“Who are you?”

I turned around and quickly scanned the darkened room. Though I couldn’t see anything, I clearly felt the strange sense that someone else was in this space.

“Would you know if I said I’m the being who brought you here?”

The being who brought me here…

‘Do you want to live the life you wished for?’

Come to think of it, isn’t this the voice I heard right before I died?

‘Are you saying you don’t want me to give you another chance at life?’

And the very voice that gave Rosebelia another chance to live.

“I thought you’d have a lot of questions for me.”

I could barely open my mouth. My mind just went blank, unsure where to even begin.

“…That’s right.”

As I barely managed to spit out those words, a faint laugh was heard. I couldn’t quite pinpoint where the sound was coming from. It seemed to come from thin air, yet also sounded clearly in my ears alone.

“So what do you want to ask me?”

“The dreams… I’m curious about the meaning of the dreams I’ve been seeing.”

“Those dreams I’ve been showing you are events that Rosebelia, who was in that body, experienced in the past.”

As I suspected, my guess was right. Stories outside the original that I didn’t know about.

“Why are you showing this to me? Why did you turn back time?”

“That child ruined my plans. It wasn’t supposed to end so quickly. Well, her abilities were also too valuable to waste.”

“What do you mean by ruined…”

“I hope you make different choices than that child. And that was what that child wanted too.”

At first I wasn’t sure, but the “child” the voice was referring to was indeed the real Rosebelia.

Rosebelia ruined the plans? Does that mean Rosebelia ended something that wasn’t supposed to end so quickly?

“…Why did you bring me here specifically?”

“The texture of your two souls was similar. So your soul was compatible with that body, and I was able to bring you here. If it wasn’t you, there probably would have been a big rift in this world.”

When I absorbed Rosebelia’s memories, I did think our circumstances were quite similar. Is that why the texture of our souls was similar?

“I thought you two were quite alike, but amusingly, at the crucial moment, you made a different choice than that child.”

Though the voice simply lost its laughter, I tensed up sharply. Perhaps noticing my tension, a giggling laugh soon came through.

“Many things have already changed, but I’m still warning you to be careful, just in case. After all, I’m the one who brought you here.”

“Then the soul of the real Rosebelia that was in this body…”

“That child is resting peacefully in a good place. Remember that you are now the real Rosebelia.”

The clear voice gradually faded away. Instinctively realizing that the mysterious being was about to leave, I hurriedly called out.

“Wait a moment!”

“…What else do you have to say?”

“What happened to my original body?”

“Sadly, Yoo Jae Yi was destined to die there. I brought you here just before your soul was about to be extinguished.”

Yoo Jae Yi.

I lived with that name for over 20 years. It was the name I was called until just recently.

It was strange to suddenly feel awkward about it.

“Can you tell me your name?”

“Hmm, my name? That’s difficult… All I can do for you is show you things you need to be careful of in dreams, like now.”

“…I understand.”

“From now on, live as the Rosebelia that is true to yourself, without worrying about others. There’s no one who can replace you.”

I hesitated for a moment, then was about to slightly nod my head.

“Fortuna.”

“Pardon?”

“That’s my name.”

With a laugh scattering on the wind, silence fell. The room that had been warm suddenly turned cold, as if it had never been otherwise. She had completely left this place.

Fortuna, she said.

I approached the window and threw open the curtains. Outside, dawn had already begun to seep in. I stood still until the morning light completely drove away the darkness.

I closed my eyes tightly then opened them, looking at the sun rising in the distance.

It was clearly a different start to the day than yesterday.

*

“Am I seeing things right now?”

“If your eyes are messed up, then my eyes must be messed up too…”

The gazes of the Guardian Knights participating in the monster defense class converged on one spot. Standing a bit apart from the White Knights, they were all blinking their eyes.

“I can see it too… Surely all our eyes can’t be messed up?”

“Then that person over there is…”

“Yes, it’s who you think it is.”

At Renart’s confirmation, some covered their mouths in disbelief, while others glanced at Ian with dazed expressions.

“Then it’s really the prince…”

“Shh, keep your voice down. Only Captain Gabriel and us know his identity here. He expressed that he doesn’t want to reveal his status, so you’d all do well to be careful not to make any mistakes.”

“Then how should we address him…”

“He goes by the name ‘Klein’ here, so call him as you see fit. If it were me, I’d try to avoid running into him altogether.”

“As expected, the vice-captain is wise.”

Just as he was about to reply, the outdoor training ground became noisy. Rosebelia was suddenly standing next to the instructor who had been alone in the center of the training ground.

‘I thought the instructor just called out Edwin’s name, so why is Lady Rosebelia out there?’

“The man-trap is a monster that attacks humans with sticky vines. Some of them are occasionally poisonous, so if you don’t cut them off immediately, the poison can spread through your body. Today, Rosebelia will personally demonstrate the man-trap defense training.”

The practical lesson for defending against man-traps involved cutting off sticky ropes tied all over the body except for one arm. The key was to cut them off quickly and accurately.

When the instructor blew the whistle, Rosebelia moved her arm holding the sword. I just closed my eyes for a moment and opened them again as I watched the sword slice through the air.

‘Is this happening now…’

After a moment of silence, exclamations erupted in the grounds. The White Knights cheered as if it were a familiar sight, but the Guardian Knights stood frozen in place.

