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Chapter 32
Swear
“Arsène!”
Without a word, Arsène swept her up in his arms. Striding purposefully, he carried her deep into the cargo hold, all the way to where bundles of oak barrels were stacked. There, he laid her gently onto a hammock hanging from the ceiling.
Catching her breath, Rose looked up at the man standing guard by her side. There wasn’t the slightest hint of surprise on his face. It was as if he had known all along that she would collapse.
“You knew?”
“Yes.”
“That I’m… afraid of water? Since when…?”
Her bluish eyes wavered faintly.
“I first began to suspect back at the relief shelter. When Your Highness trembled so violently after being caught in the rain, it seemed unlikely that it was simply because of the cold.”
She had thought she’d hidden it well, but he had already noticed.
“When you went to investigate the Kataros River, I became certain. You deliberately avoided going near the riverbank.”
A wave of dismay washed over her.
‘Did anyone else notice too?’
It wasn’t impossible. If someone meticulous enough had observed her, they might have seen through her weakness.
“And recalling what happened at the Bastia harbor, it was easy to conclude. That Your Highness suffers from hydrophobia.”
“Enough.”
At last, the word was spoken aloud. Rose’s eyes turned cold.
“Sir Lafayette, forget everything you’ve seen.”
“How can I forget what I’ve seen?”
“It’s an order.”
She had never believed she could keep it a secret forever, but she hadn’t expected it to be discovered so soon.
‘This is bad. Who else might have realized?’
Rose bit her nails anxiously. In Kalon, a land so closely bound to the sea, her condition was a crippling weakness. Especially now, when she had no power to protect herself, it was fatal. Uneasy, she climbed down from the hammock.
“Your Highness, what are you so afraid of?”
“I’ve nothing more to say.”
When she tried to avert his gaze, he seized her arm and refused to let go.
“I cannot forget. No, I will not forget.”
“Are you defying my command?”
“I am not defying you. I am saying that Your Highness need not be anxious. You will not be put in danger. The Remigis Order will serve and protect the Third Princess.”
Rose looked at the man, who spoke as though trying to reassure her. In the dark eyes she gazed into, she saw a woman terrified for her life. Had he read her fear? Arsène pulled her firmly into his arms, stroking her small head.
“I told you to trust me. Rely on me. I—I will remain at Your Highness’s side.”
She remembered what he had said before she stepped onto the platform. Perhaps those words had been meant as preparation for the very moment she collapsed. Her hands clenched tighter around his collar. Though this man had once killed her in the novel, the words of loyalty spilling from his lips sounded sweet.
‘I’ve already been leaning on Arsène all along.’
Feeling her heart tilt toward him, Rose parted her pink lips.
“The Imperial Family must never know about my condition.”
“I understand.”
“Every time I go out to sea, this will keep happening.”
“Do not worry. I will support you so that no one notices.”
Rose extended her hand to him.
“Swear it. No one must ever find out.”
“I, Arsène Lafayette, swear to obey the command of Her Highness, the Princess.”
Obediently, he knelt and pressed his lips to the back of her hand.
Meanwhile, the Pontos, having circled the Kataros River, returned to dock before Serville Square. The crowds dispersed, eager to enjoy the festival, and the deck fell quiet again. Thanasis stared fixedly at the sacred flame like a statue.
“Your Highness, let us return to the palace. I will escort you,” said Sir Richard, Captain of the Imperial Knights, approaching the still-motionless Thanasis. But Dian raised a hand to stop him. Richard glanced at Viscount Benoît with puzzlement, then turned his gaze back to Thanasis, who remained deep in thought. The prince did not stir.
“Your Highness?”
“He’s late.”
“What do you mean?”
The reply made no sense to Richard.
“He disappeared as though in a rush, like someone being chased.”
Dian leaned close and whispered to Thanasis.
“Shall I look into it?”
“Find out what he did in Bastia.”
“Yes, understood.”
“Especially whether he boarded a ship, or if he was sighted at sea.”
Thanasis covered his mouth with his hand, recalling the youngest brother who had just slipped below deck. Then, with a faint chuckle at the absurd thought that crossed his mind, he muttered:
“Could it be seasickness?”
The sunburnt man was a sailor who had sailed the Pontos from Bastia to the capital.
“Ha-aahm.”
For three days now, he had been lazing idly about on deck. Which meant he had wasted three whole days of the festival without a chance to enjoy it. Then, a leather pouch dangled above his head. Startled, he sat up quickly and received it eagerly.
“Well done. Take this, have yourself a good drink.”
“Oh, thank you kindly, my lord!”
Peeking inside, the sailor’s jaw dropped. Enough gold to drink himself senseless for the rest of the festival. It was payment for quietly raising the anchor during the opening ceremony.
Such a sum for so little work! The sailor eyed his mysterious client with suspicion. Why scheme something like this? But with such refined features, the client hardly seemed like someone harboring dirty tricks.
