The fact that she was a mage didn’t matter. The day they publicly announced that his senior knight, Rosaline, was a mage, Eberhard was as excited as he is now and said, ‘That’s awesome!’ Then, Leticia hit him, saying he had to use classier words and actions… Public opinion of Rosaline Radwiell changed every few months: first, she resurrected from the dead as an incompetent knight, and now she is considered the god of the battlefield.
The fact that she was someone with magic could have been problematic, but the sight of the other knights and nobles pointing fingers at her was enough to unite the Knights of the White Night. Something boiled inside everyone.
‘As long as the knight is loyal and fights well, why does it matter whether they’re a demon or not! How are there people like you guys still prejudiced against others? What era are you from?’
The Knights of the White Night united under one accord and rushed to get her inside their defense. ‘If you curse, we’ll curse you back. Why are you cursing our Knights of the White Night!’
With shining eyes, the Knights of the White Night, usually always polite and noble, vigorously searched for prey and naysayers. Even if someone only spoke the ‘Ro’ from Rosaline, knights in white uniforms would come out of nowhere.
Most parties could no longer curse her because the target was the escort knight of the White Night under the direct control of the 2nd Prince, whose status became elevated by the Balta mission. ‘What’s the problem with her being a demon? The 2nd Prince has accepted her, so there’s nothing more to be said.’ Even though everyone was a little apprehensive, they didn’t take issue with her magic.
In addition, Rosaline had helped both the lesser and senior knights who fought by her side. The fact that the 2nd Prince, who had little chance of surviving, returned alive was proof of that. The 2nd Prince could have suffered much more if it hadn’t been for Rosaline.
Those who knew Rosaline and received her help directly responded that it was true. ‘She survived Fragment poisoning. She must be someone with magic herself.’ From the faces of the senior knights who nodded their heads, one could read the hidden, ‘Thank Idelavhim.’ It was such a relief.
Leticia and Eberhard began to clear the pools of water around the hallway. From afar through the window, they could see men in white uniforms hurriedly running with flushed faces. The fact that Rosaline had arrived must have reached the training grounds.
The two worked diligently. By the time Leticia and Eberhard heard a commotion from the nearby stairs, they’d already tidied everything. Sunlight poured down the hallway, which had not yet dried.
***
“Calyx Radwiell sees His Highness, the 2nd Prince, Laurel of the Snowfield. Blessings of Illavania that calls upon the white night.”
“Blessings of Illavenia onto you. Long time no see, Young Lord Calyx. Please sit down.”
Calyx sat right across from Ricardis, with Isserion sitting between them at the table. Even when he shouldn’t have looked around, Calyx’s eyes wandered on their own. Ricardis’s office was not the place for Calyx, the successor of the Radwiell name, to set foot.
“You came faster than I expected. I thought you would arrive later this week. Isn’t it hard on the body?”
Calyx noticed that the one the Prince worried about was his sister. In front of a person who looked sick to anyone, he casually asked such a question. The Prince and himself were not close enough to casually ask about each other’s health as a greeting.
“Our health has recovered a lot.”
“What do you mean it has ‘recovered a lot’? Do you mean there’s still some pain left?”
“…Let me correct my words. She’s perfectly healthy.”
“How about her appetite?”
‘What are you asking… this Prince? Why are you asking about the appetite of someone else’s sister…?’ Calyx did not hide his bafflement. Even though he noticed Calyx’s expression, Ricardis nodded his head with a bold face, urging him to answer.
“The chefs at every restaurant we visited praised her.”
Ricardis nodded as if satisfied. The movement was similar to the previous one, but the meaning was different.
“One should eat well when they are sick.”
“That… is right…”
Ricardis probably didn’t call him to ask these things, but still, the Prince inquired about them with a serious attitude. First Count Drythorne and now the Prince: these two extremely prickly people showed a pudding-soft attitude. It was strange but not incomprehensible.
“Does Sir Rosaline prefer beef or pork?”
But obviously, this question was totally incomprehensible. However, the Prince still had the grave expression on his face, so Calyx couldn’t just laugh it off. ‘By Idelavhim, why am I with 2nd Prince Ricardis in his office having a question-and-answer session regarding my sister’s eating habits?’ Suddenly, a sense of skepticism washed over him.