“So the rumors about her slaying a monster alone weren’t exaggerated.”

Renart barely managed to nod at a knight’s words.

Her movements were beyond description as having no wasted motion. She simply swung the sword lightly, yet all the ropes binding her disappeared at once.

She achieved a perfect result with minimal movement. What was even more astonishing was that all of this happened in the blink of an eye.

A level that no one would dare try to imitate even if they wanted to.

‘So this is what they call…’

A chuckle kept escaping between my teeth.

Rosebelia Winters was a genius. Renart’s eyes sparkled with curiosity as he watched her.

*

“Rose, you don’t have to step up from now on. I could have done it just fine.”

The practical lesson had just ended, so there were many ears listening around us. When I gestured towards the back of the annex with my eyes, Edwin nodded obediently and followed behind me.

“Are you planning to hide your condition till the end?”

“I told you I’m fine if I take painkillers. Look. I’m perfectly fine now.”

“What if the painkillers suddenly stop working when we’re out on a subjugation? Have you not considered that possibility?”

“I could get medicine before then.”

“Unless it’s imperial business, do you think the Riley family would prioritize such a request? The captain would have to make an official request for them to hurry at all.”

Edwin kicked at an innocent pebble with the tip of his foot. He probably knew best that he wanted to be helpful to the knights, but as things stood, he could become a burden.

Nevertheless, he didn’t want to give up. He wanted to go even if it meant being stubborn.

Edwin took more pride than anyone in participating in monster subjugations.

“I just don’t want you to act foolishly. This monster subjugation isn’t everything, you know.”

“I know that…”

“Don’t you think you should at least tell the captain about your condition?”

I didn’t bother mentioning that I had already sent a letter to Dylan Riley. I didn’t want to see his disappointed face after clinging to false hope.

“I suppose I should.”

“Want me to go with you?”

Edwin had always been particularly intimidated by Gabriel. Apparently, he was the spitting image of his strict grandfather.

“I’d appreciate that.”

I immediately led Edwin towards the main building. Edwin, who seemed to be following along well at first, suddenly stopped at the path leading to the main building.

“Rose, I think I left my cloak behind… Wait here for a moment.”

Edwin, who said he’d be right back, hadn’t shown up even after quite some time had passed.

Is he making a cloak to bring back? Surely he hasn’t run away?

“…Senior?”

Klein was standing where I heard the presence.

“Ah, Klein.”

“Are you going to the main building?”

“Yes. I’m going to see the captain.”

Ian, who nodded slightly, showed a faint smile.

“You’ve made a good decision. In my opinion, it would be better for you not to join this subjugation, senior…”

“What are you saying right now?”

“Isn’t that why you’re going to see the captain?”

Ian twitched one eyebrow. He was looking down at me with a somewhat confused expression.

You know, it’s not you who’s confused right now, it’s me?

“I was on my way to discuss Edwin’s ankle condition with the captain. Do you think I should drop out of this subjugation? Why?”

“…Are you really asking because you don’t know?”

“Yes. There’s nothing wrong with me, so why should I drop out of the subjugation?”

“Can you really guarantee there’s nothing wrong? If so, let’s have you examined by the physician I recommend. If it’s confirmed that you have no internal injuries…”

“Klein, about that day…”

“You said it was cherry pie, right? I tried hard to believe those words since there’s no way to confirm what’s already passed. But that doesn’t erase the fact that you coughed up blood after facing the monster the other day.”

“…”

Ian, who had been rubbing his forehead as if frustrated, swept back his bangs. Unlike before, his face was clearly filled with determination.

“It will be over if you let me confirm. If you refuse, I have no choice but to tell the captain what I’ve witnessed. The captain will make the judgment.”

“I’m really fine…”

“What are you two doing here? Are you fighting?”

I hurriedly turned around at the voice that suddenly cut in. I involuntarily swallowed dryly as I confirmed the face that filled my vision.

It was Captain Gabriel.

“Captain.”

“We greet the captain.”

Even while greeting Gabriel, Ian’s gaze seemed to be checking my reaction, fixed on me. I sent him a look telling him not to say anything and gently grasped the hem of his cloak.

“We’re not fighting. It’s nothing like that, Captain.”

“…Then I’ll be going now.”

“Don’t fight and get along well, you two.”

For some reason, his voice seemed to have a hint of amusement, but now was not the time to read deeply into that. I urgently pulled on the hem of Ian’s cloak and only stopped walking when we reached the outskirts.

“So…”

While I took a moment to catch my breath and organize my thoughts, Ian spoke.

“You just need to get examined by a physician. I simply want to confirm that there’s nothing wrong with you, senior.”

What if the conclusion is that I do have internal injuries?

Then I wouldn’t have any grounds to stop Ian from telling Gabriel, right?

That means I might not be able to go on the subjugation after all!

“Um, Klein.”

“Yes, please speak.”

Should I say this or not?

I bit my lower lip repeatedly, then met Ian’s eyes. They held an unyielding stubbornness.

Getting examined by a physician meant taking a risk of potential danger. So I had no other choice.

“I don’t know where to start or how to say this.”

The only option was to be honest.

“The truth is, I can manipulate aura.”