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chapter 26
The next day, Rowenhart visited the Order of Knights early in the morning. Despite the early hour, Tesia was already in the knights’ office. A case of a missing new knight had occurred, and it seemed the matter had yet to be resolved. Tesia’s brow was furrowed as she studied the documents before her.
For a moment, Rowenhart regretted not coming to see her immediately yesterday when the incident first happened, thinking he wouldn’t have been of any help anyway. Seeing Tesia—who always smiled—with such a face weighed on his heart. He knocked lightly on the open door, making his presence known. Fortunately, Tesia’s serious expression softened when she saw him.
“Heart. Why are you here so early?”
“Princess.”
With a deeply worried expression, Rowenhart approached Tesia, knelt on one knee, and took the hand she had resting on her desk. Tesia’s eyes widened in surprise at his sudden action. Rowenhart then spoke in a voice filled with sorrow.
“I heard the news. A new Valkyrie knight has gone missing.”
At those words, Tesia stopped trying to withdraw her hand and let it rest in his.
“Yes, that’s right.”
She nodded gloomily. There had still been no word from Camilla. The Order had been chasing traces of Kroil on their own, but his whereabouts remained a mystery. Tesia brushed her bangs aside with her free hand.
“I was planning to visit the city guards today. Maybe I can find a hint.”
“Princess, allow me to help.”
“You too, Heart?”
Rowenhart had been prepared to say exactly this, but the answer that came back was not what he expected.
“You don’t need to. Didi already promised to help me starting today.”
“What?”
Why on earth was the Viscount Umberto involved? A crack appeared in Rowenhart’s handsome expression. Tesia, not noticing, said brightly:
“He said he learned tracking magic while studying abroad in Croa. He offered to help find the missing knight. Though he mentioned it might be difficult to track Kroil if his magical signature is weak, right now that’s our only option.”
Just one night. That’s all it had taken for another pest to latch onto Tesia while Rowenhart had delayed in coming to her. It felt like sparks ignited inside his chest.
I can’t let Redford steal the initiative here.
Rowenhart quickly spoke up.
“I, too, know tracking magic. Isn’t Tiranaban a kingdom of mages? Even children there can handle magic at that level.”
“Oh, really? But Heart, you’re busy with both knightly duties and the academy, aren’t you?”
“This is a matter of a Valkyrie knight. As a fellow knight, I feel responsible.”
That sounded far better than mentioning his engagement, and Rowenhart was sure Tesia would accept it more readily.
“Heart…”
And he was right. Tesia was moved.
As expected, Valkyrie knights are bound together by loyalty!
And Rowenhart’s concern for the missing recruit warmed her heart even further. She nodded.
“Alright. Then you can join the search as well, Heart.”
“Yes, Princess.”
“With two people skilled in tracking magic, maybe we’ll find a clue sooner than we think!”
“Yes, I believe so too.”
Rowenhart lowered his gaze enchantingly and whispered softly. He wouldn’t give Redford the slightest chance to interfere. Hiding his true feelings behind a kind smile, Rowenhart steeled his resolve.
Tesia didn’t know, but there was someone else making a firm resolve as well—Redford Umberto. Always keeping his ears open when it came to her, he had learned she was troubled by the missing knight case. Taking advantage of his specialty in magical formulas, he volunteered to help her, and at the same time hoped to prove that he was the only one she could truly rely on.
No matter how skilled Prince Rowenhart is, in the end, he’s still an outsider.
What Tesia needed was a true partner who knew her well and would always stand by her. With Rowenhart absent, it seemed like his private outing with Tesia would go smoothly.
But when Redford arrived at the meeting place, he was struck speechless.
“Oh! You came, Didi?”
“You’re late, young lord. For an appointment with Princess Tesia, you should’ve arrived thirty minutes early.”
“Tesia, what is…?”
Shock was plain on Redford’s face. This was supposed to be an outing for just the two of them, yet an interloper was here. Tesia beamed.
“Ah! Heart said he’d help too. He’s skilled in tracking magic as well. Two heads are better than one, right?”
“Now that I’m here, don’t worry, Princess. We’ll surely find Kroil.”
“Haha, how reassuring.”
Tesia’s pleased expression only made Rowenhart step forward, smiling slightly.
“So it seems. Then, I’ll be in your care today, young lord.”
To Redford, it was as though Rowenhart had nine tails swishing smugly behind him. That he’d once again talked Tesia into letting him tag along—it was infuriatingly persistent, worse than a leech. Still, Redford wore his practiced public smile. As the empire’s top suitor, there was no way he’d let himself be outshone by some prince from Tiranaban.
With smooth politeness, he said:
“On the contrary, I should be the one asking. As the prince of Tiranaban, your magical skill must be exceptional.”
