Chapter 31
Chapter 31
Rosalyn looked at Theodor in surprise as he grabbed her wrist as his eyes continued to gaze straight into hers. In her line of sight were Theodor’s delicate, crimson lips.
The moment she saw them, memories came rushing back when she had performed CPR on him at the pond to save his life, and of that kiss they shared in the Grand Banquet Hall just before his ultimate awakening.
A flush of heat surged across her face.
‘Stop thinking about it…’
But her eyes couldn’t tear away from his lips.
No matter how hard she tried, her gaze kept drifting there. Then those red lips slowly parted, his voice soft and low.
“…O…”
“…Pardon?”
“…Call me Theo. Not ‘Your Highness.’”
That strange feeling overtook her again. There was no force in his voice, none at all. And yet, she felt powerless to resist. As if entranced, she opened her lips and whispered unconsciously.
“…Theo…”
Theodor flinched.
The reaction was like a jolt of electricity. Heat radiated from his hand, still wrapped around her wrist. Then, suddenly, he released her and spoke.
“From now on, call me that. That’s an order.”
With that, Theodor quietly turned and left the room. Utterly bewildered what he had just said, Rosalyn stared at his back.
A trainee mage calling the Imperial Prince by a nickname?
It was unthinkable. Yet, she couldn’t very well refuse a direct order from a prince.
‘What am I supposed to do now…?’
After some deliberation, Rosalyn settled on a compromise: She would call him ‘Lord Theo.’
It sounded awkward, some odd mix of nickname and formal title but it was the best she could do. With a quiet sigh, she collapsed onto the soft bed.
***
The next morning.
After a brief morning workout with Rosalyn, Theodor headed straight for the Imperial Palace. His schedule had become even more packed, now that he had to observe the emperor’s affairs and undergo various lessons.
But every time she said ‘Lord Theo,’ a faint smile crept onto his lips.
After they parted ways, Rosalyn made her way to the garden entrance, where she had arranged to meet with the palace staff. When she arrived, Anton and five servants were already gathered.
“Mr. Tony!”
“Good morning, ma’am.”
Among them were both young and older servants, but all of them shared one thing in common, their poor posture and slouched shoulders. Rosalyn began gently guiding them through basic stretching exercises, taking things step by step. But aside from Anton, groans quickly erupted from the group.
“Agh… aghhh…”
“Ow!”
“Guh!”
Anton clicked his tongue as he watched.
“Tsk tsk, look how stiff they are…”
“You were just as stiff when we first started, Mr. Tony.”
Rosalyn teased him lightly, and Anton, slightly embarrassed, quietly resumed doing his bird-dog exercises in the corner. By now, he could handle three full sets with ease, he’d become quite the expert.
Rosalyn continued with light strength training and basic stretches, finishing by giving each of the staff members a quick mana massage to relieve muscle tension.
“My pain’s gone! It’s a miracle!”
“Thank you so much, ma’am!”
The staff now looked at Rosalyn as if she were a saint.
“Same time tomorrow, let’s meet here again.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
“And don’t forget to maintain proper posture throughout the day!”
Word of Rosalyn’s class quickly spread among the palace staff. Then a few days later,
“Excuse me, just a moment…”
Rosalyn blinked in disbelief at the sight before her. Over thirty staff members had gathered in the garden like a cloud of people packed shoulder to shoulder.
“We came after hearing about your miracles, ma’am!”
“Please heal my pain too!”
She hadn’t expected such a crowd. It was overwhelming, yet how could she turn away people who genuinely wanted to exercise?
So, she began the session.
But trouble arose as soon as they started stretching.
“Could you scoot over a bit?”
“There’s no room! The flowerbed’s in the way…”
“Stop pushing from behind!”
“It’s not my fault! That giant tree’s blocking the view, I can’t see the instructor!”
With more than thirty people trying to stretch and move, space became an urgent issue. The garden, adorned with flowers and trees, had been fine when it was just five of them but now it was far too cramped.
At this rate, a proper lesson would be impossible.
Rosalyn furrowed her brows, thinking.
‘What should I do?’
They needed an open space like a gymnasium or training ground. Did such a place exist in the palace?
Then it struck her in a certain place.
The military training grounds is where she’d wandered into by accident just a few days ago. A vast field where dozens of soldiers could train with wooden swords.
That would be perfect for group workouts.
She turned to Anton.
“Mr. Tony, do you think we could borrow the Imperial Army’s training grounds?”
“The military grounds? Hmm… I’m not sure. That facility’s under military jurisdiction. I think you’d need permission from the captain of the Royal Guard, Sir Aiden Hailey.”
When she heard the name Aiden Hailey, her eyes lit up. He was no longer a general, rather, he was now the commander of the Royal Guard. This was the perfect opportunity to approach him. And she already had a strategy to persuade him. If the original story was accurate and he hadn’t turned dark yet…
Rosalyn gave a sly smile and said,
“I’ll try asking him myself. Where can I find Sir Aiden Hailey?”
“He should be in the military office here at the palace.”
