Chapter 32
Chapter 32
He said nothing, continuing to stare at Rosalyn in silence. His piercing blue eyes were sharp, and Rosalyn began to grow slightly anxious.
‘Why isn’t he saying anything?’
Just then, Aiden slowly parted his lips.
“Miss Rosalyn, do you truly have such deep faith? Or is it just because you’re in front of me?”
“…!”
His tone was sharp. Aiden suspected that she might be using her so-called faith to get what she wanted from him. As expected, he wasn’t someone who could be swayed easily.
‘He didn’t become the Empire’s youngest general candidate for nothing.’
His blue eyes urged her to answer. But Rosalyn remained composed and replied calmly.
“What do you think?”
“I wouldn’t presume to know. Then may I ask you one question?”
“What is it?”
Aiden looked at her with the utmost seriousness and asked,
“Do you truly, sincerely believe in God?”
It was a question he always asked those who tried to gain his favor under the guise of piety. For those unprepared, such a question always revealed something, whether in their tone, the way their words dragged on, or in subtle bodily reactions.
Since childhood, he had trained himself to observe such cues, filtering out those who approached him with ulterior motives.
He now looked at her sharply through his icy blue eyes.
Meanwhile, Rosalyn was caught off guard.
‘Does he mean it if I genuinely believe in God?’
In truth, Rosalyn had no religion.
She opened her mouth to instinctively say yes but closed it again. Aiden’s piercing gaze remained locked on her. If she lied, he would see right through her.
Rosalyn steadied herself and took a moment to think.
Then, slowly, she spoke.
“To be honest… I’m not sure. But…”
“…?”
Aiden raised an eyebrow, but Rosalyn continued.
“… There are trials in life that are completely out of my control. Rather than resent them, I believe I should accept them and do what I can, living as earnestly as possible.”
In life, there are moments of despair that defy logic, like how she, once living a normal life, suddenly found herself inside a novel, possessed by a minor character. In such moments, the only thing she could do was calmly accept reality and find ways to move forward. That was how she had survived in this world.
Her belief had been forged through lived experience.
The moment she finished speaking, Aiden’s eyes wavered slightly. His lips parted unconsciously, understanding her completely.
He too had chosen not to curse God when faced with hardships, instead focusing quietly on martial discipline. That, to him, was true faith.
At times, he had felt the urge to resent God, but he had always held himself firm and that had brought him peace.
Just like the calm strength in her voice now. That was true faith. And not just faith but one that was deeply grounded.
He felt ashamed for having doubted and tested her.
Aiden lowered his head and offered a sincere apology in a respectful tone.
“My apologies. Please forgive me for doubting you, even for a moment.”
He truly meant it.
Rosalyn looked at him and let out a quiet sigh of relief inwardly.
‘That did it.’
She had only spoken honestly from her heart, yet his reaction was better than expected. To think he’d even apologize so formally. She couldn’t help but wonder, what kind of curse had driven such a decent man to madness during the monster subjugation?
If possible, she hoped he would side with her and Theodor.
Then Aiden, in a much gentler voice, said,
“I’ll allow you to use the training grounds. I’d like to borrow it daily, but we also have morning drills. Three times a week should be possible.”
Rosalyn’s face lit up.
“That’s more than enough! Thank you so much!”
“Not at all. By the way, you’re Prince Theodor’s physical instructor?”
“Yes. I was originally his Awakening instructor, but since His Highness has now Awakened, that’s no longer the case.”
Aiden’s eyes widened at her response. She was the teacher the prince had protected?
Rosalyn noticed his surprise and asked,
“Is something wrong?”
“… No, it’s nothing. But… a physical instructor? That’s a first.”
“I teach them how to move their bodies. Think of it like training for physical endurance.”
“And someone like you does that?”
Aiden’s eyes widened again.
There was no malice or mockery in his question, just pure surprise. In the Empire, martial training was reserved for military men. Female martial instructors simply didn’t exist.
But Rosalyn smiled brightly and replied,
“It’s something I’m good at and truly passionate about. Perhaps it’s God’s will.”
Aiden could only stare at her in a daze.
“In any case, thank you very much for lending me the training grounds!”
She bowed deeply and exited with light steps. Aiden remained standing there, still dazed, watching her leave. Her retreating figure radiated more life and vitality than any woman he had ever seen.
***
“You seem to be in good spirits. Did something happen?”
The next morning, as Rosalyn hummed while jogging, Theodor asked while she was humming excitedly.
“I secured a proper place to train the servants! Starting today, we can hold real classes.”
