Captain! Where is the Battlefield?

 

  Rosalie lay on the bed forcibly but couldn’t fall asleep and just ended up staring endlessly at the ceiling. Eventually, she got up from the bed.

 

  As she headed back to the room where Derivis was, she came face to face with Nathan, who had been standing in front of the door. Nathan, with a furrowed brow, seemed speechless after seeing her.

 

  “It looks like you didn’t sleep last night either.”

 

  “Are you coming in?”

 

  “No, I don’t want to hear his quiet breathing.”

 

  Despite Rosalie’s invitation, Nathan shook his head. His hearing was good enough to hear from outside the door, but he chose not to enter for some reason. Respecting his decision, Rosalie entered the room alone.

 

  “Derivis.”

 

  Rosalie pulled a chair and sat beside Derivis, who was lying on the bed. She gently tapped his outstretched finger.

 

  “I have something to say. So please, wake up…”

 

  She murmured, looking at Derivis’s closed eyes. However, Rosalie eventually closed her eyes with his unchanging breathing.

 

  Exhausted from not sleeping properly for days, a wave of intense sleepiness washed over Rosalie.

 

  ‘I shouldn’t fall asleep…’

 

  She dreamt. In her dream, a child the spitting image of Derivis was looking at the setting sun from a clock tower. The child looked so small and vulnerable that Rosalie wanted to reach out and hold his hand.

 

  “Rosalie.”

 

  At that moment, a familiar and welcoming voice reached Rosalie’s ears. The voice was calling her name quite affectionately.

 

  “Rosalie.”

 

  Rosalie slowly opened her eyes. The room was bathed only in moonlight streaming through the window. Realizing she had slumped onto the bed, she sat up and faced the blue eyes she had missed so much over the past few days.

 

  “Derivis.”

 

  “Hello, Duchess.”

 

  It was his usual greeting. Rosalie’s trembling hand reached for Derivis’s cheek, and the warmth she felt in her hand reassured her that this was not a dream.

 

  “I want to tell you something.”

 

  In response to Rosalie’s trembling voice, Derivis nodded.

 

  “I don’t want to worry about anything else anymore. I just want to follow my feelings.”

 

  Upon hearing Rosalie’s words, Derivis gently held her hand on his cheek, encouraging her to continue.

 

  “I like you. A lot.”

 

  Derivis gently smiled. Then, he moved his lips. His voice was more hoarse than usual from the long sleep, but his words were clear.

 

  “I love you very much.”

 

  As soon as he finished speaking, Rosalie pressed her lips to his. She felt his large hands softly cupping her jaw and cheek.

 

  She wrapped her arms around Derivis’s neck, and their kiss grew longer and deeper. She readily accepted Derivis’s presence as it delved into her mouth.

 

  Before she knew it, Rosalie found herself on the bed with Derivis’s large hands naturally wrapping around her thin waist and back.

 

  Startled by her slender waist under his hands, Derivis pulled away.

 

  “Wait. Any more might be… dangerous.”

 

  “Oh, right. You haven’t fully recovered, so it might be too much for you.”

 

  Rosalie’s concerned words made Derivis’s eyebrows twitch. However, Rosalie seemed oblivious to the fact that she had touched Derivis’s pride.

 

  “…It’s not that.”

 

  “You don’t have to overexert yourself.”

 

  Once again, Derivis’s eyebrows twitched noticeably. He chuckled and then gently lifted Rosalie onto the bed. Startled, Rosalie looked up at him, and Derivis casually opened his shirt, revealing his well-sculpted chest and the bandages still wrapped around his waist.

 

  “I warned you.”

 

  Derivis, in a low, growling voice, leaned towards Rosalie. Unlike usual, Rosalie felt that she wouldn’t be able to resist his deep, swirling blue eyes.

 

  “Your Grace, I could at least help with your fatigue if you’re going to spend the night here again…”

 

  Amanda, who had entered the room, stopped in her tracks when she saw the two on the bed. After a moment of shock, she covered her reddened face.

 

  “I’m sorry!”

 

  Embarrassed, Amanda repeatedly bowed and hastily left the room, her face red as a tomato. Rosalie, taken aback, watched the door through which Amanda had exited. 

 

  The door swung loosely on its hinges.

 

  ⊱⊱⊱────── {.⋅ ✧✧✧ ⋅.} ──────⊰⊰⊰

 

  In front of an old house, Rondun hummed a tune. He used his hands to tousle his blue hair.

 

  “What a dirty place.”

 

  Rondun, whose eyes were close to gray, continued to hum louder, as if he found something enjoyable. 

 

  Hearing the humming, Neon, who had just woken up, opened the front door.

 

  “Who’s singing in front of someone else’s house? You’re so noisy!”

 

  “Ah, hello! You’re the dismissed servant from the Judeheart duchy, aren’t you?”

 

  When Rondun greeted him cheerfully, Neon furrowed his brow. It was a face he had never seen before. 

 

  Rondun stared at Neon’s eyes intently. Irritated by the stranger’s rudeness, Neon tried to raise his voice.

 

  “Who are you…! Oh, hello.”

 

  However, his attitude changed as if it were a lie. He even smiled as if meeting an old friend.

