Chapter – 21
River was about to speak when Rosanne interrupted, sharply turning to the knight.
“By the way, you still haven’t been fired?”
Of course, Rosanne already knew he hadn’t been, but she asked again as if she didn’t.
“…I begged the Duke to let me stay and told the truth. I offered to forgo my salary for six months as a sign of repentance.”
Not a bad result.
“You should be grateful for the Duke’s leniency. If it were me, I wouldn’t have let you get away with just six months—I would have fired you forever.”
She muttered this gruffly, though she had no real intention of doing so.
“But why are you here?”
“I heard the rumor that you haven’t found a knight for the duel yet… is that true?”
“That’s right… and?”
Surely he wasn’t saying he intended to go in her place, was he?
Rosanne furrowed her brows in concern.
After taking a breath, the knight clenched both fists as if he had made up his mind.
“I will become your sword and fight Lord Mark in your place.”
“Ahhh! My thirty million gold!”
No sooner had the knight voiced his resolve than Rosanne shouted like a thunderbolt, her expression fierce.
“…Excuse me?”
“I… I just saw a terrifying vision of thirty million gold flying away.”
Rosanne leaned forward, rubbed her forehead, then sank back into the sofa.
“It’s fine. I’ll find a knight myself, so you don’t need to worry.”
“What? But the duel is tomorrow… so—”
“So what?”
Rosanne asked coldly, her expression utterly devoid of emotion. The chill was tangible.
“What difference would it make if you fought in that duel? What’s the difference from losing because you couldn’t find a knight?”
“That’s…!”
The knight fell silent. Of course, he couldn’t say he would win—he wasn’t even thinking about victory.
“If all you wanted was to fill the spot and cover your past mistakes because you think we’re likely to lose anyway, then that’s unnecessary.”
Rosanne waved her hand dismissively. The knight’s face flushed with shame.
“I—I came because I was worried about the lady who hasn’t found a knight for tomorrow…”
“If I were really worried, I wouldn’t have come at the last minute, pretending nothing could be done. I would have come earlier, and you would have spent the remaining time trying to actually win against Lord Mark.”
“….”
“And after losing to Lord Mark, you’d have used the excuse that it was decided at the last minute, so you couldn’t train properly, right?”
The knight, struck at the heart, could say nothing more.
Rosanne scrutinized him. Still, he had trained hard over the past few days and was better than before. If he just stayed focused, he could be useful.
“Still, I’ll praise you for having the courage to try. But that’s where it ends.”
“….”
“If you want more than that, then train harder. Then, I’ll place you in that position. But now, this isn’t your place.”
Rosanne got up from the sofa.
At that moment, someone knocked on the parlor door again.
Knock. Knock.
River, sensing the tense atmosphere, opened the door.
“Miss.”
It was the steward.
“His Grace, Duke Barpheus, has arrived.”
Finally.
“Show him in. Tell him I’ve been waiting eagerly.”
Rosanne smiled.
She dismissed the knight. Despite his resolution, he left reluctantly, swept up in the tense atmosphere.
“Miss, the person you’ve been expecting will be arriving soon…”
“Yes.”
Just as Rosanne nodded, the parlor door opened, and Cheyton stepped in. River ushered everyone out to give them privacy.
“Princess.”
“Ever since you said you were busy and left, I’ve been waiting for when you’d come.”
Cheyton paused mid-step, surprised at her casual words as she tried to sit on the sofa.
This time, he must not be swept away—he reminded himself—but from his first words, he was already caught.
He cleared his throat and tried to maintain a calm demeanor as he observed Rosanne.
“Are you alright?”
“With what?”
“I heard that Crown Prince Joseph was looking for you after I left.”
“Ah.”
“So you were told not to see me.”
“That’s right.”
Rosanne shrugged nonchalantly. Cheyton’s face fell.
“…I was so focused on my own situation that I didn’t consider yours.”
A crease appeared on Cheyton’s previously smooth forehead.
Anyone close to Cheyton would face the scrutiny of the royal family. The Emperor didn’t want Cheyton’s power to grow and wished for his demise.
