Rosaline couldn’t tell how Ricardis felt about her— as she stood before him, did he see her as a shapeless shadow seeping into the darkness?
Rosaline quickly averted her gaze to her feet as the thought of Ricardis looking at her in disgust sent shivers down her spine and made her fingertips numb; she felt like everything was crumbling around her.
“Rosaline.”
At the sound of his sigh, Rosaline couldn’t help but tear up, but Ricardis, looking at her, reached out his hand. Rosaline reflexively recoiled, but his hand grabbed her wrist first.
“Rosaline Esther.”
It was a voice containing suppressed anger.
“Yes…”
“Why do you think I didn’t mention that I know… about these things?”
She didn’t know. Rosaline avoided looking into his eyes, focusing only on his nose and lips. She also made sure to map out an escape route in case she needed to flee. Ricardis
furrowed his brow, noticing her scanning the forest.
“You’re truly…”
Ricardis tightened his grip on her hand and pulled her closer. He wrapped his two hands around her waist as she touched his chest. Rosaline’s eyes widened.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})“Look at me without thinking of running away. I can’t chase you anymore because I’m exhausted. I told you I’m fragile. I might collapse for real this time.”
If she resisted, she could overpower him easily; however, Rosaline remained in his embrace without any fuss because she felt a great sense of relief in the current situation where Ricardis reached out to her first. She could tolerate any harsh or shocking words that might leave his mouth. She was relieved.
A sweet fragrance emanated from his neck, and his embrace was firm and warm. Rosaline’s body felt pliant— as if his heat could melt her away.
Ricardis looked down at her gradually relaxing body.
” I didn’t reveal that I knew your secret because I felt it was unnecessary. The secret was significant, and I had no idea how you weighed its significance. I couldn’t even anticipate your reaction. Of course, things could have gone smoothly. But what if it hadn’t? What if this was a blemish you didn’t want to be exposed?”
He briefly paused, exhaling a sigh before continuing.
“Rosaline, as I mentioned, I… expect the worst in every situation. That’s why I didn’t speak up. I didn’t want to hurt you needlessly or lash out like this.”
Rosaline’s eyes widened. It was an unexpected response: he didn’t keep silent because of what he thought about her but because he didn’t know what she would think.
This time, Ricardis’ act of considering the other person’s perspective was neither a fierce tactical strategy nor an offensive maneuver. It was a gentle and warm regard. Rosaline could sense the truth in his words, but she wanted to confirm again, even though the tangled threads of anxiety had gradually unraveled and were well on their way to untangling completely.
“Why do you not want me to get hurt?”
Rosaline’s hand gently touched his arm. This time, it was Ricardis’ body that slightly stiffened. He furrowed his brow, seemingly uneasy.
“That’s an easy question,” he chuckled and replied, “because I like you.”
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})Rosaline’s eyes widened, and she looked at him silently. After a few seconds, she burst into a bright smile, like something had melted away to reveal a core of happiness.
From the look in her eyes as she scanned for escape routes, her desperate sprint, and her wavering gaze, Ricardis could grasp the magnitude of her anxiety. However, he’d had no idea how to handle those frozen and tightly clenched emotions. But with just a single declaration of his affection, Rosaline seemed to have released all the pent-up uneasiness she had been carrying.
It was not that her anxiety had diminished but rather that he could sense how much importance she placed on his words at this moment. That fact made his heart itch somewhere, but…
“Your Highness likes me!”
Ricardis looked at her with a troubled expression. This person indeed had accepted his words as affection but not as the emotions felt between men and women.
“Did you not know I care for you more than anyone else?”
“No, I had a feeling, but…”
Even if she misinterpreted, if he could witness her cheerfully smiling like she had achieved something remarkable… Well, it wasn’t so bad either.
***
“Black, but slightly opaque. About this size,” Rosaline explained, now that she had nothing to hide.
She enthusiastically described her appearance when she was “It” before, using her hands to draw a round shape from the ground to her waist.
“You must have been very adorable. You can’t change into that form anymore?”
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})“No.”
“That’s a shame. I wanted to see it once.”
“Oh, Macaron can still do that, though.”
“Is that so? But I don’t think they will even if I ask.”
