Chapter 55

Not only that, Ricardis had laid the knight out on the bed himself and took off her coat and boots. It was not something a prince of an empire could do, nor should he do. The force given by the picture of him wiping down Rosaline with warm water was akin to a hit to the neck for the people watching, and the movement of his hand was softer than wool as he lightly wiped her lips with a wet towel, as if he touched her lips a bit harder, they would break. He was exceedingly careful, and even though he had to return to the Empire as soon as possible, he still pushed back the deadline as much as he was able.

What Rosaline was doing now was exactly the same. Whether they discovered that she was a demon or not, the first thing she asked was if the Prince was safe. Laughter leaked out of Cecil. She patted her chin and answered.

“He departed for the Imperial city yesterday. He was a little tired, but there were no injuries.”

“Is that so?”

Rosaline’s gaze wandered out the far window.

[There were no injuries.]

With that one sentence, Rosaline was able to breathe a sigh of relief. Her mind, which had been anxious ever since she woke up, slowly relaxed.

Every time she vomited blood, Ricardis had held her tightly in his embrace. His wet eyelashes sparkling in the dark, the smell of the hut where dust had piled up, the suffocating cry — fragmented memories came to mind sporadically.

[It’s okay. Rosaline will be fine. I’m here.] Kind words fell along with his tears.

[Rosaline...] A low, shaky voice seemed to ring in her ears.

“He is healthy with no injuries. Don’t worry.”

Rosaline smiled involuntarily, more delighted by the fact that Ricardis was safe than the success of their mission.

Of course, she had heard from Macaron that he was safe, but the standard for ‘safe’ for Macaron and ‘safe’ for other people was somewhat different. If the standard for ordinary people is based on whether they are okay without pain or damage, then for Macaron, it is based on whether they are dead or alive. Macaron had absolutely no credibility.

“And, I’m not too worried about you, who’s been unconscious for five days.”

Rosaline raised her head in a flash.

“Five days?”

The ferocious momentum surprised Count Drythorne.

Rosaline muttered, not paying attention to her reaction, “Unconscious for five days? That means... For five days, I...”

‘...haven’t eaten anything!’

She was hungry as soon as she knew the exact duration of the unintentional fast. Rosaline grabbed her hungry stomach and quickly scanned the table. A blush began to appear on the face of the expressionless knight. Noticing that her gaze did not leave the food, Cecil swallowed a laugh.

But among the rumors, there was one thing that people paid great attention to— ”Fragment’ is a combination of magic and poison! There is no antidote! Then, what is the true identity of Rosaline Radwiell, who survived even after being poisoned with ‘Fragment’?’

Her father, Count Fertan Radwiell, dispelled the rumor that she might not be his child. Twenty-three chapters, which is a considerable amount of explanation, recounted Rosaline’s birth: [Rosaline made them proud as she knew how to say ‘mum’ as soon as she was born...] The only remaining conclusion was that Rosaline Radwiell is a demon.

[Since the Illavenia Empire rejects the existence of magic, my daughter had to carry sins and guilt since she was a baby. It is not my daughter’s fault. It is your fault for making her lie. My daughter gave her life for the noble 2nd Prince of the Empire while you wag your tongues carelessly. It must have been hard for her!]

It was the right thing to say. Illavenia was in upheaval. The knight of the 2nd Prince and the eldest daughter of the Radwiells is a demon, and she is a demon with the ominous power of the Black Moon. Someone asked if it was a bad omen that she appeared in the Holy Empire. However, some other people said that even Crean Tidanion cares for the future of the 2nd Prince.

The story of Rosaline spread out of Vista to every corner of the continent. Her identity changed from the greatest villain in the world to the greatest hero in the world. Even young children began to recognize Rosaline’s name. But she slept for five days and woke up late in the afternoon on the sixth day, unaware of everything happening. Cecil raised her red lips and smiled.

“A lot has happened.”

Cecil told the story of what happened while she was asleep. From the Knights of Drythorne and Radwiell crossing the border to protect the delegation to the circulating tale of the demon that shook the continent.

Cecil carefully watched Rosaline because she wondered how she would react.

‘Isn’t this a situation where the secret she has been hiding all her life has become uncovered? Will she be afraid, or will she doubt and deny my words? No matter how she reacts, I will be able to read the truth about her in those intense emotions.’

But Rosaline was beyond Cecil’s expectations as her eyes merely glowed as if she was interested.

“Ah. Did my father say I’m a demon? I am...”

The eagle sitting on the back of her chair slapped her head with its wings.

“...a demon. That’s right.”

The eagle and the woman nodded eagerly.

‘You didn’t mean to say that, did you?’ Cecil looked at them sullenly.

“Do you not mind that it’s true?”

“The situation is different from before.”

Magic and holy power cannot interfere with each other. That’s why holy power had no effect on ‘Fragment’, which is a mixture of magic and poison. So, if one can also use magic to counteract the magic contained in the terrible poison ‘Fragment’, then can the separated poison be healed with holy power?

It was a hypothesis that had been floating around long before Rosaline’s poisoning by ‘Fragment’. But Cecil didn’t have a demon, so there was no way she could verify it. In a world where there are no solutions and only the number of people who talk rubbish are increasing, Rosaline was afflicted by ‘Fragment’ and survived. Rosaline proved that they couldn’t bury that hypothesis forever.

In Illavenia, people’s evaluations of demons, or mages, placed them lower than slaves. Even those within the Illavenia Empire were considered in the same vein as Balta’s assassin group, Black Moon. But what kind of fate is this? The existence of Black Moon increased the need for magic. It was hard to find demons in Illavenia. Those people were persecuted and murdered. Or they migrated to Balta or other distant places or hid in uninhabited locations. Even if found, it would be impossible for them to have any good feelings for Illavenia. They would never do anything to help Illavenia.