Shadowless Night

“…You were angry while crying.”

“…I guess you didn’t know about that. Anyway, even without that, don’t shake the small sauce dish that’s already overflowing. If it overflows more, I’ll get even more upset.”

Calyx chuckled as he touched his sleeve collar. Just then, a knocking sound came from the door. Ricardis permitted the guest to enter. It was Chloe who showed her face. Calyx stood up and greeted her.

“Miss Chloe. Oh, excuse me. Madam.”

She smiled brightly. “I’m still not used to it either. It’s been a while, Sir Calyx.”

“What’s the matter?” Ricardis, still annoyed by the conversation with Calyx, asked Chloe grumblingly.

Chloe looked at him with a pitying expression, clasping her hands together. “Your Highness, my goodness. I heard you were so angry at Sir Rosaline. How could you treat an injured person so harshly!?”

“These tiresome…! Is this place devoid of secrets? Is the notion of ‘when entering the imperial court, one must act as if blind, deaf, and mute’ not applicable within the walls of the Moonstone Castle?”

“Married couples are always of the same mind, Your Highness.”

“Summon Sir Raymond! I’ll cut his pay!”

“I earn enough to feed one husband, so do as you please, Your Highness.” Chloe covered her mouth and chuckled. Ricardis looked genuinely exhausted. Someone who didn’t even like sweets suddenly grabbed the chocolate cookie that Chloe had just set down and devoured it.

“Now, getting to the point, we couldn’t detect any suspicious activities from Prince Diech and Prince Haqab. They merely attended the party, mingled with people, and engaged in typical formal conversations commonly used at such gatherings. There wasn’t much noticeable interaction between the two, so we couldn’t find anything suspicious to poke at…” Chloe placed her index finger on her chin and tilted her head. “The country itself, Balta, is diligently preparing for a large-scale war, which makes it suspicious. The Illavenia imperial family has also detected Balta’s movements and is preparing accordingly.”

Ricardis nodded with his legs crossed. Which idiots would be present in the enemy territory while preparing for a large-scale war? It wasn’t like they had gone mad and wanted to die.

But they existed. Prince Haqab of Balta, who came to celebrate the establishment of Illavenia. That’s why it was strange. If his plan was to strike at the heart of Illavenia and destabilize the empire, he should lead a small, elite group and avoid raising suspicion—he shouldn’t blatantly display signs of gathering resources and preparing for a large-scale war in the enemy country.

Ricardis couldn’t figure out what he ultimately wanted. It seemed valid that his goal was to devour Illavenia, as there was no war for the sake of war, but the means were oddly suspicious. It felt like he was laying the groundwork, saying, “I’m preparing for war, so you should prepare for war as well.”

“What about Elpidio?”

“He clashed with Your Highness when you returned safely from the diplomatic mission, clashed with His Majesty, and had a falling out with Haqab. So these days…”

Chloe’s gaze shifted to Calyx. Ricardis also turned his head to look at him. Calyx tightly closed his eyes and shook his head.

“He’s courting Sir Calyx, who is receiving the affection of Regent Dimla.”

“It’s fortunate that he’s not exceeding the limits of what people can tolerate. So, Sir Calyx, what did my brother say to you?”

“That I’ve become quite handsome lately.”

Those were the words Elpidio actually said to Calyx.

“Oh, he must have fallen for you,” Ricardis said. The revenge from earlier returned. Calyx glared at him with an angry face. Ricardis chuckled softly. “Well, anyway… I roughly understand the situation. Haqab is still suspicious in his own way, and Balta is preparing for war in their own way. If there’s something that has changed…”

Ricardis glanced briefly at Chloe, trailing off his words. Calyx could anticipate what would come next. It was clear that if there was something that he couldn’t share with even Chloe, his confidante, then it must have been about non-human entities.

The 5th Prince, the Laurel of the Snowfield, Diech Reye Illavenia.

It was clear when ‘It’ had become the ‘Diech’ of today. It would’ve been since the White Jade Castle burned down and he was the only one who survived.

Ricardis knew some information from Calyx. Macaron had never read the memories of a corpse. Only Rosaline, based on the memories of the past ‘Rosaline,’ was growing up. The difference between the two entities depended on whether they had consumed something living or not.

After three years of recuperation, Diech had returned, fully regaining his previous smile, and his body could no longer return to being a dark mass. It was even more incomprehensible. What would the ‘One’ who had grown as that kind and gentle ‘Diech’ think?

