6. Light That Won’t Fade

Before the final battle, Romeo took a week to return to Arsha. Each time he was in a ferocious state, molded from mud stained with blood, and he killed time while clutching her.

Before, he’d followed wherever Rosaline went, but now she followed wherever he was. Not just when in Arsha. When the war’s end approached, he dragged Rosaline even to the battlefield.

Then shut her away in an absurdly lavish tent.

For a tent at a forward base, it was full of gold things resembling Romeo, and even the furs and blankets were garishly eye-aching. He watched the flustered Rosaline and smiled, baring white teeth.

“Don’t like it?”

Before she could ponder what he meant, she was dragged into hot s*x. Throughout his thrusts, he sneered that he couldn’t understand her. Throughout the mindlessness, she could only rebel inwardly that those were her words to say.

Days like that repeated. Waiting for him, receiving him. Rosaline found staying in the tent more uncomfortable than s*x with him. Not that the tent itself was shabby.

Even if the forward base and battlefield were quite distant, a battlefield was still a battlefield. Romeo usually came back terribly injured, so rather than sitting still worrying about him, she felt she should do something.

But when she tried to leave the tent, he raged.

“What can an umbra do to find a place on the battlefield? Does a shadow wield a sword, wear armor, kill people?”

“……If I don’t want to waste food here……”

“Ah, Rosaline.”

He laughed loudly.

“Better to stay still than waste food while slaughtering.”

“……”

“So behave yourself. I’ll let you take walks at least.”

After acting like he’d never see her again, he acted viciously as if having her by his side caused him pain.

“Whether you want it or not, I plan to keep you until death.”

Romeo kissed Rosaline deeply and left for the battlefield. Wearing heavy, splendid golden armor with the sun’s symbol mounted on his helmet.

Short and long battles continued. He usually returned when she was asleep, and even when she was awake, he’d often just hold her breathlessly before leaving. Like checking an object in its place.

Today too, sounds of breaking metal and horses’ hooves striking the ground came from dawn. Rosaline stared long at the empty bed still warm with heat, then went toward the tent entrance as if resolved.

“Kata gets blood on the bedding every day—what if the woman runs away?”

“It’s not the umbra’s blood, is it?”

Outside, a woman and man grumbled in turn.

“No! It’s blood Kata brought from the battlefield. Horrible enough.”

“Fine, but don’t even say such ominous things. If she runs, we both die.”

When the man shuddered, the woman sighed.

“Let’s at least tell him to wipe off the blood before coming in. He talks to us sometimes, doesn’t he?”

Rosaline roughly knew who they were too.

Knights guarding the tent when Romeo was absent. Twin siblings with black hair and green eyes served as Romeo’s attendants at the forward base. They were among the few people kept close by him when he’d driven everyone away in Arsha.

“But Sister, why us of all people?”

“I was curious too, but last time Kata said something incomprehensible, like he’d noticed. Something like… we’re……”

The rest was whispered too quietly to hear well. When Rosaline lifted the cloth at the entrance, she saw white snow falling finely and dawn drawing red lines on the gray horizon.

“What is it?”

The male knight Raphael, with sunlight sketched on his cheeks, blinked and spoke to her. His sister Israil had much the same expression. When Rosaline’s lips stayed firmly closed, they looked troubled as if realizing something.

“Please speak. Though you’re an umbra, aren’t you and I both Kata’s servants? All people are equal under him, so you needn’t ask permission for everything.”

Their rapidly changing faces were young and full of vitality. Unlike Romeo, always on edge like someone with cut skin, their attitude strangely flowed with leisure, and Rosaline relaxed too.

“……I was wondering if you’d seen my luggage. It was wrapped in cloth about as long as my forearm……”

“Luggage?”

“Luggage I brought when coming here from Arsha. It was taken midway, but if it wasn’t burned or discarded, it should be somewhere. Can I find it?”

It had already been a week since she came to the forward base. Israil’s face immediately looked tired as if wondering why she was looking for it now, but there was also faint sympathy.

“Is it dangerous?”

“No, just miscellaneous items. Personal……”

“You know umbra aren’t supposed to have personal possessions, right?”

Israil, who’d just said everyone was equal under Kata, pressed her brow firmly.

“If it’s not essential, better not to bring it. There is a place where miscellaneous items are gathered, but there’s no certainty it’s there, and as you know, Kata is excessively sensitive to your movements.”

When Rosaline’s complexion colored with disappointment, Israil raised her eyebrows and pointed inside.

