Chapter 94

For some, Rosaline had been a mage from birth, but it wasn’t true. Rosaline was just an ordinary human. An ordinary knight with decent skills. Not only was she not strong enough to defeat the son of Sihorge, a renowned swordsman, but she also wasn’t good enough to catch the assassins seeking the life of the 2nd Prince. The child wasn’t strong enough to tear apart the Black Moon and survived against their weapon.Yôur favorite stories at novelhall.com

Before seeing the ‘It’ wearing his daughter’s shell, Fertan had first encountered the battlefield where she’d fought. Seeing the disastrous sight of the shattered and scattered flesh rotting under the damp moisture, Fertan was finally fully aware that the woman wasn’t Rosaline.

He’d thought she would die. However, she survived longer than he’d expected. Although she had decent enough skills, it wasn’t enough to stand by the 2nd Prince Ricardis’ side, whose life was filled with all kinds of danger. Rosaline’s death was foreseen. It was not surprising at all because it was fate that could come at anytime.

“Why are you hiding the fact that I am not the original Rosaline?”

Fertan looked around in bewilderment. Fortunately, no one passed by. ‘How could she say “I’m not Rosaline...” in an open space like this so blatantly?’

“It’s not for you. I only did so because it could endanger the Radwiell.”

“Aren’t you sad?”

Fertan stopped walking. Rosaline followed him to a halt.

“Rosaline’s choice almost put countless people of Radwiell Castle in danger. She was a child who has abandoned even her duty and left to protect the moonlight in the distant night sky.”

His eyes were wide, and with his big figure, he looked intimidating, but his tone was calm.

“Since then, Rosaline has been dead to me.”

Fertan hesitated a lot before saying this because it felt like he spoke these harsh words to the dead Rosaline.

But his expression was the same as before. Calmly, as if it was someone else’s business. Only then could Pertan look at her more comfortably.

“So you’re saying you’re not sad?”

“...”

She seemed like she couldn’t read the main point beneath his words at all, but she had accurately stabbed his lungs. Fertan brushed his rough beard a few times before hesitating and opening his mouth.

“It’s hard to feel sad and mourn after cutting off-”

‘You have no sense of shame.’ Rosaline’s expression wrinkled harshly, but Fertan only saw it as a simple, troubled expression. She was just like Rosaline in the past when she pondered something.

Rosaline, who had been rolling her eyes for a while, opened her mouth.

“So to be precise, you’re saying you’re not sad, right?”

“...”

‘She didn’t understand it at all.’ Fertan’s face now resembled the unknown creature in the skin of his daughter. He realized that it wasn’t enough. He thought he should’ve expressed his feelings more simply, clearly, and accurately.

Fertan said this after swearing once.

“I mean, I’m sad.”

It sounded more realistic after taking it out of his mouth.

He was sad. The pain penetrated deep into his bones. Even if it was the result of him letting go of Rosaline, even if it was the result of Rosaline letting go of his hand.

“Then why are you trying to protect the Radwiell Castle and Illavenia?”

Fertan’s beard twitched for a moment as if caught off guard. The man’s impression became ferocious, but Rosaline noticed that he wasn’t offended. He was simply thinking about it. Fertan answered after he pondered.

“... because it’s precious to me.”

“I see.”

Rosaline smiled.

“His Highness is important to me, so I will protect him.”

Every word that came out of her mouth was filled with certainty. Fertan felt a force firmly entrenched within her. Strong will and conviction. The power burnt inside the chest and made people move forward.

He’d thought that this creature could do nothing more than imitate humans. So what’s this existence?

A gust of wind blew across the floor and spread across the ceiling. Rosaline’s hair fluttered. It swayed as if drawing the grain of the wind.

“What are you?”

Rosaline’s gaze stopped at his breastplate as it moved around in response to Fertan’s question. Rosaline looked into herself, reflected in her silver armour.

[What are you?!]

Suddenly, she remembered her image reflected on Calyx’s blade from the moonlit window.

[I am the shadow.]

The vitality of the woman in the sunlight stirred.

[I am Rosaline’s shadow.]

“I am Rosaline.”

And she was smiling brightly.

***

[... Let’s have a meal together soon.]

What Fertan had said as they broke up wasn’t unfamiliar. It was the greeting Rosaline received from many people after she entered the imperial city. ‘Why do people ask to have a meal every time we say goodbye?’ Despite her confusion, she’d excitedly and vigorously reply, “Yes!”

But Rosaline, who hadn’t known that the cliche started with “Let’s have a meal soon”, was interpreted as “It was nice to meet you today, I’ll see you again soon”, had gone to each person who’d brought it up and asked, “So when are we going to eat?”

It was a huge mistake for people who didn’t know her tenacity for food. In the end, they had to face an uncomfortable situation where they had to eat an uncomfortable meal with an uncomfortable person after making a mistake in the ritual greeting.

After knowing everything, Raymond taught Rosaline that such a greeting was just words, and Rosaline was furious, asking why people just make promises they wouldn’t keep. Anyway, Rosaline realised that “Have a meal soon...” was more like a greeting.

[If there’s a flower named Radwiell, it must mean “relentless” and “you can’t find any flexibility in them even if you wash your eyes in search of it”.]

Like what people’s mouths were saying about the family name, Fertan seemed to mean what he said. So three days later, an appointment was made.