Chapter 134

Josephine came back.

“I missed you, Winter.”

“You’ve been through a lot.”

It had already been more than two weeks since she was assigned as Princess Estelle’s escort and got caught up in the train robbery incident.

Just the day before yesterday, Estelle’s witness testimony had finally wrapped up, allowing Josephine to be released from the border town. As soon as she returned to the capital, she came straight to see me.

Perhaps because the last time we saw each other was when I was lying in a hospital bed, the first thing Josephine did upon seeing me was worry about my health.

“Are you feeling better now?”

“That was ages ago. I’ve been fine for a while. You’re the one I should be worried about. I heard you had a rough time during the trip.”

“I did, but everything worked out in the end. You know how capable I am.”

Despite the fatigue that clearly showed on her face, Josephine smiled with confidence.

True, my fiancée isn’t the type to go around getting beaten. She’s far more likely to be the one doing the beating.

Still, that didn’t stop me from worrying.

“You’re not hurt anywhere?”

“I got a little cut with a sword, but…”

As she said that, Josephine brushed her forehead, so I placed my palm gently over it.

“Let me take a look.”

Lifting her bangs with my hand still over her forehead, Josephine suddenly stiffened and let out a strange noise.

“Ah, iih…”

After carefully inspecting her forehead, I nodded.

“Good. No scar.”

“Yeah, Her Highness the Princess arranged for the most skilled healer in the border town to treat me.”

“That’s a relief. And where’s Her Highness now?”

“She came back with me. I just dropped by while on duty, so I’ll need to leave soon.”

Josephine let out a sigh, clearly disappointed.

I asked,

“How long does your escort duty last?”

“I don’t know. Her Highness said she’d like me to stay by her side until her situation is more clearly decided…”

“Because of the assassination threat?”

“You knew about that too?”

“It caused quite a stir on our side as well.”

The fact that a train robbery happened to target the very train carrying the princess who had just lost political ground was more than enough to stir up the imaginations of the gossipers.

The leading theory among conspiracy enthusiasts was that the incident had been an assassination attempt aimed at the princess.

And the most commonly suspected person behind it was none other than Queen Bridget, Princess Estelle’s stepmother.

It was only natural that Princess Estelle whose diplomatic mission to Libron as an honorary ambassador had been canceled and who had now returned to Queen Bridget’s territory, was living in fear.

“Your escort duty might end up lasting a while.”

“Very likely.”

A deeper sadness filled Josephine’s gaze.

It felt like there was a growing backlog of things we needed to share. Equal to the time we had spent apart.

“Don’t be too disappointed. If you can’t make time to see me, then I’ll come find you instead.”

“Really? I’d love that, but…”

“Are you worried Her Highness might turn me away?”

“No, not at all. If it’s you, she’d be more than fine. She’s a fan of yours, after all. I just feel bad about taking up your time….you’re a busy man.”

“You worry about the silliest things.”

Just then, the sound of the bell chiming the hour rang out from beyond the window.

Josephine stood up in a hurry.

“Ah, I have to go now.”

“Is Her Highness waiting for you?”

“Yes. Right outside.”

“I didn’t realize she was here. Why didn’t she come in with you?”

“She said she wanted to take a look around the Academy. I think she feels safe here.”

“Even so, you never know what might happen. You’d best hurry.”

“Got it. But before I go, umm…”

Josephine trailed off, suddenly starting to squirm.

She opened and closed her hands, fidgeted nervously, tapped her feet on the ground, then pressed her lips together and blinked at me, sending a silent look.

I chuckled softly and opened my arms.

Her face lit up, and she dove straight into my embrace.

“So it actually worked.”

“What was that?”

“Ah…nothing, never mind.”

I could feel her chin pressing gently into my shoulder.

It was a pleasant kind of pressure.

Just when I was starting to think that this sort of physical affection wasn’t so bad now and then, Josephine suddenly said,

“By the way… did you start wearing cologne?”

“Hmm?”

“I think I smell perfume on you. It’s kind of familiar… Rose-based? That’s not a tone most men would go for…”

It had been a long time since I’d experienced firsthand what it felt like to go cold with dread.

