Captain! Where is the Battlefield?

In order to follow Venick amidst the chaos, Rosalie signaled to Bianca. Bianca understood the meaning at once and deliberately clapped her hands, drawing everyone’s attention to herself.

  “Sister is really amazing. Come to think of it, do you think she has any other jewelry sets besides the necklace she’s wearing? Has it been auctioned off?”

  The atmosphere seemed to shift as Bianca smoothly changed the subject. Rosalie seized the opportunity to leave the room before all the attention returned to her. Sonia, who had been observing Rosalie, quietly stood up from her chair as well.

  Once outside the room, Rosalie walked down the corridor and soon spotted Venick, who hadn’t gone far yet.

  “Sir Venick.”

  At Rosalie’s call, Venick turned back with a confused look on his face.

  “I apologize for speaking out of turn…”

  “Was it an order from His Highness?”

  Venick hesitated for a moment before nodding. He had readily accepted Derivis’s and his sister’s request. He knew that the rumors were tarnishing the honor of the Imperial Knights and, as their leader, he felt the need to correct it.

  “It was a sudden order, so I couldn’t inform you in time.”

  “No, it’s okay. Thank you for your cooperation. If you want something, I’ll give you a reward.”

  “That won’t be necessary. It was the truth… and there’s something I heard from His Highness.”

  Pausing for a moment and glancing around to ensure there was no one nearby, Venick lowered his voice and continued.

  “The Duchess covered up my younger sister’s mistake. Not only that, but you are also setting an example for my immature sister. I think that compensation is enough.”

  “…Bianca approached me first, so I’m glad I became an example. If you have anything to ask me later, please don’t hesitate to tell me.”

  Rosalie, Venick realized, was as upright as her gaze. Glad to have her by the side of the somewhat unsteady Derivis, he bowed politely and turned to leave.

  ‘His Highness must’ve wanted to make sure that this never happens again. And somehow, he seemed to care about the Duchess’s reputation…’

  Rosalie fiddled with the necklace around her neck. It was as if he had always gone before her and laid the groundwork for the path she wanted to take with all his might. It felt like he was making sure that she could go even further.

  “Rosalie.”

  “I didn’t expect to see you in this salon.”

  When she turned around upon hearing the voice behind her, she saw Sonia, who looked somewhat anxious.

  “Lady Bright invited me.”

  Bianca had even invited Sonia out of her petty desire to show off her friendship with Rosalie. Sonia smiled softly and opened her mouth.

  “I’m sorry to hear such rumors. I was worried, but I’m glad it’s been resolved.”

  “Worried… that’s right. Someone foolishly jeopardized Derivis’s position because of this incident.”

  “What are you talking about…?”

  “If the rumor became a fact among the nobles, Derivis would have become a disgraced Crown Prince. There would also be suspicions about him receiving a bribe from me.”

  Sonia’s eyes trembled unexpectedly, as if it was something she hadn’t expected. Rosalie felt her conviction grow.

  ‘A noble who holds a grudge against me and has a confirmed friendship with me to lend credibility to a ridiculous rumor, and someone who is influential in society. Add to that the unsettled expression she’s had since earlier… the rest falls into place.’

  Sonia regained her composure, feeling like a sinner under Rosalie’s cold gaze. Most importantly, she was concerned by the name that naturally slipped out of Rosalie’s lips.

  “…Derivis?”

  “That’s not the point. What’s important is that this meaningless incident endangered Derivis’s position.”

  Sonia lowered her head deeply at the icy words. Her expression was not visible, but Rosalie made a ‘tsk’ sound.

  “My reputation will be even better now. I don’t know who spread these baseless rumors, but I should at least thank them.”

  Rosalie ended her words and calmly walked away. Sonia clenched her fists without raising her head. Eventually, when Rosalie had completely left, she had squeezed too hard and a drop of blood fell from her fingertips where her nails had left a mark.

  ⊱⊱⊱────── {.⋅ ✧✧✧ ⋅.} ──────⊰⊰⊰

  A few days later, Rosalie mumbled as she looked at the stack of letters piled up in her office.

  “Another day filled with these.”

  Rosalie had ignored all of the letters that had poured into the mansion since the salon. All of them asked her to come to a social party or gathering, and she had no desire to attend any more of them after the incident at Bianca’s salon.  

  “It seems like you’ve become a famous figure in society, Your Grace.”

  As Martin entered the office with a happy expression and a few letters in hand, Rosalie let out a small sigh. Things had gotten bigger than she’d expected, and she gained too much attention.

  However, thanks to Derivis, rumors had spread that the Duchess had saved the Empire from crisis, causing her reputation and honor to skyrocket.

