After leaving the temple behind, no one spoke a word until we were clear of the forest.
My head wasn’t working right from the cold and the lingering fatigue, but I was sure those weren’t the only reasons. The fact that we stayed silent throughout the return trip should have beautifully reflected our current feelings deep inside.
By the time our horses reached the entrance of the forest, the sky had already begun to brighten.
The morning air was crisp and clear. The perpetual silence was as if everything else had disappeared from the face of the Earth, except for us.
The sun began to overflow from the horizon. Its rays of light washing away all of the darkness was so beautiful that I felt my eyes welling up.
“…Someone’s coming.”
Latte quickly noticed and said in a hush.
About the same time Latte reacted, Sir Leonhard had also reacted as well. A little later, Commander Lieber eventually faced towards the same direction as the two.
I followed their gaze, still oblivious to the situation, and saw a small figure riding over the hill in our direction. The sound of hoofs against the ground echoed, and it wasn’t until he dismounted from his horse that we knew it was none other than Captain Pascal.
“Commander! I’ve finally found you!!”
Captain Pascal, still out of breath, knelt down in front of Commander Lieber. The captain was terribly anxious; he knew his next words would be anything but a trivial matter.
The next words that left his lips chilled the surrounding air frozen solid.
“The fort sent for you! Please come back as fast as you can! Your wife is…!”
“…!”
Sharp breaths were drawn. I completely understood what he wanted to say without him finishing his sentence. If the commander’s reason for betrayal was his wife, then surely she must have not had much time left.
All eyes were on Commander Lieber.
He dropped his gaze slightly and stood still.
“…I see.”
His voice was small.
Without even a hint of unrest, Commander Lieber simply nodded once with a face devoid of any visible emotions. Captain Pascal could only gaze at the commander, who stood at that spot like an empty husk, as if he couldn’t understand what was going on.
Perhaps Commander Lieber had already prepared himself for this moment.
Is that why you look so calm?
But my shallow thoughts were soon shattered.
Commander Lieber was trembling, squeezing his fists tight.
There was no way he could have prepared for such a thing.
Anyone would be sad when they’re about to part ways with their loved ones for good. It must be agonising. Of course, he’d want to be with her, that’s a given.
But, at the same time, Commander Lieber must’ve realised that he had no right to do so.
“Commander?”
Even when called by the worried Captain Pascal, Commander Lieber didn’t move a muscle. No, he couldn’t move. As someone who had sinned, he wasn’t in a position to determine his own actions.
The person with the most authority here was me.
And it was me who had the right to make the decisions.
“Princess Marie.”
Sir Leonhard called out to me.
There was no hesitation in his eyes when he faced me, and I could guess the words that would follow. Knowing the gentle and kind Sir Leonhard, he wouldn’t have wanted to burden me with such difficult choices. If that’s how it is, then I guess I’ll have to play the villain myself.
It was obviously easier said than done.
“Let’s return to the fort for-”
“I-I-I’m very tired!”
‘Let’s return to the fort for the time being’ – I hurriedly cut off Sir Leonhard’s proposal with a fluster. Even if I’m out of ideas, that was still a pretty bad impromptu excuse, me! I really wanted to curl up into a ball so badly, but that’d have to wait.
Meeting Sir Leonhard’s gaze, I finally came up with the following ploy.
“Um… I’m very tired, so I don’t want to travel anymore.”
“…I will support you on horseback, so please lean on me and rest easy. It will take some time to reach the fort, but we will proceed as smoothly as possible. I ask for your patience.”
“Oh- I’d really… N-No! I want to lie down and sleep, right here, right now!”
Sir Leonhard’s offer shook my resolve for a moment. However, my voice of reason surpassed my desires at the last second.
That was dangerous. I nearly caved into the temptation of getting some extra skinship with Sir Leonhard.
Commander Lieber and Captain Pascal were watching over the sudden exchange dumbfoundedly. They couldn’t keep up with what was happening.
Perhaps the only two who truly understood me here were Sir Leonhard, who currently looked somewhat troubled, and Latte, who was clearly very amused by the whole thing.
“That said, the inn in the nearby village may not be open yet. I wonder what we should do?”
When I put a hand to my cheek and pretended to ponder, Latte hid his mouth and coughed.
Oi, you there. It’s clear as day that you’re laughing. You aren’t gonna fool anyone with that cough, you know.
