TFR 30

chapter 30

After Marco and Gunter had left the room, only silence remained. Dantes couldn’t control his emotions, and Cesario quietly waited for him. After watching Dantes’ uncomfortable expression for a while, Cesario finally spoke.

“Then, as scheduled, we’ll prepare to depart.”

No matter how long he watched, there was no sign of improvement. It might even be better to get the procession moving quickly.

“Cesario.”

“Yes, Your Majesty?”

“Do you also think my decision is excessively emotional?”

Cesario paused for a moment. Dantes was currently unable to make rational judgments because of his feelings of betrayal regarding Roberto—or rather, Roselina. Of course, Cesario understood that. But as his advisor, he also had words he needed to say. Speaking as Cesario Wood, the advisor rather than the friend, he continued.

“No, it’s merely a matter of choice. Sir Griffin prioritized arriving at the palace early, whereas Your Majesty prioritized punishing a criminal who insulted the royal family. Considering the long period of pursuit, showing this side of things wouldn’t be a bad idea. It could also help quell the knights’ unrest and rumors.”

“…….”

Cesario hoped that Dantes wouldn’t make repeated wrong choices. If public opinion was so unfavorable that even loyal knights like Fort could be swayed, it would be better to temporarily appease it, even if only symbolically.

The more the “criminal Roberto Brida” was tormented and shown suffering, the more trust the knights would place in Dantes. It would also prove that this long pursuit wasn’t just emotional—it had purpose.

Even if that seemed cruel to some. Cesario could understand Marco’s reaction, too. But the weight of the emperor’s position was far too great to consider every detail. He and the other advisors couldn’t bear it all; it was entirely a burden for Dantes alone.

Cesario believed he would give the same answer if anyone asked. He would feel sorry for Roselina, but she would understand too.

Dantes grabbed his head. His thoughts had grown so overwhelming that his head felt hot. His decisiveness was clouded, and he could feel himself being overly emotional. Yet, recalling Roselina’s gaze and her cruelly calm voice, it seemed there was no other way. Dantes let out a painful voice.

“As a friend rather than an advisor… as a friend, what then? Are you disappointed in my decision?”

Cesario held a slightly longer silence than before. He had been the closest witness to everything, including Dantes’ untouchable emotions and confessions of suffering.

“I don’t think it’s my place to judge, Dantes.”

“…….”

“But don’t make choices that torment yourself too much.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“First, I mean just follow your heart and feelings. If you’re about to do something truly absurd, then we won’t just stand by. Marco’s protest also comes from his own temperament.”

“…….”

“Marco is weak around women, after all.”

“Women….”

Dantes felt as if his thoughts had stopped at that word. It was like someone repeatedly pounding his head with a hammer.

“…She was a woman. She was a woman.”

“Dantes. Calm down.”

Cesario called his name in a hollow voice, trying to steady him.

“Calm down? Could you? She’s a woman, Roberto Brida is a woman!”

“Please, Dantes. It’s not something you want others here to hear.”

“Why did she deceive me? Why didn’t she tell me then? Why!”

Everything had been a lie from the start. Dantes pressed his hands to his head in torment. More than the lie itself, what hurt Dantes the most was the rejection of his own feelings. Instinctively, he could tell from Roberto’s gaze that there had been affection.

Back then, the two had understood each other’s hearts. Roberto just hadn’t spoken words that could confirm it, and Dantes had simply taken one step further—summoning courage. Even if it could never be fulfilled, he had wanted to give and receive feelings.

If it could have happened, why did she run away? Why didn’t she take possession of me? Why did she attempt to die?

Dantes didn’t understand at all, so he asked her—but all he received was a cold response. Did she want to reject him that thoroughly? Were all the actions in the Aventurine family just loyalty to the sovereign? Dantes collapsed to his knees in desolation.

He shrank his large frame, shouting in anguish. Cesario silently stayed by his side, much like he had six years ago when the Brida family disappeared, and young Dantes had screamed alone in that empty house.

Roselina reattached the restraints to her hands and feet. The iron balls on her feet had been removed for easier movement, but the weight of the restraints was still burdensome for her. Gunter found her chafed skin where the metal had rubbed and applied cloth for protection.

“We’ll have quite a walk ahead. I hope you’ll be alright. I brought the best shoes we could find,” he said.

“Thank you, Gunter.”

“Roberto… it’s so strange that you’re a woman. I don’t even know how to act around you. And I don’t get why the others are so angry. Marco and Dantes almost fought again today.”

Gunter scratched his cheek. The revelation that Roberto was a woman had shocked him too, though he wasn’t angry—he understood Marco’s words.

Poverty. His father and brothers always reminded him of how hard life could be for the poor. That was why war, which would place them in the worst conditions, must be stopped or, if unavoidable, must be won.

The Butler family, always at the forefront, had been raised with that mindset. That’s why Marco’s words were more persuasive than Dantes’ directionless anger—at least to Gunter.

Seeing a young girl survive fiercely without abandoning her family was admirable. Yet considering her skill, calling her a “young girl” almost didn’t feel right.

She was simply a highly capable apprentice knight. Being female changed nothing. In fact, it made her seem even more impressive.

“Who first trained you in swordsmanship?”

“My parents. Both were mercenaries.”

“Ah, I see. They must have been excellent mercenaries. I wish I could have learned a thing or two from them.”

Gunter seemed to think that was the foundation of Roselina’s growth. Her parents had been outstanding mercenaries—quick in fulfilling missions, and sharing their earnings with poor or inexperienced comrades. Honest people who knew nothing of luxury.

Every penny they had went to her brother’s medical expenses. He suffered from a mysterious disease with sudden seizures. Though not fully cured, he improved greatly in adulthood—likely thanks to all the medicines he had been given back then.

Roselina’s mother had lost her life trying to find a forbidden elixir to heal her son. Her father had been seriously injured attempting to save her.

It turned out that they had sought a habitat of a high-level dragon. People blinded by the dragon’s jewels had tricked them into lending the power of skilled mercenaries.

No one could blame them. They couldn’t even recover her mother’s body, and her father was bedridden from both physical and mental illness. Roselina was only ten years old then. She spent her days praying to God that her family might survive without further suffering.

Looking back, that prayer was answered. Regardless of the outcome, her father and brother survived. Roselina herself survived too.

Yet she didn’t feel they had truly lived well. It didn’t feel like they had done their best. Dantes’ wounded expression lingered in her mind. When he returned, shouldn’t she have at least said something warm?

But she couldn’t. She felt Dantes’ hardship firsthand, caused by her. Her side was pierced, her hands and feet worn from the restraints. It wasn’t just because they were being pursued. The atmosphere within the knights had worsened, and trust in Dantes had likely fallen. Her actions were the only way to somewhat improve the knights’ perception of him.

“You are truly too harsh on me. Fine. I will personally devise the punishment you so richly deserve. The most painful and humiliating one!”

She recalled that anguished voice. Roselina wasn’t upset or afraid of Dantes’ decision. If it allowed his heart to be at ease, she could walk barefoot if needed.

“If your pace slows or you stop, the knights will whip you.”

Gunter hesitated before continuing. Roselina nodded. Seeing her composed face, he sighed and spoke.

“If you can’t walk… they said they’ll tie you to a cart and drag you. Since it’s the emperor’s order, we’ll have no choice but to follow it.”

Roselina looked at Gunter, whose voice was filled with distress.