~ Chapter : 47 ~
I lay down to sleep, but I couldn’t fall asleep easily because I kept thinking about Camilla, who had been covered in blood.
The next morning, at the villa, I heard from Rosio about what had happened yesterday.
Without me having to intervene, Claudia had been suspended until Camilla graduated. Rosio had also tracked down and disciplined the entire Garrett gang who had spread the rumors.
Still, even after Camilla fully recovered and the matter was settled, I couldn’t shake the guilt of being the one who had put her in danger in the first place.
“Lady Esmeralda, are you alright? You don’t look well.”
After reporting to me, Rosio studied my complexion. His worried gaze unintentionally made me reveal my inner thoughts.
“…I was just thinking about what would have happened if I hadn’t allowed Miss Camilla to choose swordsmanship as her major.”
A flicker of confusion crossed Rosio’s face. Instead of asking why I was thinking such a thing, he gently said to me:
“Lady Esmeralda, you are not the one who put Miss Camilla in danger. You are the one who saved her.”
“I don’t know.”
When I said that, Rosio gave me a light hug. I buried my face in his chest and barely managed to speak.
“If Miss Camilla had chosen magic as her major from the start, this misfortune wouldn’t have happened.”
“The real problem was Garrett and Claudia discriminating against Miss Camilla. It’s absolutely not Miss Camilla’s fault, nor yours, Lady Esmeralda.”
“I never expected it to be such a huge ordeal…”
I wasn’t fully hearing Rosio’s words. As I stayed depressed, he gently pulled back and lifted my chin so that our eyes met.
“Did Miss Camilla ever blame you?”
“No, she couldn’t even if she wanted to. She’s far too kind.”
“Then blame me for not anticipating the accident. There is nothing you should feel guilty about.”
Even though I knew self-blame would lead nowhere, I scolded myself.
From the night I impulsively spent with Rosio, to my recent arrogant delusion that I could influence Camilla for the better…
‘What confidence did I have to change the original story?’
My abilities hadn’t matched my heart.
Even if I was lucky this time and averted a crisis, what if another danger came for Camilla? In the original story, Rosio saved her—but could I save her too?
A sudden, unexplainable pressure made my eyes sting.
“…Lady Esmeralda?”
“Ah…”
I was crying without realizing it. I didn’t want to show this in front of Rosio.
Before I could hurriedly wipe my tears with my hand, Rosio took out a handkerchief and gently wiped them from my eyes. It was the first time I had seen such a pained look in his eyes.
Seeing even Rosio looking distressed made a lump rise in my chest. I could no longer hold back and collapsed into his embrace, crying my heart out.
He hugged me a little tighter and patted my back for a long while.
“Have you cried enough?”
“Yes, sniff… I’m okay now.”
After crying for a long time, my troubled heart felt a little lighter. Camilla was stronger than me. Even if she faced an unexpected crisis, she wouldn’t repeat the same mistake.
I could feel Rosio’s heartbeat reverberating through me.
“Lady Esmeralda, don’t struggle alone. I can’t believe you’ve been so troubled…”
Rosio, who usually asked nothing, spoke in a husky voice. Looking up at him, I noticed his eyes were slightly red.
“I wanted to show only my best side to you, Rosio.”
“Don’t worry about that. If something troubles you, don’t bear it alone—tell me. I want to be someone you can rely on.”
Rosio folded the wet handkerchief and placed it on the desk, then lightly wiped the tears from my cheeks with his pale fingers.
The thin, long fingers felt warm and comforting. I let him cradle my face in his hand.
“Alright… but you have to do the same for me.”
Rosio didn’t answer immediately, just smiled slightly. The smile felt meaningful, so I pulled back and asked sternly again.
“Rosio? You have to answer me.”
“…Of course, Lady Esmeralda.”
He kissed my forehead, and I slowly calmed down. Glancing slightly downward, I noticed my tears had left faint marks on his tie.
I quietly rubbed the tie so he wouldn’t notice, but soon Rosio laughed lightly, saying it was fine.
What had passed could not be undone. Instead of crying endlessly, I decided to do what I could. I smiled.
“Are we going to study magic today as well? I want to learn all the magic I can.”
I gripped Rosio’s tie firmly as if I would tear it off and spoke with determination.
“Of course. Seeing you so eager is wonderful. But there will be a few more assignments for the time being.”
“Why?”
“Because we are scheduled to visit the Kingdom of Rubia next week. I won’t be able to teach you magic then… my apologies.”
Rosio asked for my understanding. I muttered to myself that it was next week.
