CH 11

Emma tilted her head as Rosalie deliberately pulled back the curtains that had obscured the carriage’s windows.

“Duchess? Your eyes will be dazzled when the portal magic starts.”

“I just wanted to see it again after a long time.”

Emma nodded her head and shut her mouth. A magic circle began to glow on the floor where the carriage stood inside the tower.

‘Wow.’

Rosalie secretly admired the shining magic circle. Then, the light of the magic circle started to fade again, and then the light completely disappeared. The scene was still the same inside the brick-walled tower.

“We’re here.”

Disappointed by the lack of dramatic magical effects, Rosalie sighed and closed the curtains. The carriage started moving again, and after a while, it gradually slowed down and stopped.

As the coachman opened the carriage door, Rosalie got up and stepped out.

“Greetings, Your Grace.”

When Rosalie got off the carriage, Martin, the butler of the mansion, and the servants bowed their heads in greeting. Rosalie nodded and walked forward.

Rosalie could understand why Dolan had praised not only the interior but also the exterior of the mansion. The combination of beautiful landscaping and the massive, carved mansion was awe-inspiring.

“Do you have any plans for today?” 

Martin asked, following behind her. His question made Rosalie think for a while. 

The ball was still two days away and she didn’t have any specific plans, but since she was in the capital, she thought she might as well take a stroll.

“Not really… I’m going out, though. Emma, please prepare something comfortable for me to wear. Something that won’t attract too much attention while I’m outside.”

“Are you going out right away?”

“I’m going to take a look around the estate first.”

After circling around the mansion, Rosalie changed her clothes. Emma had prepared the most ordinary dress, but at Rosalie’s request, she quickly found a pair of pants.

When Whitney saw Rosalie in plain pants and a shirt with a cape draped over her shoulders, he blocked her way.

“Are you going out without an escort?”

Whitney asked, and Rosalie nodded. She was uncomfortable with the idea of an escort, especially since she was a modern woman not so long ago. Whitney twitched his mouth in confusion.

“If something happens, then…”

“Come on, (1)Arthur. No one would dare to touch the Duchess. Even if anyone does, she’d cut them down with a dagger.”

When Whitney was not relieved by Toronto’s playful remarks, Rosalie tapped the dagger on her thigh with her finger.

“I’m bringing my dagger with me, and it’s the capital of the Misha Empire in broad daylight.”

The capital of the Misha empire was known for its good security. During the social season, a lot of nobles went around, so the Imperial family put more effort into security.

Whitney, who knew how strong she was, eventually stepped aside.

Rosalie walked through the heart of the capital, weaving her way through the crowds and taking in the sights.

“It’s lively and nice. The kids are running around too.”

After wandering around for a while, Rosalie spotted a man leading a child by the hand and turning into an alleyway. The child’s eyes looked uneasy, and the man kept looking around.

‘This feels familiar.’

Rosalie contemplated calling the guards but realized it would be too late and decided to take matters into her own hands. Following the man into a corner and down a dark alley, Rosalie approached the child, grabbed his wrist, and pulled him strongly toward her.

Suddenly losing his grip on the child, the man turned around, saw Rosalie, and tried to scream. However, Rosalie was quicker, drawing her dagger and pressing it to his throat.

“Turn around.”

With the sharp blade of the dagger pointed at him, the man slowly turned around, raising his hands in surrender.

“What were you planning to do with the child?”

“Oh, nothing…”

At the man’s pretentiousness, Rosalie pressed the dagger closer. The man trembled at the feeling of the cold iron on the nape of his neck.

“There’s no need to keep you alive if you don’t talk to me properly.”

“Hic, hic! I—I was going to take him back to our base! Children are worth a fortune!”

Rosalie adjusted her grip on the dagger. She could have killed this man and pretended not to notice, but she didn’t want to. 

Her long military career and frequent deployments had taught her that the weak are the prey of the wicked, and she hated it.

“Kid, go out there and call for the guards without looking back. Can you do that?”

The child nodded and ran out of the alleyway. Rosalie held the dagger closer to the man’s throat, the sharp point drawing blood from the delicate flesh.

“Lead the way to your base.”

The man took a step forward, then another. If viewed from the front, Rosalie’s small frame was hidden from view. Further into the alleyway, the man pointed to a dilapidated house.

“Th-there, over there.”

“How many people are inside?”

“There are about three. There are only guards inside…”

Three people meant she had a chance. Rosalie brought the dagger closer to the man again, and he took another step, slowly opening the door to the house.

“Oren, where is the child?”

“Keuk.”

