CSTB Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Noah, guiding his horse as he chased the bear driven into a corner by the knights, could not hide his displeased expression.

It was clear that complacency had set in after holding dominion over the continent for so long. Not one of them could handle a bow properly, wasting precious arrows.

“When we return to the palace, I’ll review how the training has been progressing.”

Jonathan, reading Noah’s thoughts, preemptively checked the areas Noah would likely point out. Seeing Noah’s expression soften slightly, he breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

There was no point in showing Noah’s intimidating face to knights whom he would scarcely see in a year.

“The forest is deeper than I expected.”

“That’s why the bear lives here.”

Jonathan, momentarily silent at Noah’s curt reply, fixed his eyes on the thin leather strap wrapped around Noah’s right wrist.

“Somehow, it feels familiar.”

“It’s the leash I used on Roze yesterday.”

Though he couldn’t understand why every little thing mattered so much, it wasn’t surprising—this was Noah, who had carefully collected even the teeth Roze lost during a recent shedding.

More pressing, however, was this:

“Has Lady Roze been acting strangely lately?”

“Strangely? In what way?”

Jonathan was taken aback by Roze’s behavior yesterday. She had acted as if anticipating harsh words from Noah, preemptively positioning herself defensively.

“I thought it was coincidental, but her actions seem too deliberate to be mere chance.”

“In other words…”

Even the smallest things—leaving the latch open, kicking over a flowerpot—that he would normally ignore now seemed unusual.

“It seems she’s thinking and acting with some kind of will.”

Noah, who usually gave definitive answers on anything involving Roze, remained unusually reserved this time. His silence didn’t indicate laziness or disinterest—it was clear just from the calm side profile of his face.

“Does this relate to the book you’ve been searching for over the past year?”

Even with this direct question, Noah avoided giving a proper answer.

“Why are you suddenly interested in Roze?”

Instead of answering, Noah returned the question with one of his own, ending the conversation there.

“Ah! It’s coming this way!”

When the bear, chased from all sides, finally struck back, the knights, ill-prepared, could not escape.

With a young knight in immediate danger, Noah halted his horse and drew his bow.

“Stand back!”

The arrow flew from Noah’s hand, weaving perfectly through the tall trees, and pierced the bear’s neck in a single shot.

The large bear, which had been threatening the hunters moments ago, crashed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

“Your skill is impressive as always, Your Majesty.”

Jonathan, riding close beside Noah, bowed in respect, but the knights’ expressions were grim—especially those who had been near the bear. Noah’s arrow had narrowly missed them, aimed straight for the bear. One young knight, nearest to the bear, had even collapsed in fear.

“Was it this one?”

Noah asked as they checked the bear, but no answer came. Frustrated, he repeated the question to the nearby captain of the royal knights.

“Heinrich, is this the one we’ve seen often around here?”

“Yes…! Yes, Your Majesty! That’s right. You can tell by its torn left ear—it’s the one that fled after being hit by my arrow last time.”

Though the emperor had personally dealt with the bear attacking the village—a deed worthy of praise—the knights were terrified. They feared that the next arrow might be aimed at them.

Noah had to endure this scrutiny without doing anything wrong. Some knights, from noble families that had perished opposing Noah’s succession, had surely exaggerated the story along the way.

Jonathan reasoned that the knights simply didn’t know Noah well—their fear stemmed from ignorance of both his skill and his character.

It was evident that the reason Noah had driven the bear deep into the forest was to prevent hungry villagers from accidentally stumbling into danger while foraging for wild mushrooms. Someone like him wouldn’t harm people without cause…

“Jonathan.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Bring the dead bear to the villages it had threatened.”

Noah was not the type to boast of his accomplishments to lighten the mood, though perhaps doing so would have helped.

“Won’t you go yourself?”
“What?”
“To personally accept their thanks for Your Majesty’s efforts.”

Jonathan thought that Noah’s reticence only deepened misunderstandings. Even in such situations, Noah’s refusal to make a fuss kept others wary—partly because of his striking red eyes.

“No thanks necessary.”

Jonathan persisted, knowing Noah’s response conveyed that he found the gesture unnecessary.

“You’ve resolved a serious problem efficiently. Surely they should express their gratitude. And now, delivering the bear as well—its meat can feed them, and the hide will be useful this winter. How grateful they must be.”

Noah’s gaze briefly flicked toward the village, but before he could dwell on it…

“Secretary! We’ve found the maid who dropped the flowerpot!”

News arrived requiring Noah’s immediate return to the palace.

“Let’s go.”

Jonathan sometimes felt the world pushed Noah to the edge—timing for clearing misunderstandings always seemed to slip away at crucial moments.

Meanwhile, Rose, chasing after Oliver toward the east gate, repeatedly encountered servants despite trying to move stealthily.

Yet this posed no problem; anyone who met Rose’s gaze immediately stepped back in surprise.

‘What’s the big deal with her eye color anyway?’

Aside from Noah and a few others, people still seemed fearful of Rose’s red eyes. Few understood how precious she was to Noah.

‘Don’t they know the stigma effect? If you treat someone as dangerous, even those who wouldn’t otherwise fear them eventually will!’

Rose felt an almost irresistible urge to confirm that notion.

‘And if I give her lots of food afterward, she’d probably just eat it all, right?’

But she couldn’t do that…

She resolved to catch the food thief quickly, if only to mock them afterward. Approaching the food warehouse in the east, she noticed that, unlike last time, many maids and servants had gathered.

It seemed today was a delivery day.

“There’s Lady Green!”

Oliver’s voice drew her attention to Lady Green, issuing instructions at the center of the group.

Looking closer, Rose saw not only the main food warehouse but several smaller storage buildings, with carts moving through iron gates behind them.

“Lady Green, should we put the new bed sheets straight away?”
“Put them in the linen room.”
“Not immediately?”
“They were all replaced with new ones a week ago. Just store them.”

The workers seemed flustered, carrying everything from sheets to bouquets of lilies.

“Where should we display these lilies?”
“Anywhere except the second floor. The first-floor reception room should be fine.”
“Yes, Lady Green.”

She appeared competent—was it really possible she had been embezzling food? Was it mere coincidence that she had arrived six months ago, just when things had gotten serious?

“Martin! Check this box—if it’s a vase, store it in the decoration warehouse.”
“Yes! Um… Lady Green, why not the second floor?”
“Because Lady Roze is there.”
“Oh, the emperor’s cat? Does Lady Roze dislike lilies?”
“Good heavens, how could someone so ignorant be brought into the palace? What was Andrew thinking?”

Indeed, she seemed perfectly capable of giving orders.

‘What kind of person is this?’