Even from their brief encounter, Ricardis had gained a good understanding of Macaron’s temperament. Malice had overflowed from the eagle’s body. It wasn’t the same thick, murderous intent he had felt for many years. It instead resembled the gaze of old, sneering nobles when they looked at him. It was an expression that said, ‘I can’t stand your presence so much that I might die.’
However it happened, there was no trace of any friendly sentiment, so he couldn’t imagine Macaron willingly granting his request. Rosaline also seemed to agree to some extent as her face became crestfallen.
She abruptly rolled up her sleeve, causing Ricardis to gasp, barely managing to hold his breath. Muscles started to bulge on her fair hand, and her skin grew darker and thicker as if covered in leather and with a layer of sturdy glass over it. Her five fingers merged and transformed into four sharp ones.
Ricardis was shocked, but he quickly grabbed her hand without showing any sign of fear.
“Look at it!”
It felt rubbery and chill to the touch, adding to its eeriness. There was a world of difference between hearing about something versus experiencing it for the first time. Knowing that this showcase came from Rosaline’s desire to show off, Ricardis held her hand as soon as she finished her transformation.
“Wow, this is really…cool. Very…sharp.”
He still lacked the talent for compliments, but Rosaline smiled brightly with delight.
“With one swing of this, I can even cut through human bodies!”
That’s why the corpses of the Black Moon members were all dismembered like that. Now Ricardis finally understood. He gently touched her black, massive hand. The cold, solid scales and sharp claws all had a glossy sheen that was remarkably impressive. As he focused on feeling it, Rosaline became excited and changed the color of her eyes, elongating her pupils like a predator’s. She also slightly altered her height and even tweaked her facial bone structure, proudly showing off her transformations.
“It’s truly…amazing.”
Everything was beyond imagination; there was no way to explain it. When Rosaline returned to her original appearance, Ricardis awkwardly touched her face with trembling hands. Usually, he would have blushed at his actions, but he was too engrossed even to notice. Indeed, this face was the most captivating.
Ricardis hesitated momentarily before asking her, his hand still on her face, “Rosaline?”
“Yes?”
“Well… You seem to have at least partial memories of the former Sir Rosaline. Am I guessing right?”
“Yes, as time passes, memories of Rosaline gradually resurface. I also recall how you used to scold me, Your Highness.”
Ah, right. Of course, Rosaline would remember something useless! Ricardis felt a pang of guilt.
“I’m sorry, but… No, I didn’t scold you! It was her! Of course, that wasn’t… a good thing to do. I apologize. Anyway!”
As he spoke, something felt a bit off. Perhaps it was due to the memories of the old Rosaline, but did this Rosaline see herself and the past Rosaline as the same person?
“How much space does Rosaline occupy within you? If all the memories resurface… what will happen? So, in your current state, um… will you cease to exist?”
Ricardis, unlike his usual self, spoke slowly and paused often before speaking.
Rosaline pondered his question deeply, “If I were a cake…”
It was an extraordinary introduction…
“Rosaline would be the flour… I believe.”
… But an incredibly expressive analogy. Ricardis marveled at it.
“If I were a cake, Rosaline wouldn’t just be a few slices while I make up the rest. Instead, it’s more like adding butter, milk, eggs, and baking powder to the flour, baking it in the oven, spreading whipped cream, and topping it with seasonal fruits. While she is the primary ingredient, flour alone is not a cake. That’s the feeling I have if you understand.”
“Your comparison was amazing. I had no idea my knight had literary talent.”
Rosaline shrugged, seemingly proud and pleased by her description. Ricardis chuckled at her expression.
“In that case, while your thought process adapts to every situation, your actions are still based on your own thoughts and memories,” Ricardis remarked.
He looked intently into her eyes, catching a glimpse of the past Rosaline for a moment.
“Now, I ask every part of you: what were Sir Rosaline’s final moments like? What were her last thoughts?”
Ricardis’ face hardened. Rosaline searched her memories, feeling the weight of the question.
“It was painful and agonizing; I wanted to live. But above all else, I wanted to protect you, Your Highness.”
“I see. Rosaline must have been a fool to the end.”
Rosaline was momentarily stunned. For past Rosaline to be called a fool by Ricardis—!
But seeing Ricardis frowning while still forcing a smile, she couldn’t say anything else. Ricardis sighed as he stared into space, then looked back at Rosaline after a while.
“You’re… flour now.”
