Chapter 15
The Rose of the Empire.
This was the moniker given to Princess Raphnel by those who knew her, a term of endearment that also carried a certain sharpness.
As Beth gazed into the blue eyes before her, she couldn’t help but acknowledge that the nickname was fitting.
Behind the beautiful exterior, there was a steely thorn that pierced through her voice, which was as sweet as petals. The princess, whose eyes gleamed with hostility, gripped the key to the necklace as though she had caught Beth in a trap.
Without hesitation, Beth struck the princess’s hand away.
“Ha.”
Raphnel’s expression hardened as she stared at the hand that had been so rudely dismissed. If anyone other than Ines had seen this sight, it would have been a situation where Beth would have been scolded.
Beth’s hand closed protectively around the key, shielding it from the princess’s gaze. Her dark, unwavering eyes showed no sign of regret for what she had done.
In fact, Raphnel’s crimson lips twisted as if she were the one being scolded by Beth’s reproachful stare.
“I merely asked because I thought the necklace suited you,” Raphnel remarked, taking a step back from Beth.
How refined she appeared, this vulgar girl.
It was almost embarrassing to admit that she had felt a pang of jealousy over someone so insignificant.
A common girl receiving such an expensive necklace? It was obvious—it must have been payment for being some old nobleman’s mistress or a token of affection from an officer she had met on the battlefield.
“Raphnel…”
Raphnel turned to Ines, who was looking at her with a worried expression, and smiled warmly. No matter how close they were as friends, she could not afford to lose her composure in front of someone below her.
“Beth’s fair skin makes the necklace even more beautiful, doesn’t it?” she commented.
“Y-yes, it does. It’s lovely, Beth,” Ines quickly agreed, trying to ease the tension in the room. However, her efforts seemed in vain, as the atmosphere remained strained.
Raphnel tilted her head slightly, causing her golden hair to sway gently. Even as she adjusted her gaze, the girl before her remained resolute, refusing to lower her eyes.
It didn’t matter if Debert didn’t love her. She could live without that.
The reason she tolerated Debert’s indifference was simple: she knew he viewed the world, including the princess, with the same cold detachment.
But if that man were to ever look at something with different eyes…
Raphnel straightened her posture.
If a wretched stray dog on the street caught his eye, she would gladly soil her dress to clasp it to her chest.
“You really are beautiful,” she murmured.
A second glance would be intolerable.
“That’s a compliment,” she added.
She was willing to endure a certain degree of disgrace.
A second glance was something she despised with a passion.
* * *
Beth insisted on leaving the isolation room with Ines. She argued that, with the current shortage of hands, the head nurse couldn’t afford to be lying down.
No matter how much Ines tried to dissuade her or how much she attempted to force her back into bed, Beth’s stubbornness, renowned throughout Wayne, was impossible to overcome.
Beth sent Ines downstairs first, then carefully tiptoed down the stairs herself, hoping to avoid an encounter with Lady Molly.
As Beth emerged from the hospital’s back entrance, a sharp winter wind cut through her thin clothes, making her shiver. As she wrapped her arms around herself, which were covered with goosebumps, she felt her body throbbing. It was strange that she didn’t feel any pain after going through all that.
Beth walked slowly but steadily.
“Oh, nurse.”
Arthur, who had been smoking a cigar in a quiet spot, quickly stubbed it out with his boot when he spotted Beth. He waved away the lingering smoke with an embarrassed smile, clearly feeling guilty about smoking in the hospital.
Beth intended to offer a brief greeting and continue on her way, but Arthur had other plans. He approached her, clearly intending to engage in conversation. His easy-going, cheerful nature made him a favourite among the hospital staff—except for Beth, of course.
“How are you feeling? As the commander, all I can offer is my sincerest apology for what happened at dawn.”
Contrary to Beth’s expectation of a light-hearted remark, Arthur spoke with surprising sincerity.
For a moment, she thought of Debert’s stern face as he spoke harshly to her. The pain in her bitten lip still lingered as a reminder of the hurt she had felt.
What right did she have to feel hurt? She had lived this way for so long.
It was becoming increasingly difficult to discern whether it was her heart or her thoughts that were in turmoil. As she lowered her head, it felt as if something had dropped inside her—a weight of expectation, perhaps.
The expectation that someone would come to save her.
Arthur quietly watched her delicate shoulders rise and fall as she lost herself in thought. In the winter wind, she looked so frail, as though she might be blown away at any moment. Perhaps that was why he removed his uniform jacket and draped it over her small shoulders.
The unexpected warmth startled Beth, causing her to quickly remove the jacket and hand it back to him, her hands trembling.
Such an action could easily become the start of a scandal. People loved to gossip over the smallest of things.
Arthur chuckled. With his windblown blond hair, he bore a resemblance to his sister, though there was something distinctly different about him.
“Are you worried this might become a rumour on the battlefield?” he teased, noticing the blush spreading across Beth’s cheeks.
Beth’s ears turned red at the playful question. She felt embarrassed for having imagined something inappropriate when the prince had no such intentions.
