Captain! Where is the Battlefield?

 

 

  Derivis couldn’t help but smile. He somehow felt like Rosalie would actually come to the rescue. In style, too.

 

  ‘It’s a ring.’

 

  Rosalie examined the ring that Derivis had slid onto her finger. When Derivis put on the other ring on his index finger, the two transparent beads glowed with a deep red hue.

 

  “Oh.”

 

  Rosalie let out a small exclamation as the rings instantly turned a brilliant red. Derivis let out a small chuckle and continued.

 

  “The closer we get, the deeper the red color of the ring becomes.”

 

  When he finished, Derivis rose to his feet, and Rosalie quickly handed him the cord.

 

  “Derivis, here’s the cord.”

 

  Derivis slowly accepted the cord, and he held it tightly as if he would never let it go.

 

  Rosalie’s face flushed with embarrassment at the sight of him clutching the string with a happy face.

 

  She couldn’t help but feel a small sense of satisfaction at Derivis’s response as he stared at the string and fiddled with it as if it were precious. She was no good at sewing, and her fingers bled, but she was glad she’d gotten it done.

 

  “A wolf?”

 

  When Derivis tilted his head at the wolf embroidered at the end of the cord, Rosalie added an explanation.

 

  “They say that nowadays, people embroider an animal on their cords that reminds them of the person. Initials or royal patterns are too obvious, so I chose an animal.”

 

  “Do you think of a wolf when you see me?”

 

  Rosalie nodded, slightly avoiding his gaze. To tell the truth, she thought of a puppy, but Bianca had insisted.

 

  “Sister, please don’t call it a puppy, okay? It’s a wolf, a wolf.”

 

  Rosalie was so engrossed in sewing that she didn’t listen to the long explanation, but she had already agreed and made a promise.

 

  “Well… yes…”

 

  Derivis felt puzzled by Rosalie’s uncharacteristic stuttering. However, a voice calling for Derivis outside the tent was heard just then, and he put the cord he was holding in his pocket.

 

  “I’ll go first.”

 

  When Derivis tried to walk out and pick up his coat, Rosalie unconsciously grabbed his arm.

 

  “Rosalie?”

 

  He called out to her, looking at her grip on his wrist. She realized she had grabbed his arm and quickly let go.

 

  ‘…Why did I grab him?’

 

  Startled, Rosalie squeezed and unclenched her hand. She must have unconsciously grabbed him out of a sudden desire to keep him from leaving. Derivis then knelt down again in front of her.

 

  “Should I not go?”

 

  “Your Highness, His Majesty is looking for you.”

 

  However, someone was still looking for Derivis outside the tent. They didn’t dare to enter the tent, but they were still calling out anxiously.

 

  “It’s okay to ignore them.”

 

  “No, you can’t. It’s His Majesty’s call, isn’t it?”

 

  Derivis smiled and stood up upon hearing those words, picking up his coat. Rosalie heard him clicking his tongue as he left.

 

  As the voice calling for Derivis continued, he immediately left the tent. Rosalie tilted her head to the noise and the shouts of the knights that soon followed.

 

  ‘Is he angry?’

 

  Rosalie shrugged it off and made her way outside to her tent. As she made her way through the bustle and excitement, her eyes caught sight of a familiar figure. He seemed to be looking for someone as he wandered around in a daze.

 

  “Your Highness?”

 

  Startled by the voice, Radinis turned around. When he realized that it was Rosalie who had called him, he approached her with quick steps.

 

  “May I speak with you for a moment?”

 

  “Yes, of course.”

 

  Radinis hesitated and looked around nervously, seeming a bit uneasy.

 

  “My tent is nearby. Would you like to come in?”

 

  Rosalie suggested entering the tent; she seemed to have something important to say, and the closest tent belonged to her. Radinis readily agreed.

 

  “Prince, what brings you here?”

 

  But they never made it inside the tent, thanks to Nine’s arrival. Nine glanced at Rosalie, then approached Radinis.

 

  Radinis broke out in a cold sweat, unable to hide his panic.

 

  “Oh my.”

 

  Nine smiled and gently touched Radinis’s back with her hand. Her action might have seemed like a sign of affection at first glance, but it looked like a warning in Rosalie’s eyes.

 

  “Can’t you grant the request to stay by your mother’s side?”

 

  “I’m sorry. I was just taking a walk and happened to stop by…”

 

  “I can see that.”

 

  With a smile, Nine cut off Radinis’s excuse and patted his back like a kind mother. Although her actions were gentle, Radinis appeared uncomfortable with her gestures.

 

  Nine shifted her gaze from Radinis to Rosalie.

 

  “I heard that you saved our prince. Thank you so much.”

 

  “No. I just did what was right.”

 

  Nine quietly smiled at Rosalie’s brief response, and the tiny dots near the corner of her eye moved with it.

 

  ‘Radinis is afraid of the Empress.’

 

  Due to a childhood trauma, Radinis was afraid of Nine. Earlier in the novel, there was a passage, albeit a brief one, in which Nine was strict with him.

 

  “The Duchess’s skills are truly remarkable. After all… you’re the woman who won the territorial war against Marquis Windell.”

