Chapter 3
 The Eve Festival (2)
âYou act like itâs something new. Youâve had plenty of confessions before, havenât you?â
âAh, right. I suppose I did.â
âAnd you turned down every single one.â
Waitâdid Ian confess to Rosebellia?
Well, thinking back to the early chapters of the novel, Ian wasnât cold-hearted from the start.
âIâm not asking for an answer right away. Even if you refuse, I just want you to face me properly. Avoiding me like this⊠thatâs not like you, Senior.â
Now that I imagined Ian saying it, it sounded strangely plausible.
âIt was a feeling Iâd never known before.â
âThat fleeting moment when I caught your breath⊠I canât forget it.â
That lineâthat was the problem.
Taken literally, it made it sound like Rosebellia had given him some kind of hope.
âCaught your breathâ? What does that even mean?
Rosebellia had never loved anyone. Sure, sheâd received plenty of confessions, as Edwin liked to remind herâbut sheâd never accepted any of them. Her only love was the sword.
âHeâs a fine man, though. Why not think seriously about it this time? Youâre reaching that age, you knowâmarriageable and all.â
Rosebellia wasnât even twenty yet.
Hearing that phrase againââYouâre old enough to marryââmade irritation rise in her chest.
And when Oliviaâs earlier words overlapped in her mindâ
âItâs about time you start thinking of marriage, dear.â
âshe couldnât help but frown.
Why is everyone so obsessed with marriage, no matter where I go?
âEdwin, worry about your own love life instead.â
âHey, Iâm a fatalist. Love isnât something you chaseâit finds you when itâs time.â
âAnd if it never does?â
âThen thatâs fate too. Iâll just wait for it.â
âFine, suit yourself.â
She turned to leave, but then paused mid-step.
Waitâwhat day was it again?
The day the male lead Ian and the heroine Daisy first metâŠ
She retraced the opening chapters in her memory.
[The festival had ended. It took a full week before the lingering excitement finally faded.]
Right. One week after the festival.
The Flower That Bloomed in Winterâa novel I used to read whenever I wanted to cry.
But the more I read it, the less I believed in Daisyâs love.
Yes, Daisy had been frail all her life, sheltered and confined. Meeting Ian had brought color to her dull existence. But the more I thought about it, the more it seemed⊠she didnât love Ian, not truly.
If Edwin had been the one to save her instead of Ian, Daisy wouldâve fallen for him.
Daisy was in love with the idea of being in love.
She had grown up constantly reminded that her weak body might fail her any day. To her, love was just something to cling toâproof that she could still feel alive.
Once I realized that, Daisy became someone I could only pity.
So⊠what if, on that day, itâs Edwin who saves Daisy instead of Ian?
If my interpretation of the story was rightâŠ
then maybeâjust maybeâtheir destinies could change.
When I returned to the mansion, I handed Emilyâs reins to Roy and stepped into the main hall.
I was just about to climb the stairs whenâ
âSister! Youâre back!â
âBig Sister!â
A young boy and girl ran up to meâRosebelliaâs half-siblings, Cayden and Vivian.
Though she rarely showed it outwardly, Rosebellia had always adored them.
Who wouldnât, when Caydenâs eyes sparkled every time he saw her, and Vivian would run into her arms the moment they met?
âSister, can I sleep with you tonight?â
âVivian, donât bother her.â
âBut I had a nightmare! The scary monster came again! You always defeat the bad monsters!â
Ah. The âbad monsters.â
To Vivian, that meant the demonic beasts the White Knights often went to slay at the borders.
I looked down at her, still clutching my leg.
In her pale green dress, she looked like a little fairy. I felt my stiff expression soften without realizing it.
âVivian. If youâre scared of a dream, it only means your heartâs still weak.â
Cayden sighed, and Vivianâs eyes welled up with tears.
âBut if I sleep next to you, I wonât be scared anymoreâŠâ
âStop pestering her over something so trivial.â
Vivianâs lip trembled, and I waved a hand to stop him.
âCayden, thatâs enough. Youâll make her cry.â
Vivian peeked out from behind me.
âSo⊠will you sleep with me, then?â
âThatâs not too hard to grantâif you get your motherâs permission first.â
âOh⊠I donât think I can.â
âThen youâll have to give up. Getting permission is your responsibility, Vivian.â
I patted her head gently and climbed the stairs.
Anne was waiting at the top, hands on her hips.
âYou went to the Knight Order again, didnât you?â
âI did, but I didnât do anything strenuousâjust met someone for a bit.â
âReally? You didnât even train?â
âSee? My clothes are spotless.â
Anne inspected me, then sighed in relief.
âThen please go wash up. Iâve already drawn a warm bath.â
âThanks.â
After a long soak, I emerged to find Anne drying my hair.
My body felt light againâbut my mind was still tangled.
âShall I bring you dessert, my lady?â
âNo, itâs fine. Iâll turn in early tonight.â
âVery well. Rest well.â
As she left, I glanced toward the door.