  “I’ll bring some tea to help relieve your fatigue if you plan to work late again today.”

  As a result, the people of the Duchy were even more proud to be part of Judeheart. The smiles on Martin, Emma, and the other servants’ faces were proof of that.

  “No, I plan to go out for a while today.”

  Rosalie went up to her room and changed into comfortable clothes. She debated whether or not to call Nathan but decided against it, thinking that he might still be enjoying his macarons.

  Martin had brought enough macarons to fill his room, so Nathan was busy.

  The place Rosalie headed to was the wall that Derivis was jumping over. She wondered how long she had to wait, but Derivis fortunately jumped over the wall pretty quickly.

  “Rosalie? What are you doing here?”

  Derivis, who had jumped over the wall, looked at Rosalie with wide eyes. Rosalie laughed at his surprised expression.

  After a moment of hesitation, Derivis approached Rosalie. He then scanned his eyes up and down her body.

  “Is there something wrong?”

  “…No.”

  “Or did you have a deal you wanted to make?”

  “…No, there isn’t.”

  Rosalie felt a twinge of guilt in her heart when Derivis responded with a puzzled look. She looked at his face and spoke.

  “You always come to visit me, so I thought I’d come and visit you, too.”

  Derivis was silent for a moment. Then, he smiled calmly with his usual laid-back demeanor.

  “It’s nothing serious, fortunately.”

  As she thought, Rosalie found Derivis’s natural smile far more charming than the mischievous one he wore during his pranks. There was something about the corners of his mouth that made him look slightly more handsome.

  “I think your smile is beautiful.”

  Derivis’s eyes widened at the sudden compliment. His reactions seemed particularly fresh today, and Rosalie smiled again.

  “By the way, where were you going?”

  “Ah… it’s a place I often go to at night.”

  “Hmm, do you mind if I go with you?”

  “Sure, let’s go together.”

  The place Rosalie and Derivis headed to wasn’t far from the wall—it was the clock tower. The clock had been unused for a long time, and there weren’t many people around.

  He skillfully opened the locked door of the clock tower and went inside. There were a few dim lights and circular stairs along the narrow tower wall.

  “It’s dark on the stairs, so hold my hand.”

  Derivis extended his hand to Rosalie as he led the way. She took it, and they climbed up together.

  ‘His hands are big. It must be easy for him to comfortably wield a sword.’

  Rosalie had such thoughts as she looked at his hand. By the time she felt a little breathless, they had reached the top of the clock tower.

  Rosalie admired the night view of the capital city from the top of the clock tower. Derivis smiled slightly at the sight and leaned against the waist-high railing.

  “The night view is pretty.”

  “You said earlier that my smile was beautiful, right?”

  Rosalie slowly nodded in response to his words. She was about to say something in return, but Derivis was quicker.

  “You are even more beautiful.”

  Just then, the wind blew, and Rosalie’s hair fluttered. It was the same with Derivis’s. She paused for a moment and turned her head, pretending to tidy her hair up. She hadn’t been drinking, but she felt her face heat up.

  “…I heard something from Sir Venick.”

  “About what?”

  “Were you doing it for me?”

  Only after a weak breeze swept past them both that Derivis opened his mouth to answer.

  “While preparing for the territory war, I saw your knights, who were fully engrossed in training, and you, who was tirelessly preparing day and night. How could anyone dare to ridicule that process?”

  “…Thank you for caring.”

  Though not visible, the knights in the territory would undoubtedly be proud of belonging to the Duchy of Judeheart’s Knights. Aaron might even be secretly shedding tears of joy, as he was reviving the honor and pride of the once-forgotten knights.

  “Come here.”

  Derivis leaned over the railing and gestured to Rosalie, and she obediently walked over to him. He extended his index finger and pointed into the distance.

  “Look, your mansion can be seen very faintly over there.”

  “Yes, I can see it.”

  Rosalie knew that the palace wasn’t exactly Derivis’ favorite place. Because of the novel, she also knew that he enjoyed coming here, looking down at the capital, and finding solace away from the stuffy palace.

  “Sometimes, I look at your mansion from here and wonder what you’re doing.”

  “If you’re curious, you can come and visit. I’ll just pretend not to see you if you’re lazing around.”

  Derivis chuckled softly at her words. Rosalie laughed with him and pointed to a spot among the night scenery.

  “Bianca said that place serves delicious tea.”

  “Ah, it was just so-so.”

  “Have you tried it?”

  “I was curious, but it was just too sweet. I would have given it all to Nathan if he was there.”

  Derivis’s matter-of-fact comment made Rosalie laugh again. The two of them continued their conversation for quite some time, pointing out places they knew while gazing at the night scenery of the capital.