Rosalind didn't know if she would laugh or cry when she looked at the Princess struggling as she roasted the snakes. She didn't know if she should pity the woman for trying so hard.
She looked at the Duke and, just as she expected; the man wasn't even looking at the Princess.
"You should have told me," she said in a low voice.
"What?"
"The horse," she replied. The fact that the Duke found her was not a coincidence. She was almost certain that it had something to do with his horse.
"Ah"
"You didn't have to come here." Rosalind understood that the man just wanted to protect her because of her Blessings, but to actually show this kind of favoritism seemed a little too overboard. "I don't want them to suspect anything."
Clearly, the people would start suspecting the Duke's gestures. She didn't want to attract attention, and yet, the man just actually brought the attention of the whole nobility to her. She didn't know if this was a deliberate move or he was simply showing his arrogance to the Empire.
"They won't care," the Duke said. "To them you are nothing but someone that could die at any given time or day. Something that they could sacrifice to achieve their goals."
Rosalind said nothing. How did he know? She swallowed.
Despite not knowing anything about their plans, she was certain of one thing; they were going to use her as a sacrifice. They were going to discard her like some useless, filthy thing, that had already lost its purpose.
Despite knowing all this, hearing the Duke mention it still made her heart ache.
"There is no need to worry. I will protect you."
"Thank you," she sighed. "I will remember this."
He met her gaze as he opened his mouth, about to say something else. But in the end, he closed his mouth, saying nothing. He then turned towards the fire that the Princess had started.
"You didn't have to be that cruel," Rosalind said. "She's just a child."
"She is a bit older than you."
"Oh? I I mean she is acting like one." If she combined her current age and her previous age together, then she should be in her seventies right now. She was definitely old enough to call someone like the Princess a child.
"Should you treat someone like that as a child?" the Duke asked.
"I No. My apologies."
"There is no need to apologize. Though, I would like to inform you that I have kindly rejected the woman. She had a choice to let it go and she chose to suffer. I am not quite sure if this was pride or she is simply too stupid to understand."
"You" she blinked. This man was really quite harsh with his words.
She got up and approached the Princess.
"Do you"
"Go away," Princess Isabel said.
"Oh" Right. Rosalind shouldn't treat the princess like a child just because she was acting like one. Rosalind pushed aside the little bit of pity that she felt towards the young princess earlier and returned to her seat.
"I saw something with a dark curse earlier," Rosalind said.
"An animal I presume?"
She nodded.
"Do you think the Emperor lied about sending knights to eliminate the demonic animals?" Demonic animals or cursed animals could actually infect humans. Their bites and scratches were especially dangerous. This is why it was not advised to fight them if you did not have the experience or the weapon to do so.
Still, many people would dare to fight as their fur and skins were worth quite a bit.
"There has been an increase in demonic animals recently. Traveling in groups is the safer option."
Rosalind nodded as she wondered if that was the reason why the Duke chose to join them when they traveled towards the capital.
"I am planning to leave in a couple of days," the Duke continued.
"What?"
"I still have some business to attend to."
"Then what about"
"The rumors about you being my lover should have reached the Emperor's ears by now. If you survive this forest, he will be naming you as my betrothed once you get back."
Rosalind frowned. Naturally, she didn't miss his words about her coming out alive. She swallowed and turned towards the fire.
It seems that her initial suspicion about the reason the Emperor would make her the Prince's partner was true. The Emperor must have wanted to use this opportunity to get rid of her. A fake assassination that would target and eliminate her.
This was definitely something Emperor Nicholaus would do under the advice of her very own grandfather. She lowered her gaze and stared at the wet ground.
Did that mean her grandfather wanted her dead?
She let out a chuckle.
If she was not mistaken, then her grandfather would use this opportunity to frame the Duke for the assassination attempt that her grandfather actually planned himself. They would say that the Duke was after the Prince's life but accidentally killed Rosalind instead.
She had to stop herself from laughing out loud.
She knew that leaving this place would be difficult, but she didn't think that they would attempt to kill her when she was still in the Empire!
How sinister!
"The food is ready," Princess Isabel said as she smiled at the Duke. "Please enjoy the roasted snakes."
She handed the Duke a leaf that was cut and shaped like a heart. Then she looked at Rosalind, smirking.
Rosalind wanted to ask her about her own food, but she already knew the answer to her question. The Princess cooked everything and then gave the Duke about eighty percent of the food, leaving small portions of herself and the attendants.
The Princess didn't leave anything for Rosalind.
"Here" the Duke handed the leaf to Rosalind.
"What?"
"I have no appetite. I would rather take a quick nap."
Rosalind blinked. She looked at the Duke and then towards the red-faced Princess.
Should she accept the food?
However, it seems that the Duke wasn't even planning to give her time to think as he put the leaf with food on Rosalind's lap. Then he leaned against the tree, crossed his arms against his chest, and closed his eyes.
Rosalind gave the Princess an awkward smile.
"Do you want the snake back?" she asked.