He didn’t know if that was foolish or if the king was simply brave. Either way, it was interesting. No wonder they had to go through hours of security checks. Still, that saved him the time of journeying to the capital just to meet the king. 

“Very well.” Miguel cast the knight a look and then glanced over his shoulder at where his men were standing. 

They only allowed Miguel to go into the tent, leaving his men in the fort. The number of knights around the tent was tripled than in the other areas of the town. It was understandable, knowing they were guarding the king and not just some lord of a fief. 

When Miguel stood in front of the tent, two knights guarding the entrance stopped him. His brows rose as one of the knights approached him. 

“Before entering the tent, we needed to conduct another search. Any weapons or sharp objects you are carrying should be confiscated…” the knight explained while Miguel had to listen. 

Miguel was only a few steps away from the tent and meeting the king, but these searches were too bothersome. Still, he followed. Miguel had to remove his jewelry and anything that could be used to harm the king, something he thought was rational. 

In the end, Miguel was wearing nothing but his clothes. The action of putting all his accessories into a small basket made the side of Miguel’s face twitch. 

‘What is this?’ He was not pleased that they confiscated his ring, where his family insignia was imprinted. Now, he looked like an ordinary man wearing an expensive shirt without anything to make it appear special. 

‘They had stripped everything away… is the king afraid to feel inferior?’ Aside from security, that was one thing that crossed the Count’s mind. 

For someone like Miguel, lavish jewelry and clothes were a gesture on the mainland to show off their wealth. Therefore, he believed the king didn’t want to meet someone who was wearing much better clothing or jewelry than him. Typical Miguel… or rather, the typical thinking of someone born and raised in the Mainland.

‘Nevermind.’He mentally shrugged, watching the knight step aside. The knight beckoned his arm, gesturing to him he could enter the tent. ‘What’s important is that I could meet His Majesty. I’d give him a good lecture that feeling inferior was normal… especially since humans are the most inferior creatures in the world.’