Chapter 17
Chapter 017. The Princess at 21 (6)
‘Tsk.’
Rosalyn felt that the man’s appearance was exceptionally good at stirring sympathy.
“Kill you for old time’s sake?”
She swiftly cut Sionne off. She had no intention of relinquishing control of the conversation any further.
“Well, I can’t say I feel particularly inclined. At least for now—I still need you.”
He knew it.
In the end, the only reason the woman had told him about her memory loss was to create a justification for having to kill him.
“There are two options, Prince.”
To leave him no room for a third.
“Choose. Help me from this point on, or die right here and now.”
“You’re pushing me to the edge of a cliff, only to offer a hand?”
“Yes.”
Rosalyn smiled, her eyes curving into crescents.
“I was taught that if there’s something you absolutely must obtain, corner your opponent into a dead end.”
“This is why I must… love you.”
Sionne disguised hatred as love.
“I’ll do anything, as long as I can stay by your side.”
Despite being filled with hatred, his words rang out as if they were full of devotion.
“Good. From now on, your job is to teach me about the 28-year-old Rosalyn.”
“To help you recreate your past self?”
“Yes, until we reach Anata.”
Their goal was to reach Anata while avoiding the Emperor’s suspicions.
“If you’re useful, I’ll consider showing some leniency in deciding your fate.”
There was no rush in determining what to do with the fallen prince. They could decide once they arrived in Anata. And by then, her memories might return as well.
“Then, starting tomorrow, come to my room after breakfast.”
Rosalyn gestured to Meriwood to escort Sionne out.
Just then, Sionne suddenly spoke up.
“Why start tomorrow? Let’s begin today.”
“Today?”
“Yes, from today.”
This time, he smiled, his eyes folding into a pleasant crescent shape.
“Shall we start by sharing the room and the bed?”
“…What?”
“Just as we used to.”
It was a strange situation. It was hard to tell which of the two had fallen into the trap.
The bear of Anata had a noose around her neck, while the eagle of Feitan had its talon caught in a snare.
* * *
Ssshhk— Late at night, Rosalyn lit the candle on her desk.
‘You couldn’t fall asleep until late, and didn’t get up until the afternoon the next day.’
‘When did you actually do any work?’
‘To be honest, I’ve never seen you sit at your desk.’
Just as that insolent Sionne Feitan had said. Before losing her memory, she had truly done nothing.
As a result, work had piled up like a mountain, and now, too conscious of others’ eyes, she had to quietly deal with it at night.
Scratch, scratch.
Tonight again, Rosalyn’s quill moved busily. The sound of the nib scraping paper filled the room.
‘Lord of Hozen, Matthias Hozen.’
While reading reports on the lords under Anata, Rosalyn paused.
‘Despite Hozen territory’s low yield, he’s accumulated considerable wealth?’
She scanned the annual production figures for Hozen again.
‘And it’s not inherited wealth from previous generations… Did he falsify the reports?’
She needed to investigate further. Rosalyn set aside the report on the Lord of Hozen.
Then, massaging her stiff neck, she dipped her pen back into the inkwell. She placed her hand over the stack of completed documents.
“Whew…”
After working until dawn, her head felt heavy—it was clearly time for sleep. Before she knew it, her days and nights had completely flipped.
“Hm, what’s this?”
As she tidied her desk, Rosalyn glanced over a pile of letters. The recipient hadn’t even opened the envelopes, yet the senders had been quite diligent.
She pulled out a paper knife and began slicing them open one by one. Then she gathered the dozens of letters and began reading through them all at once.
Aaron Vanil, Jacob Moore, Gardner Holmes, and others.
The names of the senders varied, but the content was monotonous.
‘In summary, they all want to go with me to Anata.’
At the same time, a major question arose.
‘Originally… was I planning not to take the conquest knights with me?’
It didn’t make sense.
The first thing she’d need to do upon arriving in the North was organize a knight order. Even bringing as many conquest knights as possible wouldn’t be enough—yet she had rejected them?
“Phew…”
The more she learned about her 28-year-old self through Sionne Feitan, the more disappointed she became. It was unbearable how pathetic she had been.
Unlike herself as “Rosalyn de Hernia,” “Rosalyn de Anata” was a hopeless loser.
She hadn’t uncovered the truth about her mother’s suspicious death.
She hadn’t been able to protect her maternal family from being destroyed.
She had lost the throne that had been within reach.