So, the nobles treated Cheyton like a plague—avoiding him in fear.
He was used to this reaction.
The brief relief that he could suppress his madness and be near her was soon gone.
Moreover, Rosanne was a princess of the Leilaten family, the central force of the Emperor’s faction, which made the pressure even greater.
“I’ll deal with the curse of the Light Dragon myself. As for the secret…”
Cheyton hesitated.
Could she really be trusted to keep a secret? He knew she would act on her own anyway.
‘Worrying about it,’ he thought.
If he asked her to keep a secret, would she really do it? Cheyton gave a self-deprecating smile.
“Whether you keep the secret or not is up to you, Princess…”
“Fifty million gold. That’s from the Duke, right?”
Rosanne interrupted, cutting off Cheyton mid-sentence.
“…What?”
Cheyton stared at her in disbelief. Had she heard what he just said? She was smiling broadly as if completely unaware.
“Not many people bet that the Leilaten family would win. Miss Portlen might become the future Crown Princess, so she’s part of the Emperor’s faction too. And no one would anonymously bet that much money.”
Rosanne nodded confidently.
‘How did she know?’
Cheyton pressed his lips together and rolled his eyes. Someone had participated anonymously in the bet… yet she somehow knew.
“Duke, why did you come here today?”
“What?”
“If it’s about that, you could’ve sent a letter or someone else to deliver it. Why come in person?”
She wouldn’t ask something like this, he thought. Standing before her felt like being exposed, completely naked, unable to hide anything.
Cheyton frowned and opened his mouth.
“…Tomorrow is the duel, right?”
Rosanne smiled knowingly, as if she already knew what he was going to say.
Cheyton exhaled deeply.
“I heard you still haven’t found a knight to place in the duel.”
“That’s right.”
“Normally, you’d use someone from your own family, but… if you haven’t chosen yet…”
“Mm, yes, yes.”
Rosanne nodded repeatedly, seemingly waiting for Cheyton to speak, even though she already knew what he would say.
It made him feel oddly both pampered and treated like a child.
“If you haven’t chosen yet, I can lend a knight from the House of Barpheus…”
“No!”
Rosanne cut him off sharply.
Cheyton’s eyes went wide in shock. Hadn’t she just been listening patiently and treating him kindly?
“I didn’t come here expecting that.”
Watching Cheyton flounder after going so far, Rosanne clicked her tongue.
She pointed at him, sitting opposite.
“I want you to take part in the duel, Duke.”
“What?!”
“You? You want me to fight?”
“Yes.”
Rosanne nodded nonchalantly again.
“You are the Commander of the Third Royal Knights, the ‘Shadow Knights.’”
“That’s true, but still, I—”
“You always follow the Emperor’s orders and fight wherever wars or civil strife occur. So, Duke, you are a knight too. What’s the problem?”
Rosanne tilted her head, as if nothing could be wrong.
Of course, she wasn’t wrong. Cheyton was a royal knight, and any knight could be placed in a duel.
“Sigh.”
Cheyton shook his dizzy head and sighed.
“Did I hear what I thought I heard, Princess?”
“I heard it.”
“No… I don’t think I really heard it.”
Cheyton spoke sharply.
“I came to offer the best compensation I could, as an apology for putting you in an awkward position.”
“Hmm. But honestly, this isn’t your concern, Duke. It’s a matter between the royals and the Leilaten family.”
“You still don’t get it, do you? Being close to me won’t do you any good.”
“You still think of others first, huh.”
Hearing that murmured from deep experience, Cheyton lifted his head in surprise. Rosanne, meanwhile, acted as if nothing had happened.
“Then just make it beneficial for me, Duke.”
“Me?”
A strange expectation lingered in her voice.
He remembered the kiss they shared in the parlor when she needed help.
If it could be made beneficial…
Cheyton leaned forward eagerly.
“My thirty million gold and the Duke’s fifty million gold!”
But with Rosanne’s next words, he shut his eyes tightly.
