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Walter’s body trembled all over. Once again, he had fallen asleep with his glasses on without even realizing it. It was no coincidence. It was an inevitable outcome of the chronic sleep deprivation he had been suffering from recently.

Rose sensed that Walter had awakened and came to find him.

“Walter, Walter?”

The Crown Princess, dressed in her pajamas and not wearing armor, burst into Walter’s bedroom, calling out the Hero’s name. Walter Hellhound raised his trembling hand to take off his monocle and set it on the table.

Rose first picked up the Holy Sword that was set beside Walter’s bed and moved it aside. Not because she was worried about the furniture being sliced up by Walter, but because it wasn’t necessary for the whole world to know that the commander’s condition was in disarray. Walter seemed to fumble around as if searching for his sword, but instead he grabbed Rose’s hand and began to cry.

“Rose, Rose, is that you?”

“Yes, I’m here, Walter. I’m right here. Whatever you saw was a dream. It’s okay. The enemy has not launched an attack, and the military camp is all safe. There’s no special news from the Northern Front, and there are no significant incidents in Eramenia either. Naturally, the Southern Region and Central Region are all fine. Understand? Everything is okay. Now, everything is okay. Take a deep breath.”

Rose poured as much information as she could think of to comfort Walter. Still groggy, Walter blinked his eyes in confusion and said,

“Everyone… is alive. Thank goodness… Really thank goodness…”

“I told you, it was a dream. Everyone.”

“It was a dream I saw while wearing my glasses.”

Walter’s voice quickly calmed down. Rose couldn’t find any words to respond to him. The accuracy of the nightmare he saw while wearing glasses was unsettlingly high. Rose was very curious about what he had seen in his dream, but seeing him still trembling, she hesitated to ask.

Walter slightly wiped his tears with his hand and reached for his glasses. Rose hurriedly grabbed his hand and stopped him.

“Wait, I don’t think now is the time.”

“Uh, uh… is that so…?”

Following Rose’s words, Walter readily took his hand off the glasses. The last time he had met Margaret, the Elf Princess had counseled Rose with various advice, saying, “The watermelon seeds I have swallowed are heavier than the watermelons you have eaten in your life,” while playfully punching her.

One of the pieces of advice was, “It’s concerning when people keep peering into a future that is nothing but a thorny path.” It seemed that Margaret said that with both Walter and Jenis in mind, but since she didn’t have many good feelings toward Jenis, she was mostly worried about Walter.

“Walter, if there’s something hard for you to talk about, I’ll go get a hunter or something.”

“No, I don’t want that. I want you here. Right now, I need you more. No, I need only you. Please don’t go. Can you stay?”

“Of course.”

Rose sat beside Walter and gently stroked the Hero’s face.

“If you want, I can stay with you all night, even longer. So, is there anything else you want? Do you want me to bring something?”

“No, don’t go!”

Walter suddenly shouted angrily. For a moment, he looked apologetic and started glancing around, and Rose couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Who are you worried about? Me?”

“Ah, but I just yelled for no reason…”

“Is that strange for you? Don’t worry about it. I wasn’t particularly surprised when you drew your sword and wrecked your entire lodgings. You’ve probably done that three times.”

Of course, the concerning part was that in the past ten years, Walter’s such behaviors had mostly accumulated over the past two years. Aside from a single case of high blood pressure, Walter’s body was reasonably healthy. However, his mind had become exceedingly weak over the recent two years.

Watching the trembling Hero struggle to calm down, Rose swallowed her rising tears. In the past, she might have clicked her tongue at such behavior, deeming it unfit for a commander, but knowing the hardships Walter had endured over the past years, she could only feel upset. She couldn’t cry, either. As someone who couldn’t easily show tears in front of others, Rose was in a similar position to Walter.

“Walter, say what you said earlier again.”

“Huh? What did I say earlier?”

“That everything will be okay. Whatever happens in the future, everything will be okay. Even if it’s a lie, just say so. Tell me that it will be okay.”

Walter buried his face in Rose’s chest and started crying again. Rose felt the cloth dampening as she calmly stroked the Hero’s hair.

His dazzling white hair made him look like an old man, but curled in her arms, crying like a child, it made him seem like a baby. Feeling an overwhelming urge to protect him and a heart-wrenching compassion at the same time, Rose quietly continued to stroke his head without a word.

“I don’t understand why you call that a lie. I don’t even want to bother asking.”

Rose spoke.

