Rosalie felt embarrassed and averted her gaze. Just then, a voice announced Nine’s arrival. Derivis frowned slightly before extending his hand to Rosalie.
“May I have this dance, my lady?”
Rosalie sighed and placed her hand in his, trying to ignore the presence of Bianca and Sarnon nearby. Glancing at Bianca, she gestured for them to go ahead.
“Ah, sister being in love is just so hopelessly beautiful and cute, isn’t she?”
Bianca murmured in awe, watching Rosalie and Derivis head toward the center of the hall. Sarnon, who had been watching them with envy, sighed and turned his gaze to Bianca.
“They make such a perfect couple. I’m almost jealous.”
“Then, why don’t you do something about it?” she retorted.
“…You’re cruel as always,” Sarnon muttered, walking away with a bitter smile.
Bianca sighed. Clearly, her suggestion to stay as friends didn’t sit well with him at all.
As the dance began, Rosalie scanned the nobles standing around. She couldn’t spot Radinis.
“Radinis usually arrives towards the end and only shows his face.”
Derivis’s voice reached only Rosalie’s ears over the music.
“It’s time to hear his answer.”
Rosalie felt a subtly hostile gaze amid the uncomfortable stares. It was coming from Nine. She pretended to fan herself with her fan and chatted with other nobles, all the while keeping a close eye on Derivis and Rosalie.
“Our knights have explored half of the eastern forest.”
“That’s fast.”
“We haven’t detected any movement from the Empress.”
“I haven’t seen the Empress leave the palace, either.”
The serene music came to an end, and the next dance involved changing partners. Derivis continued to hold Rosalie’s hand as they left the central hall. When Rosalie asked if he intended to dance more, he firmly declined.
“But, by the way, Derivis, are you searching the Eastern Forest alone?”
“I only go in briefly when I have the time.”
Just as she thought, her ominous predictions rarely missed. Rosalie sighed, casting him a sidelong glance.
“This banquet will only make the Empress’s scrutiny on you worse.”
“That’s fine. I’ll just push back if necessary.”
Rosalie picked up a champagne glass from a tray carried by a servant. Derivis took her glass and, after taking a sip, handed it back to Rosalie.
“I’m thinking of pressuring Baroness Andree’s family, the Empress’s closest ally. It would be even better if I could cut them off entirely.”
“…What did you just do?”
Rosalie asked in a tense voice, staring at the champagne glass. She knew that his actions were to ensure the drink was not poisoned.
“Oh, just in case.”
“Why didn’t you just tell me not to drink it?”
“I knew it was safe, but I needed to be sure.”
“What if it had been poisoned?!”
Rosalie cut herself off at her raised tone, then clamped her mouth shut. She glared at Derivis, placed the champagne glass on the nearby table with a disgruntled thud, and turned on her heel.
“I’ll take a short break.”
Derivis reached out as she tried to leave, but her voice stopped him before his hand could touch her.
“Don’t look for me until you realize what you did wrong.”
With that ultimatum, Rosalie left. Derivis, standing there stiffly, sighed and loosened his tie, which had been choking him.
Heading to the lounge, Rosalie stood in the corridor and let out a long, deep sigh. He had probably drunk the champagne because he thought she looked thirsty.
‘But that doesn’t mean he should drink it himself!’
Even though she was thirsty, she could have just ignored it. Rosalie felt frustration welling up inside her and sighed again.
“Your Grace?”
Radinis called out to her from the corridor.
“Your Highness? Why are you here instead of in the banquet hall?”
Their encounter in this unexpected place surprised her. At Rosalie’s question, Radinis scratched his head awkwardly.
“Well… I was about to go into the hall, but Mother’s expression was… off.”
He trailed off. He was still overly cautious of Nine’s reactions. Despite being strictly raised by her, he seemed excessively wary, which Rosalie found puzzling.
“This works out well. I wanted to talk to you.”
“Yes, I had something to say as well.”
It was the peak time of the banquet. No nobles would be looking for the lounge now, and if they went to the innermost lounge, they could have a private conversation for a long time.
Rosalie and Radinis proceeded to the innermost lounge and closed the door.
