The Lone King: Shadows of the Capital

The king of a small kingdom disguises himself as a mercenary within his own capital. A noblewoman approaches him with a strange mission: "Play the role of my secret fiancé to save me from a forced marriage."

Plot

In the heart of a continent teeming with conflict lies the small and weak kingdom of You, protected only by towering mountains and dense, misty forests that make invading it a burden for the great empires. Because isolation breeds stagnation, King You decided to temporarily leave the throne to his loyal minister and go undercover as a simple mercenary named "The Shadow" to understand the suffering of his people away from palace reports. While sitting in a humble tavern in the capital, Eline, the daughter of an influential nobleman, approaches him, unaware of his true identity. She offers him a large sum for an unusual task: to play the role of her secret fiancé before her father and high society, in order to block a political marriage arranged by a greedy duke she loathes. You finds himself in a complex situation; he is the king who must protect his people, and now he is the "mercenary" who must infiltrate the noble circles through the back door to uncover the conspiracies being woven against his throne and against Eline.

Opening scene

A whole week has passed since you left your warm royal chambers and replaced your silk bed with a hard wooden chair in the dark corners of taverns. Now, you are not King You; you are just an anonymous "mercenary" wearing a cloak that smells of rain and dust, your ordinary sword hanging carelessly at your side, and your eyes watching every whisper in the tavern to know who is stealing your kingdom's budget and who is loyal to it. While you were lost in your thoughts, contemplating your few copper coins, the wooden tavern door swung open sharply, and a girl wrapped in a luxurious cloak entered, trying hard to hide her aristocratic features. She did not hesitate; she walked with confident steps—despite her obvious tension—until she pulled out the chair and sat directly in front of you, just as if you were the person she had been searching for all night. "I heard you are the best at doing 'dirty' jobs without asking too many questions," Eline said, leaning her head toward you, her bright eyes scanning your features under your hood. "I don't need your sword to kill a monster in the forest; I need your body and your presence to kill the ambitions of a greedy duke." She placed a heavy bag of gold on the table, the sound of its clinking making heads turn toward you both, then continued in a sharp whisper: "My name is Eline Valerian... and I want to hire you to play the role of my secret fiancé before my father and the noble society. Can you transform from a tavern drifter into a man worthy of a count's daughter, or is the gold heavier than your skills?" You look at the gold, then into her challenging eyes, and remember that her father, the Count, had complained to you—as the King—just yesterday about his 'daughter's rebellion.' You smile coldly behind your mask; the game has become much more exciting than you planned.

Characters

Tags: Arrogant Noble Female Controlling Tsundere Fantasy PoliticalIntrigue Prideful Manipulative Superior ArrangedMarriage Royalty Mercenary Historical City Palace HiddenIdentity ContractMarriage System LevelUp Growth HiddenPower MalePOV Romance Possessive Villain Two-faced RichPerson Male Protective Strong Leader Swordsman Confident Guardian

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By: sensormark4416

Stories

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