Chapter 8

Chapter 8

“You don’t have a family?”

“No, I’m from the Bill Hemington Orphanage. They found me alone during the war… I’m sorry, Princess.”

“Sorry? For what?”

“I’m just so lacking. I honestly didn’t expect to be serving Your Highness… I’ll do my best to serve you, even if I’m not good enough…”

“You’re not at fault.”

“Me… my fault?”

“What fault is it of yours for being abandoned? It’s the adults who abandoned you who are wrong. And… you said you were a war orphan? Perhaps your parents never wanted to abandon you.”

Charlotte’s face flushed slightly as she gazed at Rosette’s clear face, who continued to speak calmly. It was a moment when Rosette’s single sentence captivated Charlotte’s heart.

Charlotte’s eyes welled up slightly, unable to believe that for the first time, someone, especially a high-ranking princess from another kingdom, was showing concern and offering words of comfort to her, who had only ever been pointed at for being an orphan.

“Yes… Princess.”

“Alright. Then I’ll ask one more thing. What kind of person is His Majesty?”

“Beyond being a frightening person… I haven’t been here long myself, to be honest.”

It was impossible for Charlotte, a mere maid, to know much about the Emperor. Even after that, Rosette asked various questions, but there was almost no information to be gained.

“…I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more help, Princess.”

“Again, again. No more ‘I’m sorry.'”

However, one thing became clear. Usually, veteran attendants of noble birth were assigned to important guests, including delegations, or to new imperial family members. Yet, all the attendants assigned to Rosette, including Charlotte, were either young children of non-noble birth or inexperienced newcomers.

Theodore still hadn’t let go of his suspicion towards her, who had been a princess of an enemy nation until very recently. It seemed to show exactly what he thought of her, and Rosette let out a small, bitter laugh.

“Well, that’s even better. I’m more comfortable that way.”

“Pardon?”

“Nothing. Let’s go.”

Noblewomen were likely to ostracize her, a stranger from a distant land. They might also try to find fault with Rosette’s actions, making her life difficult. Since one troublesome thing had been removed from the equation, it wasn’t so bad for her either.

So Rosette and Charlotte continued to engage in such insignificant conversations. As they walked slowly, some people suddenly blocked their path.

“Excuse me, but Your Highness cannot go this way unless there is a special reason.”

Two soldiers crossed their spears, blocking the path Rosette was on.

“What? Why not?”

“We are merely following orders. Please turn back.”

Puzzled by the sudden appearance of the soldiers, Rosette turned to go elsewhere, but it was the same there too.

The only places she could go were the Imperial Palace corridor and the dining room with an adjoining reception room. Rosette, whose temper was subtly rising after being stopped everywhere she went, finally questioned the last soldier she encountered.

“Why? Are you going to tell me not to go here too?”

“Pardon? My apologies, but… yes, Your Highness.”

Rosette fanned herself repeatedly, exasperated by the situation.

“This is practically… imprisonment, isn’t it?”

“We are merely… carrying out orders.”

“They don’t even keep animals like this!”

“We have no authority. My apologies, Princess.”

They were telling her that they had no power, and she should speak to someone higher up. It was no different from talking to a wall. She knew it all too well, but she couldn’t suppress her immediate anger.

“Princess. Perhaps it’s best if we return…”

Charlotte tried to interject from beside her, but Rosette didn’t stop talking to them.

“Then where am I supposed to exercise? Surely they didn’t really order my imprisonment, so tell me where I can go right now.”

“You may go as far as the garden ahead.”

There was indeed a garden in front of the Annex Palace where she was staying. It was a modest size, visible at a glance from the window, a garden in name only with only a few trees.

There was a tea table right in the center, but it was impossible to drink tea there without a canopy.

At the soldier’s reply, Rosette immediately headed for the garden and walked there all day. She felt stifled, and she had nowhere else to go. The garden, where she could at least get some fresh air, was the most suitable place.

To think she would miss freedom so much. Surely she wouldn’t be confined like this for years.

The thought sent a shiver down her spine. She couldn’t live like this forever, so she had to come up with a plan. Nothing came to mind, and she paced back and forth many times. She returned only after the sun had almost set, but an unexpected guest was already in her room.