I had used up a lot of mana fighting the demon cultists in Bluefields Harbor, and to recover, I’d recently met with Rose Bly for internal healing.

If it was a rose scent, there was only one likely source.

I hadn’t even noticed it myself…

Is Josephine’s sense of smell really that sharp?

“Hmm…”

She buried her face into my shoulder and kept sniffing, so I gently lifted her chin with my fingers to stop her from getting any closer to the scent.

“Ah.”

Her eyes met mine and Josephine held her breath.

I calmed my trembling hands and gently stroked the top of Josephine’s head.

Then, in the most composed voice I could manage, I replied,

“I don’t wear cologne. But if it really bothers you, I suppose I’ll have to ask Dahlia. Maybe she added some kind of scented oil when doing the laundry.”

“Huh? No, it’s okay. It’s not a big deal. It’s just… something new. I guess I don’t mind this unfamiliar side of you…”

“More importantly, isn’t Her Highness waiting for you?”

As much as I hated to say it, part of me genuinely wished she’d go back to escorting the princess sooner rather than later.

But Josephine who was unusually clingy today, perhaps trying to make up for our time apart, pleaded,

“Just a little longer.”

As she said that, she laced her fingers between mine.

And then, completely out of the blue, she asked a question I absolutely didn’t see coming.

“By the way, Winter….where’s your ring?”

“My ring?”

…Did I wear a ring?

“Our engagement ring. You used to wear it all the time, didn’t you?”

“Ah.”

Right. That was a thing.

The problem was, I wasn’t wearing it now.

And worse, I couldn’t even remember when or why I’d taken it off.

Naturally, I couldn’t tell her that outright.

[Warning]

[A death flag has been raised by this character.]

The jealousy-induced murder flag I’d encountered on day one of possessing this body was still very much alive.

And so, drawing on a level of improvisational skill that I didn’t know I had, and which was probably bordering on S-rank if measured by Candela of Judgment stats, I came up with a quick excuse.

“A while ago, during a magic experiment, some reagents splashed onto it and ruined the finish. It didn’t look good anymore, so I took it off for a bit.”

“A magic experiment? It’s not like last time, right? You’re not going to collapse again from handling something dangerous? Show me what happened to the ring.”

“……”

Holding back the tightness in my chest with sheer willpower, I squeezed every last drop out of Winter Winslet’s A-rank intelligence stat.

“I already sent it to a craftsman for repairs. It’ll be back soon, so don’t worry.”

“…Alright.”

When Josephine furrowed her brows with a worried look, I gave her a perfect fake smile and gently tapped her cheek.

“I wanted to have it fixed up nicely before you noticed, but I’ve been found out, huh?”

“Well, it’s a precious… symbol of our engagement, after all.”

Josephine spoke wistfully as she wrapped her hand around her left ring finger, gently covering the ring.

“When that train was attacked by bandits, at the most dangerous moment, I looked at this ring and thought of you. And that gave me the courage to carry on. Someday, if you ever find yourself in need of something to lean on, and I’m not there by your side, I hope this ring can take my place.”

Josephine smiled tenderly.

Knock knock knock.

A knocking sound came from somewhere.

A sound only I could hear. The sound of guilt, a feeling I’d buried deep within my chest and forgotten long ago, now came to knock on the door.

“I really should get going now.”

“Alright. I’ll be in touch.”

The moment Josephine disappeared beyond the door, I called for Dahlia.

“Dahlia.”

“Yes, Master? You called?”

“Have you seen my ring anywhere in the house?”

“The ring? If you mean that one, I think it’s in the study…”

I shook my head.

What was in the study was the silver ring marked with the insignia of the Heptagram Society.

“Not that one. I’m talking about my engagement ring.”

“The engagement ring? I don’t think I’ve ever seen it…”

Dahlia cleans the house so thoroughly that there isn’t even a speck of dust left.

She keeps it near perfectly spotless, so if I had accidentally dropped it somewhere, there’s no way she wouldn’t have found it.

