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Chapter 47
Making Such a Mistake
As night deepened, the expedition party prepared to camp. While the soldiers efficiently set up their barracks, Arsen placed a pot over the fire. The potato stew simmered softly, bubbling with a gentle sound. He perched on a rock, staring blankly at the rising smoke. Soon, a voice broke the silence.
“Seems the rumor about the Third Princess and Sir Lafayette dating is true.”
“They look pretty passionate together, don’t they?”
“You saw it earlier, right? Talking about wanting to see each other openly and all that. The princess is quite bold.”
“I thought the commander would never even glance at a woman in his life… ugh!”
At that moment, Savas struck them sharply on the back of the head and barked.
“What are you all doing instead of preparing the outpost? Thinking after sunrise, huh?”
The soldiers scrambled in panic at the appearance of the notoriously cantankerous royal. Once they dispersed, Savas turned his disapproving gaze toward the man sitting at the fire, lost in thought.
“Tch, the same with both of you…”
Dragging his staff, he approached. Arsen glanced at him briefly and responded with a casual greeting. The old man stirred the stew a few times to prevent it from sticking. In the heavy silence, the only sounds were the crackling sparks from the fire. The quiet ended with Savas speaking.
“Why the change in attitude? The one who wouldn’t budge before is now…”
Though scattered, Arsen understood the old man. Yet he remained silent. Savas recalled the uproar Rose had caused at the expedition’s departure and let out a thin smile. The princess had defiantly declared her stance in front of thousands.
“That girl is clever. She’s taking advantage of those who watch her closely. You really got caught, didn’t you?”
The old man chuckled heartily and plopped down beside him.
“I have been disloyal.”
“Disloyal?”
The knight’s gaze stayed fixed on the blazing fire. Confusion flickered across the man’s face.
“My poor conduct dragged Your Highness into scandal. Today’s incident won’t calm down easily. I’ve tarnished Your Highness’s reputation.”
Since many people had witnessed it, the rumor wouldn’t die down anytime soon. Savas nodded in agreement.
“Yes. It’ll be the talk both inside and outside the palace.”
Arsen covered his eyes with his hand and groaned.
“But why call it a scandal? Isn’t it somewhat true?”
“It’s a heart one should never entertain.”
“Because she’s royalty?”
The old man snorted mockingly.
“What’s wrong with someone liking another person? The royal family may be strict about marriage, but I don’t agree with that opinion.”
Savas glanced at the command post and sighed.
“The more you think that way, the more obsessed you’ll become with the fairy’s blessing, huh.”
“….”
“If you’re planning to escape using your status as an excuse, you’d better prepare for your head to be smashed.”
Savas struck his staff on the ground in warning. A weak voice responded.
“That’s not the only reason.”
Arsen confessed his wrongdoing.
“Actually, I’ve known about the circulating rumors for a while.”
He had long known that people were saying he was seeing the Third Princess. Who would believe such an absurd rumor against a sworn lord? Yet contrary to his expectations, the rumor only grew over time. Though he could have denied it earlier, he had ignored it.
“I could have stopped it, but I allowed it. Perhaps I even enjoyed the gossip with Your Highness.”
Thinking back, a sinister motive had been lurking underneath. Realizing this made him frown deeper.
“But that rumor always came with this attached statement.”
“What statement?”
“That the marquis seeks to restore Dunstan Island’s reputation through marriage with royalty. The princess will be sold to the Black Clan.”
“Ha! What nonsense!”
Savas was outraged at such baseless words. Who dares insult royalty like that? Sold off? Yet the knight quietly admitted.
“That’s true.”
Arsen understood his current position in Karron. A nervous new head of the royal knights. An outsider. The fearsome Black Clan.
“Listen, they don’t really know you. I’ve only seen you briefly, but you don’t seem like that type.”
“No. I approached Your Highness for the sake of my territory.”
“Whatever…”
“If things continue this way…”
Arsen stared at his unusually empty hands and clenched his fists. The flushed face of the princess lingered in his mind. A single phrase from her small frame had etched deeply into his heart. While he hesitated, she always reached out first. And he had dared to want to take that hand.
“When Arsen Lafayette is fully recognized as the Marquis of Karron, I want to tell Your Highness then.”
That he had wanted to see her. For a very long time.
“Haaah.”
Herya yawned lazily under the sunlight, looking just like a cat with nothing to do. Winter was approaching, but the sunlight streaming through the window was warm. The herb garden was fully insulated, creating a cozy atmosphere. So it was no wonder he dozed off.
Rose took out herbs from the containers and devoted herself to reorganizing the water facilities along the Kataros River.
“Good. Then we’ll plant Hornia near the sewer section.”
