Shadowless Night

At that time, someone knocked on the door. Kairo replied, rubbing his forearm.

“Come in.”

“It’s my room! Come on in,” Rosaline responded sharply, pushing Kairo away. Kairo smirked and flexed his muscles.

“It’s shift change time.”

The one who entered was Senior Knight Nestor Sihorge. He held a tremendously colorful bouquet, a fruit basket, a cake, and a sandwich basket. Rosaline smiled brightly while Kairo frowned.

“Sir Nestor, weren’t you not exempt from guard duty? I heard His Highness was strongly opposed to it to an unusual extent.”

“Oh, Sir Pardict sent me. I’m the substitute for the third shift!” Nestor grinned at Rosaline. Rosaline smiled brightly and began taking the food baskets hanging from his arm.

‘… It’s not Raymond’s doing, is it?’

Over there, the door was wide open, practically beckoning with a celebratory shower of flower petals if you passed by. It couldn’t get any more festive. Kairo looked at it uncomfortably. “… Do you know what ‘guard duty’ means, sir?” he asked.

Nestor responded, “Haha, surely you must be joking.”

Well, he wasn’t. After instructing him to block anyone from going in or out, he grabbed a cake from the food basket and hastily left. Rosaline chased after him in a frenzy. When she returned, there was cream all over her mouth and hands; a pitiful sight of the victor. “Please tell the commander or His Highness to fire Sir Kairo. He’s really weird!” she shouted.

Kairo had teased her because he found her reactions amusing, but to Nestor, she just seemed adorable. He made a sympathetic expression and handed her a handkerchief, commenting, “It seems like… you two get along well…”

“We don’t!”

What calmed her anger was the food Nestor brought. She grumbled occasionally as she ate, but soon found peace. The pudding melted in her mouth, and the bitter caramel slid down her throat, soothing her anger.

“How’s your body feeling?”

“It’s gotten… much better! I think I can go out now!” Rosaline replied courageously. She hoped that by saying she was all better, they would stop this confinement. But when their eyes met, Nestor blushed, unable to give her the answer she wanted. Rosaline’s expression turned cold, anticipating that she wouldn’t get the response she wanted from his shyness. This man is clueless. His rating plummeted even more.

“Aren’t you tired, Sir Nestor?”

“No, I’m not tired at all! I took short naps here and there, so I could stay energetic until morning! Don’t worry if you can’t sleep; I’ll be right here beside you!”

Extremely… clueless! Rosaline was furious. I’ll just brush him off completely!

“I’m leaving.”

“Huh?”

“I said, I’m leaving.” Taken aback, Nestor blocked her way to the window. Rosaline swiftly lifted him and threw him onto the bed. Nestor’s eyes widened. “I’ll be back in a moment. It’ll be fine if nobody finds out. Men aren’t very perceptive. Annoying, really.”

“S-Sir Rosaline!”

Grumbling, Rosaline leaped out the window. She heard Nestor’s short scream, but she didn’t care. She scaled the wall, and leaped down, descending quickly from a high point.

Just as the messy-looking Kairo was leaving work, he witnessed Rosaline swiftly descending the wall. “I knew it would come to this.” He shook his head and continued on his way.

***

People danced on the beautiful marble floor under a chandelier scattering light. The music flowed smoothly at times and sticky at others, adding to the excitement of the party.

Ricardis leaned against the railing of the terrace, shrouded in darkness that contrasted with the bright party hall. He raised his champagne glass to eye level. Through the light yellow champagne, he could see people moving about.

Through the fizzing bubbles, a figure approached. The wavering silhouette grew closer as if submerged in water. Breaking through the music, as the footsteps drew near, Ricardis downed his champagne in one gulp.

Beyond the empty glass, Diech was grinning. Bathed in the sparkling light, he stepped onto the terrace.

“Brother.”

“Diech.”

“It’s been too long since I saw you, even though we both lived in the palace.”

It was the first time since the brief greeting at the hunting competition a day ago, so saying ‘it’s been too long’ didn’t quite fit. For palace residents, not seeing each other for a month or two was routine. It was rather unusual for them to meet day by day, filtered through various events.

Ricardis hadn’t left Moonstone Castle for a single day since the hunting competition. Today was the first time he attended the party. As Diech approached as soon as he revealed himself, Ricardis sensed from Diech’s words that he had been waiting for him for a longer period than expected.