 

  “Yes.”

 

  “Fufu, I’m really looking forward to this year’s Demon Hunting Tournament. I’ll take the prince and go now. I wish you luck.”

 

  Radinis had no choice but to follow Nine as she left with a graceful gesture, leaving Rosalie with her head lowered. He turned to Rosalie with a sidelong glance as he followed Nine.

 

  ‘I don’t know what he wants…but that face is familiar.’

 

  Rosalie recognized the look in his eyes. They were like the eyes of the conscripted boy soldiers she’d met on overseas dispatches. It was a gaze that hoped for salvation.

 

  However, she could only step back because it was obvious that the harm would fall on Radinis, who was the relatively weak one if she interfered between them without a clear reason.

 

  ‘If I act without a solid plan, the weakest will always bear the brunt of the consequences.’

 

  Rosalie made her way to her tent with a sinking feeling. She entered the largest tent and found Nathan sprawled out on a chair.

 

  He was still making groaning sounds.

 

  “Are you still feeling sick?”

 

  “Yeah…there are too many people…it’s noisy…”

 

  “You can go and rest at the mansion.”

 

  “I don’t want to~ I hate it~ I’m bored.”

 

  Nathan’s usual tantrums immediately put Rosalie’s worries to rest. If he was in the mood to throw a tantrum, there was no need to worry anymore. With a casual glance, she leaned back in her chair. 

 

  “You don’t have to come to the hunting ground. The knights will assist me.”

 

  “Okay~ You don’t seem to have any intention of working hard anyway.”

 

  Rosalie gave a short shrug. It was an event that she had no interest in from the beginning, and the reward for the winner was not worth the trouble.

 

  ‘And for some reason, I feel a little tired.’

 

  After handing the cord she made to Dervis, Rosalie felt as if she had finished all of her tasks. Nathan, who had been watching her face, moved only his mouth while lying down.

 

  “Rosalie, I have a sudden question.”

 

  “Go ahead.”

 

  “What would you do if I and Erudit were trapped and tied up in a dangerous place?”

 

  “I would immediately go and rescue you.”

 

  There was no hesitation in her answer. Nathan chuckled at the immediate response.

 

  “And what if Rosalie was in danger, too?”

 

  Rosalie, who had been leaning back on the couch and staring at the ceiling, turned her head to look at Nathan.

 

  “Don’t worry. I’ll save you from any danger.”

 

  It was a light and playful response, but Nathan burst into laughter. It was a truly Rosalie-like answer, and even if it was just words, it was very reassuring.

 

  “What about Derivis?”

 

  Rosalie’s fingers twitched at Nathan’s question.

 

  “Did you hear something?”

 

  Rosalie became serious, and Nathan shrugged it off as just a question. Rosalie scowled at him for continuing to ask useless questions and scolded him.

 

  “Your Grace, the hunting tournament will begin soon. Please come out to listen to His Majesty’s speech.”

 

  Rosalie, who had just relaxed beside Nathan on the couch, had to get up again in response to the voice coming from outside the tent.

 

  ‘The ring.’

 

  She fiddled with the ring on her fourth finger. She normally didn’t like accessories because they were cumbersome, but she didn’t mind the foreign feeling on her finger today.

 

  As the speech began, a small magic circle appeared around Emperor Patrick’s mouth, and his voice spread far and wide. Rosalie was so fascinated that she was too busy staring at the magic circle on the Emperor’s mouth to pay attention to the speech.

 

  ‘Magic instead of a microphone.’

 

  However, after about a minute of staring at the magical circle, her interest waned dramatically. She then started using her other skill – playing mental chess. 

 

  It was a special skill she had developed during her long military life to alleviate boredom during the endless speeches of countless boring dignitaries.

 

  After playing about three games of mental chess during his long and tedious speech which seemed like it would never end, it finally came to a close.

 

  “Your Grace, here is a map and a compass necessary for the hunt.”

 

  After being handed a map of the hunting grounds by the Imperial courtier, Rosalie was about to mount the horse Joey had prepared for her when a cheerful voice stopped her in her tracks.

 

  “Sister!”

 

  “Bianca.”

 

  “You have to take my cord with you!”

 

  Bianca rushed over and handed Rosalie the cord she had been tightly holding in her hand. The pink cord, the same color as her hair, had Rosalie’s initials written in the Misha Empire language.

 

  As she took the cord, Rosalie recalled Sarnon’s sad smile. Nevertheless, she accepted it with a grateful heart and gently stroked Bianca’s hair with a faint smile.

 

  “Did you give him the cord, sister?”

 

  Bianca asked Rosalie in a small voice as she looked around. Rosalie gave a small nod.

 

  “Sister, love and life are about moving forward. People should express everything and live their lives to the fullest.”

 

  Bianca spoke with a twinkle in her eye. Despite her bulldozer-like personality, it somehow sounded strangely convincing.

 

  “Thank you for the cord. I’ll dedicate my catch to you today.”

 

  A cute blush appeared on Bianca’s cheeks.

   

 

Like my translations?
Give me a tip!