CH 54

Russell watched as Wells hurriedly left the Imperial Palace in the Honeywell carriage.

After a quick prep, he was interrupted as he mounted his horse by the knight who had told him about Rose.

"Your Majesty, I don't know if it belongs to the Honeywell family, but I received a report that a carriage with colorful patterns was sighted as it rushed out of the capital. The knights on duty were unsure, so the commander of the 1st Division said he would search the capital for Rose Honeywell."

"I understand. Duke Honeywell will send knights out of the capital, but it is not good for rumors to spread that Rose Honeywell has been kidnapped, so try to find out the identity of the kidnapper as quietly as possible."

After giving the order, Russell grabbed the reins without hesitation.

At his urging, the horse neighed loudly and raced out at full speed.

Riding out of the Imperial Palace, Russell pulled the hood attached to his cloak over his head. His appearance was quite famous and well known by his people, so if he didn't hide it, everyone on the streets of the capital would almost certainly recognize the Emperor of Tristan.

"If it was like usual, I would wear my favorite wig, but now it's not like that."

He murmured softly, then gnashed his teeth and urgently muttered a prayer.

"Rose, please... Please don't get hurt."

The commander of the 1st Imperial Division was busy with the orders given to him by the emperor.

He quickly dispatched several knights with an order to scour the capital and find Rose Honeywell.

At his discretion, the knights quickly left the Imperial Palace, and he too began to prepare with urgency to join the search.

"The kidnapping of Rose Honeywell. Heh---what the hell kind of guy got his hands on Honeywell's Rose?"

The commander was very curious about the kidnapper's face but did not have the courage to question the emperor. 

The commander of the 1st Division checked the sword at his waist once more and left the office.

However, he had no choice but to stop when he saw a large figure standing in front of the door.

"Commander-in-chief?"

It was his commander-in-chief, Elliot Proud.

The commander of the 1st division saw his cold, hard expression before even tilting his head at his sudden visit.

It was a sharp moment of intuition that told him that Elliot Proud had long since been aware of Rose Honeywell's kidnapping.

I don't know why Duke Elliot and Young Lady Rose's engagement ceremony has been postponed, but there is no one who doesn't know that the two are lovers.

It was the same for the 1st division commander.

...But it's something that His Majesty directly ordered me to do. If the Commander-in-Chief had known, he would have given me an order himself.

The commander of the 1st Division swallowed his saliva audibly and opened his mouth cautiously.

"Isn't it your day off today, Commander-in-Chief? What brought you to the Imperial Palace?"

In response to his question, Elliot's navy blue eyes scanned the 1st division commander in front of him.

Elliot was also unsure of how to answer.

If he wanted to see with his own eyes that Stanley Gardner had visited Rose, it would have been quicker to head to Honeywell Manor and look for the clues.

At least the butler there would have told me where Rose was.

Nevertheless, there was only one reason why he came to the Imperial Palace.

There's no way Russell didn't know about Rose.

Elliot was convinced after noticing the tension that the 1st division commander couldn't hide.

What happened to Rose Honeywell was now known by the emperor, who then moved the knights himself.

Elliot said it coldly, his face stiff.

"Tell me. Where is Rose Honeywell now?"

"That---Commander-in-chief, it seems that even the commander-in-chief came to the Imperial Palace after knowing that Rose Honeywell was kidnapped."

The commander of the 1st division reported the situation clearly at a glance, even though he was embarrassed.

Elliott's well-groomed eyebrows wrinkle at his report.

"The kidnapper who took Rose has left the capital?"

"Yes, a witness at the scene reported seeing the incident. I was about to assemble a group of knights to search the capital by order of His Majesty, just in case."

"Hmm... Kidnap... He left the capital."

Elliott quickly calculated the distance that the kidnapper would be fleeing from the wall that separated the capital from the outside of the palace and the entrance to the wall.

Can I catch the kidnapper if I ride a horse and leave now?

With a deep sigh, Elliot nodded.

"Okay, I will go out of the capital."

"Yes, commander-in-chief."

Elliott, who had been about to leave, suddenly stopped and turned to the commander of the 1st Division.

"By the way, where is His Majesty now?"

Elliot knew that Russell had feelings for Rose, so he became curious.

What is he doing now that Rose has been kidnapped?

The commander of the 1st Division answered readily.

"His Majesty rode out immediately after hearing that the kidnappers had left the capital."

"His Majesty himself?"

"Yes."

"...I understand."

Elliot left.

He left the Imperial Palace with a leisurely step that showed no sense of urgency and got back on the horse he had ridden from Proud Mansion.

Then, instead of urging the horse with the reins, he sat quietly and thought deeply. 

"It is romantic, if I think it through. He is the emperor who personally steps out to save Rose Honeywell."

His hand lightly gripped the reins, and with a small flick of his wrist, the horse slowly stamped its feet.

"I wonder, since when did His Majesty come to have romantic feelings for Rose?"

The horse began to pick up speed. 

As the wind picked up speed and caressed his skin, Elliot pictured Russell and Rose in his head.

Before ascending to the position of Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Knights, he had known Russell. 

Partly because he was the heir to the ducal family.

He had known Russell for quite some time, though they were not as close as Russell and Wells were.