As the topic of our conversation shifted, Harun and Cyril barged in noisily through the door and window. They had probably eavesdropped on our conversation.
「You’re not sneaking off for fun, are you?」
「Disappointed in you, Rosio!」
Harun and Cyril chattered in turn.
Even without my introduction, the spirit and the divine beast recognized each other and got along well. They even matched each other’s rhythm. Of course, I worried about whether I would still have any privacy in the future.
“Both of you, please leave or be quiet.”
Harun and Cyril pouted at my reprimand. I created little balls of magic for them to play with, and they grumbled but still tossed the orbs around like toys.
‘The Kingdom of Rubia…’
Knowing the original story, I wanted to give Rosio some help. Still, I asked casually:
“What’s the reason for your visit?”
“We discovered a mana stone vein, so I plan to send Erdésia mages there.”
In the original story, when the mana stone operation was delayed, the Kingdom of Saphir cleverly drove a wedge between Rubia and the Erdésia Empire.
Rubia falls for Saphir’s trap and joins a future rebellion against Erdésia. Of course, it’s a fight they cannot win, and Rubia ultimately falls.
The Rubian king blames Erdésia for ignoring them, starting from when the envoy arrived late. The envoy was delayed because of a flood caused by heavy rain. At the current time, there is no rain near Rubia, so the Rubian king would consider the excuse suspicious.
‘Even if Rosio proves it wasn’t intentional, they would still complain.’
Perfectionist as always, Rosio could not forgive himself for such mistakes. But the sudden heavy rain had actually been created intentionally by Saphir’s mages.
“Have you prepared well? Will you depart early?”
I thought about how to give Rosio a clue.
“Yes, we might encounter thieves, and depending on the weather, it could delay us.”
“You didn’t expect floods along the Rubia River, right?”
Since Rosio had always prepared well in the original story, it seemed more reliable to speak directly rather than hinting. Whether he would believe such a wild story was uncertain.
Rosio thought for a moment and then answered:
“Then it would be unprecedented. But after the flood, it would be difficult to manage the situation due to poor visibility, and it would be too late.”
Instead of dismissing me, Rosio listened carefully. I was surprised by the trust he showed.
“Didn’t you think I was being ridiculous just now?”
“How could I take your advice lightly, Lady Esmeralda?”
I didn’t need to explain further. I only needed to consider whether it was better for Rosio to locate the Saphir mages in advance to prepare for the flood, or to find a way to avoid the flood altogether.
“Would it help if I brought Cyril along?”
「Me?」
Cyril, who had been playing with a magic orb, came over. Since I could now place the divine beast thanks to Rosio, I thought I could persuade the spirit as well.
“Lady Esmeralda, thank you for the suggestion, but this spirit can only stay within the Erdésia Empire and its vassals.”
「Right, and Rosio can’t see me anyway. I’m more fun with Esmeralda.」
I didn’t comment on the fact that he was a lower-class spirit and simply said I understood.
“I will also prepare for the possibility that the flood is artificial.”
Rosio also seemed to suspect that the rain could have been manipulated. Knowing that reassured me.
‘Now that I’ve suspected the mastermind, the rest can be left to Rosio.’
I stroked Rosio’s head gently. Harun also stuck out his head, and I patted him too.
“When visiting the Kingdom of Rubia, what gifts did the envoy prepare?”
Rosio replied that they prepared magical crops, spices, and leather obtainable through trade with Erdésia.
“It would have been nice to retrieve the late Rubian king’s relic. I heard it’s missing in the territory that is now Erdésia’s.”
Rosio added with a hint of regret. I murmured in agreement but wondered.
Previously, Rubia had fought a monster once. The late king barely defended the border but died in battle, leaving a lucky brooch to his younger brother, the future king.
However, the soldier entrusted with delivering the brooch was attacked by monsters and lost it.
In the original story, this was briefly mentioned from the Rubian king’s perspective to explain her anxious state before meeting Rosio.
‘But haven’t they found it yet?’
I tilted my head slightly. With the story having changed, I assumed the royal family had found it, but apparently, the answer was more complicated.
“Rosio, what is that relic?”
I asked without specifying that it was the brooch.
“It’s a brooch. Since it’s from long ago, even sending people now makes it difficult to locate.”
“Could I have seen it before? What does it look like?”
Rosio borrowed paper and ink and drew a rough sketch. It was circular like a laurel wreath, with patterns studded with jewels resembling dew drops.
“Ah, this!”
Seeing the drawing, I pretended to recall it immediately. Somehow, alongside my magical skills, my acting had also improved.