“Of course! I can vouch for Heart’s ability.”
“You flatter me, Princess.”
“Well then, since Didi’s here too, shall we get going?”
Tesia clapped her hands. Redford gave Rowenhart a sidelong glance before moving. He was sick of Rowenhart constantly getting between him and Tesia. He edged closer to her, silently declaring that her side belonged to him. No matter what tricks Rowenhart pulled, he wouldn’t yield.
“So, Tesia, where should we go first?” he asked casually.
Tesia explained her plan.
“Hmm. I want to visit Camilla’s fairy pub first. She might’ve learned something.”
“That’s the place you frequent for knightly gatherings, isn’t it?”
“Yes. And the owner sells information as well.”
It might have been a bit soon, but Tesia trusted Camilla’s ability. If paid fairly, she could always procure information quickly—like she had invisible webs spread all across the empire.
“First we need to trace the last known steps. Right now, even that much is unclear…”
“And the Order? They’re searching too, right?”
“Yes. I assigned some members to look, but when it comes to information gathering, it’s faster to rely on a professional. I just hope Camilla has something new.”
“We also need to visit the knight dormitory, Princess,” Rowenhart interjected. “To cast tracking magic, we’ll need traces of the target’s mana.”
Tesia turned to Redford. “Is that true?”
“…Yes. But for non-mages, the traces are so faint that usually—”
“You need something they’ve kept close to them. Even small amounts of mana get imbued into personal items over time,” Rowenhart smoothly cut in.
“…Exactly. That’s right, Tesia.”
Redford fell silent, staring at Rowenhart. But Rowenhart only returned a cheerful smile. Tesia clapped her hands.
“See? With both of you here, we’re finding solutions so quickly! Alright, we’ll go to Camilla’s pub first, and if there’s no big lead, then we’ll check the dormitory.”
“Yes, Princess.”
Just then—
“Tesia, wait.”
“Hm?”
Redford suddenly pulled Tesia toward him. She stumbled into his arms and looked up in surprise. A heartbeat later, a massive carriage drawn by four horses thundered past her side. Redford smiled gently.
“You must be careful. You could’ve been hurt.”
“Thank you, Didi.”
“Think nothing of it, not between us.”
He released her and walked on calmly as if nothing had happened.
That startled me, Tesia thought. She was less shocked by the carriage than by Redford suddenly grabbing her like that. She was confident she could’ve easily avoided it—or even jumped on and subdued the horses. And Redford knew her strength. Didi had always been kind, but never like this. Something about him today felt… strange.
Rowenhart immediately came closer.
“Princess, are you alright?”
“Yes, I’m fine, Heart.”
“My heart stopped for a moment. I’m relieved you weren’t hurt.”
“I’m alright. You do worry a lot, Heart.”
“That’s because I am your fiancé… candidate.”
For some reason, it sounded as though he had dropped the word “candidate.” Tesia realized she had yet to tell him that she had revealed their engagement contract to Redford. So many things had happened so quickly that she had forgotten. She hadn’t had a chance to meet Rowenhart alone since meeting Redford.
Should she tell him now? As Tesia was pondering, Rowenhart leaned in closer and whispered.
“By the way, Princess…”
“Yes?”
“Would you grant me the honor of calling you by your name as well?”
Eh? Such a request, here and now? Tesia blinked wide-eyed. Rowenhart sighed dramatically and let his shoulders droop—very much on purpose. After all, Redford was right there, and he wanted to clearly show the closeness between himself and Tesia.
“In this gathering united by a common cause, I feel a wall between us when I alone address you so formally. Of course, I know you and Lord Umberto have been close friends since childhood…”
“Ah, that’s…”
“Is it too much to ask?”
Tesia’s expression softened. It did occur to her that Rowenhart might feel left out. And after all, hadn’t they promised to pretend to be engaged? Letting him call her name wasn’t such a big deal. She grinned.
“You’re right. Alright. From now on, you may call me by my name, Heart.”
“Truly?”
“Of course! Have you ever seen me go back on my word?”
She lifted her chin proudly. Rowenhart chuckled. Smiling like that, he looked even more handsome—her heart melted a little. She realized anew just how striking he was. She’d been so distracted lately that she hadn’t noticed.
Then Rowenhart’s eyes softened, and he said:
“No, Tesia.”
“Uh…?”
“Tesia always keeps her promises. I know that very well.”
He met her gaze and smiled. Then he walked on, matching her stride.
No, Tesia.
The way his voice lingered in her ears tickled like a soft breeze, like petals fluttering in spring wind. Tesia shook her head furiously. For some reason, both men were acting far too strange today.