Because of that, he learned something about Russell's relationship with the people around him, even if he didn't want to know about it.

Rose Honeywell was not among those with close ties to Russell. His memory confirmed that.

"Obviously, it wasn't the first time you two met last year."

Elliot spurred on his horse. The corners of his lips curled up.

"I'm curious. What brought the two of them together?"

The fort could be seen in the distance, and Elliot rode harder and harder.

The touch on her slender white legs felt like the movement of a snake as it crawled across her flesh.

Rose smacked her hand at Stanley before she had time to wipe the tears from her face.

"Go away!"

"Ugh!"

It was the weak gesture of a desperate woman trying to escape, but Stanley backed away while covering his face.

Stanley glared at Rose, his eyes widening at the pain emanating from his face.

In Rose's hand sat a brooch that she had pulled out of her clothing. The sharp end held a drop of blood that belonged to Stanley Gardner.

"Damn it! Rose Honeywell!"

The young lady's shoulders trembled as Stanley cursed.

Even thinking of what was to come gave Rose the energy to quickly rise to her feet.

There is no time to quietly ask for help. At this moment, the only one who can protect me is myself!

Rose threw off her shoes and ran.

Stanley's voice was heard screaming behind her, followed by footsteps.

She gritted her teeth and ran as fast as her injured body could manage to avoid being caught.

However, her body, which had never trained or run much, was caught easily by Stanley again.

Rose looked back at him, whose fingers gripped her arm.

Stanley's face grew more savage.

The demon that appeared only in books seemed to have a human form, and the appearance of the gentleman at their first meeting was nowhere to be found.

Seeing him screaming and threatening her, Rose tightly shut her eyes.

Then the sadness came. After facing death and returning after trying so hard to survive, she would still end up passing away after the year ended.

Is my death already predestined, no matter how much I try to change it?

...Was I destined to die no matter what I did?

Rose bit her lip. It looked like she was about to burst out crying at any moment, but she held it back.

...Brother. Was Honeywell's downfall inevitable?

If the death she barely avoided was to be met here, Rose wanted to see Wells' face one last time.

Whether before or after the return, not seeing Wells' face until the end was something she would have to live with. 

Stanley's hand grabbed Rose's neck as she dropped her head in resignation, choking her.

"Kuk!"

A suppressed gasp escaped Rose's lips, and the faint sound seemed to stimulate Stanley even more as the hand gripping her neck grew stronger.

Rose saw herself reflected in Stanley's mad eyes.

On the inside, she seemed to have accepted death herself, but the reflection of herself in Stanley's eyes was struggling to live.

Empowered, Rose's manicured fingernails scraped Stanley's hand.

"If I can't have the living Rose, it doesn't matter if you're dead! I'll settle for you dead!"

"Ugh, that---only..."

The grip on her neck showed no signs of loosening, and Rose, unable to breathe, felt that she was gradually losing consciousness.

I'm going to die, for real.

At the end of her realization, Stanley's hand, which had been tightened as if to break his thin neck, loosened in an instant.

"Cough. Cough. Haa... Haa..."

Rose's head throbbed in pain as the oxygen was suddenly supplied once more. For an instant, her vision went dark and came into focus again. 

She found Stanley collapsed on the floor.

He was writhing in pain at close range from her.

Still trapped in the horrors she faced that day, she looked at Stanley with a fearful face, covering her mouth in a silent scream.

"Kuk!"

After coughing up blood, Stanley's body stiffened as if paralyzed, and Rose noticed that he was bleeding profusely.

The blood that flowed came precisely from the heart pierced by the sword.

Rose's gaze turned to the sword. The sword, gleaming in the sunlight, had blood dripping from its blade. 

Rose moved her gaze toward the receding sword.

And the moment Rose found Russell standing behind the fallen Stanley, she jumped up and ran without thinking.

The blade fell to the ground, making a sharp sound ring out.

Rose threw herself into Russell's arms, and his strong arms embraced her small, delicate body as if to crush her to him.

It was only then that stability came to Rose's heart. Feeling the arms hugging her gave her comfort.

The fear that dominated my mind a moment ago disappeared like snow melting because of just one person.

After silently hugging Rose for a long time, Russell carefully separated from her.

"Rose, are you hurt?"

Russell cupped her cheeks with both hands.

Her small, fair face was covered by his large hands. 

"What harm did that guy do to you?!"

His amethyst eyes carefully examine her.

Rose smiled and placed her hand over Russell's hand.

"There are no serious injuries."

"Really?"

Russell asked her doubtfully, causing Rose to nod.

She had jumped off the fast-moving carriage and rolled several times on a dirt road full of stones, but as she said, she was not seriously injured.

This fact puzzled her, but Rose didn't bother to mention it.

"But how is His Majesty personally here...?"

"A letter came from the Honeywell Manor to the Imperial Palace. Duke Honeywell happened to be with me."

"Ah... Then, brother..."

"Is going to the manor to gather the forces and come here with the knights."

"Okay."

Stanley came into Rose's field of vision as she let out a sigh of relief and lowered her head.

A stiff body, a white face, and blood dripping from a pierced heart

Russell covered her eyes with his hand.

"Don't look."

"..."

"You don't have to see that. Forget everything you just saw."