Theodore Alexius. It was him.

It was her first time seeing him since she fainted, so it had been a week by her count.

Sitting on the sofa with his long legs crossed, he looked like a relaxed predator. Upon spotting Theodore, Rosette quickly lowered her head and bowed.

“I greet His Imperial Majesty.”

“For a princess with nowhere to go, you return quite late.”

Theodore himself had restricted her movements, yet he seemed to be reprimanding her. Inside, Rosette felt a surge of rage at his nonchalant demeanor.

“I am merely grateful that I have a place to walk with these two feet. I do not know how to express my gratitude for the Empire’s benevolence, Your Majesty.”

A rebellious spirit rose in Rosette’s chest, directed at him. She had twisted his sarcasm, calling her virtual imprisonment the “Empire’s benevolence.”

“The Princess’s actions always defy my expectations.”

“Pardon?”

“Because you keep me from getting bored.”

He smirked, one corner of his mouth turning up, and Rosette answered with an effort to sound calm.

“I’m glad to have alleviated Your Majesty’s boredom. As I told you before, I can even be a jester for Your Majesty and the Empire…”

“So, you fainted?”

“What…?”

“To collapse as soon as you arrived at the Imperial Palace, for all to see. Such an incident is ripe for gossip. A frail princess from a small nation, intimidated by a cruel and tyrannical emperor. Doesn’t that sound interesting?”

“Th-that…”

He was referring to the incident a while ago, when she had fainted immediately after speaking with Theodore upon her arrival at the Imperial Palace. She had been thinking she needed to explain herself, fearing he would misunderstand, but his sudden accusation left her at a loss for words.

“It was really just because I wasn’t feeling well…”

“Yes. Of all times, then.”

“I-I truly feel wronged, Your Majesty. Even though I was in such a poor state, I still tried my best to carry out the tasks Your Majesty commanded.”

“You could have been planning something bigger with that.”

Theodore suspected she had put on an act in front of everyone. Although their relationship was far from one of trust, this situation of being doubted from the start was very awkward.

But surely he knew? They had met… somewhere, not long ago. Remembering that, Rosette continued calmly.

“As Your Majesty well knows… a while ago, while crossing the desert, I nearly encountered a rather difficult situation at an oasis. Perhaps it was because I was inadvertently… in the cold water for a long time, but I’ve had a fever ever since.”

Their second meeting had been strange and intense. Rosette’s face flushed just thinking about it, but she forced herself to recall the story of that day, which she had pushed to the back of her mind.

As Rosette spoke of that incident, her ears turned a deep red, and Theodore stared intently at her face.

“Well… my condition at the time, you can confirm it if you ask the knights or other soldiers who constantly guarded me. And a physician personally examined my body, so please believe that I had no intention of tarnishing Your Majesty’s reputation with any deceptive actions.”

She made an effort to lift her head, which had always bowed when she saw him. She met his gaze and spoke with sincerity.

This Emperor before her was the man who would kill her in the future. Just looking into his red pupils sent a chill down her spine.

After observing Rosette’s face for a long time, he rose from the sofa and slowly approached her.

“So… how is your body?”

“Th-thanks to you… I’m much better.”

“Thanks to me?”

“Yes.”

“To say such nice things after lambasting me squarely in the face.”

“That was truly a misunderstanding…”

“Ah, I forgot to mention something.”

He cut off Rosette’s words and stood directly in front of her, looking down. The sheer overwhelming presence he exuded at such close proximity was immense. Whether it was due to his exceptionally tall stature or his unique aura, she couldn’t tell, but Rosette instinctively recoiled, feeling small in front of Theodore.

He slowly opened his mouth, watching her intently as he continued.

“I rather enjoy being called cruel. Because… that way, they fear me.”

Rosette’s mind went blank, as if everything had been erased. She simply trembled helplessly under the pressure that seemed to crush her entire body.

Soon, his large hand slowly approached, and Rosette instinctively squeezed her eyes shut in primal fear.

Theodore gently plucked a fallen leaf from her hair, in an almost tender manner. Then, his hand didn’t stop, but instead took hold of Rosette’s chin.

The heat radiating from his fingertips. She had felt it before, but his body temperature was incredibly high, and today, he felt even more terrifying.