“If you’re simply bored, Kata put books and various things to play with in there for you. I mention it because you seem not to have touched them. Perhaps not to your taste?”

She rolled her eyes, recalling the armor, blankets, and various books and ornaments unsuited to a battlefield inside the tent. Kata, who shoved whatever splendid war trophies he got from barbarians into the tent, seemed straightforward and ignorant.

Meanwhile, Rosaline was confused in her own way. Was this decorating a cage? Since he’d never said they were hers, she’d never looked through them. After pondering briefly, she shook her head as if dismissing the thought. That wasn’t what mattered. If she stayed dazed like this until Romeo returned, she’d have no chance to go out.

“Israil, please, I’m begging you. It’s really important to me……”

“Rosaline!”

A man’s voice spread through the quiet base. When he dismounted from his horse in the distance, his long cloak fluttered in flowing lines. Rosaline’s eyes, narrowed to gauge the person, widened.

“……Young Master Tybalt?”

“Good heavens, you really were here.”

Tybalt lowered the cloak covering his head and scoffed. His expression mixed with guilt looked bitter. But Rosaline’s face showed not even common surprise.

“Who are you?”

When Tybalt tried to approach Rosaline, Raphael and Israil thrust themselves between them. Like a huge, solid wall. Then Tybalt’s eyes also turned cold.

“I’m an envoy of Duke William Alberic Torildur Alessandro.”

Literally meaning he was an envoy of Prince William, whose sister became king while he became duke. He even wore a cloak with the Capulet seal drawn on the cuff. Unless completely ignorant, they couldn’t fail to recognize the seal of the nation’s foremost trading company.

Raphael’s complexion went pale with difficulty, and Israil’s expression soured with annoyance.

“Kata is not currently present. He should return before dark, but……”

Israil sighed.

“You cannot meet with the umbra without Kata’s permission.”

“Ah, I’ll take responsibility for what follows.”

He abruptly extended his hand and pulled Rosaline’s shoulder.

“Good heavens, Lord Capulet! We’ll take responsibility!”

“Say I threatened you. You two stay there.”

Unable to do this or that, Israil couldn’t overcome her frustration and stamped the ground.

“……Ha, f*cking h*ll!”

“Sister, watch your language!”

“We’re about to die today, so watch what, f*ck it.”

“Then I’ll take it the discussion is over.”

Tybalt cleanly ignored Israil’s cursing and walked with Rosaline toward a less populated area. Several gazes landed on them with tired expressions along the way, but perhaps because of rumors that Kata obeyed Prince William’s orders well, no one seemed inclined to stop them.

Only after reaching a place with no one around did Tybalt whisper like a sigh.

“I know about what happened, Rosaline.”

She didn’t know how much he knew, but Rosaline didn’t bother to pry. She hadn’t been interested to begin with.

“……And Romeo, no. Kata has you……”

“……”

“I have no face to show you.”

Tybalt stroked his chin.

“Juliet also saw the letter the tutor left. She’d been regretting terribly how we sent you away. She couldn’t bear it and told your mother everything.”

“……”

“……The nurse stubbornly denied it but eventually seemed to acknowledge it. Juliet resembles my late aunt too much to be her daughter.”

“Is she dead?”

Rosaline’s tone was plain and monotonous, like asking after a passerby’s well-being. Tybalt looked somewhat surprised but soon shook his head.

“No. More precisely, she failed at s*icide. She’s nearly mad now. She won’t see Juliet and does nothing, just rests. My uncle seems to be… planning to marry her.”

“How responsible of him.”

“……So you know how to be sarcastic, Rosaline. I didn’t realize.”

He smiled as if pleased, without any sarcasm at all.

“If you’re willing, I want to compensate you too. I plan to bring you back as soon as the war ends. I’ll properly register you and see you compensated. Juliet agreed to this.”

“I don’t need it.”

“Rosaline.”

“I don’t need it.”

Rosaline looked straight at him. Her eyes trembled faintly and her voice shook, but she spoke clearly nonetheless.

“Really, Young Master. Do you want to hear from me that it’s fine, that you needn’t apologize?”

She smiled with something close to self-mockery as she looked at the frozen Tybalt. After such long silence, words came out easily.

Perhaps this was thanks to being long beside the ill-tempered Romeo. She clenched both hands, recalling the first moment she’d talked back to her mother.

“But I don’t want to. What’s so wonderful about entering the Capulet household that you talk about properly registering me or not?”

She’d been caught and brought back as a child after running away. There’d never been a single moment she’d stayed because she liked the Capulets, nor had she wanted to belong to them.