The Dragon's Shield

Lynaria tried to explain to Kaelron that she hadn't meant what she said. However, Kaelron chose to ignore her and immediately forced her to train hard.

After training all day without rest, Lynaria was finally allowed to take a short break. While she was enjoying her brief rest, Ares came over with a drink for Lynaria.

"Hey, girl, drink this energy-boosting water. You must be exhausted from dealing with our king's harsh attitude," Ares said as he handed her the drink.

Lynaria accepted it, but before she could drink, Kaelron snatched it from her hand.

"Don't drink randomly during training. I don't want you passing out here," Kaelron said, immediately handing the drink back to Ares.

"And you, Ares, don't you have anything better to do than flirt with a girl who's training?" Kaelron added, his tone sharp.

"What? Me? I wasn't flirting with her!" Ares replied, surprised.

"Don't forget, you haven't finished copying the kingdom's documents I gave you yesterday. Get it done and finish it by tonight," Kaelron said seriously.

"What?! Am I being punished? What did I do wrong?" Ares asked, confused.

"Get to work quickly, or do you want more overtime?" Kaelron replied firmly.

Ares left in a daze, while Lynaria could only hide her smile at Kaelron's behavior, which was unusual. However, Kaelron quickly noticed and told her to get back to training.

From that moment on, whenever a man tried to approach Lynaria, Kaelron would immediately try to distance them and prevent any advances, even when royal guests came to visit.

"How are you, Kaelron?" greeted a royal guest.

"As you can see, I'm fine," Kaelron replied, lounging casually in the royal garden.

But as soon as the guest saw Lynaria, his attention was immediately drawn to her.

"I heard you chose a beautiful female general. Seems the rumors are true," the guest said, gazing at Lynaria, who stood beside Kaelron.

Seeing the way the guest looked at Lynaria, Kaelron's demeanor shifted, becoming more arrogant.

"So, what brings you here? Don't we have any business or collaboration to discuss?" Kaelron asked coldly.

The guest smiled and replied casually, "I just wanted to check on my childhood friend and see the beautiful girl everyone's been talking about."

"Erick, we've known each other for a long time. There's no way you came here just to see a girl. Do you need help from us?" Kaelron asked, his suspicion growing.

"Alright, you're right. I do need some help from Lynaria. Could you lend her to me for a while?" Erick asked nonchalantly.

"Ask her yourself if she's willing to go. I can't make that decision for her," Kaelron replied indifferently.

"The old trick, huh? Of course, she won't go without your permission, but fine, I'll try asking her," Erick said, turning his attention to Lynaria.

"Lynaria, would you like to come with me? Don't worry, it's a personal event, nothing to do with kingdom affairs," Erick said casually.

Lynaria glanced at Kaelron before answering.

"Sorry, my lord. I serve as the king's personal guard. My duty is to ensure the king's safety. There's no task more important than that," she replied firmly.

Erick, frustrated, finally decided to leave the palace.

"Fine, since you won't lend me your beautiful girl, I'll go elsewhere," Erick said, clearly disappointed before leaving the dragon palace.

After Erick left, Kaelron warned Lynaria to be more careful.

"Because you dared to refuse the Vampire King, from now on you need to be cautious. He's not someone you can easily dismiss, and he won't take your rejection lightly," Kaelron said seriously.

"Understood, my king," Lynaria replied respectfully.

Lynaria was always by Kaelron's side, wherever and whenever. People began to talk about how excessive Kaelron's behavior seemed.

"Did you see how the king treats that girl? He even dared to offend the Vampire King to protect her. I wonder what will happen next," said a servant in the palace.

"Really? That girl is creating a new enemy for the king. Doesn't she know that the Vampire King's power is equal to ours?" replied another servant.

Ares, who overheard the gossip, rushed to find Kaelron. Upon reaching him, Ares glanced at Lynaria, and Kaelron immediately understood the meaning.

"Lynaria, leave us alone for a moment," Kaelron ordered.

"Yes, my lord," Lynaria replied before leaving them.

Once Lynaria was gone, Ares immediately spoke up.

"What are you doing, Kaelron? Why did you offend Erick? Aren't you worried he'll retaliate?" Ares asked, concerned.

"Let him. I don't care," Kaelron replied calmly.

"Are you sure you want to go to war with the Vampires just for a girl?" Ares asked again, not believing it.

"She's mine. I have every right to protect her," Kaelron answered with conviction.

"Your actions have crossed the line between master and subordinate. Be honest with me, do you like her?" Ares asked seriously.

Kaelron fell silent, not answering. Ares immediately realized the truth about his friend's feelings.

"Alright, I know the truth now. If that's the case, you must have prepared a plan to deal with Erick's attack, right? We both know what kind of man he is. He's a guy who can't be rejected by any woman," Ares said, sitting uneasily in front of Kaelron.

"Don't worry, Lynaria can handle him easily," Kaelron said while crushing the apple in front of him with his hand.

Inside the palace, Lynaria encountered someone who clearly disliked her while walking up the stairs to her room.

"I didn't expect you to get so close to the king so quickly. He must really like you," the middle-aged man said, leaning against the edge of the stairs.

"Isn't Prime Minister Eryndor busy with state duties today? Shouldn't you be careful gossiping here? What if the king finds out?" Lynaria retorted sharply.

Eryndor quickly walked away, his expression unreadable, while Lynaria continued on her way to her room. Late at night, the door to her room suddenly opened. Lynaria, pretending to sleep, watched carefully to see who was sneaking in and what their intentions were.

The person immediately climbed into Lynaria's bed and embraced her tightly. Lynaria quickly turned and pressed a knife to the person's neck. Once she recognized the intruder, she calmed down and became more polite.

"Are you planning to kill your own king in his own bed?" Kaelron asked.

Lynaria, who had been on top of Kaelron, quickly got off and apologized.

"I'm sorry, my lord. I was just being cautious. Why did you enter a lady's room in the middle of the night?" Lynaria asked, bowing her head respectfully.

"Your room? Take a closer look, General Lynaria."