TVWD 28

Chapter – 28

They say my emotions have dulled, but when Merina belatedly remembered the mirror I received at the hunting competition and said she wanted it, I truly wanted to kill her.

It was regrettable that, perhaps because she was the heroine, she wouldn’t die even after ingesting deadly poison or being attacked by an assassin.

When I took action myself, it worked—but I was exposed as the culprit and publicly executed.

The surge of anger made my voice tremble on its own.

“The fox’s remains should be over there. If I… if I found it, would it be acknowledged as my catch? I went through all that trouble to find it…”

“Ha!”

The man let out a scoff of disbelief, but I was serious.

I tried to stand by bracing myself against a tree, but my legs wouldn’t hold. My palm scraped noisily against the bark with a long, grating sound.

“Rosia, allow me to support you.”

“No. I can walk.”

“Look at your hand.”

Rexian poured clean water over my hand, then took out a handkerchief from inside his coat and wrapped it carefully around my palm. It must have been scraped when it slipped against the tree.

“You’re so exhausted you didn’t even notice you were injured, aren’t you?”

“Even so, I’ll walk. I can walk.”

“I’ll set you down once we leave the lakeside. And my knights are tight-lipped—they won’t speak of what they saw here.”

Having received the answer I wanted, I entrusted myself to Rexian without further protest.

I needed to distance myself from him, yet even touching him like this made me happy.

Such a gentle person.

I can’t let you die because of me ever again.

Cradled in his broad arms, I felt sleep creeping in, but I bit the inside of my cheek to stay awake.

“Don’t bite.”

“…What?”

“You’re biting the inside of your mouth again, aren’t you?”

Come to think of it, had he noticed me doing that before?

When I collapsed at the ducal residence, hadn’t he given me ointment and told me to apply it inside my mouth?

“If you fall asleep, I’ll wake you. So don’t hurt yourself, Rosia.”

I didn’t answer, and Rexian didn’t press further.

The place where the silver fox had been wasn’t far.

After setting me down on the fallen leaves, Rexian searched the surroundings. A little distance from the blood-soaked ground, he found traces of the fox.

“The tail is still here. This should be sufficient proof.”

A shadow of concern crossed his refined face.

“However, you’ll have to explain why only the tail remains. Are you prepared for that?”

It meant I would have to speak publicly about being attacked—and that could spark rumors.

“I’m fine with that.”

“You care about your reputation in high society, yet you’re unconcerned about such rumors.”

Rexian placed the silver fox’s tail in my hand and looked at me with an unreadable gaze.

“You… truly are impossible to understand.”

Again, I didn’t respond. Rexian silently lifted me once more. As promised, the moment we left the lakeside, he set me down.

“Pipi!”

“Hiiiiiing!”

The horse tied to a tree whinnied excitedly when it saw me.

The medicine was slowly taking effect, and I was able to mount on my own. We headed toward the forest entrance.

When I blew the whistle, Calvin came galloping toward us.

“Sis! You caught the fox—huh?”

As he drew near, his gaze fell on my neck and he blanched.

“S-Sis… what is that?”

Is it that grotesque? It’s still better than having my whole body burned…

“Sis, what the— What happened to your neck?!”

There were many eyes around us, so I gestured for him to follow.

“I’ll explain on the way.”

As I recounted everything, Calvin’s face gradually twisted.

“I’m sorry, Sir. I failed to properly protect Rosia, and she ended up severely injured.”

“It’s not your fault, Commander.”

At the moment Rexian called me “Rosia,” Calvin’s brows twitched before he shook his head. Rexian frowned, apparently displeased by something in Calvin’s tone.

“It was my fault for sending her off alone. And I didn’t even hear the whistle…”

While the two of them spoke, I raised my collar and wrapped a scarf around my neck.

The collar was short and the scarf small—there were limits—but I did my best to cover it.

“How is it? Is it less visible now?”

Calvin’s complexion remained dark.

We showed the silver fox’s tail to an imperial knight patrolling the forest and gave him a brief explanation. He relayed it to headquarters.

After receiving a response, the knight lifted the horn at his waist and blew it long and twice.

Bwooooo—

Bwooooo—

It signaled the end of the hunting competition.

We moved to the forest entrance and waited for all the participants to gather.

In the meantime, Rexian met with the Emperor. The Emperor’s expression as he listened was far from pleasant.

After all, an unidentified assassin appearing in the imperial hunting grounds and targeting one of his nobles was no small matter.

Once everyone had assembled, the Emperor stepped forward, holding the fox’s tail I had brought.

“This year’s silver fox remains only as a tail.”

I had worried he might use the incident as an excuse to withhold the prize—but thankfully, that didn’t seem to be the case.

“Though regrettably the fox’s body is gone, we have instead confirmed that the Empire possesses brave and outstanding talents.”

The Emperor explained that the fox had been reduced to just its tail due to the assassin and that imperial knights had been dispatched to investigate traces of the intruder.

“The victor who defeated the assassin that targeted an imperial noble—Rosia Levian and Calvin Levian!”

We had technically participated jointly, but Rexian had said it would be better if it appeared that the two of us had been together.

That way, there would be fewer rumors surrounding me.

He was right.

It sounded far more plausible that I faced the assassin alongside Calvin—a capable knight—than alone as a woman without proper martial strength.

“His Majesty will personally bestow the prize. Step forward.”

Calvin and I each received our prizes and flower crowns.

Placed in my hands was an exquisitely crafted hand mirror.

The ordinary-looking “Mirror of Truth” was nothing more than an old relic to those who didn’t know how to use it.

That was why the imperial family had offered it as a competition prize.

Relieved that no one seemed aware of its true value, I slipped it into my pocket.

“I’m glad you both returned safely.”

The Emperor personally patted our shoulders in commendation.

“It is thanks to loyal and courageous individuals like you that the Empire stands so firm.”

After offering some perfunctory praise, the Emperor deliberately laughed loudly.

“Now then, to whom shall the honor of the flower crown go? Calvin Levian, choose your Lady of Honor.”

Of course it would be Merina, so I stepped back—

Something was placed on my head.

Huh?

Startled, I turned to see Calvin—brown-haired like our mother, though with the same red eyes as mine—his expression tense.

“Sir Levian, is it Lady Levian you have chosen?”

“Yes, it is.”

I grabbed my brother and whispered.

“Wait, Calvin. Weren’t you going to confess to Merina with the flower crown?”

“Confess—!”

His face flushed bright red, but he soon shook his head.

“No, Sis. It’s right that I give it to you.”

He then faced forward and declared,

“My finest lady is my sister, Rosia Levian!”

“Hoho, what a loving pair of siblings. I cannot let such a fine sight pass unrewarded. I shall grant you two bottles of ‘Aran’s Dance.’”

The Emperor bestowed two bottles of the famed liquor, praising our sibling harmony.

‘Aran’s Dance’ was one of the Empire’s most renowned wines—valuable enough to purchase a modest fief.

I could almost hear the envious sighs of wine connoisseurs, but my thoughts were elsewhere.

The hunting competition, which should have continued into a banquet, was dismissed early due to the assassin search. I grabbed Calvin.

“Why did you do that, Calvin?”

Has my brother gone mad? Why is he doing something he’s never done before?

Could it be… did Blue Bird do something to him?

“Give this to Merina now.”

Resolved that if he refused again, I would commission the Mage Tower to examine his condition, I held out the flower crown to him.