After leaving the temple behind, no one spoke a word until we were clear of the forest.
My head wasnât working right from the cold and the lingering fatigue, but I was sure those werenât the only reasons. The fact that we stayed silent throughout the return trip should have beautifully reflected our current feelings deep inside.
By the time our horses reached the entrance of the forest, the sky had already begun to brighten.
The morning air was crisp and clear. The perpetual silence was as if everything else had disappeared from the face of the Earth, except for us.
The sun began to overflow from the horizon. Its rays of light washing away all of the darkness was so beautiful that I felt my eyes welling up.
ââŚSomeoneâs coming.â
Latte quickly noticed and said in a hush.
About the same time Latte reacted, Sir Leonhard had also reacted as well. A little later, Commander Lieber eventually faced towards the same direction as the two.
I followed their gaze, still oblivious to the situation, and saw a small figure riding over the hill in our direction. The sound of hoofs against the ground echoed, and it wasnât until he dismounted from his horse that we knew it was none other than Captain Pascal.
âCommander! Iâve finally found you!!â
Captain Pascal, still out of breath, knelt down in front of Commander Lieber. The captain was terribly anxious; he knew his next words would be anything but a trivial matter.
The next words that left his lips chilled the surrounding air frozen solid.
âThe fort sent for you! Please come back as fast as you can! Your wife isâŚ!â
ââŚ!â
Sharp breaths were drawn. I completely understood what he wanted to say without him finishing his sentence. If the commanderâs reason for betrayal was his wife, then surely she must have not had much time left.
All eyes were on Commander Lieber.
He dropped his gaze slightly and stood still.
ââŚI see.â
His voice was small.
Without even a hint of unrest, Commander Lieber simply nodded once with a face devoid of any visible emotions. Captain Pascal could only gaze at the commander, who stood at that spot like an empty husk, as if he couldnât understand what was going on.
Perhaps Commander Lieber had already prepared himself for this moment.
Is that why you look so calm?
But my shallow thoughts were soon shattered.
Commander Lieber was trembling, squeezing his fists tight.
There was no way he could have prepared for such a thing.
Anyone would be sad when theyâre about to part ways with their loved ones for good. It must be agonising. Of course, heâd want to be with her, thatâs a given.
But, at the same time, Commander Lieber mustâve realised that he had no right to do so.
âCommander?â
Even when called by the worried Captain Pascal, Commander Lieber didnât move a muscle. No, he couldnât move. As someone who had sinned, he wasnât in a position to determine his own actions.
The person with the most authority here was me.
And it was me who had the right to make the decisions.
âPrincess Marie.â
Sir Leonhard called out to me.
There was no hesitation in his eyes when he faced me, and I could guess the words that would follow. Knowing the gentle and kind Sir Leonhard, he wouldnât have wanted to burden me with such difficult choices. If thatâs how it is, then I guess Iâll have to play the villain myself.
It was obviously easier said than done.
âLetâs return to the fort for-â
âI-I-Iâm very tired!â
âLetâs return to the fort for the time beingâ â I hurriedly cut off Sir Leonhardâs proposal with a fluster. Even if Iâm out of ideas, that was still a pretty bad impromptu excuse, me! I really wanted to curl up into a ball so badly, but thatâd have to wait.
Meeting Sir Leonhardâs gaze, I finally came up with the following ploy.
âUm⌠Iâm very tired, so I donât want to travel anymore.â
ââŚI will support you on horseback, so please lean on me and rest easy. It will take some time to reach the fort, but we will proceed as smoothly as possible. I ask for your patience.â
âOh- Iâd really⌠N-No! I want to lie down and sleep, right here, right now!â
Sir Leonhardâs offer shook my resolve for a moment. However, my voice of reason surpassed my desires at the last second.
That was dangerous. I nearly caved into the temptation of getting some extra skinship with Sir Leonhard.
Commander Lieber and Captain Pascal were watching over the sudden exchange dumbfoundedly. They couldnât keep up with what was happening.
Perhaps the only two who truly understood me here were Sir Leonhard, who currently looked somewhat troubled, and Latte, who was clearly very amused by the whole thing.
âThat said, the inn in the nearby village may not be open yet. I wonder what we should do?â
When I put a hand to my cheek and pretended to ponder, Latte hid his mouth and coughed.
Oi, you there. Itâs clear as day that youâre laughing. You arenât gonna fool anyone with that cough, you know.
Despite the backlash I was getting with my ridiculous acting that was about to break my poor little heart, I pressed on. âIâve got it!â, I said as I struck my palm.
âSpeaking of which, isnât Commander Lieberâs home closer than the fort?â
When I asked, Commander Lieberâs eyes lit up, seeming to finally understand my intentions.
His quivering lips were proof of the emotional impact he received.
He mustâve thought that no matter the outcome, he wouldnât be able to see his wife ever again. And given the weight of his sins committed altogether, it wasnât all that surprising.
He was the one who bore the great sin of treason, after all.
I realised that we should have sent him straight to the royal capital immediately after he was detained.
And especially, as a royalty, I should never let my personal feelings intervene, no matter who they are, or whatever circumstances they may have⌠but stillâŚ!
The small girl, Rosemarie, screamed in her heart.
If Commander Lieber and his wife were to be separated as they were, I will regret it for the rest of my life.
âPlease, may we make for a small break there instead?â
I could only give him so much time.
However, it would be infinitely worse for them to end up forever apart.
Commander Lieberâs expression distorted.
After biting down on his lips tightly, he presented a deep bow.
âThank you⌠very much.â
The voice he squeezed out may be faint, but it reached my ears.
However, I pretended it didnât and tilted my head to one side slightly.
Itâd be strange to thank someone who selfishly demanded to rest, right?
After all, Commander Lieber is the type of person whoâd definitely go along with a selfish princessâs whimsical wishes.
I glanced at Sir Leonhard next to me. He had a grim look on his face.
âYou are far too kind.â
He muttered in a small voice that only I could hear.
I shook my head slightly in response, âThatâs not true at all,â and returned him a bitter smile of my own.
I only took action towards crushing all that will wear down my heart in the future.
Well, I can at least expect Father to chew me out once I get back home, though. There might even be some punishment tagged on as well.
And while I donât think there was a chance Commander Lieber would try to escape, there was no way we were going to let him loose because of a small detour.
Strangely though, I didnât regret my decision.
âWhat has gotten into you? I only asked for a small day off, didnât I?â
I laughed with my usual terrible acting.
Sir Leonhard replied with a wry smile and said, âYou truly are helpless.â