Chapter – 22
Chaeton’s reaction didn’t seem to matter at all to Rosanne as she clenched both fists.
“Eight million gold completely taken away? That’s not happening.”
“…Ha.”
Chaeton rubbed his forehead. Seeing him still hesitating, Rosanne spoke again.
“You don’t need to worry too much about Crown Prince Joseph coming. I told him myself not to get close to the Grand Duke, so I’ll handle it.”
“What? You told the Crown Prince that?”
Chaeton’s face twisted in disbelief. He knew well how much Joseph tried to keep him in check.
In fact, the moment he stepped into the palace, Joseph would panic and try to chase him out. And yet, she had gone and said she’d handle it herself.
“Nothing happened?”
“Hmm. He threw a teacup. So I got angry too…”
“What?!”
Chaeton leapt up from his seat. He hadn’t expected such an intense reaction just from what was meant to signal that the conversation didn’t end on good terms.
Rosanne, rarely showing any sign of embarrassment, nodded.
“But I threw one too…”
“The Crown Prince went mad, throwing a teacup? At the princess?”
“I said I threw one too.”
“Was anyone hurt? He must have been startled. Is it the drawing room? There might still be shards of the teacup. Tiny glass pieces are hard to see, and they sting if they pierce the skin. We should probably avoid using this room for a while.”
Seeing Chaeton treat the scene like a delicate sandcastle made Rosanne feel… strange.
Even when she had gone to war as a hero, bloodied and bruised, no one had ever asked if she was okay. Not once.
It had just been taken for granted.
“…I’m fine.”
Rosanne carefully wrapped up the odd feeling and slowly replied that she was fine.
“Besides throwing teacups? Nothing else?”
“He said he’d summon a hero.”
“What?”
Chaeton’s eyes wavered. Rosanne’s narrowed eyes sharpened.
“He said he’d summon the emperor’s puppet to kill me.”
“…The emperor’s puppet? That’s monstrous.”
Maybe because of their experience fighting together, Chaeton ground his teeth in low anger.
Rosanne just watched quietly.
Chaeton wiped his dry face several times, trying to calm himself.
“Ha. There’s nothing to fear. That hero can only be summoned by the emperor. Even if Crown Prince Joseph requests it, the emperor won’t lift the seal for such a petty matter.”
Only the emperor can summon it?
Chaeton clearly knew more about the hero’s seal than Joseph did.
“And…”
Chaeton hesitated.
“No matter the emperor’s command, he won’t kill an innocent princess. He’s not that kind of person.”
A person.
Joseph had called the hero the emperor’s dog, the emperor’s puppet.
But Chaeton called him a person. A living person. And he was certain that an innocent one wouldn’t be killed.
Rosanne fidgeted with her fingers, feeling that strange sensation again.
“I can’t say more, but don’t worry, princess.”
Chaeton said it with absolute certainty.
Rosanne thought he was trying to scare her, but she nodded.
This man had to stay by her side, without a doubt.
“Grand Duke.”
Rosanne called Chaeton.
“I want you to be the one to fight in tomorrow’s duel.”
Chaeton didn’t answer immediately.
He knew exactly how many eyes were on this duel. Even the emperor was paying close attention.
“If I step in as your knight, do you know what people will say?”
“Hmm.”
“This isn’t like the few times we’ve met. People will look at us and…”
“Ask if we’re dating?”
“Yes. They’ll ask if we’re dating… what?”
Hearing Rosanne mutter that casually, Chaeton’s ears flushed red.
“What’s the problem?”
“What’s the problem… the princess…”
“Anyway, we agreed to publicly claim we were in love.”
Chaeton suddenly lost the words to respond.
And he realized.
No matter what he said, he couldn’t beat this woman.
Seeing Chaeton rub his forehead, Rosanne smiled.
“You said you were needed, Grand Duke. But I guess you’re not that desperate after all?”
Her voice, full of laughter, made Chaeton involuntarily lift his head.
There she was, smiling.
He couldn’t help but want the only power that could suppress his madness.
“Grand Duke.”
Rosanne called sweetly.
“If you’re desperate, don’t give up or step back.”
She reached out as if telling him to grab it.
“Ha.”
Chaeton let out a deep breath he didn’t even notice he’d been holding. His eyes stayed fixed on Rosanne’s hand.
“No matter whose situation it is, hold tight and never let go.”
It was a suggestion he couldn’t refuse.
“Even if it’s my situation?”
No choice but surrender.
Chaeton closed his eyes tightly and interlaced his fingers with hers.
The day of the duel arrived.
Brina, confident in her victory, chose an open sparring ground managed by the Portlen family as the venue.
She had invited some of her friends to a nearby, awkwardly placed tea table.
“It’s been a while since my friends visited, so I couldn’t turn them away coldly… but we can’t delay the duel either, so I reluctantly allowed them to watch. Is that alright, princess?”
Brina giggled. Since Rosanne hadn’t announced she’d secured a knight until the day before, it was clear Brina had invited them to embarrass her.
Rosanne nodded casually, unconcerned.
“Oh, and I invited Viscount Ziccelia as a fair judge for the wager. That’s okay too, right?”
Brina subtly glanced at Rosanne, who in turn glanced behind her.
Only her maid River was there. No one else.
Brina, certain of victory, smiled. But then she quickly tried to compose her twitching lips to maintain her poise.
“And your knight?”
Brina asked. Sir Mark stepped forward, unsheathing his sword and swinging it through the air.
“If you can’t find a knight for the duel, it’ll be the princess’ loss, but…”
“I’m late, huh.”
Rosanne crossed her arms, scolding him as Chaeton entered. Chaeton cleared his throat and deliberately ignored it.
Brina looked from Mark to Chaeton, eyes wide with disbelief. Even the spectators jumped to their feet in surprise.
Being driven into the shadows by the emperor and monitored by Joseph, nobles often tried to ignore Chaeton—but in the presence of the Grand Duke, they had no choice but to bow.
“Grand Duke, what brings you here…?”
“I’m here to fight in the duel as Princess Reilaten’s knight.”
“What?!”
Brina’s jaw dropped. Chaeton, sword drawn, stood before Rosanne.
“Grand Duke… why are you involved in Princess Reilaten’s affairs…?”
Brina muttered, and Chaeton fixed her with a sharp gaze.
“Do I need to explain to the young lady?”
Brina quickly bowed in response to his cutting voice.
Chaeton, who had faced the battlefield and civil wars since childhood, always returned alive. Mark was skilled, yes—but against Chaeton, there was no comparison.
“This… this is cheating.”
Brina shouted, trembling.
“Grand Duke Barpheus isn’t a knight, he’s royalty! Only knights can stand in a duel!”
“I am a knight.”
“Yes! A knight! …Huh?”
Brina blinked at Rosanne’s calm retort.
“He’s always been a loyal knight of the emperor, appearing in wars and internal conflicts.”
Brina froze, realizing her mistake.
When the emperor had sent Chaeton out of the palace, he gave him an appropriate grand duchy and title for appearances. But he was still treated only as a knight.
Called to the palace as a knight, solving imperial matters as a loyal knight—essentially sent to die.
“So now, you’re defying the emperor?”
“I never said I would…!”
“Yet the young lady refuses to recognize a knight the emperor has sanctioned?”
Rosanne’s words left Brina speechless. She bit her lower lip.
“Shall we start the duel? Or was this a duel of words?”
Chaeton asked with a hint of sarcasm.
There was no turning back now.
