Chapter 2
“Why is she being so vicious? You say she won’t listen—but quite a lot still remains under Her Highness the Grand Duchess’s control, doesn’t it?”
Miriam’s neurosis had already begun to spread quietly by word of mouth.
Among the more radical voices, there were even murmurs that the Grand Duchess ought to be replaced. Yet Roseline’s presence—one that seemed to soften everyone around her—firmly upheld Miriam’s position.
And above all, the so-called villainess Miriam loved her husband.
Anyone who had spent even a brief moment near the Grand Ducal couple could not deny that fact, regardless of the form or method of that love.
People whispered endlessly—calling her ominous, cruel, and wicked—but what could be done about a woman who loved her husband and bore and raised his child? There were plenty of complaints, yes, but for the Grand Duke, that alone was enough. And so, despite the persistent urging of his retainers, he silently continued to shield Miriam, who fulfilled those two most essential virtues.
“Watch your tongue.”
“This is exactly why Your Grace is known as a hopeless doting husband and a fool for his wife.”
“That’s right. At least pick one.”
After that, like a never-ending refrain, reports of Miriam’s misdeeds—committed while the Grand Duke was away—continued one after another.
“I’d recommend you stop being the doting husband.”
Even Elliot, who normally would not have involved himself in such discussions, added his voice.
Though he grumbled like this, he had also been the first to suggest bringing the young lady along on the expedition.
The mission this time was expected to end with mere negotiations—nothing serious—so he had calculated that accompanying the young lady would pose no issue. But more than that, Elliot had personally witnessed the state of Roseline’s battered calves during the last victory ceremony.
“I agree.”
“Me too!”
As the knights’ complaints gradually crossed the line, the Grand Duke finally barked:
“Enough, you bastards!”
The roar he had held back in front of his daughter thundered through the hall.
The knights fell silent, though they could not completely suppress their muttering.
“What are you still grumbling about? If you have complaints, look me in the eye and speak clearly!”
“…No, it’s nothing. Lady Roseline is our hope, after all.”
Now the knights began gathering around Roseline, each adding a word or two.
Roseline forced an awkward smile, fidgeting with her hands, unable to find anything to say. For some reason, her “uncles” disliked her mother.
As a lady, she had been taught that in such situations she ought to defend and speak for her mother—but remembering the pain from the cane, she did not particularly want to.
“Ah—w-wait a moment.”
Receiving their rough but oddly comforting pats, Roseline suddenly cried out in alarm as she realized her hair had become a mess.
The touch wasn’t unpleasant at all, so she had simply let it happen—but last time, she had returned with her hair completely disheveled and had been severely scolded for it.
It was Elliot who first noticed her face turning pale.
As she shrank back to avoid the approaching hands, he awkwardly reached out and patted her shoulder.
“…Uncle Elliot? Ah, no—Sir Elliot.”
“You may speak more comfortably now. Once you are away from her, no one will scold you over something like your hairstyle.”
“…Yes.”
Is that so? I see.
She understood what he meant—but only that. It still didn’t feel real.
As she nodded blankly, receiving her gaze, Elliot cleared his throat awkwardly and quickly left, his steps unsteady.
The eastern frontier, ruled for generations by the Marquess of Reinz.
Separated by a river from the neighboring Kingdom of Caldrov, relations had long been hostile, and the border had always been tense with frequent clashes. However, the current Marquess of Reinz had taken a woman from Caldrov as his wife and pursued a policy of moderation.
The intermittent offensives ceased as though they had never existed, and the people of the borderlands praised both the king and the marquess, calling it the most peaceful era since the founding of the nation.
But perhaps it had all been careless optimism.
Now, in stark contrast to those songs of praise and joy, Reinz Castle was engulfed in chaos—flags of both kingdoms fluttering as if in rivalry, flames raging, and the clash of steel echoing throughout.
In a detached residence some distance from the burning castle, Roseline waited for news of her father.
The Grand Duke’s party had arrived that very morning after a long journey, and the Marquess of Reinz himself had come out beyond the gates with his family to welcome them. True to his reputation as an upright warrior, it was a modest yet warm reception. At that time, the castle had still been peaceful.
The lives of the territory’s people she had observed on the way to the castle seemed not bad either. They were not particularly wealthy, but they appeared stable and lively. The streets, though simple, were well-maintained, and not a single beggar or vagrant could be seen.
After completing their long journey from near the capital to this distant frontier, the Grand Duke’s knights unpacked at the quarters prepared by the marquess before beginning their official inspection.
The Marquess of Reinz generously provided food and drink—not only for the Grand Duke and his daughter, but also for the knights and even their attendants.
But before a single day had passed, that very night—
Urgent messengers arrived in succession for the Grand Duke, and enemies bearing the flag of Caldrov—the homeland of the Countess of Reinz, across the river—launched a sudden assault on the castle.
“The Reinz family’s treason was real! They lured His Highness the Grand Duke here—His Majesty’s right hand!”