She had lost the throne that had been within reach—again.
After being driven to the battlefield, she had given up on life.
And on top of that, she took a lover and couldn’t live a day without tranquilizers. Such a failure.
‘There’s no reason to respect the wishes of someone like that.’
Finishing her ruthless self-assessment, Rosalyn pulled out a new sheet of letter paper.
[Let’s meet at the Imperial Princess’s palace sometime tomorrow.]
She scribbled a reply to send to the conquest unit.
* * *
“Please, Your Highness, allow us to accompany you.”
“Allow us to come with you.”
Led by Aaron and Jacob, the knights of the conquest unit knelt in formation before her.
‘Oh?’
Rosalyn looked at the loyal knights kneeling in front of her.
‘So I wasn’t without influence after all. There are quite a few who want to follow me.’
She crossed her arms to hide her surprise.
“This isn’t the first time we’ve been in a situation like this, is it? Have you all forgotten what I said before?”
Rosalyn subtly probed without revealing her memory loss.
“It’s not that we mean to go against Your Highness’s will. It’s just that our resolve is not so light, and that’s why we ask again.”
Jacob, who stood at the front, calmly voiced his intent.
“Your Highness has never abandoned your knights, no matter the circumstance. So how can you ask us to abandon our lord?”
Spurred by his words, Aaron added on with emotion.
“You said it yourself—‘I never abandon my people!’ I… we! Are we not your people?”
The young man’s eyes brimmed with a sorrow that was hard to distinguish—was it loyalty, or something deeper?
“Hmph…”
Rosalyn averted her gaze, uncomfortable with the intensity in his eyes.
Apparently, her 28-year-old self had left quite a trail wherever she went. Dealing with a clingy lover was already a headache—she had no interest in sorting out ambiguous feelings from subordinates too.
‘Am I someone who’s not allowed to follow?’
‘What noble brings a lover along on official duty?’
‘…Go, then.’
Rosalyn recalled a face that had looked hurt just moments ago. She quickly shook her head to dispel the thought.
Lately, that troublesome man had a way of distracting her thoughts.
She kept second-guessing whether taking him with her had really been the right choice.
“Anata has nothing.”
Rosalyn spoke firmly.
“No yield, no knights, no proper fortress. And yet, when the time comes, foreign tribes will invade.”
“……”
Even at her abrupt explanation, the knights remained silent and attentive.
“It’s literally a land of death. And you still want to go?”
“Yes! We’ll follow you!”
“If our lord is going there, we’ll follow—no matter where it is!”
The answers burst out even before the question was fully finished. It was a tearful display of loyalty.
“If that’s truly everyone’s wish…”
Rosalyn pretended to hesitate over a decision she had already made. She had no intention of changing her answer.
“Then you’ll come with me.”
She added a line she’d heard earlier that she quite liked.
“Just like you said—I never abandon my people.”
At her words, Aaron nearly bit his tongue. It brought back a memory from long ago.
It was during the war, when the conquest unit had pushed all the way to the capital of Feitan, only to be driven back by an enemy counterattack.
The Hernia forces had to split in two: one group to lure the enemy, and one to retreat with the wounded.
Aaron had been among the injured. His abdomen had been pierced by an enemy spear.
If it had gone even slightly deeper, his intestines would have spilled out. He’d torn his clothes to bind the wound, but the bleeding wouldn’t stop.
‘Leave me behind.’
It was a decision made with a dizzy, blood-deprived mind. It was the only way to save everyone else.
‘If you’re going to say such nonsense, you might as well keep your mouth shut.’
But all that greeted his noble resolve was cold dismissal.
‘Still…! If we don’t leave me, we could all die!’
‘That’s for me to decide—not you. If you don’t want that to happen, get moving.’
Rosalyn herself had supported Aaron and scolded him.
‘I don’t abandon my people.’
She had spoken those words, eyes set firmly ahead.
With a conviction that nothing could shake. More dependable than anyone else.
But after all that, Rosalyn stopped using the phrase “my people.” Probably ever since Sir Blanchett and Sir Mason died.
“Your Highness…”
And yet today, it felt like that same commander had returned.
“Don’t worry. Just like I came back alive from the battlefield, I plan to do it again this time.”
Sharp eyes and unyielding will.
This was the princess Aaron had loved.
“…It is an honor, Your Highness.”
Glancing to the side, he saw Jacob with teary eyes as well.
The princess they had loved—had finally returned.
