Shadowless Night

However, the 2nd Prince relieved everyone's worries with his abilities. The beautiful Prince, lying between a young man and a boy, looked at the battlefield with unwavering eyes.

Amid blood drying on the ground and the desolation seen under the thick smoke of burning corpses, the Prince stood as lofty as a tree growing on the battlefield. From time to time, Cecil would still think of that appearance to this day.

For her, who had only seen such a 2nd Prince that once again proved his worth by overcoming a great hurdle, the current Prince was unfamiliar.

[Rosaline.]

The voice calling for his escort knight lying there couldn’t have been more pitiful. There is no war without sacrifice. And Ricardis knew that very well.

[Rosaline, there's a chocolate waterfall running through the dining room. I'm going to dip the banana in chocolate and even roll it in nuts.]

Ricardis acted quite irrationally. He repeated Rosaline’s name over and over again.

[Look, this meat melts softly in your mouth. It looks like the chef's skill is good.]

2nd Prince Ricardis had grown so much and won so many victories that Cecil couldn't even remember exactly what happened during his first battle when he was 16.

[Get up before I eat it all up.]

‘But why does his mind seem more delicate than it was back then? The mind that held together as if he knew nothing about fear, even on the battlefield. Why are you letting it waver like this?’

[Rosaline.]

The 2nd Prince stayed by the side of his escort knight until just before he left for the capital. She did not wake up while the Prince was present, but she was drawn to his voice and occasionally mumbled and drooled. And each time she did, the 2nd Prince sighed in relief and put an unknown, subtle smile on his lips.

***

To catch up with Ricardis, who had started a day earlier, Rosaline packed up the very day she woke up.

“Where are you going when you are still sick?”

Cecil robbed her of her luggage. Rosaline expressed her intentions with a much more determined expression than usual, but there was no chance. No matter how Rosaline said she was okay, Cecil would say, “What do you mean you’re okay?” And if she said it doesn’t hurt at all— “What do you mean it doesn't hurt?!”

Although Rosaline was unaware, Count Fertan Radwiell, Count Cecil Drythorne, and the 2nd Prince Ricardis had imposed this mild confinement. Of course, it did not reflect the wishes of the detained party, but it was necessary for her safety.

She needed a solid wall to protect her until everything finished. Fortunately, a solid wall was nearby. Count Drythorne, Cecil Vista. There was a reason why she was called the Vigilante Slayer or the Mad Dog. There weren’t many people with a swollen liver [E/N: The guts/bravery] that would provoke the Mad Dog.

Count Drythorne accepted their offer. Opportunities to make Count Radwiell and Ricardis indebted to her were rare. As several interests intertwined, Rosaline was forced to remain in Drythorne County for the time being.

However, Rosaline was not aware of this situation. At Cecil's disapproval, Rosaline frowned at her dissatisfaction, but when she read one of the letters Ricardis had left for her in advance…

Well, she continued to frown. She still looked dissatisfied. Seeing her expression, Cecil hurriedly passed the news that Calyx was coming to Vista. After a while, Cecil said he would arrive soon. Being somewhat convinced, Rosaline let go of the escape attempt she was secretly preparing.

***

Cecil was busy with the battle between the delegation and the Black Moon. She had to write a report to send to the Imperial family, and it's also necessary to closely observe whether the movements of the Black Moon changed due to this battle. Cecil said she would protect Rosaline, but she wasn't in a situation where she could meticulously take care of Rosaline. She only received occasional reports of her from the people below.

And the report Cecil had just received included that Rosaline was dying of boredom day by day because of the doctor's orders that she needed absolute rest for the time being. There is no sense in neglecting both her patient and guest for too long, so Cecil reflected and stood up from her seat to see Rosaline's face after a long time and chat.

As soon as she entered her room, Cecil doubted her eyes… and decided that she should let Rosaline look around the market for a bit. How bored must she feel to play chess with an eagle…

With a pathetic expression on her face, Rosaline said, “Ha, just give up.” 

But the eagle, as if prepared, solemnly bit the bishop and smashed Rosaline’s king with a blunt force. Rosaline groaned in misery and served the last remaining cookie into the eagle’s mouth.

As a result, Rosaline could now walk around the market and look around. The Count said she would assign some people to her, but she refused. As she left the castle, Cecil's confused eyes followed her to the end.

It was a warm sunny day, and a gentle breeze blew. Rosaline noticed that she had been treated like a madman because she played chess with Macaron, but she didn't care. Thanks to that, she could leave the castle. Maybe the Count was more worried about how she lost the game to Macaron, but it was a good day anyway. Macaron, who had transformed into a mouse, was in her pouch. She tickled her nose and sniffed the sunshine.

After Rosaline became ‘Rosaline’, she lived almost exclusively inside a castle. The Radwiell Castle, the Imperial Palace of Illavenia, Balta's Palace, and the present-day Drythorne Castle. In the beginning, she was busy learning the ways of human life, and since then, she has not had time to leave because of her duties.

Leaving behind the quiet places where you could only hear the occasional sound of the wind and where everything was systematically arranged and felt even monotonous, Rosaline could not take her eyes off the newly unfolding scene.

Children ran around, and the mercenaries were exercising. It was noisy with the sound of people bargaining, and a delicious smell spread. When she saw the chaotic streets where nobody controlled the colors and the cut of her clothes and her walk one by one, her heart began to soar.

Her dark hair fluttered as she moved around in a hurry. Scattered gazes began to gather towards her dark hair.

“The Radwiell’s…”

“That’s His Highness the 2nd Prince’s…”

The bustling streets where people came and went began to get even busier. The story of Rosaline Radwiell being a demon had already spread to the capital, not to mention this is Vista of Drythorne County, where Rosaline recuperated. People could immediately recognize Rosaline based on her description.

Black hair and green eyes. Taller than the average height of an Illavenian woman. How could they not recognize her as she had all the elements?

“You can’t do that, Macaron.”

The rumored woman began to mutter to herself while lowering her gaze slightly. The men passing by Rosaline trembled in surprise. Rosaline didn't care, even as passersby looked at her suspiciously. The first thing she did was calm Macaron, who had become sensitive to the gazes.

The little mouse squeaked violently in the pouch. Rosaline asked whether this was the first time it saw a man with two eyes, two ears, a nose, and a mouth.

"You can't."

As the self-talk continued naturally, everyone took a few steps away from her. They say she was recuperating. So, it was her head, not her body? Even the fact that she’s a demon is embarrassing enough, but now she’s even slightly ill! They didn’t want to get involved with her at all.

“Calyx said that if you hurt someone who doesn’t carry a weapon, you will go to a scary place.”

Her voice was gentle as if telling a child a story, but the problem was that the content was bloody. The rugged men who filled the market street were sweating profusely and shoved themselves into the corner as much as possible.

“Ah, Calyx?”

She murmured as she looked down at the pouch that hung around her neck and swayed from her chest.

“It’s my brother. He’s nice and pretty.”

Rosaline stopped in front of a shop full of fruits as she looked down the street. The red apple looked luscious. A roar echoed from her stomach.

‘Oh, come to think of it. It’s been a while since I ate. About one… oh, two hours!’

Looking around the street made her forget that she was hungry.

“Hello.”

Rosaline greeted the owner of the shop.

“W- Welcome. I- I- It’s a beautiful day.”

In fact, he did not even have the strength to notice whether the weather was good, but the spirit of a merchant, which accumulated over the years, responded first. Rosaline asked politely, pointing to the stack of apples.

“Can I eat this apple?”

[You must not touch other people's things. Please ask permission.]

Rosaline did not forget Calyx's teachings.