“Enough. It is too early to jump to conclusions.”
With a hardened expression, the Grand Duke armed himself and selected a few elites.
“You will remain here and guard the young lady.”
Despite attempts to dissuade him—arguing that even he should hide given the gravity of the situation—the Grand Duke, as always, took the lead at the front of his knights and departed.
The remaining knights stood guard in layers outside Roseline’s door. But the growing noise and screams made it clear that this place was far from safe.
“If I hadn’t come, even one more knight could have stayed by Father’s side.”
“My lady…”
“Cora… should I have listened to Mother back then?”
Her loyal maid, Cora, could only shake her trembling head instead of answering.
With a small sigh, Roseline adjusted her collar once more, even though she had already checked it several times, and composed herself.
Even if it had been her father and his retainers who suggested it, it was Roseline herself who chose to accept and follow on this expedition.
She had shaken her head at her mother’s warning that the borderlands would be dangerous.
Freed from her overly strict upbringing, and given the rare chance to spend time with her father—whom she hardly ever saw—she had not wanted to obey her mother this time.
It had been her very first act of rebellion against her harsh mother, Miriam.
And the result was unfolding into a disastrous situation.
At first, she had not taken it seriously.
It had even made her heart flutter slightly, like the beginning of an adventure from the storybooks her father secretly gifted her despite her mother’s disapproval.
‘How childish.’
Her mother’s voice, filled with disdain, echoed in her mind.
But regret was useless now.
Then what should she do?
Where had it all gone wrong?
Roseline retraced her memories.
She had heard that the Reinz family had a late-born child cherished by all.
After overhearing the adults’ conversation, she had pressed her father for details.
“And what about the treason? The uncles said not to associate with Reinz.”
They said the marquess had married a woman from Caldrov and allied himself with that kingdom—earning the king’s suspicion.
Faced with his daughter’s bold questions, the Grand Duke smiled wryly and shook his head.
“That stiff-necked Reinz would never do such a thing. He’s just… an inflexible fellow who earned someone’s displeasure.”
“Earned displeasure? From whom?”
The Grand Duke laughed instead of answering.
“But I can resolve it at my level. This is merely a formality—you need not worry. If the Marquess of Reinz were truly dangerous, I would have sent you back to our territory by any means necessary.”
A formality.
Roseline repeated the unfamiliar word silently, turning it over in her mind.
She felt as though she had read it somewhere before, but its meaning did not immediately come to her.
Watching her seriously ponder his words, the Grand Duke casually revealed his thoughts.
“The current Reinz is weak but kind. He once served under me, so I know him well. He is neither bold enough nor foolish enough to challenge the royal family and me for the sake of wealth or honor.”
“Then that’s good, right?”
“Is it?”
“Yes. No matter how strong he is, if he stood against you, Father, he wouldn’t even have his bones left.”
Roseline said proudly—words she had often heard from the Grand Duke’s retainers.
She stood tall, chest out. She was proud of her father’s shining reputation and knew that the duty to uphold it would one day pass to her.
But the Grand Duke only smiled mysteriously as he looked at his only daughter.
She was not yet fully grown, but she possessed a bright intelligence.
And yet, she had inherited even the parts of him he wished she wouldn’t.
“Yes. But though he is weak, he has inherited the Reinz family’s rigid sense of justice. That is the problem. So you must learn flexibility as well.”
It was something he was telling himself, too.
He had never done so before—perhaps never could—but now he was trying, at last, to soften his rigid, unbending nature.
Even his decision to comply with the royal order born from foolish suspicion was part of that effort.
Holding the tiny hand of the newborn Roseline had taught him that those with something precious to protect might place it above a warrior’s creed or a knight’s honor.
Seeing her tilt her head in confusion, he laughed again.
“It means you must learn to adapt to circumstances.”
“Adapt?”
“You’ll understand when you’re older.”
“….”
Roseline puffed her cheeks in dissatisfaction.
“You’ll tell me when I’m older, right? You always say that at the end.”
She measured her height every day, counting the days until she could speak with her father as an equal.
Her father—like a great mountain—was both her steadfast protector and the figure she hoped to resemble one day.
“Yes. I will.”
“But then… doesn’t that mean you don’t have to come here?”
“Hmm? Why do you think that?”
“If it’s certain that Reinz isn’t a traitor.”
She tapped the map lightly.
“You’re busy—do you really need to spend time on this?”
“Yes. It’s inefficient.”
“Then why?”
“If I refuse, someone else will be sent.”
“Wouldn’t that be a good thing?”
The Grand Duke smiled again at her tilted head.
He was a man who laughed easily in front of his daughter.
“A strong person should not turn a blind eye to the unjust suffering of the weak.”
At those words, he shone brighter than ever in Roseline’s eyes.
Of all their many conversations, this was the one that sank deepest into her heart.
And yet later, it would become the moment she wished she had never heard—even if she had to cover her ears.
“Ah, come to think of it, I can introduce you to a friend your age when we arrive.”