“Where?”
“The military training grounds.”
“The army wouldn’t have agreed so easily.”
Typically, the Imperial military didn’t open its facilities to civilians.
Theodor looked at her with mild disbelief. Rosalyn answered brightly.
“Sir Aiden allowed it!”
Aiden Hailey?
The moment his name left her lips, Theodor’s gaze faltered slightly. He recalled Aiden’s confident composure as he skillfully persuaded the ministers during observation duty.
“That stiff-necked man?”
“Oh, Your Highness knows Sir Aiden?” When Theodor nodded, Rosalyn asked, “Do you happen to be close with him?”
Annoyed for reasons he couldn’t explain perhaps because she kept bringing up Aiden, Theodor answered curtly.
“No.”
Then Rosalyn suggested innocently,
“Why not try getting close? He seems like a good person with strong faith. You’re around the same age so it’d be nice to become friends.”
Of course, she said this for their safety. If the uncorrupted Aiden stood on their side, he’d be a reliable ally.
But Theodor didn’t like how she kept praising Aiden and urging them to become friends.
“…”
Aiden’s image from the banquet hall floated back into his mind. He has golden hair, and has handsome features other than that. Humble yet strong. Like a crown prince even more perfect than himself, especially those intense blue eyes.
He thought of those righteous eyes and then glanced sideways at Rosalyn, who was running beside him. A strange sensation surged within his chest.
To suppress it, he clenched his jaw and sprinted ahead.
“Your Highness! Slow down!”
Rosalyn called out behind him, but he ignored her and kept running. She watched him, puzzled.
‘What’s with him all of a sudden? He won’t last long running like that.’
As she predicted, Theodor soon slowed, gasping for air. But something seemed off.
“Cough! Cough!”
He began to cough roughly. Had he overexerted himself? Since taking the elixir, he hadn’t coughed like this.
Rosalyn approached, worried.
“Your Highness, take a deep breath and ease back into it…”
“Cough! I’m done. I’m going back.”
“Pardon?”
There was still plenty of training time left, but Theodor turned and left without another word.
“Your Highness!”
She called after him several times, but he ignored her and returned to the palace.
What’s wrong with him?
Rosalyn couldn’t understand Theodor’s behavior.
‘More importantly… what do I do now?’
There was still time before the session with the servants at the training ground. She wandered aimlessly through the garden and ended up near the annex. From inside the annex’s front hall came a commotion.
When she peeked inside, she saw several servants bustling about. Among them was Anton.
“Tony!”
“Miss.”
Anton was carrying a tray full of teacups and dishes, with beautifully crafted desserts emitting a sweet aroma.
Rosalyn approached him, wide-eyed.
“Wow! Tony, what is all this?”
“The Empress is hosting a tea party in the garden this afternoon.”
“Again?”
“Yes, she’s been holding them more frequently lately.”
“… I see.”
Rosalyn quietly looked down at the tray.
The Empress’s tea party.
On the surface, it was a modest social gathering where noble ladies enjoyed tea and sweets.
‘At least that’s the official story.’
In truth, it was more of a strategic meeting to rally the support of noble families. Since Theodor’s Awakening and ascension to official prince status, effectively displacing Kyle, these tea parties had become increasingly common.
“Miss, I’m truly sorry, but I won’t be able to join the exercise class today because of this preparation.”
“That’s alright. It can’t be helped.”
“I’ll make sure to attend next time.”
Anton said regretfully and walked off toward the Empress’s quarters. Rosalyn watched him leave, lost in thought.
‘Is the Empress plotting something to drive Theodor out?’
Knowing how ambitious she was, it was a possibility. Just then, a soft voice drifted from nearby, the direction of the palace infirmary.
“I’m here on behalf of Her Majesty the Empress.”
At first, Rosalyn assumed it was a servant collecting contraceptives. But why were they whispering so secretly?
Curious, Rosalyn peeked from behind a pillar toward the infirmary.
She saw a servant hand a pouch, bulging with gold coins, to the guard, whispering,
“Her Majesty asked that today’s visit remain secret, as always.”
As always?
So this wasn’t the first secret visit. And it clearly wasn’t for contraceptives.
‘What is this…?’
The guard glanced around cautiously before quickly pocketing the gold.
“Understood. Just finish quickly before anyone sees you.”
The infirmary door opened and closed discreetly. A short while later, the Empress’s attendant emerged, tucking away a vial of deep purple liquid and vanishing.
‘I think… I just witnessed something huge.’
Rosalyn remained silently hidden, watching, then quietly left for the training grounds.