Despite the backlash I was getting with my ridiculous acting that was about to break my poor little heart, I pressed on. ‘I’ve got it!’, I said as I struck my palm.
“Speaking of which, isn’t Commander Lieber’s home closer than the fort?”
When I asked, Commander Lieber’s eyes lit up, seeming to finally understand my intentions.
His quivering lips were proof of the emotional impact he received.
He must’ve thought that no matter the outcome, he wouldn’t be able to see his wife ever again. And given the weight of his sins committed altogether, it wasn’t all that surprising.
He was the one who bore the great sin of treason, after all.
I realised that we should have sent him straight to the royal capital immediately after he was detained.
And especially, as a royalty, I should never let my personal feelings intervene, no matter who they are, or whatever circumstances they may have… but still…!
The small girl, Rosemarie, screamed in her heart.
If Commander Lieber and his wife were to be separated as they were, I will regret it for the rest of my life.
“Please, may we make for a small break there instead?”
I could only give him so much time.
However, it would be infinitely worse for them to end up forever apart.
Commander Lieber’s expression distorted.
After biting down on his lips tightly, he presented a deep bow.
“Thank you… very much.”
The voice he squeezed out may be faint, but it reached my ears.
However, I pretended it didn’t and tilted my head to one side slightly.
It’d be strange to thank someone who selfishly demanded to rest, right?
After all, Commander Lieber is the type of person who’d definitely go along with a selfish princess’s whimsical wishes.
I glanced at Sir Leonhard next to me. He had a grim look on his face.
“You are far too kind.”
He muttered in a small voice that only I could hear.
I shook my head slightly in response, ‘That’s not true at all,’ and returned him a bitter smile of my own.
I only took action towards crushing all that will wear down my heart in the future.
Well, I can at least expect Father to chew me out once I get back home, though. There might even be some punishment tagged on as well.
And while I don’t think there was a chance Commander Lieber would try to escape, there was no way we were going to let him loose because of a small detour.
Strangely though, I didn’t regret my decision.
“What has gotten into you? I only asked for a small day off, didn’t I?”
I laughed with my usual terrible acting.
Sir Leonhard replied with a wry smile and said, ‘You truly are helpless.’
After leaving the temple behind, no one spoke a word until we were clear of the forest.
My head wasn’t working right from the cold and the lingering fatigue, but I was sure those weren’t the only reasons. The fact that we stayed silent throughout the return trip should have beautifully reflected our current feelings deep inside.
By the time our horses reached the entrance of the forest, the sky had already begun to brighten.
The morning air was crisp and clear. The perpetual silence was as if everything else had disappeared from the face of the Earth, except for us.
The sun began to overflow from the horizon. Its rays of light washing away all of the darkness was so beautiful that I felt my eyes welling up.
“…Someone’s coming.”
Latte quickly noticed and said in a hush.
About the same time Latte reacted, Sir Leonhard had also reacted as well. A little later, Commander Lieber eventually faced towards the same direction as the two.
I followed their gaze, still oblivious to the situation, and saw a small figure riding over the hill in our direction. The sound of hoofs against the ground echoed, and it wasn’t until he dismounted from his horse that we knew it was none other than Captain Pascal.
“Commander! I’ve finally found you!!”
Captain Pascal, still out of breath, knelt down in front of Commander Lieber. The captain was terribly anxious; he knew his next words would be anything but a trivial matter.
The next words that left his lips chilled the surrounding air frozen solid.
“The fort sent for you! Please come back as fast as you can! Your wife is…!”
“…!”
Sharp breaths were drawn. I completely understood what he wanted to say without him finishing his sentence. If the commander’s reason for betrayal was his wife, then surely she must have not had much time left.
All eyes were on Commander Lieber.
He dropped his gaze slightly and stood still.
“…I see.”
His voice was small.
Without even a hint of unrest, Commander Lieber simply nodded once with a face devoid of any visible emotions. Captain Pascal could only gaze at the commander, who stood at that spot like an empty husk, as if he couldn’t understand what was going on.
Perhaps Commander Lieber had already prepared himself for this moment.
Is that why you look so calm?
But my shallow thoughts were soon shattered.
Commander Lieber was trembling, squeezing his fists tight.
There was no way he could have prepared for such a thing.
Anyone would be sad when they’re about to part ways with their loved ones for good. It must be agonising. Of course, he’d want to be with her, that’s a given.
