Chapter 3
***
Roan's tone was flat and monotone, as if stating a simple fact, and there was not the slightest hint of intent to insult her, which made it all the more insulting.
Delnia could feel the back of her neck stiffen, but she didn't show it. Instead, she forced a more relaxed smile and spoke casually.
"The Major speaks as if it has already been decided that we are sinners."
"And you don’t think you’re saints, do you?"
Roan snorted, as if nothing could be more absurd.
"Count Eperne has disrupted the order of the empire by trading contraband and forming a black market in league with the pirate organization Black Hook, and it is only because the navy has found conclusive evidence of this that I have come here myself."
Despite her resolve, Delnia's heart sank at the accusations of her father's crimes coming from Roan's mouth.
"And we have enough new evidence to fill a wagon, so you'd better not think you can get away with it."
Roan said, his tone harsh. He seemed to assume that she was brazenly coming out here because she thought there might be a way out.
Delnia forced herself to focus on the situation at hand, clutching at her fading consciousness.
"If the Major is so certain, it's because the evidence is so clear, and I don't intend to deny it."
Delnia stared straight into his eyes, not avoiding them.
"But whatever evidence you find, it's not up to the Navy to judge it; it's up to His Imperial Majesty to see it and render a verdict. Until a formal trial is held, we are still the House of Eperne, loyal to Brunois, am I right?"
Roan's face hardened as she dragged the Emperor before him. The coldness of his gaze almost made her want to take a step back.
But Delnia braced her legs and held on. Her pale apricot eyes burned with determination.
For she was still, and would always be, Eperne, even if she was destined for a fall from grace in the not-too-distant future.
"Nevertheless, the Navy's pre-ordination of our actions can only mean that they place their decisions above His Majesty's authority. Am I to take this as the Navy's position?"
The air began to stir as the Emperor and the Navy's authority was put on the chopping block. The topic was topical, but more than that, Delnia's unwavering dignity spread confusion among the men.
All the while, Roan still couldn't take his eyes off Delnia. She endured the nerve-searing stare for what seemed like an eternity.
How much time passed before Roan finally spoke, slowly.
"Call the doctor and send someone to Belfort. We will wait here until they bring a carriage."
"Yes, sir."
There was an instant commotion around them as the soldiers under his command moved quickly.
Delnia secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Her fingertips trembled from the tension and she clasped her hands together.
As she turned to leave, her eyes met again with Roan, who stood frozen in place, unlike the rest of the bustling crowd.
“…”
Roan was the first to break eye contact. He turned away as if he'd been staring at her too long.
Delnia stared for a moment at his broad back as he walked away from her before continuing on her way.
As they addressed each other, one strictly as Major Barthez and the other as Countess Eperne, she was acutely aware of their distance.
How far they had fallen since that day. How much had changed since then.
It was as if she no longer had to try so hard to erase the memories of those days. He had indeed become a different person, despite the brainwashing she'd told herself.
Even if it would come back to haunt her with an unfathomable loss later and break her, at least it would be a relief for her now.
***
"This tiresome journey is finally coming to an end."
At the sigh that rippled through the silent barracks, Roan stopped writing his report and looked up. Their eyes met, and Kais shrugged.
"I only said that because when we got off the ship, I didn't think we'd be this late entering the capital."
"Do you like the capital that much?"
“Rather, it’s a bit disappointing, since we'll be there long after the others have blown up the capital."
With the entire navy returning to the capital, only Roan's squadron was sent out to escort the Epernes.
It had been four days since he'd finished his mission in Belfort and set out for the capital again. The men who had traveled to the capital earlier in the week had already had enough.
“Anyway, you’ve had a hard time, Major.”
He added respectfully, but in a tone that was disloyal to his superior.
As a commoner who had joined the army with Roan for the same reason, Kais hadn't easily shed his old habits of speech.
Still, Roan didn't bother to point it out, because he hadn't become an authoritative enough human being to enforce hierarchy even when they were alone.
"It's a shame, because if I'd known you were so eager to celebrate, I would have had you accompany the Admiral."
"No, I don't actually like champagne. I hate it."
Kais changed the subject, as if he hadn’t been grumbling all along.
Admiral Lasser was a living legend in the Navy, a man even the most aristocratic of officers would find difficult to please. Perhaps if Kais had been with him, he might have deserted under the pressure.
Roan chuckled at the flamboyant response. Kais studied him for a moment, then spoke.
"Besides, it's not like traveling all the way to Belfort wasn't worth it."
"Since when do you change your mind about complaining?"
"Well, it's because you're being uncharacteristically stubborn about something that, according to the Admiral, isn't even the Navy's business anymore, even though, technically, you were the right man for the job."
Kais shrugged, obediently sharing his thoughts.
Certainly there could be no one better suited to investigate Belfort Castle, not just in the Navy, but in all of the military. After all, it was once the home of Roan.
It was another reason why he knew the castle's secret rooms and passageways, even though he was only a servant.
‘How things have changed.’
Roan thought as he recalled the 'why' of their reunion after a decade.
The platinum hair, strand by strand, was the same, as were the pale apricot eyes, but they were different.
The thin, soft lines of her breasts had grown. The soft curves that peeked through her thin nightgown. They all belonged to a woman he didn't know.
But what had changed most of all was her noble, aristocratic demeanor, unwavering under any circumstances.
It was a somewhat surprising change for Roan, who only remembered a reckless girl who could barely hide her feelings.
Not that he didn't expect it at all.
‘A noble is a noble.’
Roan swallowed his sarcasm, as if he had expected it.
Besides, no matter how much people changed, their nature remained the same. The self-righteous temperament, the stubbornness until she got what she wanted, was still the same Delnia Eperne he knew.
"All I ask is that we be treated as we deserve.”
Even if all she asked for was a cozy prison cell.
It was such a trivial request that he didn't even bother trying to find a reason to refuse, which was why he chose to step aside rather than continue the tired argument.
Even her aristocratic demeanor seemed like an interlude in the face of Eperne's imminent downfall.
"Major. This is Sylver Dieppe."
The adjutant's voice, accompanied by a knock on the door outside the room, interrupted Roan's musings.
"Come in."
With a quick nod of permission, the door swung open. The lieutenant, a giant of a man with the size of a brown bear and a fierce expression, stepped inside, saluting him and Kais in turn.
"What's going on?"
"Well, it's..................."
Sylver pursed his lips, unable to get the words out easily. It was all the more surprising because he was never usually this stammering.
What the hell was going on?
Roan's eyes narrowed, and Sylver finally spoke.
“Actually, the Lady of Eperne hasn’t eaten at all since she left Belfort. I think we need to take action.”
***
To donate for extra chapters for my series or to tip me visit my kofi page
Write a comment