“Oh, the chief musician of the injured orchestra returned today. Did you know, Brother? Perhaps that’s why it’s…” Diech pretended to listen to the music, then burst into laughter. “To be honest, I really don’t understand. It all sounds the same to me. They’re all equally good. Count Ironhoff says that listening to music without the chief musician is like injuring one’s soul. I played along, but that’s about it. I’ve never been good with music since I was a child.”

Ricardis observed him expressionlessly. While he wanted to express all his anger, he couldn’t figure out the intention of this person who spoke to him amiably as if nothing had changed. Even though he probably knew Ricardis had discovered his true identity, there was no trace of change in his demeanor.

Diech simply hummed along slightly out of sync with the music flowing from within, lost in thought. As a passing tray passed by, he picked up two champagne glasses and offered one to Ricardis. Ricardis received the glass and took a gulp.

“Speaking of which, what about Sir Rosaline? Haven’t seen her lately. Haven’t seen her since the hunting competition… Did something happen?”

It was a stab to the heart. A strike that required immense control not to react immediately. The calmness was unbelievable, coming from the person who had directly committed the act. There was no sign of guilt for the sin he had committed, no trace of nervousness that his secret might be exposed.

Could he hide this anxiety so well? Shouldn’t something just pop out, making it evident that something was amiss? Yet, he acted as if everything had never happened, as if everything was normal. In the present, knowing everything, his smile appeared twisted and eerie.

“It’s a time when many foreign dignitaries are roaming around.”

Many eyes had been watching Rosaline for quite a while; so it made sense that Ricardis was deliberately confining her within Moonstone Castle. For anyone unaware of the fact that she had suffered a critical injury, it was an entirely plausible story. However, Diech knew that this was a lie. Nonetheless, Ricardis just nodded in agreement.

“I see. I briefly met her during the hunting competition, but we still have many things left to discuss. I plan to meet her soon.” Emptying his champagne glass, Diech, with a raised brow, placed the glass on the terrace railing. Their eyes met, and he grinned. “Please give her my regards, Brother.”

Diech turned and walked out to the party hall. Pausing for a moment, he looked in a different direction. Although it was impossible to see his face as he turned away, a chilling anticipation lingered. Soon, his momentarily paused foot started moving again, and he melted into the dancing crowd.

The knights positioned on the inside, outside, and below the terrace also released their vigil and relaxed.

Ricardis briefly stepped out of the terrace into a brighter area. He saw the Emperor laughing and chatting with Elpidio, the direction Diech had momentarily gazed at.

Ricardis had thought that Diech’s purpose was simply to occupy the Emperor’s position when he viewed him as a mere ‘Diech.’

But overnight, he had become an unpredictable entity, detached from Diech. What was his purpose? Conspiring with the Black Moon, attempting to kill him, and lurking within the palace—what was the reason?

With no knowledge of his thoughts, the purpose became obscure. Ricardis left the party hall.

***

“Alright, Ricardis. It’s annoying, but I’ll tell you just once, so listen carefully. One, I’m not feeling good right now. Two, I’m not sure what time it is, but how could a gentleman be looking for a lady at this hour? Finally, three. I don’t know what’s been happening recently, but guests have been coming too often, and it’s tiring,” the blind woman complained while lying on a dirty blanket. Ricardis was amazed. He hadn’t even mentioned his presence, so how did she know? It happened every time, but he was always fascinated.

“So, in summary, you’re telling me to leave?”

“Exactly.”

In the depths of the underground prison, particularly the innermost part, was a cell. Katelyn, who had once been a Black Moon executive, waved her hand as if shooing away Ricardis, treating him like a common peddler. Upon closer inspection, she was missing a few fingers. From the bloodstains visible on the bandages, it seemed recent. Likely the work of one of the ‘guests’ who had visited her.

“Where did you sell your fingers to end up like that?”

“Speaking with such pretense. Your brother stole my fingers. Quite the bandit.”

“I apologize in my worthless brother’s stead.”

Katelyn nodded and turned her head. Ricardis leaned against the bars. The purpose of his visit was unclear. There was unimaginable force unknown to him; a force that was the final cog driving a massive flow.