As Calyx remained silent for a long time, Chief Secretary Isserion, sitting closer to Ricardis, gave a stinging glare.
‘Eh-hem!’ While clearing his throat, Isserion even moved to poke Calyx’s side.
Calyx gave up, and he intently thought back to the past to determine whether his sister was a beef or a pork lover.
“She likes beef for roasting, but she also likes pork when it’s well-seasoned. But as long as it’s meat, she tends to eat it well.”
“Does she prefer meat to fish?”
“She likes eating fish, too. She finds the bones annoying, so it’ll be fine if it’s fillet cut. She also prefers it soft and lightly seasoned rather than salty and chewy.”
“Does she prefer quality over quantity? Or the other way around?”
“Mostly quantity. But you have to give it some quality now because Sister’s tastes have become more luxurious recently.”
Isserion moved the quill with a studious expression. Calyx glanced at what he wrote on the paper: Isserion had neatly arranged the strange and useless information Calyx had just spouted. It was as if he was writing down the key results of a meeting with a diligent expression.
“Between chocolate and whipped cream, which one does she like?”
“She prefers fresh cream.”
“I understand,” Isserion chimed in response to Calyx’s words.
‘What the hell am I doing…?’ When tiredness began to appear on Calyx’s face…
“So, what about her?”
“Pardon?”
Ricardis glanced at Rosaline’s diet report that Isserion had given him and opened his mouth again.
“What does your sister like best?”
When Calyx entered the office, he had a fence and shield around his heart. A fence painstakingly built to block any attack still had a gap opened wide by Ricardis’ strange question.
“She often ate chocolate cake… together with our Setistia.”
Calyx couldn’t hide his emotions, and his face contorted. There was no reason to reflect now on what Ricardis had said.
“I don’t know if she liked it or if she tailored her tastes to Setistia’s.”
Calyx stared at him. He knew that Ricardis had worked day and night for his sister. However, that fact was not completely reliable. If he were in the 2nd Prince’s position, he would be able to make some sacrifices for his personal gain. ‘Mage Rosaline’ is a handy card to hold in Illavenia right now. If his efforts were just a process to get a mere tool…
Thoughts roughly clashed beneath Calyx’s stony expression.
Ricardis watched Calyx silently, picked up the quill, and wrote ‘Lemon Balm Marinade’ under ‘Beef’. Calyx’s hard face cracked.
‘What are you writing now…?’
How crazy…
“She’s been with me for seven years.”
“…”
Ricardis ran his thumb over the bones of his brow and let out a sentence. Calyx sighed inwardly.
‘Ah. Such a look…’
It wasn’t a face worth showing to a child of Radwiell, who was incompatible with him. But Ricardis had broken down his own fence, revealing some of what he felt inside.
Calyx wanted to drag Ricardis and show him his sister, who should happily be somewhere. At the very least, Calyx wanted to draw a picture of Ricardis and keep it for her. Wouldn’t his sister be happy? A drawing of the person who had permeated his sister’s entire life and whose life his sister had permeated.
Calyx groaned: he wasn’t sure why, but he felt a little happy. Calyx began to stutter. He was a little embarrassed because no matter who heard it, one could tell his voice radiated joy.
“She liked the combination of bitter black tea with sweet or savory cookies. She must have loved the chocolate cake too.”
“That is good. Tia thinks others will like what she likes, so I was afraid she had forced her to eat it.”
Ricardis laughed with a whistling sound. He had a knack for making Princess Setistia felt like a living person, inspiring strange emotions in others.
***
The conversation was cut off for a while due to a guest visiting Ricardis’s office. They were also an acquaintance of Calyx’s: Chloe Golgarten, the eldest daughter of Viscount Golgarten and Raymond Cimmaron’s fiance.
Calyx bowed lightly. Chloe also slightly dipped her head. She roughly handed over a bunch of paperwork to Ricardis and said right away that she was going to see Raymond.
“I’m someone who knows how busy you are.”
Then she disappeared without giving them a chance to reply.
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