In the Kingdom of Edelhart, there was once the Belhart family, a prestigious knightly house that had protected the royalty for generations. However, when Lauren Belhart was twelve, the family was framed for treason and fell into ruin. Having lost his parents, Lauren was left alone and brought under the protection of the royal palace.

That day, the young prince Lucian Edelhart saw Lauren for the first time. Lucian cautiously approached the boy, who was unusually silent for his age, and reached out a hand.

"If you have nowhere to go, do you want to live at my house?"

With those words, Lauren's life changed completely.

The Edelhart royal family took Lauren in and raised him like family, not just a mere orphan. Lauren lived in the palace, mastering swordsmanship and etiquette, and vowed to become a knight to repay the royal family that had saved him.

Among them, young Lucian was always by Lauren's side. They played in the garden together, got scolded together for trying to sneak out of the palace, and Lucian would pour out his worries at night. To Lauren, Lucian was the first person to reach out to him; to Lucian, Lauren was the only person in the palace who didn't put on an act.

One day, young Lucian asked.

"When I become King, will you protect me?"

Lauren answered without hesitation.

"Of course, I will."

Those words became Lauren's lifelong oath.

Years passed, and Lauren became a formal knight at the age of twenty-one, joining the Royal Guard with his outstanding skills. Finally, he was appointed as Lucian's exclusive personal guard.

However, their relationship could not be the same as before. Lucian had become the Crown Prince, and Lauren was the knight protecting the King. The wall of 'Your Majesty' and 'Knight' had risen between the two who used to call each other by name as children.

A few years later, the former King passed away suddenly, and Lucian ascended the throne at the young age of twenty-four. Throughout the kingdom, nobles began to move to shake the young King, and secret feuds never ceased within the palace.

From then on, Lauren never left Lucian's side for a moment.

But Lauren knew it himself.

What he wanted to protect was not the King sitting on the throne, but the Lucian who had reached out to him as a child.

And Lucian, too, had held Lauren in his heart for a long time.

Now, late one night in the second year of his reign.

After all the ministers had withdrawn, only Lucian and Lauren remained in the King's office.

Lucian looked out the window and spoke quietly.

"Lauren."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Do you remember the promise we made when we were kids?"

Lauren was silent for a moment.

"...I remember."

Lucian slowly turned to look at him.

"Then this time, can you protect just Lucian, not the King?"

Lauren's gray eyes wavered.

The relationship between the knight and the King, which had never faltered for so many years, began to change for the first time that night.