Had the real Diech had the thought to kill Ricardis, so ‘Diech’ aimed to kill behind the alliance with the Black Moon? What about that cruelty of burning down the White Jade Castle, killing all his relatives and attendants? And the coldness of stabbing a sword into the heart of a close friend?

Ricardis erased the thought that Elpidio was manipulating the current Diech. On the contrary, it was highly likely that he had played Elpidio like a puppet. Of course, judging from the triumphant smirk, Elpidio seemed unaware that he had followed Diech’s intentions.

Ricardis lowered his head, his expression troubled.

***

A senior knight of the Knights of the White Night, Kairo, woke up from a short doze in his chair, sensing a disturbing aura. His eyes met with Rosaline, who had one foot on the windowsill. When Kairo looked at her meaningfully, Rosaline discreetly withdrew her foot.

“Since it is His Highness’ order, I recommend that you put your ass on the bed, Sir Rosaline. I will not stop you if you wish to prolong your probationary period due to disobedience to orders.”

Kairo leaned against the window frame through which Rosaline had attempted to escape, his arms crossed. Rosaline took a step back, muttering. Judging from her shining eyes, she hadn’t completely given up. Kairo watched her with a mixture of admiration and amusement.

The person who had been excluded from escort duty for a month due to disobedience to orders was now opposing His Highness’ command again? Did she forget the instruction to stay inside the room or simply not want to follow it?

Four days had passed since Rosaline was injured. Although she might appear fine on the surface, there was no guarantee that the wounds had completely healed internally, so it was necessary to avoid any major movements. Moreover, since the matter with Diech was still unresolved, it was somewhat justified to keep her under probation, both for her own safety and protection. Even considering Ricardis’ annoyance, it made some sense.

“I’ll just go out for a moment.”

“…That’s what I told you not to do. And why are you trying to go out through the window when there’s a perfectly good door? Do you know how many floors up we are, Sir Rosaline?”

“We have two guards in front of the door, don’t we?”

Ah, so she meant that facing one senior knight was better than two lesser knights. Kairo was taken aback for some reason.

“Do you know why His Highness assigned me to this guard duty?”

“Perhaps he thought you were suitable. Or maybe you seemed available.”

“You are more talkative than I thought, Sir Rosaline, but no. It’s because His Highness knows very well that I cannot be bribed. Sir Raymond is the type of person who would shut up when you shed a single tear, but I am the type who is prepared to deliver a long speech and argue relentlessly if you silently approach the window, raise your heel, and try to sneak out when my breathing has settled calmly and I have fallen into a deep sleep. How will His Highness’ react if I reveal everything? If I come to him twenty times a day with the same report, he’ll treat me like a scumbag from a noble house in a !”

Rosaline twitched. She couldn’t forget the night when Ricardis turned his back on her. The image of him crying and angry circulated in her mind, whether her eyes were open or closed. She wondered if she would have to see that image again if Kairo explained everything.

But it had already been several days. She worried about whether he ate well, slept well, and whether any villains were lurking around. Every little thing concerned her. She had planned to take a look just once secretly, but Kairo Brulite… this man… annoyed her…

“…That… gaze? What is it? I sensed a slight threat to my life.”

Kairo trembled as he interpreted Rosaline’s meaningful gaze. However, he quickly changed his posture and scolded her with even more enthusiasm.

“Are you going to overpower me with force? Are you going to hit and subdue me? I’m just a mere human. Sir Rosaline, if you land a single blow, I’ll scatter like ricotta cheese. I’m such a soft and squishy human, so go ahead and do whatever you want! I may shatter into pieces and scatter, just like a straw doll!”

The way he spread his arms wide and expressed his weakness was so touching that even Rosaline felt slightly defeated. He might really shatter into pieces and scatter. The threat based on truth had a great impact.

Kairo made a dismissive gesture, indicating for her to go back to bed. Rosaline felt a lump in her throat at his relaxed demeanor. She was generally tolerant of things but couldn’t help but get angry at his teasing and mocking behavior. And on top of that, in front of an already irritated Rosaline, Kairo grabbed the chocolate cookie that Chloe had brought as a gift and ate it in one gulp.

“Y-you!”

Rosaline’s mouth hung open in astonishment, and then she finally punched him in the face. Fortunately, thanks to her controlled strength, Kairo didn’t turn into ricotta cheese or a straw doll. Despite the pain, he just chuckled. How could he have survived with two younger sisters? How did his sisters manage to keep him alive? Rosaline now deeply understood the feelings of his two younger sisters.