Vivian probably hadnât gotten permission after all.
Then my thoughts turned to Herman, Rosebelliaâs father.
Iâd run into Cayden, Vivian, even Oliviaâbut not him.
âHeâs really indifferent, isnât he? Even to his own daughter.â
Not that Rosebellia had cared much for him either.
She had no attachment to this household.
If she could, she would have lived at the Knight Order dorms.
But sheâd stayed hereâfor Cayden and Vivianâs sake.
Rosebellia was a knight through and throughâearnest, steadfast, proud of her title.
She wasnât one for politics or petty household feuds. Sheâd rather endure quietly than stir up conflict with her stepmother.
She was such an admirable personâŠ
Which made me wonderâ
Where did the real Rosebellia go?
The thought struck me suddenly, stealing my breath.
Is this really okay? Living like this, in her body�
âRosebellia!â
I froze. Quick footsteps approached, and a familiar voice called again.
It was Edwin.
âEd?â
âWhereâs your head been? Iâve been calling you for ages.â
âAh, sorry.â
Iâd had a dream last nightâvivid, yet now it was slipping away.
âYou worry too much.â
âYou may resemble that child, but you are not the same. Do as your heart tells youâŠâ
The voice had sounded so familiarâlike the one Iâd heard during the accident.
What was that dream�
âSo, howâd it go with the new recruit?â
âWhat do you mean, how?â
âYou still havenât talked to him?â
âI was going to. Later.â
I pressed my temple, trying to steady myself.
âDonât keep him waiting too long. Or are you actually considering it?â
His sharp gaze narrowed at me. I waved a hand dismissively, and he mutteredâ
âYouâre just going to turn him down anyway.â
Then suddenlyâ
âOh, right. Can you spare some time three days from now?â
âThree days later? Why?â
âDonât ask. Just come with me to the plaza.â
âIs that a request or an order?â
âAn order.â
The look in his eyes said: If you donât come, youâll regret it.
âFine.â
âIâll tell you the exact time later.â
âHeyâlook. Thereâs the recruit.â
He pointed toward the training groundâand sure enough, Ian was there.
Right. Better to deal with this now than drag it out.
âIâll go talk to him.â
Ian mustâve noticed me too, because he stopped walking.
âBe gentle with your rejection, alright? Donât crush the poor guyâs spirit.â
Ignoring Edwinâs teasing, I walked toward Ian.
But as I did, a strange thought crept inâ
If Ian had confessed before the story even began, then Rosebellia must have rejected him.
And if heâd kept liking her anywayâŠ?
When Iâd read the original story, Iâd always wondered why Rosebellia kept refusing Ianâs offer to become Knight Commanderâover and over.
Could it be⊠that Ianâs persistent affection had driven her away?
That sheâd defected to another kingdom just to escape him?
If that were true, then maybeâ
this whole novel was really about a man who, after being rejected countless times, takes revenge on the woman who left him.
I shook my head quickly.
No. Impossible.
The story was about Daisyâs pure, tragic loveânot some hidden tale of obsession and vengeance.
âGood afternoon, Senior.â
Ianâs eyes lit up as he greeted me.
The faint shimmer of anticipation in his gaze made guilt prick my chest.
Itâs fine. Just say it clearly and kindly.
âHey, um, Recruit. Thereâs something I wanted to talk aboutââ
âUnderstood. Iâll follow you.â
We moved toward a quiet section by the outer wall, away from prying eyes.
When we finally stopped, Ian met my gaze squarely.
âSo, youâve finally decided to give me your answer?â
âWell, I meanâŠâ
âPlease, speak freely.â
Speak freely? With that face?
I swallowed the words and forced myself to breathe evenly.
âI donât know when these feelings started, but honestly⊠we havenât known each other long enough for anything serious. So I think maybe your feelingsââ
âDonât assume theyâre shallow. Time doesnât measure sincerity. You donât have to know someone for years to recognize their worth.â
For a moment, I forgot how to breathe.
His voice was low and steady, like a wave about to break.
I pulled myself together, somehow.
âYouâre right, but⊠what I mean is, Iâm too busy right now. I donât have the time or the room forââ
âThen Iâll wait. It doesnât have to be now. I can wait until you do.â
Wait? Until I have time?
Was his affection for Rosebellia really that deep?
âNo, I mean⊠not now, not laterâI donât think Iâll have that kind of time for quite a while.â
âPardon?â
His brows furrowed sharply, confusion flickering across his face.
That uneasy chill crept down my spine again.
âUhâŠâ
âSenior, what are you saying?â
âIâm giving you an answer to your confession.â
He blinked once. Thenâ
âAre you⊠mistaking me for another recruit?â
ââŠâ
Mistaking you forâwhat?
He exhaled softly. His tone dropped, quiet but edged.
âWhoever youâre confusing me with, Seniorâwhat I asked for was a sparring match.â