Shadowless Night

“Do you think a priest has private belongings!?”

“Then at least give me your clothes!”

Amidst the quarrel between Verum and Laheansi, a scent of something burning wafted into the tent where they were. Laheansi wrinkled his nose.

“It seems like the hunting competition is coming to an end.”

The smoke that signaled the end of the hunting competition was rising high in the sky. Verum was shocked. He thought it hadn’t even been an hour since they started the card game, and now the competition was already over? About five hours seemed to have vanished into thin air.

This eerie, mesmerizing… sinister game!

“Verum.”

“Yes, Your Holiness.”

“Find out what’s going on and report back.”

“What do you mean, Your Holiness?”

“Usually, accidents happen in crowded places, so it’s strange that it’s been quiet until the end.”

Observing Laheansi restlessly rolling around on the makeshift bed, Verum thought wandering outside in the chaotic surroundings would be better. Without hesitation, he stood up. Laheansi was the type of person who would bring up a completely unrelated topic like this… so Verum gathered even the most useless information.

“Sir Hal of the Spindrift Knights tried to catch a squirrel but couldn’t because it was too cute. So he tried to catch a fox, but it ended up showing its belly and acting cute, so he also let it go. Then he managed to catch a raccoon, but he felt guilty because he discovered two raccoon babies nearby, and now he seemed to have developed something like depression. Priests heal the wounds of the body but not effective for the wounds of the heart. He truly is a sensitive knight.”

Laheansi’s eyes were slightly open, gazing at the gap in the tent’s roof that revealed the sky. Dark smoke was spreading over the red sunset.

Upon seeing Verum gathering the cards spread on the blanket, Laheansi quickly sat up pleasedly. Verum muttered, “Just one more game, ” barely maintaining his composure.” Hearing this, Laheansi chuckled and nodded.

While observing Laheansi shuffling the cards, Verum added, “Oh, by the way, His Highness Ricardis returned to the palace an hour ago. He had urgent matters to attend to.”

Laheansi’s hands, skillfully shuffling the cards with a flashy display reminiscent of someone making a living through gambling, paused momentarily. “Hmm… not an accident, but an incident, perhaps.”

Engrossed in closely monitoring Laheansi’s actions to ensure he wasn’t performing any tricks while shuffling the cards, Verum didn’t pay much attention to his words.

“Did you just… take a card from underneath?”

“Like I would! You think I’m that sneaky?”

The hunting competition concluded without much commotion. The winner was Martin, the deputy commander of the Frostlance Knights. The Emperor expressed great joy and praised his efforts. Martin received the gold and silver treasures bestowed by the Emperor with an air of humility, but he was looking for someone.

Martin discreetly obtained Rosaline’s scores from the administrator managing the hunting competition. Unbelievably, her record remained in the lower ranks. In terms of points, she had only caught four small animals (+5 each). It was far from what one would expect from her skill.

Martin wanted to inquire about this matter and went in search of Rosaline, but even after the closing ceremony of the hunting competition, he couldn’t catch a glimpse of her.

***

In the dark night, Rosaline opened her eyes. She struggled to sit up and looked around, realizing that she was in a safe place. A plush bed and a lavishly adorned, well-organized room surrounded her. Judging by the various patterns of Ricardis displayed on the walls, it seemed to be one of the many rooms within the Moonstone Castle.

The wind blew in through the open window, causing the curtains to sway. Each time, the moonlight of a bright night seeped in.

Her injured areas throbbed with discomfort. The internal turmoil hadn’t fully healed yet but had improved significantly. Her recent regeneration hadn’t been perfect, and the process was even slower with such a severe wound. She could sense that holy power had touched her body, even though she couldn’t fully accept it.

Rosaline recalled a few scenes. Diech, entering the dead forest where only bones were left. And Macaron, who had watched over him until the end.

Macaron, in their male form, stood like a sturdy wall. They not only protected her from the dangers that approached but also seemed capable of shielding Diech from the dangers he faced.

The last scene Rosaline remembered was Ricardis’ frown. The sporadic swaying of the carriage, the sound of suppressed breath, and a faint voice calling her remained in her memory. It still felt cold, like a blade embedded in her heart. Rosaline placed her hand on her chest, took a slow breath, and then exhaled.

As she looked around, her gaze abruptly fixed on someone sitting on the corner sofa. The curtains swayed as the wind blew. The radiant and bright moonlight cast a path from the window to the sofa.