But, at the same time, Commander Lieber must’ve realised that he had no right to do so.
“Commander?”
Even when called by the worried Captain Pascal, Commander Lieber didn’t move a muscle. No, he couldn’t move. As someone who had sinned, he wasn’t in a position to determine his own actions.
The person with the most authority here was me.
And it was me who had the right to make the decisions.
“Princess Marie.”
Sir Leonhard called out to me.
There was no hesitation in his eyes when he faced me, and I could guess the words that would follow. Knowing the gentle and kind Sir Leonhard, he wouldn’t have wanted to burden me with such difficult choices. If that’s how it is, then I guess I’ll have to play the villain myself.
It was obviously easier said than done.
“Let’s return to the fort for-”
“I-I-I’m very tired!”
‘Let’s return to the fort for the time being’ – I hurriedly cut off Sir Leonhard’s proposal with a fluster. Even if I’m out of ideas, that was still a pretty bad impromptu excuse, me! I really wanted to curl up into a ball so badly, but that’d have to wait.
Meeting Sir Leonhard’s gaze, I finally came up with the following ploy.
“Um… I’m very tired, so I don’t want to travel anymore.”
“…I will support you on horseback, so please lean on me and rest easy. It will take some time to reach the fort, but we will proceed as smoothly as possible. I ask for your patience.”
“Oh- I’d really… N-No! I want to lie down and sleep, right here, right now!”
Sir Leonhard’s offer shook my resolve for a moment. However, my voice of reason surpassed my desires at the last second.
That was dangerous. I nearly caved into the temptation of getting some extra skinship with Sir Leonhard.
Commander Lieber and Captain Pascal were watching over the sudden exchange dumbfoundedly. They couldn’t keep up with what was happening.
Perhaps the only two who truly understood me here were Sir Leonhard, who currently looked somewhat troubled, and Latte, who was clearly very amused by the whole thing.
“That said, the inn in the nearby village may not be open yet. I wonder what we should do?”
When I put a hand to my cheek and pretended to ponder, Latte hid his mouth and coughed.
Oi, you there. It’s clear as day that you’re laughing. You aren’t gonna fool anyone with that cough, you know.
Despite the backlash I was getting with my ridiculous acting that was about to break my poor little heart, I pressed on. ‘I’ve got it!’, I said as I struck my palm.
“Speaking of which, isn’t Commander Lieber’s home closer than the fort?”
When I asked, Commander Lieber’s eyes lit up, seeming to finally understand my intentions.
His quivering lips were proof of the emotional impact he received.
He must’ve thought that no matter the outcome, he wouldn’t be able to see his wife ever again. And given the weight of his sins committed altogether, it wasn’t all that surprising.
He was the one who bore the great sin of treason, after all.
I realised that we should have sent him straight to the royal capital immediately after he was detained.
And especially, as a royalty, I should never let my personal feelings intervene, no matter who they are, or whatever circumstances they may have… but still…!
The small girl, Rosemarie, screamed in her heart.
If Commander Lieber and his wife were to be separated as they were, I will regret it for the rest of my life.
“Please, may we make for a small break there instead?”
I could only give him so much time.
However, it would be infinitely worse for them to end up forever apart.
Commander Lieber’s expression distorted.
After biting down on his lips tightly, he presented a deep bow.
“Thank you… very much.”
The voice he squeezed out may be faint, but it reached my ears.
However, I pretended it didn’t and tilted my head to one side slightly.
It’d be strange to thank someone who selfishly demanded to rest, right?
After all, Commander Lieber is the type of person who’d definitely go along with a selfish princess’s whimsical wishes.
I glanced at Sir Leonhard next to me. He had a grim look on his face.
“You are far too kind.”
He muttered in a small voice that only I could hear.
I shook my head slightly in response, ‘That’s not true at all,’ and returned him a bitter smile of my own.
I only took action towards crushing all that will wear down my heart in the future.
Well, I can at least expect Father to chew me out once I get back home, though. There might even be some punishment tagged on as well.
And while I don’t think there was a chance Commander Lieber would try to escape, there was no way we were going to let him loose because of a small detour.
Strangely though, I didn’t regret my decision.
“What has gotten into you? I only asked for a small day off, didn’t I?”
I laughed with my usual terrible acting.
Sir Leonhard replied with a wry smile and said, ‘You truly are helpless.’
