“My goodness, who gave you so many gifts?”
While asking, Bianca recalled the necklace Rosalie had received from Derivis in the salon.
“No way… His Highness?!”
Bianca, exploding with curiosity and wonder, got ahead of herself even before Rosalie could reply.
“Shh, Bianca.”
It was not a topic to be carelessly discussed outside. Bianca, realizing her mistake, covered her mouth with a chagrined expression. She coughed a few times unnecessarily before approaching Rosalie.
“Sister, have a cup of tea with me after this.”
“I’m really tired today. Can we postpone it?”
Bianca had on a slightly sulky expression, but she accepted it without fuss. It seemed that Rosalie was still bothered by the unpleasant encounter when they first met at the café, and she was finally freed after trying on a few pieces of brightly colored fabric for the last time.
“Your Grace, I will bring the completed dresses to the mansion next time. It’s better for you to try them on and make any necessary alterations in the comfort of your home.”
“Very well.”
“Thank you, Morel.”
Morel nodded respectfully. Rosalie left the dress shop, promising to treat Bianca to some good tea during her next visit to the mansion before catching a carriage home.
⊱⊱⊱────── {.⋅ ✧✧✧ ⋅.} ──────⊰⊰⊰
Rosalie checked on Joey once more once they returned to the mansion.
“Take the rest of the day off, and call the healer immediately if you feel unwell.”
“Yes, understood.”
Joey nodded and left the room after bowing.
“Rosalie~ You’re back?”
Hearing her voice, Nathan came out and greeted Rosalie, Derivis and Erudit following suit. Rosalie noticed Derivis and asked when he had arrived.
“Just now. I have something to discuss with you.”
“How about having some tea while we talk?”
While Derivis and Rosalie were engaged in conversation, Nathan, who had been sniffing the air beside them, furrowed his brow. When Erudit asked him what was wrong, Nathan sniffed the air once again.
“Rosalie, did you get hurt somewhere?”
Nathan examined Rosalie while Erudit also looked her over. However, there seemed to be no visible issues.
Nathan stroked his chin, puzzled.
“I thought I smelled blood during our conversation.”
It seemed that the wound inside of her mouth had reopened. Nathan mentioning the smell of blood coincided with Rosalie tasting blood in her mouth.
Just then, Derivis touched and lifted her chin gently. Rosalie looked up with wide eyes and met his gaze.
“Your mouth. Why is it like that?”
Rosalie was baffled at how quickly he noticed. Discussing magic would have prompted immediate action from both Derivis and Nathan, so Rosalie had to think quickly.
‘He seems dangerous, and it’s not wise to stir up trouble without sufficient information,’ she thought.
“I just bit my tongue.”
However, Derivis couldn’t shake off his suspicions, and his watchful eyes didn’t waver. The same went for Nathan and Erudit.
“What did you want to talk about? Should we move somewhere else?”
“A quieter place might be better.”
Rosalie hurriedly suggested moving to divert the focused attention away from her.
Erudit, who had been observing the two as they left, didn’t look pleased. Nathan let out a short sigh.
Even on their way to the study, Rosalie skillfully avoided Derivis’s persistent gaze.
‘He’s really sharp.’
Rosalie entered the office and sat on the sofa, quickly glancing away from Derivis’s persistent gaze before getting straight to the point.
“You can speak now.”
“…Can you spare some time in two days?”
“That’s possible. Why do you ask?”
“Radinis will be going to the temple to pray that day.”
“Won’t he have guards with him?”
“The temple strictly forbids armed knights from entering. Besides, Radinis usually goes to the temple alone to offer his prayers.”
It was an excellent opportunity. Derivis still didn’t know the reason why she would want to meet Radinis, so he asked.
“What are you going to discuss with Prince Radinis?”
“I plan to seek his cooperation.”
Prince Radinis had ambitions for the throne. While he didn’t possess talents like Derivis, he made up for it with diligence.
However, the reason Radinis didn’t openly pursue his ambitions was due to his deep-seated guilt and his mother, Nine, the Empress.
“Prince Radinis desires the throne.”
“…He has never shown such intentions.”
The Radinis that Derivis knew was quiet. Rather, he refused imperial power and avoided forming alliances with nobles. So much so that rumors about Nine’s frustration circulated far and wide, even reaching the Crown Prince’s Palace.
“That was a strategic move, considering that the Empress’s actions would become bolder if he openly expressed his ambitions.”
“Was he being cautious for the sake of His Majesty and me?”
While the source of the information wasn’t clear, Derivis, who knew Rosalie’s secret, accepted her words as they were.