Catching the sailor’s stare, the hooded figure tossed out casually,
“What? Not enough?”
“No, no, sir knight, not at all.”
“Hm. Funny. I never said I was a knight.”
The sailor sucked in a sharp breath, realizing his mistake. Normally, clients in such dealings loathed revealing anything about themselves.
“M-my apologies. Forget I said anything.”
“Do I look like a knight to you?”
“Eh? N-no, sir, just a foolish guess…”
The client pulled his hood lower and shrugged.
“How strange. She said I didn’t look like a knight at all.”
“Pardon?”
“Heh. Never mind. Well then, I’ll be off. Enjoy the festival.”
Clearly with no intention of silencing him, the man turned to leave without hesitation. The sailor, unable to stop himself, called after him.
“Are you heading to the marketplace, sir?”
“Me? I was thinking of it. Why?”
The sailor looked him over. A plain hood, commoner’s clothes, a casual manner of speaking. With his years of drifting as a sailor, the man prided himself on reading people. This client who had paid him generously was no doubt a carefree drifter like himself.
“If you’re going to the market, you must carry something blue on you.”
“Blue?”
“Yes, sir. It’s an old tradition. For common folk like us, it’s how we enjoy the Founding Festival.”
“Hmm. Blue, huh?”
From beneath the hood, his eyes gleamed sharply.
“That is amusing.”
With a cryptic smile, the man leapt lightly off the deck. Startled, the sailor rushed to the railing, but the hooded figure had already vanished into the throng.
“…Huh. Can’t read that fellow at all.”
And at that very moment, someone else was equally troubled by that unfathomable man.
Rose sat with a pout, waiting for Arsène. She wore a dress of blue fabric, overlaid with a thin white cape fastened by a cute ribbon. Her hair was tied up in a lively style—an outfit suited for a casual outing.
On any other day, she would have been delighted by the maids’ compliments of “so pretty, so beautiful.” But today, she was sulking. The reason: Arsène had asked to walk the festival streets with her, as “repayment” for before. It reminded her all too vividly of the nightmare of that day when she had been so harshly rejected.
‘Of course. Appealing to his protective instincts was the right move.’
Since discovering her weakness, he hadn’t missed a single day visiting her.
‘If it’s just for protection, he could assign Rance or the knights. Why himself?’
His constant visits to the princess’s palace had made their supposed “affair” practically common gossip.
‘And yet, when we’re together, he doesn’t so much as touch a hair on my head.’
What use were rumors, when inside she still burned with unsatisfied desire? Rose twisted the hem of her poor dress in frustration.
“But why blue, of all colors?”
She frowned, questioning the maid who had chosen the dress. Was it connected somehow to the blue eyes symbolizing the royal family?
“Did the Imperial House order everyone to wear blue during the Founding Festival?”
“No, Your Highness. It’s a tradition born from the people, recalling the old legend between Kalon and the faeries.”
“The legend? The one about stealing the sea-colored eyes?”
Rose’s face twisted oddly. That tale was practically a curse. How could it be turned into a festival custom?
“Yes. They say blue embodies a charm that captivates the opposite sex. So when seeking someone special during the festival, one must always carry something blue.”
Even the maid wore a blue hair ornament.
‘Does Arsène know this?’
Rose toyed absently with the ends of her hair, lost in thought.
“Fetch me a handkerchief.”
The perceptive maid smiled faintly and handed her one, tinged a soft sky-blue. Rose pressed the fragrant fabric to her nose, hiding her flushed cheeks.
‘The one I borrowed at the shelter got dirty. This is just to return the favor, that’s all.’
Right then, Arsène arrived. As expected, there wasn’t a trace of blue on him—just his usual somber garb. Seeing him so draped in dark colors, she almost understood why Kalon people called him “of the black lineage.”
“Give me your hand.”
“…?”
She rolled up his sleeve and tied the handkerchief around his sun-bronzed wrist. Once fastened, it looked almost like a leash on a dog.
‘A big dog. Yes, that’s what he is.’
Lately, he was no different from a loyal hound, constantly at his master’s heels.
‘Retriever… no, closer to a Doberman.’
His sleek build and dark coloring resembled a fierce hunting dog more than the friendly retriever.
“Remember? You gave me a handkerchief before, and I dirtied it.”
“Is something this precious really for me?”
“It’s not that special. They say one must wear blue to go out into the festival.”
“Ah.”
“Since you’ve lived so long on the island, I thought you wouldn’t know. I’m taking care of it for you.”
Arsène stared blankly at the handkerchief she had tied. He wasn’t used to being looked after, and his reply came awkwardly.
“I did live on the continent from time to time.”
“So what? There’s still plenty you don’t know.”
He didn’t agree, but he didn’t argue either.
“Hurry up! The head maid said we must be back before it’s too late.”
She was only permitted to leave the palace this one day. Rose had resolved to enjoy it to the fullest. And secretly, she nursed a sly plan.
‘Today, I’ll make up for my failure last time.’
