Shadowless Night

ssassins tied up.”

 

Rosaline senses the presence of the enemy in the quiet forest.
Nobody here even suspected she could be wrong.
Ricardis was just frustrated.
As he felt a hand gently pushing his hand away, something hot seemed to rise to the bottom of his neck.
His heart pounded like he was in a dream and was falling from a high place.

 

“No way.
Let’s go together, Sir Rosaline!”

 

“Your Highness.”

 

“You said they were chasing us! Come on, Rosaline!” Ricardis groaned. 

 

He didn’t seem to care whether the pursuers were listening or not even as they approached at this moment.
Rosaline’s face hardened even more and slapped Ricardis’ hand fiercely.
She was incredibly strong.

 

“They’ll be holding Fragments.
I have to step up.”

 

“Will those Fragments avoid you? Don’t be silly!”

 

Rosaline flipped her cloak back.
The shoulders of her white uniform were torn, and the blood had hardened and stuck together.
The three men’s faces went stiff. 

 

‘Could it be… No…’

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“I am already afflicted.
It’s slow, but this must be from Fragment.” 

 

‘So, go, Your Highness.’ Rosaline looked straight at Ricardis.

 

Ricardis stood at a distance.
The ground was shaking.
No, it was his body that shook.
Ricardis’s hand floated through the air, moving towards her.
But before he could reach Rosaline, Nathan hastily grabbed Ricardis’ wrist.

 

“We must go, Your Highness.”

 

As the words reached him, each one became a never-ending nightmare.
Ricardis’s face contorted at the pain that gripped his chest.

 

[I… will leave this road and walk elsewhere, leaving a trail.]

 

[Your Highness, you need to get away from here!]

 

[The Knights of the White Night, sacrifice your life according to the covenant you made under the splendor of Idelavhim!]

 

[…Get out of this place with His Highness!] 

 

[Your Highness, please…]

 

[Your Highness, Princess Setistia…]

 

[Your Highness…!]

 

‘Your Highness!’ 

 

The sounds of screaming and weeping were madly intertwined in his head.
In the past, there have been countless people who have left him.
They were people whom he would never meet again.

 

‘I should never die.
I must survive! Even if someone dies on my behalf, I can’t stop because I’ve already stepped on that person’s sacrifice.
The wishes of the dead… my victory is the only thing that makes their sacrifice worthwhile.
That’s how I came here.
But now…’

 

“Rosaline…”

 

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The moment he spoke her name, fatigue suddenly overcame him.
It felt like his feet, which had been forcibly holding him up, were falling apart.
They were shaking more than he could handle.

 

“Your Highness…”

 

“Your Highness!”

 

A voice echoed through his mind.
The short words ‘Your Highness’ carried the meaning for him to hasten his steps.
Ricardis looked at Nathan and Raymond standing in front of him.
Then he glanced back at Rosaline, who was standing behind him.
Whether her heart was torn or her brain had melted, Rosaline had already decided on her path.
There was only one, as always.

 

Rosaline took a step closer to Ricardis.
Her white fingers touched his chest, pushing him away.

 

It was warm.
It was the warmth of the body he’d held all morning.
Ricardis grabbed her hand and pulled her.
Rosaline’s eyes widened.
Ricardis was close enough that she could feel his breath.

 

“I can’t stop.”

 

Ricardis closed his eyes and bowed his head.
His long eyelashes glistened in the sunlight. 

 

‘Oh, it’s shiny and pretty.’ As she was thinking this, Rosaline felt a soft touch on her forehead. 

 

It almost felt like the moment at her inauguration ceremony when warm energy flowed into the center of her forehead where Ricardis applied holy water.
It’s like Rosaline was swimming in warm water.
She felt fuzzy.
Rosaline squeezed her eyes shut.

 

“So you must come.”

 

Rosaline smiled with her eyes bent.
It was a bright smile that struck his chest.

 

***

 

Raymond stood there as if his feet were nailed to that spot.
His face was gloomy without a single smile.
It was a sight that would surprise anyone who knows how he usually treats Rosaline.
He didn’t cry, and he didn’t get angry.
He didn’t say anything and just stared at Rosaline. 

 

“Raymond, go quickly,” Rosaline said again, and she had to push him. 

 

Raymond’s jaw muscles twitched as if holding back the words that were about to pop out.
He came forward quickly and hugged Rosaline so tightly that it hurt.
A short time passed.
He soon followed after Ricardis and Nathan, who ran ahead.

 

Rosaline looked at Raymond’s back as he moved away.
The sunlight shone brilliantly through the gaps in the dense leaves.
In the distance, she could see Raymond looking back.
Rosaline raised her hand high and waved at him so that he could see it from a distance.
He smiled bitterly and turned away from her.
Their appearances disappeared in an instant.
Rosaline then turned around and headed in the other direction.