“So I’ll tell you. Everything will be okay. Whatever you saw, whatever happens in the future, whatever the world looks like, or how the enemy might attack. It’ll be okay. It has been okay so far, so it will be okay in the future. Yes, it’s okay. Your choices, your decisions, and the future in front of you… they are all okay. Everything… is okay…”

Rose felt her certainty gradually slipping away from her voice.

Could it really be okay if Walter was this way? Could his future truly be alright if he was so desperately in need of her comfort?

Was she simply telling a comforting lie?

“Rose, I’m so scared. I’ve thought about it over and over, but I’m so scared. I don’t know why this is happening. If that’s the case, I don’t know why I can see the future. I would rather not see it. There’s no need to see it. If that’s the case… if that’s the case…”

“Then don’t look.”

Rose answered.

“Just say the word, and I will do whatever it takes to keep you from seeing the future. If necessary, I will cut the strap of your monocle and break the frame so that you can’t see it. I’ll break the lenses, melt them down, and crush them if you want. Do you want that?”

“I do.”

Walter nodded. But his hand slowly reached for his monocle, bringing it back into his embrace.

“Not that I can.”

“Right. That’s your choice too.”

“If I really had a choice…”

Walter briefly lowered his face away from Rose’s embrace. Rose gently kissed his forehead.

“If someone prophesies that my future will be full of unavoidable death and slaughter, I’ll follow it. If there are parts that can’t be chosen, then they can’t be chosen. But if I can choose whether or not to hold your hand along the way, I will reach out for you without hesitation. Of course, whether you will hold onto that is your choice…”

Walter was quietly listening to Rose’s words with his ear against her chest. Rose continued with her chin resting on the top of Walter’s head.

“Just, at least if you have the choice to be with me, please… please choose to hold my hand. It’s a small request of mine. And it’s the biggest request I can imagine, Walter Caprice.”

Walter opened his eyes slightly in surprise. Rose leaned down a bit to meet him at eye-level.

The Hero’s gray eyes, which always appeared so wise, looked a bit unfocused. For a moment, Walter looked blankly into Rose’s eyes before placing his hands on her shoulders.

And in that moment, Walter Hellhound deeply kissed Rose Caprice.

Rose did not reject Walter’s kiss. She opened her mouth wide, almost as if to devour him, and swallowed the Hero’s saliva. After a brief exchange, the Hero pulled away first.

“Rose, I have a request for tonight too.”

“If it’s something I can do, anything.”

“Stay here. All night.”

“If your wish is my wish.”

The Crown Princess replied with a captivating smile. Walter brought his forehead close to Rose’s, rubbing against her gently.

“What if I want more?”

“Do you think you can want more than me?”

Rose chuckled lightly, finding it amusing. Walter answered seriously.

“Why are you so sure I can’t?”

“Walter, the only time you have ever beaten me was when we battled with swords on the training grounds. Can you point out even once that you won against me here?”

“Every situation has its first time, Your Highness.”

“We’ve been like this for over seven years, and you want to try for a win now…”

The Crown Princess began to slowly untie her clothing in a way that suggested she found it amusing.

“This will be interesting. Go ahead and challenge me. But the rules are simple. It doesn’t end until someone dies, got it?”

“Wait, Rose? I’ve changed my mind a bit. I just remembered that there are important papers I need to authorize regarding the supply receipt tomorrow…”

Walter waved his hands as if he had come to his senses at that moment. Rose grabbed his hands and threw him onto the bed, then climbed on top of him, her long red hair cascading around them.

“In the Audrich Empire, it’s prohibited for the one who provokes first to end the match. Since we’re already from the same royal family, what will happen if you don’t adapt?”

“I think I… went a little weak. I might not have been in my right mind…”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying.”

Rose stuck her tongue out and licked the tears lingering near the corners of Walter’s eyes. The Hero’s tears tasted slightly salty, just like anyone else’s.

“The sight of you being weak is so cute and lovable that it became unbearable even without you making a move.”

“You, indeed, have a bit of a sadistic streak.”

“I’ve been a carnivore since birth. You knew that and still fell for me, didn’t you?”

“Of course, I recognized that the moment I saw you.”

Walter smiled with a resigned expression. As if to show he had no intention of resisting, he sprawled out on the bed with his arms spread wide.

“Okay. Do as you wish. Should I say it like this? ‘Do as you please, Your Highness.’”

In that moment, Rose finally let go of the last thread of rationality. Although the outcome was uncertain, it was clear that that night would be a long one.

 

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