Ian wrote the plant names on a document. The paper was filled with herbs effective in purifying water. He supplemented Rose’s limited medical knowledge on behalf of Savas. Rose rubbed her sore legs from walking around the garden all day.
“Would you like to take a short break?”
Ian offered her herbal tea, providing a small tea time to refresh at the garden.
“You sleep well.”
He watched Herya, who had begun dozing off, and spoke. Despite the garden’s busyness due to ongoing construction, he had slept soundly. Rose glanced at Herya and sipped her tea.
“It must be tough work.”
“Haha. Thanks to the princess, next summer should be fine.”
“Once the Kataros River is completed, we plan to repair water facilities nationwide.”
“That will require a huge amount of funds.”
Rose rested her chin on her hand and said anxiously.
“That’s the problem. The current amount is far from enough. And if we only focus on Eretria, we’re just solving immediate issues.”
She had underestimated the cost of the project. At first, the enormous gold provided by the palace made her feel like a wealthy magnate. But most of it had vanished, leaving only a little. The funds seemed only intended for Eretria.
“How could I make such a mistake? I should have checked the prices earlier.”
Water wouldn’t only flow to the capital, and continuing as is would cause plague outbreaks downstream. It would be better for the future to renovate all the water systems nationwide. But figuring out the lacking funds was quite troublesome.
“It’s hot…”
Herya, still half-asleep, walked over and sat beside Rose, leaning over the table. Sunlight hit him, and he frowned, turning his head away. Rose looked at his sleepy ash-brown hair in disbelief.
“We should offer tea to the knight as well.”
Ian brought another cup for the new guest. The tea was a dark purple-black.
“Sir Deon, please try this tea. It should cool you down.”
“It’s still too hot to cool me down.”
Herya brought the cup to his lips. One sip, and he awoke completely, reacting excitedly.
“Wow! What is this? So sweet!”
The pleasant aroma seemed to suit him, and he drank it quickly, ignoring the heat. Surprisingly, a cooling sensation spread through his body. Ian smiled slightly at Herya’s astonishment.
“This is Atropa tea.”
“The fruit that reduces body heat, right?”
“Correct.”
Rose watched Herya finish the cup. The black liquid left traces on the white bottom, resembling the color of the fruit she had seen before.
“The human body is fascinating. The same plant can have entirely different effects. Atropa is one such case.”
Ian found the chapter about Atropa in the medical books Rose had opened.
“Depending on the constitution, Atropa can be medicine or poison.”
“For someone sensitive to cold, it could be harmful.”
“Exactly.”
Rose remembered the next chapter. Unlike Atropa, red perilla leaves stimulate body heat. The expedition had brought a lot of these herbs.
“It worked for me. Perfect, since it’s hot.”
“Do you usually get hot easily?”
“Not really.”
Herya said with a slightly stiff expression.
“Since I’m from a warm region.”
“You handled it fine.”
Rose lightly tapped the emptied cup.
“It was delicious.”
“Who drinks medicine for the taste?”
“Hahaha. It does have a strong aroma, though, so enthusiasts exist.”
Ian pocketed the Atropa fruit and handed it to Herya.
“Use it when needed. It’ll surely be welcome in the knight’s homeland.”
“Well… maybe they’ll just think it’s some herb. We don’t have time for tea anyway.”
Herya shook it nonchalantly, uninterested. Rose also couldn’t imagine him being proper in tea etiquette.
“Still, this fruit is valuable. It’s quite troublesome to cultivate.”
“True. I even pricked my hand on it once.”
“You pricked your hand? When?”
“When I first came here. I touched it while talking with grandfather and got cut.”
“You touched it without Savas’s permission? Were you okay?”
Ian quickly showed concern for Rose’s forehead.
“Yes, he said it was fine. Even gave me advice.”
“That’s strange… from Savas himself…”
He looked incredulous, though he had expected Savas’s scolding that day.
“But about the money…”
Half-asleep, Herya suddenly mentioned her financial worries.
“If we ask Tebere, they could deliver gold bars directly.”
He pointed at himself with his index finger and smiled. The smugness of his smile was irritating.
“On the condition that you accept this proposal. You get your funds sorted, and I get my affairs handled. How about it?”
“Didn’t I tell you not to bring that up again? Always at every opportunity.”
“Eh, you’re not convinced.”
He clicked his tongue in disappointment. Listening, Ian adjusted his golden-rimmed glasses and suggested:
“How about requesting the Benoit family?”
“The Benoit family?”
“Yes. They operate trade networks throughout the empire. They could easily cover the costs of the waterworks project.”
Rose remembered reading about them in a book given by the head lady-in-waiting. A major financial power in the empire.
‘It’s still relying on Tanasis, but better than Tebere.’
Rose set her resolve, glaring at the fox-like face whistling to himself. The next day, she visited the Benoit mansion.
