Chapter 2
Along with the man’s booming voice, the sound echoed down the street. A group of horses was approaching, and the ground began to tremble with the rising sound of hooves. It was far louder than the carriage that had passed by earlier.
At the sound of the man’s voice, people stopped in their tracks and either lay flat on the ground or bowed deeply. It seemed the proper etiquette toward the Grand Duke differed depending on one’s status. If that were the case, she too should be lying on the ground.
But Roze couldn’t move. She only processed the thought in her head without translating it into action. Instead, she stood at the front, staring blankly at the approaching horse.
More precisely, she should say she saw the man riding the horse.
…Heivan. It was him.
Her breath caught in her throat. She had left in order to see him. But she hadn’t expected to see him so soon. The distance between them had seemed so vast that she had merely hoped to catch a glimpse of him from afar.
But here he was, right in front of her. She had just arrived in the capital.
She should’ve been happy… so why were tears welling up in her eyes? Why did her chest ache as though something was pressing tightly against it?
Tears filled Roze’s green eyes. Yet she couldn’t even blink as she stared at him.
Perhaps because she alone stood with her head raised while everyone else had bowed to show respect to the Grand Duke.
One of the knights escorting the Grand Duke spurred his horse and approached Roze.
“How dare you show such disrespect in front of His Grace, the Grand Duke!”
The knight, enraged, raised his whip. The whip was as thick as a man’s finger, and anyone could guess what kind of injury it would cause—it would tear skin and leave a deep wound.
“Oh no!”
Someone who had been watching from the side let out a small scream. But the person involved—Roze—didn’t react at all, not even at the sight of the whip. No, she couldn’t.
Her entire body was fixated on Heivan.
She couldn’t look away from the man who stared at her with indifferent eyes from atop his horse.
Just as the thick whip was about to strike Roze, Heivan, who had been watching, finally opened his mouth.
“Sir Fedwin, halt.”
“Yes, Your Grace!”
At Heivan’s single command, the knight lowered his whip. But because it had already been swung so close, the tip brushed against Roze’s wrist.
“…!”
Roze instinctively clutched her wrist with her other hand. Blood trickled between her fingers. But rather than checking her injury, she looked up at him.
Heivan, who had been looking at her wrist, also looked into her eyes. His cold gaze swept over her. As he passed her, he opened his mouth again to address the knight he had stopped.
“She seems to have only recently arrived in the capital. She probably doesn’t know who I am or the customs here. Is there any need to punish someone simply for their ignorance?”
“I will remember that, Your Grace!”
The knight bowed his head in obedience to Heivan and followed behind him as though nothing had happened. The procession, which had paused briefly, began to move forward again.
“His Grace the Grand Duke is so merciful. Showing compassion even to a woman like that.”
Once the Grand Duke’s party had left, people rose and straightened their backs. Some of them glanced at Roze and whispered.
Despite the pointing and murmuring, Roze stood still, staring in the direction Heivan had disappeared.
‘…You really have forgotten me, haven’t you.’
The last time she had seen him was after he collapsed from drinking the tea. The royal attendants had come and taken him away in a carriage. She had told herself it was for the best and had cowardly turned away.
But in truth, she had been afraid to face a Heivan who didn’t remember her. She feared the unfamiliar look in his eyes. That was why she hadn’t even watched as he was taken away.
Even the crying baby hadn’t stopped her from hiding in the house, not coming out until the sound of the carriage wheels had completely vanished.
That was five years ago, when she had been left all alone.
“…Still, you’re as kind as ever.”
Roze murmured with a trembling voice, then fell silent. Her pale face grew even more ghostly.
So different from the blush that had bloomed on her face the first day she saw him.
* * *
There were days when fortune smiled. At least, Roze thought the day she met him was one of those days.
“With this many herbs, I shouldn’t have to worry about food for a while.”
Roze looked down at the basket she held with a satisfied expression. She had climbed the mountain behind the village for several days, specifically choosing paths people rarely used.
“I’ll have to keep doing this. It’s a bit scary going to secluded places, but…”
The more well-trodden the path, the more people there were to gather herbs. To find more and better-quality herbs, it was better to go where no one else ventured. Of course, she had always known that but had been too scared to try until now.
“I’ve done it once, so I can do it again. Twice, three times! Yes!”
She nodded firmly, as if giving herself encouragement.
Just then, the sound of hooves echoed from a distance. Roze looked up from her full basket, raising her gaze.
Far ahead, a brown horse leisurely approached with its rider on its back.
“Who could that be? No one comes here except the villagers.”
Roze tilted her head in confusion. The only place this path led to was the village where she lived. It was such a small and remote place that even travelers rarely visited. That’s why she had never run into anyone while using this road before.
“…Maybe he’s a wanderer like me.”
She mumbled absentmindedly and squinted. If that was the case, it made sense. People who wandered aimlessly could easily end up in such a remote area.
“Still, I should tell him. There’s not much to see if he keeps following this road.”
Roze nodded to herself as she muttered. Since he probably wouldn’t be welcomed in the village, it would be better to let him know in advance.
Well, in my case, I stayed because I had nowhere else to go, even though the villagers weren’t exactly warm.
“Excuse me!”
As the rider came closer, Roze raised her voice a little to call out. At her voice, the man on the horse tilted his head and lifted the brim of his hat.
“Where are you headed? There’s only one village down this road. Are you from there?”
Roze walked faster, clutching the basket under her arm, and approached the horse. Without waiting for a response, she continued speaking rapidly.
“If not, it’s better to turn back. This is the border area—there’s not much to see. Just one small—Whoa!”
“Neighhh!”
“Eek!”
The horse, intrigued by the scent of the herbs, flared its nostrils and shoved its head into her basket. Surprised, Roze stumbled backward and fell on her butt. The basket full of herbs flew into the air.
Thunk. Plop, plop.
The herbs landed on Roze’s wavy, dark brown hair. Thankfully, since they had been carefully cleaned, no dirt fell.
“Uh…”
Roze just blinked, unable to process what had happened.
“Are you okay? I’m sorry. This guy’s a little too curious sometimes…”
At that moment, a gentle voice spoke above her. Roze looked up without thinking—and met his eyes. The man had already dismounted and was standing in front of her.
Wow…
She couldn’t help but marvel. The man’s golden hair shimmered in the sunlight as it swayed in the breeze.
“Um… Miss?”
When Roze continued to stare blankly, the man smiled awkwardly and squinted at her.
Even squinting, he’s beautiful.
Roze was mesmerized by his blue eyes, clear like the cloudless sky above.
‘How can someone be so beautiful?’
She had met all kinds of people while wandering, but never someone this stunning. And he wasn’t even a woman—he was a man.
She once glimpsed a painting of an angel, and even that angel didn’t look as elegant and beautiful as this man before her.
That must be why, without realizing it, Roze mumbled:
“…An angel?”
“Hm? What was that?”
The man blinked in surprise at her question. Only then did Roze realize what she had just said. Her face turned bright red—and the man burst into laughter.
“Hahaha!”
Oh no, what did I just say?
Mortified, Roze covered her face with both hands and lowered her head.
Even a child wouldn’t say something like that. To ask someone if they’re an angel… Good grief. Her face burned with embarrassment as she squeezed her eyes shut. And maybe, just maybe, she could hear the horse laughing along too—snort snort—like it was teasing her.