 

  “It’s fortunate that you have a weak mind. Finding someone who responds well to hypnosis is not easy.”

 

  Rondun chuckled and tapped Neon’s cheek. But Neon, without showing any signs of discomfort, smiled like a person in a trance.

 

  “All right! Shall we achieve our goal here quickly then?”

 

  Rondun rubbed his hands together and clapped sharply.

 

  “From now on, answer any questions I ask.”

 

  “Yes, of course… Hehe.”

 

  “Tell me everything about Duchess Rosalie Judehart. Everything, from what seemed strange to what you experienced in the Duchess’s residence.”

 

  As Rondun’s words continued, Neon recounted his life in the Judeheart residence. The longer his lengthy story went on, the broader Rondun’s smile became.

 

  Finally, Rondun looked satisfied after Neon’s long narrative came to an end.

 

  “Thank you for answering! Now, get some rest. Oh, the side effects of hypnosis might make you sleep for a few days, but that’s none of my concern!”

 

  Rondun said cheerfully and clapped his hands loudly. Then, Neon collapsed without hesitation. He fell into a deep sleep, snoring as if he had stayed up for several days.

 

  “Oh, they say sleeping for several days is bad for your health… Well, that’s too bad.”

 

  With a tone of faux concern, Rondun looked down at Neon and started to radiate light. His next destination was where Sonia was spending her time.

 

  ‘I hope she provides useful information, too.’

 

  Rondun was eagerly anticipating what Sonia would reveal. From what he had observed in the courtroom, Sonia’s emotions appeared extremely unstable.

 

  “Hypnosis works best when emotions are unstable!”

 

  Rondun considered Sonia’s emotional instability as a stroke of luck. Being in a remote land was also fortunate. His body was enveloped in a bright light, and he disappeared in an instant.

 

  ⊱⊱⊱────── {.⋅ ✧✧✧ ⋅.} ──────⊰⊰⊰

 

  After Derivis woke up, Rosalie fell asleep on the bed as if she had fainted, exhausted from staying awake for several nights. When she woke up after a full day of deep sleep, Derivis was already up and moving around the room.

 

  “…Shouldn’t you rest more?”

 

  “…I’m feeling a bit restless.”

 

  Sitting on the railing, Derivis rotated his shoulders. He smiled and gestured for Rosalie to come closer. As she approached, he wrapped his arms around her waist. Rosalie looked at him with wide eyes.

 

  “But you know, you tend to speak informally when you’re emotional.”

 

  “Oh… did I do that?”

 

  Rosalie hadn’t realized it at all. Upon reflection, it seemed that she had done so. Derivis was right; when emotions overwhelmed her, she seemed to unconsciously use informal language.

 

  “I guess I get quite dramatic when I’m emotional.”

 

  “Hmm, I like it when you talk informally.”

 

  “…Is that so?”

 

  With Derivis sitting on the railing, Rosalie found herself at eye level with him. Feeling embarrassed, she averted her gaze.

 

  “How about continuing to speak informally?”

 

  For some reason, Derivis was smiling broadly. Using informal language wasn’t difficult for her, but Rosalie suddenly felt reluctant since she felt like she was being teased.

 

  “I’d rather not.”

 

  Derivis chuckled.  Rosalie boldly gave him a suspicious look and then said something else to change the subject.

 

  “The cleanup of the wyvern corpses is almost done, so we should be able to return the day after tomorrow.”

 

  “Ah, I’m starting to wish we didn’t have to go back. Spending time with you in this quiet village isn’t bad at all.”

 

  Rosalie raised her hand and gently stroked his head. Derivis’s eyes widened with surprise at the sudden touch.

 

  “We can spend time at the villa in Noveta that I received from the emperor next time.”

 

  Derivis seemed to enjoy the sensation of Rosalie’s hand on his head, and he closed his eyes with a contented smile.

 

  ‘He’s just like a puppy.’

 

  Rosalie thought as she watched Derivis accept her touch with his eyes closed. Then, she stopped stroking his head. Derivis lifted his eyelids.

 

  “Could you arrange for me to meet Prince Radinis in secret when we return to the capital?”

 

  “…Prince Radinis?”

 

  Derivis was initially puzzled by the unexpected request. However, he soon became inquisitive.

 

  “It’s possible. I’ll arrange a meeting before the banquet.”

 

  Rosalie remembered the upcoming spring banquet, held annually around this time.

 

  ‘Now that I think about it, I think Bianca asked me to meet her.’

 

  She had been too busy with the trial preparations and had postponed the meeting. Since then, they had only communicated via letters. Rosalie thought she should meet her first upon returning to the capital.

 

  “It’s the Duchess!”

 

  The young boy whom Rosalie had met before ran into the building, recognizing her with his flushed face. In response, Rosalie quickly moved Derivis’s hand that had been around her waist.

 

 

TL/N: Hello, everyone! After more than a month of hiatus, I’m finally back! Thank you to all readers who patiently waited, and especially to those who kept supporting me during the rough time I had within that period. I can’t promise a consistent release right now since I’m still fixing things up, but I’ll work hard to make it that way. Once again, thank you and happy reading!

 

 

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