“Your Grace, I have one question.”
“I’m listening.”
“Does he… want to leave the palace?”
“…Yes.”
Rosalie’s answer caused Radinis to lower his head. He looked as if he were about to cry, but he clenched his fists and held back the tears.
“It’s because of me. If I hadn’t been deceived by Mother’s lies… this place wouldn’t have become hell for him.”
“Your Highness, you’re also a victim.”
Rosalie said firmly. Radinis finally raised his head, wiping away the tears that had welled up.
“How much do you know, Your Grace?”
“I know most of the story.”
Radinis simply passed it off as Rosalie learning these facts through Derivis. Given how close they appeared and how solid their relationship seemed, that wasn’t unreasonable.
“You remember I said I sought you out during the monster hunting tournament, right?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Radinis’s first impression of Rosalie was a strong woman who had reached out to him after defeating a huge, fierce beast. Desperate, he sought her out, hoping she might be able to stop Nine in some way.
“I sought you out during the monster hunting tournament because I had realized Mother’s plan to trap my brother.”
However, due to Nine’s relentless surveillance and her suspicion of Radinis’s attempt to disclose the plan, he couldn’t go through with it. Instead, he faced daily harassment under the guise of discipline because he had visited Rosalie’s tent.
“I wanted to tell Father, but Mother assigned guards even when I went to see him, and on the rare days without attendants, she never left my side at the banquet.”
Radinis started removing his coat, and Rosalie silently observed his actions.
“Your Grace, Mother has a magician with her. He periodically transports her somewhere every night.”
Radinis tossed his coat onto a chair while Rosalie thought of Nine’s secret location. If she used magic for transportation, then it was natural that there would be no traces left in the forest.
“Do you happen to know the location of that place?”
“I heard it’s an old villa by a small lake.”
Radinis eventually removed his inner shirt, and Rosalie’s eyes widened.
“And that magician sometimes takes hair, blood, and flesh from me.”
There were traces of needles and flesh being pierced all over his body. To avoid any interference with the experiments, Radinis had been prohibited from taking potions and receiving treatment from the healers, which resulted in him getting a deep scars.
“They never told me why, but no matter how scared I am of Mother, I feel we must stop her this time.”
‘How could she do this to her own child?!’
Rosalie tried to suppress her rising anger while thinking of Rondun’s sinister smile.
“Does that magician happen to have hair that’s a light sky blue color? Do you know his name?”
“That’s right. He seems crazy, like he’s lost his screws. His name is Rondun.”
Radinis couldn’t hide his surprise at how she knew this. Rosalie gritted her teeth, feeling the urge to punish the insane magician who had tormented this child.
“…What’s wrong?”
Radinis asked hesitantly. Rosalie bit her lip, trying not to show sympathy but rather think of a plan to help the boy in front of her.
“Rosalie. Are you in there?”
“Your Highness?”
The steady knock and familiar voice made Radinis hurriedly reach for his clothes. Rosalie picked up a small button that had fallen off in his haste.
“Your Highness, I believe the Emperor should know about this.”
“But it could…”
“He needs to protect you. There’s a limit to what I can do in the palace. His Majesty must be informed.”
Rosalie spoke firmly. Sensing her sharp determination, Radinis hesitated before picking up the small jeweled button she handed him.
“Won’t this hurt my brother?”
“I won’t let that happen.”
Rosalie strode to the door and opened it. Derivis, seeing the dimly lit room and Radinis still not fully dressed, looked puzzled.
“Derivis, there’s something you need to know.”
She pulled him into the room and locked the door. The door shut with a resolute click, sealing in their conversation.
Radinis began his story again, and as he spoke, Derivis’s blue eyes darkened with anger.
“…I’ll kill them all.”
“Calm down, brother.”
Radinis said, his voice trembling as he grasped Derivis’s arm. Derivis looked down at the small, shaking hand and clasped it.
“…I’m sorry, Radinis.”
Using his own struggles as an excuse, he had failed to protect his younger brother, and that led to this terrible outcome.
“Brother… I’m just a burden to you.”
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If nothing else, I’m glad that Radinis and Derivis can truly be brothers.