Which means… did I lose it outside the house?

Just as I was starting to feel overwhelmed, unsure where to even begin retracing my steps, something Dahlia said almost like an excuse caught my attention.

“Since you stopped wearing it at some point, I assumed you were keeping it somewhere safe on purpose.”

Now that I think about it, Dahlia has an exceptionally sharp eye.

When I once disguised myself as Nice Goodman, she even said she could still recognize me.

That must mean she pays close attention to me on a daily basis.

I asked, just in case.

“Dahlia, do you remember when I stopped wearing the engagement ring?”

“Yes! I remember.”

“When was it?”

“Probably… after Miss Rose stayed at the mansion for the first time.”

I let out a sigh.

Looks like I’ve found the culprit.

***

Now it was mid-June. It was warm, with not even a trace of spring left in the air.

While Josephine had gone to meet her fiancé, Estelle sat alone on a bench beneath the sunset sky, gazing blankly over the academy grounds.

Her eyes followed the students pouring out into the streets after class.

Some gathered in small groups, chatting and laughing.

Others walked off toward the library with serious expressions.

There were even couples, hand in hand, basking in the sweetness of young love.

Everyone was living their own lives.

I’m jealous.

If a princess of a kingdom were to say she envied a commoner, most people would scoff.

They’d say she grew up sheltered in a greenhouse, clueless about the real world.

And maybe they’d be right.

But at this moment, Estelle truly thought:

If only I hadn’t been born a princess… maybe life would’ve been better.

If I could live like that too… freely, with an open future, doing what I want, learning what I want—how wonderful would that be?

In fact, that had often been a favorite fantasy of Estelle’s since childhood.

She used to imagine herself suddenly discovering magical talent, shining briefly in the capital before disappearing, or secretly enrolling in the academy while hiding her identity.

The main storyline was always the same. After graduating from the academy, she would start a new life as a young mage.

First, I’d go to Karaf. It doesn’t have to be anything grand. I could assist someone’s research, or even work at a shop. As long as I could escape this dreadful tightrope…

But now, she was past the age for daydreams like that, and so her escape into fantasy didn’t last long.

When she returned to her bleak reality, the emotional crash overwhelmed her with a wave of gloom.

I really thought I’d escaped… so why did I end up back here again?

Estelle’s journey to Livron had fizzled out after the sudden attack by train bandits.

A chance like that would never come again.

“Haa…”

Estelle buried her face between her knees and let out a long sigh. So she didn’t notice someone approaching her.

A voice broke through her thoughts.

“Hey, you. What year are you?”

Surprised, Estelle looked up.

It was rare for anyone to speak to a politically isolated princess first.

But she soon remembered. She was in disguise.

Her signature pink-blonde hair, the mark of royalty, had been dyed black, and her bodyguard Josephine and a giveaway of her identity wasn’t by her side.

The person in front of her had no idea she was a princess.

Estelle lowered her guard slightly and asked in return,

“Who are you?”

“My name is Victor. I’m a third-year student.”

He was a male student with short, dark brown hair, slightly tousled, and dressed with noticeable effort.

Victor’s expression was full of interest toward Estelle and confidence in his own charm.

“Who are you? I don’t think I’ve seen you before. Are you a freshman? Which school are you in? The College of Magic?”

“Um, I…”

“Oh, you don’t have to look so scared. I was just looking for new members for our club. You were sitting there looking kind of bored after class, so I thought I’d say hi.”

At first, Estelle had planned to firmly shut down the conversation but then changed her mind.

A playful smile formed on her lips.

“What kind of club is it?”

“Astronomy club. But you know, we can’t look at stars until night, right? So until then, we just hang out, have drinks, and kill time with the crew. What do you think? Interested?”

“Well… I don’t know. Should I be?”

Estelle clasped her hands and rested her chin on them, deciding to simply enjoy the situation.

A bold student inviting her to drinks?

Was this what they called hitting on someone?

Even if he didn’t know who she really was, the fact that he dared hit on a princess of the kingdom.

He practically deserved a medal for bravery.