“Got it. I’ll head over now.”
With light steps, Rosalyn made her way toward the building housing the Imperial military’s offices.
***
Aiden sat at his desk in the Imperial military office, working through a mountain of paperwork. Because his father, the general, had fallen ill, Aiden was now handling his father’s duties in addition to his own.
Though the old general was still bedridden and trying to work, Aiden had taken over most of the manageable tasks. After all, one day he would inherit everything. This was part of his preparation.
He opened a message that had arrived that morning from the eastern Imperial Army unit. So far, there were no signs of monster activity. But had monsters really appeared?
Rumors of monsters had begun to spread through the east and even the capital, but Aiden dismissed them as mere gossip.
And yet, he couldn’t forget what Prince Theodor had said during their briefing with the emperor just days ago:
[“I was attacked by monsters on my way to the palace.”]
His voice had been calm, but his words rang with certainty. That was Aiden’s first time seeing Theodor in person. Until then, he had only heard about him through his father.
Unlike the other nobles, his father had always spoken of Theodor with sympathy.
“That poor prince was sacrificed to a divine prophecy. The emperor believed in it blindly and that’s why he resents the child so.”
Aiden didn’t know exactly what that prophecy had said. But he believed any divine message must hold truth.
His father, having experienced multiple bloody wars, was a firm atheist and often said that if Aiden ever stepped onto a real battlefield, he would lose his faith too. But Aiden remained devout.
The Theodor he’d seen in person didn’t seem pitiful at all. He was calm, sharp and completely unlike his father’s descriptions. Even if he had awakened, the change was too drastic. Years of abuse and isolation wouldn’t just vanish overnight.
And his previously frail body? It was like a lie as he seemed strong and healthy now.
‘Could it be the rumored awakening instructor?’
According to gossip, the prince cherished the one who awakened him. Some even said he took a slap from the emperor to protect her. Though Aiden had missed the birthday banquet, that tale had spread quickly among the nobles.
Everyone knew Theodor had been a loner ever since the empress died. But to protect someone with such intensity… Just who was this instructor?
A truly precious person, perhaps?
Would Aiden ever find someone that precious to him?
Now that he was of age, many marriage offers had come, especially after his father’s health declined—but none of the noble ladies interested him.
To him, they all seemed frivolous and lacking in faith.
They claimed to believe in God, attending prayer meetings on weekends, but it was more about appearances than true piety. They were too delicate. Even minor exertion made them swoon. Aside from dancing, they barely moved. Beautiful like porcelain dolls, yes, but lifeless.
He would rather live alone in service to the Empire and God, sharpening his sword with devotion.
Then, suddenly, the image of the brown-haired woman scaling a two-meter wall entered his mind again.
He imagined her climbing it by sheer physical strength, then leaping down with her own power. The thought alone filled him with a sense of vitality.
Knock knock.
“What is it?”
A voice came from outside the door.
“Someone is here to see you, sir. She says she’s Prince Theodor’s exercise instructor.”
… Physical instructor?
He’d heard of tutors for etiquette, academics, and martial arts but exercise? Puzzled, Aiden said,
“…Let her in.”
The door opened and the face that appeared was unmistakable.
The very woman he had been imagining just moments ago appeared right in front of him, “You… How are you here…?”
Unlike his startled reaction, Rosalyn answered with a calm voice.
“Sir Aiden Hailey, Commander of the Royal Guard. I’m Rosalyn. I’ve come to ask you for a favor.”
“… What is it?”
Looking him in the eye, she asked as politely as possible,
“Would it be possible to borrow the military training grounds in the mornings? Even just once a week would be enough.”
The unexpected request made Aiden frown slightly.
“…Why the military training grounds?”
“I’m trying to help the palace staff get some exercise but there’s just not enough space.”
“You’re training servants? Like the soldiers train?”
“Yes.”
“… Why?”
Rosalyn simply tilted her head and smiled.
“Do you really need a reason to want to be healthy?”
Aiden had no response to that. But the training grounds belonged to the military so they couldn’t be handed out so freely.
“Still…”
At that moment, Rosalyn stepped closer, speaking gently.
“Please. I’ll consider it a blessing from the divine.”
The moment she mentioned God, Aiden’s clear eyes wavered. Rosalyn remembered well from the original story that Aiden’s faith was deeply rooted. Despite being the Empire’s greatest warrior, his reverence for God was unwavering.
A crucifix and rosary sat neatly arranged on his desk were signs of his devotion.
‘That’s what made his later transformation into the cursed berserker all the more tragic.’
Sensing his reaction, Rosalyn closed her eyes, clasped her hands, and spoke in a soft, saintly tone, channeling a nun’s grace.
“Surely the Lord wishes for you to bless the servants of the palace. We are all His children, living under His grace.”
Aiden stared at her in silence, visibly moved. But he still said nothing, resulting in awkward stillness hanging between them.
‘…Did it work?’
TN: Guys, can you tell me if this is a harem-story? Haha, I feel like it is… 😦