The faint scent of soap wafting from the helpless woman reached Arthur on the wind. Arthur’s face hardened for a moment at the scent, and he frowned even more mischievously than before.
“Let’s just say that as a prince of the Empire, I was encouraging the medical staff on the battlefield. You wouldn’t want to embarrass me by rejecting the goodwill of the royal family, would you?”
Arthur casually framed the situation, placing the jacket back on Beth’s shoulders. Only then did she relax enough to offer him a polite curtsy.
Arthur felt a twinge of disappointment at Beth’s poised response, but it was what he had expected from someone with her reputation. Beth Janes was known for her composure and fortitude, and this was no exception. As a gentleman, he knew when it was time to step back.
Despite parting ways sooner than he’d have liked, Arthur found himself watching her retreating figure for a long time.
“She’s as sharp as Debert in some ways.”
The moment Debert had heard she was alive, he bolted from his tent. When he started talking nonsense like shooting the woman and saying this was his deal, Arthur thought he was going crazy.
There were moments when Debert’s resemblance to the late Duke Cassius was so uncanny that it sent chills down Arthur’s spine. This morning had been one of those times.
Although both men were pillars of the Nexus Empire’s army, everyone knew that Debert was the true leader. Yet, the whispers that reached Arthur’s ears were hard to ignore—grumbling about who the soldiers really trusted, whose abilities they respected more.
And those whispers had reached the Emperor’s ears as well.
After the sudden passing of the former emperor, Arthur’s brother Hoyden had ascended the throne without a solid base of support. It was almost inevitable that his paranoid gaze would eventually turn towards Debert.
Debert, the Duke of Nexus, the commander of the army, was both the Emperor’s greatest ally and his most formidable potential enemy. If Debert’s heart were to stray, it wouldn’t just be Debert himself who wavered.
And this morning, Arthur had a growing suspicion that the cause of that potential wavering was Beth.
“Tiresome. Truly.”
A long sigh escaped Arthur’s lips.
The chill of the wind around him didn’t bother him. He only wished it would blow harder, to sweep away all the uncertainty stirring within him.
* * *
Beth collapsed onto the bed. If she showed her face at the hospital, everyone would surely ask her about the events of the early morning. As drowsiness overtook her, she caught sight of Arthur’s uniform.
How should I return it? It would be better to leave it with Lady Molly rather than meeting him separately to hand it over.
Even if it might be seen as a slight to Lady Molly, Beth thought it was the best option. The idea that she might be worrying about a scandal with a prince was almost laughable, but her nature made it clear—she would rather be made a fool of than be the subject of a scandal.
All she wanted was for life to flow quietly and peacefully.
Beth exhaled softly, fighting off the sleep that threatened to overtake her.
As she removed her nurse’s uniform, still stained from the early morning ordeal, the necklace around her neck contrasted starkly with her ebony hair, glistening with a peculiar radiance.
‘Who gave you that?’
The princess had asked; her voice sharpened, demanding to know the owner of the necklace. Though it was around Beth’s neck, she had spoken with the certainty that it could not possibly belong to Beth.
Is it expensive?
The silly thought crossed her mind, and she chuckled softly to herself.
Of course, it was originally Debert’s necklace, so it was undoubtedly valuable. Though, to her eyes, it didn’t look much different from the trinkets sold by the peddlers who occasionally visited the hospital.
Beth’s faint smile faded as she looked at the necklace again.
Perhaps because of the blood she had spilt in the morning, the key hanging from the necklace was now stained a dark red, making the already old key look even more worn. It was almost miraculous that the chain remained so pristine despite everything.
Lost in thought, Beth finally fastened the buttons on her new nurse’s uniform with a resolute expression.
During those terrifying hours, she had desperately waited for Debert.
And now, she is waiting to meet that man again.
This time… so that we never meet again.
It was time for the necklace to return to its rightful owner. Once hidden beneath her clothes, the necklace was no longer visible.
“Oh my, Beth!”
Beth realised she had completely misjudged the timing the moment she stepped into the hospital lobby.
Usually, Lady Molly would be in her office handling administrative work at this time, so Beth felt safe entering the lobby. But it was as if her poorly laid plans had backfired, for in the lobby stood Lady Molly, Princess Raphnel, Debert, and Arthur.
“Beth, honestly!”
Lady Molly’s exclamation was full of exasperation. It was bad enough that Beth should be resting, but now she was here, standing in the hospital entrance!
Debert was equally astonished by Beth’s sudden appearance. The only ones not surprised were Raphnel and Arthur, who had witnessed her escape from the isolation room.
“The Emperor should see this,” Arthur broke the silence with a sly remark, rubbing his forehead as if to stave off a headache.
Lady Molly’s gaze then fell upon the large, old bag Beth was carrying.
“What’s with the bag?”
Beth’s pale face flushed with embarrassment under the unwelcome scrutiny. It seemed nothing was going her way today.
Fidgeting with the bag’s strap, Beth found herself lost for words.
Meanwhile, Raphnel’s eyes gleamed with interest.
Inside the bag was Arthur’s uniform.
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TRANSLATOR:
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