“Yes, that’s right. I believe that Prince Radinis will soon reveal his true intentions once he sees an opportunity. Seeking his cooperation could be beneficial.”
“Alright. I’ll keep that in mind.”
Derivis, looking frustrated, unbuttoned a couple of buttons on his shirt. Watching his actions closely, Rosalie impulsively asked a question.
“Is the wound… still there?”
“It’s almost healed. The potion you gave me right after I collapsed was very helpful, according to the healer.”
“Can you show it to me?”
Derivis paused for a moment and then nodded, removing his outer garment and slowly unbuttoning his shirt. Rosalie approached him, frowning at the remaining scars and bandages.
“…I was really scared.”
From the beginning, Rosalie had prepared herself for the possibility of losing comrades in battle or on missions. Therefore, even when losing a comrade, she suppressed her emotions as much as possible. After all, she was a soldier.
It became a habit, and she could eventually restrain her emotions until the moment she sent off her comrades. However, it was different when it came to Derivis.
“What kind of person were you before coming here?”
Derivis asked as he watched her gently stroke his wound with her fingertips. Rosalie’s hand paused at his waist, which was still wrapped in white bandages.
“I was a soldier dedicated to protecting my country. You could say I was equivalent to a knight here. I took pride in my profession and lived for it. And as for my personality… it’s the same.”
Derivis chuckled lightly at Rosalie’s words. He took her still hand and brought it to his lips, planting gentle and affectionate kisses on each of her fingers as if leaving marks on something precious.
Rosalie continued, her gaze fixed on him as if mesmerized.
“Now that I think about it, my personality seems to have changed since coming here.”
“How so?”
“I’ve felt so many emotions for the first time because of you. Sometimes, it feels like I’m not myself because of these feelings.”
“What kind of emotions?”
Rosalie hesitated for a moment. Listing the emotions she felt was embarrassingly awkward.
“Hm?”
However, Derivis didn’t avert his gaze, making it clear that he wanted to hear everything. Rosalie could feel her face heating up.
“…I’m not usually one to show emotions easily, but with you, my feelings take over. I miss you when I don’t see you. I feel empty without you, and I always want to be close to you. All these emotions are new to me.”
Rosalie just spoke her thoughts out loud, feeling more and more embarrassed as if she was making a confession. Her heart raced, wondering if her feelings would spill out uncontrollably.
“I feel the same.”
Derivis replied with a faint smile, this time placing a kiss on the back of her hand.
‘Although mine is far from cute…’
Rosalie’s confession couldn’t capture how deeply Derivis desired her. However, to avoid overwhelming Rosalie with his feelings, he simply smiled.
“Do you feel what I’m feeling, Derivis?”
“Perhaps even more than you do.”
Finally, their lips met again. Rosalie closed her eyes and hugged him, feeling the warm, soft pressure against her lips. Rosalie felt herself being pushed slightly back due to Derivis’s insistent advance.
Both of their lips were left with a lingering glow after they parted.
Derivis gently stroked Rosalie’s lips with his thumb before dropping his hand, and Rosalie found herself focusing on her lips as well.
“It tastes like blood.”
Apparently, the kiss had aggravated her wound.
“I guess I bit too hard.”
As Derivis’s gaze lingered endlessly on her lips, Rosalie felt a wave of embarrassment wash over her again. Then, he slowly withdrew his hand that had been caressing her moist lips.
“Get an ice pack. It’ll swell up soon at this rate.”
Derivis left the office. Rosalie touched her lips with her hand, where his touch lingered just moments before.
⊱⊱⊱────── {.⋅ ✧✧✧ ⋅.} ──────⊰⊰⊰
The next day, the table in the office wasn’t covered with the usual documents but with a map depicting the capital of the Misha Empire and its surrounding regions.
“It was really tough to get~.”
Toronto boasted, standing beside the table.
Rosalie dryly praised him without even glancing up from the map. Geographic information was crucial military intelligence, especially useful in times of war.
Many noble families kept maps with geographical information of their territories as confidential documents, and the imperial family was no different. The imperial family periodically collected maps from each noble family, and the unauthorized production of maps for territories managed by the imperial family was strictly prohibited to anyone except for the imperial family themselves.
‘Hmm. It’s crude, but not to the point of being indiscernible.’
The map Toronto had obtained was a map drawn illegally by civilians trying to make money. In other words, it was a rough and inaccurate map.
Rosalie had considered asking Derivis to sneak out a map for her but decided against it as there was a risk that the issue could escalate if they were caught later.
So, she acquired a map sold clandestinely in the alleyways.
‘It has limited information due to its lack of detail, but the eastern forest is clearly marked.’
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