Rosalie immediately disposed of the man in front of her and dived into the other man’s arms, ruthlessly swinging her dagger. The man crumpled to the ground, and the two remaining men were unable to conceal their shock at the sudden turn of events.

‘Who the hell are you?!’

As the two men scrambled around and drew their swords, a familiar voice was heard.

“Duchess, what are you doing here?”

Rosalie almost lost her grip on her dagger as she looked at Derivis, who was nonchalantly tied to a chair.

“Why are you out here, Your Highness?”

“Having some fun?”

At that answer, Rosalie barely managed to swallow the somewhat exasperated exclamation that threatened to spill out.

‘This crazy…’

She congratulated herself for not letting the words escape her lips. Derivis, who had been quiet until now, suddenly began to move his body.

“But I suppose the fun must end now that the Duchess has appeared.”

As Derivis twisted his body a few times, the ropes that bound him came loose and fell to the ground with a ‘thud’. The men exclaimed in disbelief.

“H-how did he do that?”

“If you’re the Crown Prince of the Empire, you’ll know how to solve this.”

Making absurd remarks, Derivis got up from the chair and stretched leisurely. Then, he produced a long black sword from thin air and drew it out with ease.

“It’s nice to meet you in an unexpected place, Duchess.”

“It doesn’t seem like a pleasant place to meet. First, I go left.”

Derivis nodded, understanding Rosalie’s words instantly, and she rushed off, running toward the still-stunned man.

It didn’t take long for Rosalie and Derivis to end the situation. As she watched Derivis sheathe his sword, Rosalie asked.

“What the hell were you doing here?”

“They approached me suspiciously, so I pretended to be weak and got kidnapped. How did the Duchess come here?”

“I found it by accident and came here by chance.”

Derivis raised his eyebrows at Rosalie’s concise answer.

“You know it’s a dangerous thing to do, right?”

“I don’t think that’s something I should hear from you, Your Highness.”

“I’m strong, I can untie ropes like this.” 

Derivis gestured to the rope with his chin. It was an impressive trick for a Crown Prince, but Rosalie knew he could do it because his life had been threatened so many times.

And since it was also true that he was strong, she was at a loss for words.

“The Imperial guards.”

As Derivis mumbled as he looked out the window at the Imperial guards visible outside, Rosalie looked around and asked. 

“Are there any other kids here?”

“No, it seems like they just started their operation. No one else is here.”

The Imperial guards who entered the house seemed to not recognize Derivis, perhaps because they were of a lower rank. They just looked back and forth between Rosalie’s and Derivis’s faces in astonishment.

“…Did you two solve it?”

“Yes.”

“Excuse me, but… what did you do?”

Derivis, who had no intention of answering questions from the guards, shut up and turned his head slightly. Rosalie let out a small sigh and blocked the guards’ view of Derivis, her attitude overbearing.

“Is that important now? I am a noblewoman that you should not dare to know. The man behind me is my knight.”

The guards’ eyes wavered at the change in attitude and the word “noblewoman,” and Derivis’s eyes widened as he looked at her back. Rosalie continued with her oppressive attitude.

“You’re wasting time. You should find the other culprits without delay.”

Rosalie knew that Derivis did not want to reveal his identity. In the novel, Derivis didn’t have good memories of the palace and often wandered outside when he had the chance.

‘And revealing that he’s the Crown Prince would only make things more troublesome.’

Her actions weren’t done to protect Derivis. It was because she didn’t want to be bothered by a big commotion.

“Still… you’ll have to identify yourself…”

The guards seemed to notice that she was a noblewoman, but they did not move. While looking at them, Rosalie suddenly picked up her dagger and threw it forcefully out the open door. Along with the dagger that cut through the wind, a scream of despair was heard.

“Ugh!”

At the sound, the guards rushed outside and saw a man who appeared to be a member of the gang lying on the ground, his leg deeply slashed by the dagger.

Unable to form any words, the guards looked back and forth between the fallen man and Rosalie, who was walking out of the house.

“Are you just going to sit there and twiddle your thumbs? Do I, a noble, have to personally inform the Imperial Palace of your mistakes for you to act?”

“Y-yes, we will act!”

It was a mistake on the part of the Imperial guards to fail to detect the traffickers’ activities during the sensitive social season. Rosalie’s intimidating, high-pressure demeanor pushed them to their feet.

“We’d better get out of here while we can.”

Rosalie whispered to Derivis, changing her attitude. As Rosalie quickly left the area, Derivis obediently followed behind.

[Collection of Footnotes]

1) “Arthur” 

– Whitney’s first name.