~Chapter 14~
“B-but…”
Rosedaleâs confident words left the maids speechless. They didnât know how to argue back.
“Do you have pants?”
Rosedale smiled sweetly as she asked.
“Without these torture tools, pants would probably be more comfortable.”
Human dresses were beautiful but heavy and inconvenient. She wasnât against wearing them completelyâbut if she had a choice, comfort came first.
The maids exchanged troubled glances.
“Weâre sorry, Lady Rosedale. We donât have pants ready at the moment.”
Daisy stepped up professionally, her earlier panic completely gone.
“However, the clothes you wore yesterday have been cleaned.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Iâll order proper trousers for you right away, but for today, would you consider wearing what you wore yesterday?”
Daisy knew nobles rarely wore the same outfit twiceâpride and vanity made that unthinkable.
But she dared to suggest it because she believed in Rosedale. She had said thank you to servants and treated them kindly. She wasnât like those nobles obsessed with appearances.
Daisy took a chanceâand hit the jackpot.
“Sure.”
Rosedale nodded easily and wore her old clothes without hesitation.
“Thanks, Daisy. Great idea.”
“O-oh, youâre welcome!”
Daisy blushed, not realizing how much her ladyâs kindness impressed them.
And Rosedale, too, had quickly warmed up to the maids again after the earlier corset misunderstanding.
They were sharp, didn’t nag like fairies, and they were⊠adorable.
“Nice weather today.”
Dressed and full from breakfast, Rosedale hummed as she looked out over the manicured garden.
Soon, Cain would arrive to tutor her.
He was probably fired up to âhumbleâ her with lessons, unaware she was already a study master. She smiled, knowing how this would play out.
Thenâknock knock.
“Lady Rosedale, Sir Cain is here.”
“Let him in.”
The maids opened the door, and Cain entered, carrying a mountain of thick books and looking proud.
“Lady Rosedale. Are you ready?”
“Of course, Sir Cain. Please, have a seat.”
She gestured to the chair next to her desk.
Cain hesitatedâsurprised by her formal tone in front of othersâbut sat down.
“Weâll prepare some refreshments.”
The maids left to get tea and snacks.
Cain slammed the books down and adjusted his glasses, which gleamed with ambition.
“Letâs begin.”
Without even a break, the lesson started.
“Please read this passage.”
He opened a huge book in Imperial Iverian, one of the hardest languages to learn, and pointed.
Rosedale followed his finger.
“The founding myth of Iveria. Iveria was founded by the descendants of the Sun God, a land of light and radiance.”
“âŠYou can read Imperial?”
Cain had hoped to catch her off guard, but now looked stunned.
Rosedale ignored his question, kept reading, and then scoffed.
“Humans are funny. They donât believe in gods, but say their empire was founded by a godâs descendant?”
“Well⊠They donât deny the power of mythologyâs influence.”
She didnât argue further. She couldnât exactly say she was a divine messenger.
“Since you can read, letâs move on to the content. The first emperor, Diplo I, descendant of the Sun God…”
Cain passionately lectured on historyâthe peaceful unification of tribes, the great laws of the 6th emperor, all the way up to the 52nd emperor, Lukas.
Even when snacks arrived, neither teacher nor student was distracted. Rosedaleâs eyes sparkled, focused.
“Now onto culture. Iveria, being in the center of the continent…”
As the maids swapped out cold tea three times, the sun outside started to set.
Cainâs voice grew hoarse, but Rosedale stayed sharp.
“Huff⊠huff⊠Youâre really memorizing all this?”
He looked at her in disbelief. Most wouldâve given up by now, but not her.
“Of course. Diplo I united six tribes to form Iveria, the second emperor Vixel refined the system further, and…”
She recited all 51 emperors without a single mistake.
“Noble children have debutante balls at 15, and can legally marry after. The social season begins in April after the January founding festival, and the hunting festival happens every other year.”
“⊔
Cain stared at her, mouth agape.
She had said this was her first time in Iveria, yet read fluently and had near-perfect recall.
He never had to repeat himself. Her comprehension and focus were flawless.
“The war 8 years ago started when the previous emperor married the sea kingdom princess and gained a port, right?”
Rosedale even inferred what he hadnât explained yet.
Lukasâs mother, the Empress Dowager, was a coastal princess. The previous emperor fell in love with her and gained the port. The sea kingdom had no heir, so they willingly submitted to Iveria.
Now Iveria was a true empireâwith land and sea.
Cain nodded.
“Yes. Thatâs why the other kingdoms, afraid of Iveriaâs growth, formed an alliance and attacked 8 years ago.”
“But Iveria was strong. Why did the war last 5 years?”
“Because 24 countries joined the alliance.”
“So it was 24 vs. 1 and Iveria still won. Now the whole continent is unified under Iveria.”
“Yes. But⊠we lost too much during those 5 years.”
Rosedale looked at Cainâs sad face in silence.
She always thought he was cold and annoyingâbut now, he looked fragile. Human.
“Many Iverians died and lost their homes. Children became orphans, and grieving parents were everywhere.”
“Didnât the former emperor and empress die because of the war too?”
“Yes. And⊠His Majesty Lukasâs younger brother, Prince Sheddon, also died during the war.”
“Can I ask what happened?”
Rosedale asked gently, seeing Cainâs sorrow.
The books only briefly mentioned their deaths. The empire still wasnât ready to face those wounds in detail.
“Prince Sheddon died in battle at the Mohael Mountains when he was only 16.”
Cain spoke slowly.
“When His Majesty Lukas and I arrived, he had already been beheaded and hung in the mountains.”
Lukas lost his mind when he saw his brotherâs body. He slaughtered all the enemies in that region in a single night.
The empire won that battleâbut Sheddonâs body was in pieces, unrecognizable.
Even while holding his brotherâs head, Lukas couldnât cry. He had to stay strong for his soldiers.
“It was during that battle that His Majesty became a Sword Master. He was only 18.”
It was a young age. Too young to carry such grief.
“We brought Prince Sheddonâs remains back. The Empress Dowager fell ill and died shortly after.”
Cainâs voice was heavy, like soaked cotton. His eyes turned red with emotion.
“Then the emperor, overcome by revenge and grief, never left the battlefield until he died.”
“So Lukas became emperor at a young age.”
“Yes. At 19, right on the battlefield.”
Cain wiped his tears.
“People doubted such a young emperor. But when he showed his Sword Master power, morale was restored. And one year later, we won.”
Then came 3 more years of rebuilding.
“I donât know all the details, but⊠His Majesty still blames himself for Prince Sheddonâs death.”
“Blames himself?”
“Yes. So please, be careful when speaking of it in front of him.”
“I understand.”
Rosedale nodded, recalling the first time she saw Lukasâs eyes.
The sadness in them. The way he muttered he didnât deserve love or family.
“Lukas mustâve loved his family very much.”
“More than anything.”
Cainâs regretful smile was bitter.
How lonely it is to miss someone you’ll never see again.
Rosedale pressed her lips together. A strange new feeling stirred in her heartâsomething she hadnât known before.
The sorrow and pain humans carried… was waking something inside her.
Have you ever mourned for someone that deeply? she wondered.
Her eyes gleamed strangely as she looked at Cain, thinking of Lukas.