The man’s gloved hand and long silver hair shimmered softly. It was Ricardis. He sat on the sofa, silently watching her. Their eyes met, locked in the darkness where the moonlight couldn’t reach.

“Your Highness.”

As Rosaline tried to stand, Ricardis shook his head. She settled back onto the bed. Ricardis continued to stroke his gloved fingers, quietly contemplating. As time passed, Rosaline grew more anxious.

“Why…” His voice was strained. Ricardis bowed his head, pressing his fingertips against his forehead. He seemed more tormented than the injured Rosaline. The bones straightened and the veins became pronounced on his trembling hand. He appeared like someone tightly holding onto something, someone suppressing something. “Why did you get hurt, Rosaline?”

It was a strange question. Instead of asking how she got hurt or what circumstances led to her injury, he asked why she got hurt. Rosaline hesitated to answer. She provided the best response she could within her capabilities—an objective description of the situation.

“His Highness Diech stabbed me. He was the one who killed the former Rosaline, and he was also… like me…”

“No, no!” Ricardis’ voice grew louder. He pressed his fist against his forehead as if trying to squeeze it. “That’s not what matters at all. That’s not what I want to know, Rosaline!”

Rosaline trembled in surprise. His fierce appearance was unfamiliar. Digging into distant memories, she wondered if she had seen him like this before, but recently, whenever their eyes met, he always smiled. His rigid expression softened, and his lips drew a gentle curve.

When they were alone, he would sometimes call her “Rosaline” softly. She had known for some time that Ricardis acted differently toward her, which made her happy. It was a time when all his actions were becoming familiar, gradually permeating her being.

As much as she had been happy, the current Ricardis felt unfamiliar and intimidating. It wasn’t the fear of him harming her, but simply the fact that he didn’t smile when he looked at her. That alone made her heart tremble.

Ricardis lifted his head, which had been facing downward. Sharp, pointed, painful, and fierce emotions swirled within his pupils. Rosaline’s lips quivered. She felt like she should say something, offer an excuse, but no words came out.

Why is he getting angry? As her body weakened, her thinking became disarrayed as well.

“I told you not to get hurt.”

“Well, I…”

Rosaline trembled as his voice cut through the air with coldness. Ricardis slowly stood up from his position and approached her on the bed. With each step, the moonlight illuminated a wider area around him—his waist, chest, chin.

“Don’t trust anyone,”

Even his face.

“I told you that.”

A single tear fell down his beautiful face, illuminated by the moonlight.

Don’t trust anyone. Ricardis had repeated those words countless times. Never get hurt. Within those few short words lay immense worries. Rosaline understood, even if only slightly, why Ricardis was so angry.

Despite being told not to trust, she trusted. She returned with a fatal wound despite being told not to get hurt. Perhaps he felt that all his words and concerns had shattered into pieces. They felt meaningless.

“It was a wound inflicted from behind. I know it wasn’t a result of you fighting and losing against Diech’s strength. It was complacency. Trusting him enough to expose your back.”

“Well, Your Highness… It’s just that… His Highness Diech… He saved me, guided me, and even saved Chocolate. He had, he had a request… just once…” Rosaline rambled on, clutching the bedsheets, her trembling hands revealing her true feelings. She was nervous.

With each word and letter, his face contorted in agony. Rosaline couldn’t even imagine him lightly holding his forehead with wrinkles and saying “No, Rosaline. Don’t do it” as usual.

“But I told you not to trust! Even if the one chasing after you was Calyx or Raymond! Even if it was me, I told you not to trust!” The intimidating figure of Ricardis in front of her became blurry. Rosaline hastily wiped away her falling tears with her sleeve. Even with her eyes puffy from crying, Ricardis didn’t cease his reprimand. “As Macaron said, I don’t know everything about you, or what Diech is thinking, or what his intentions are. How can I dare predict what might happen when unknown people gather and events unfold? There are many uncertainties and gaps in plans built upon an uncertain foundation! It’s dangerous, it’s natural to be dangerous!” Ricardis, while yelling, as if suppressing something, bit his lip and shed tears while looking elsewhere. He spoke again with disheveled hair, “Yet, I let you go because I trusted you. I believed that you would listen to what I said. I believed that you would keep that promise! Rosaline. Sir Rosaline! How could you make me so miserable? How could this happen?”