BVIB 07

Chapter 7

“We’ve arrived, my lady.”

“Thank you.”

Roselyn accepted the coachman’s hand as she stepped down from the carriage.

“It’s been a while, Lady Bellion.”

“Yes, and I’m glad to see you looking well,” she replied politely.

Led by the chief attendant who’d come to greet her, Roselyn made her way toward the drawing room. Her black dress drew a few startled glances from those she passed, but no one dared to speak. The attendant himself, who didn’t so much as bat an eye at her appearance, impressed her with his composure.

“If you’ll step inside, His Highness the Third Prince is waiting for you.”

“Thank you for your trouble,” Roselyn said.

The attendant paused for just a moment, caught off guard by her courtesy, but quickly masked his surprise, bowed, and opened the door for her.

“You seem much brighter these days,” he murmured with a faint, approving smile.

Roselyn shot him a sidelong glance and let out a soft, amused huff before stepping into the drawing room.

Inside, a young man sat anxiously on the sofa. The moment she entered, he sprang to his feet.

“Ah—you, you’re here! L-Lady Roselyn!”

With gently tousled black hair and pale blue eyes, the prince’s excitement and nervous anticipation were written all over his face.

“It’s good to see you again, Your Highness,” Roselyn said with a graceful nod.

“Oh, no! I thought we agreed there’s no need for formalities between us, Lady Roselyn. Um—uh, please! Have a seat, won’t you?”

Flustered, the young man hurriedly offered his gloved hand. A fine leather-bound book lay on the table before the sofa, suggesting he’d been reading while waiting for her.

Roselyn nodded as she took in his open, boyish smile. For a moment, she simply looked at him—the face of a man who had once been her lover—before offering a gentle smile of her own.

“Thank you for agreeing to meet with me on such short notice.”

“Oh! No, not at all. Um, I heard you’ve been through quite an ordeal. Are you… are you well?”

His complexion was strikingly fair; his cheeks flushed with a faint blush, and his sky-blue eyes shone with nervous delight beneath the dark hair that fell quietly over them. The white uniform embroidered with gold suited him perfectly.

“I’m fine, thank you. I apologize for any trouble I may have caused, given our engagement.”

“Oh, that’s a relief!” he breathed, letting out a small sigh, his youthful face bright with relief.

“Um, I hope you don’t mind if I get straight to the point. I have other appointments later today.”

“Ah… of course. That’s fine, really.”

Seeing the flicker of disappointment cross his face, Roselyn nodded slowly.

“Shall we break off our engagement, Your Highness?”

Clatter—
The sound was immediate, startling her into glancing up.

“W-why?” he stammered.

Before she could answer, a droplet of water splashed onto the table. Roselyn hesitated, watching as another tear fell.

“Did I—did I frustrate you? Or… did I do something wrong? Did I somehow hurt you, Lady Roselyn?”

“…”

“If you just tell me what it is, I’ll change…”
Arma Dianitas, the Third Prince, had moved closer and now looked down at Roselyn, his expression twisted with confusion and pain.

‘…Was he always this tall?’ she wondered. It had been so long, everything about him felt strangely unfamiliar.

Roselyn gazed up at him in silence, then slowly shook her head.
“You haven’t done anything wrong, Your Highness. This is just me acting on my own whims.”

“Lady Roselyn…”

“I know an engagement to the Imperial family isn’t something to take lightly. This is my decision—and my responsibility. If you could arrange a meeting with His Majesty, I’d like to speak with him personally about ending the engagement—”

“…No.”
Arma shook his head, stepping back.

“What?”

“I can’t agree to it…”

“Your Highness, please, just listen—”

“No. If you want something, tell me what it is. I’ll do whatever it takes. Just… at least tell me why.”

At his plea, Roselyn’s brow furrowed.
With no hesitation, Arma knelt before her, gently taking her hand in his and lowering his forehead to her knuckles in a gesture of desperate devotion.

‘How odd… At this point in time, we hardly knew each other at all,’ she thought.
She’d expected him to be hurt—he was always sensitive—but she hadn’t imagined he’d refuse her so stubbornly.

The Arma she remembered was the kind of person who always tried to give her whatever she asked for.

If she said she wanted something, he would find a way to make it happen. No matter what she asked for, Arma always tried to give it to her.

And in the end…

He had run away with her—only to die protecting Roselyn from Makluksa’s assassins.

She’d used his death as the opportunity to escape, leaving him behind.

Afterward, the world called her the worst kind of temptress, a heartless woman who had seduced the naïve Third Prince and used him as bait for her own purposes.

Roselyn owed Arma her life.

So now, all she wanted was for him to meet someone kind and live a life of quiet happiness.

But there was no way to say any of this out loud. After a brief pause, Roselyn simply shrugged.

“I suppose I just got bored.”

“…What?”

She slipped her hand free from Arma’s grasp, her voice light and unbothered.
“Your Highness, you’re not very exciting. You’re timid and indecisive, and you’re the Third Prince—no real chance of ever becoming Emperor.”

As she shrugged again and gave a dismissive little laugh, his eyes widened in shock, hurt flickering across their sapphire depths. His beautiful blue eyes trembled as if about to shatter.

“…Lady Roselyn?”

“So I’m sorry, but I’d really appreciate it if you let me go. I prefer someone more promising—someone with a strong sense of self, masculinity, and a bit of a wild side.”

Roselyn listed off an ideal type that was the exact opposite of Arma.
It wasn’t even her real preference.

Arma’s already-pale face went even whiter, his lips parting as if he’d lost the power of speech.

Roselyn stood, gathering her composure as she looked down at him.

“If you can’t arrange a meeting with His Majesty, then I have no further business with you, Your Highness.”

Roselyn placed her wide-brimmed hat back on her head, pausing at the door.

“I’ll ask His Majesty for an audience through other channels, then. Still, thank you for everything—truly, I enjoyed our time together.”

“…L-Lady Roselyn.”

She was nearly out the door when Arma’s trembling voice called after her.

“Please… don’t go.”

Roselyn didn’t look back.

Just as she reached for the handle, she felt the faintest tug on her sleeve.

“I…”
Arma was standing behind her, his hand clutching her dress.

“I’ll arrange a meeting with my father. If that’s what you want, I’ll make it happen.”

There had been a time when this single-minded man was all she had.
No matter how many times she pushed him away, he remained by her side—when she trusted no one else.

Looking back, she realized just how much she’d relied on him. She’d even learned most of her escape tricks from him.

“Thank you,” she said softly.

“…No, it’s only because I wasn’t enough,” he replied, voice full of gentle regret.

For a moment, Roselyn’s lips parted, as if to say something—To tell him she hadn’t meant to hurt him, that it wasn’t out of dislike, that he should blame her, not himself—but she let the words die unspoken.
This was better. This way was enough.

“I’ll be going now.”

“Yes. Um… even if we break off the engagement, could we… could we still be friends?”

At his lingering, wistful request, Roselyn narrowed her eyes and threw open the door.

“If you care at all about my reputation, I’d advise against it.”

“Ah…”

She didn’t wait for a reply—she simply turned and walked away.

Her heels echoed sharply in the hall, but as she sensed someone following, she let out a weary sigh and tried to quicken her pace—only to stop short as a group of people rounded the corner.

“Well, well. If it isn’t the most perfectly matched low-class pair in the world?”

A sneering voice greeted them.
Roselyn didn’t need to look to recognize it. It was the Second Prince.