NOVEL NEXT Chapter 2 - The Eve’s Banquet (Part 1)
I turned around slowly and saw a woman dressed in a deep green gown, her brown hair neatly styled in an elegant updo.
She was the woman who had once reigned as the flower of high society, Olivia Riley, now known as Olivia Winters.
She was none other than Rosevelia’s stepmother.
“Oh.”
I let out a faint exclamation as Olivia approached me with graceful steps.
“Rose?”
“Mother.”
“What are you doing here?”
“I was just taking a walk.”
“Is that so? It seems you have some rare free time today.”
Olivia stopped in front of me, her lips curving into a delicate smile.
“I was planning to rest, but it seems I’ll need to visit the knight order. I’ll take my leave now.”
“Wait, Rose.”
As I turned back again, I saw Olivia still standing there, her gentle smile unwavering.
“Pay a bit more attention to your attire. You’re the daughter of the Winters Marquis family, and you’re of marriageable age, aren’t you?”
Unlike Olivia’s voluminous and elaborate dress, my outfit was more akin to a simple one-piece than a traditional gown.
What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?
It’s a practical outfit that doesn’t require padding, something not just Rosevelia but many young noblewomen prefer as casual wear.
I thought about objecting but pressed my lips together instead. Once sealed, they refused to part again. It felt as if every instinct in my body was warning me to avoid any further conversation and leave the scene as quickly as possible.
“Perhaps it’s time to call the dressmaker, my lady,” suggested Margaret, Olivia’s personal maid, standing beside her. Olivia nodded lightly in agreement before resuming her elegant stride.
“Let’s go.”
As I walked away in the opposite direction, I couldn’t suppress a faint, bitter laugh.
Her eyes never smiled. Not even once.
Even in Rosevelia’s memories, Olivia had always approached her with warmth, but Rosevelia remained cautious.
How could anyone easily open their heart to someone when such a chilling sensation lingered beneath their friendly façade?
Though Olivia never made her hostility overt, I could feel it. My body seemed to recognize it instinctively.
“Let’s go.”
As I walked away with my back turned to them, I let out a soft chuckle.
Her eyes didn’t smile. Not even for a moment.
Even in Rosevelia’s memories, Olivia always approached her with warmth, yet Rosevelia remained wary of her.
How could anyone open their heart easily when such a chilling aura lingered beneath a friendly face?
Though Olivia never openly revealed her hostility, I could sense it. My body’s instincts told me it was true.
A year ago, when Rosevelia fully mastered the use of Aura, her physical abilities, heightened senses, and intuition had significantly improved. She had become the only Swordmaster in the Empire.
“Though Ian will eventually become a Swordmaster as well…”
This made Rosevelia and Ian the only ones capable of rivaling each other—two evenly matched opponents.
If I were to stay in the Empire instead of seeking asylum in the Kingdom of Lenore, as the original Rosevelia did…
Then I wouldn’t have to face Ian as a rival, nor would we ever meet on the battlefield.
“Miss?”
A voice snapped me out of my thoughts. In front of me stood a young boy—Roy, the stable master Charles’ son.
“Oh, Roy.”
I realized I had wandered aimlessly all the way to the stables. Smiling sheepishly, I shook my head.
It seemed like a habit this body had developed—Rosevelia often walked to the stables while lost in thought.
“Shall I bring out Emily?”
“Yes.”
I would figure out, piece by piece, why Rosevelia made those choices. There was no need to rush.
“Here you go, miss.”
Taking Emily’s reins from Roy, I mounted the horse in one swift motion.
One step at a time. I needed to tackle the challenges right in front of me, starting with figuring out what happened with Ian during the eve’s banquet.
“Roy, let Anne know I’m heading to the knight order.”
For now, that was the first step. Likely, Anne would have something to say about it when I returned.
As I felt the corners of my lips soften into a faint smile, I caught Roy sneaking a glance at me before hastily looking away, startled.
What’s gotten into him?
“Roy?”
“Oh! Yes, miss! I’ll let her know right away.”
I could already imagine Anne scolding me when I returned.
Just as I felt my lips soften into a faint smile, I caught Roy sneaking a glance at me before abruptly lowering his gaze in a panic.
What’s with him?
“Roy?”
“Ah, n-no, miss! Understood!” he stammered before hurrying off.
“Rosevelia, you’re acting a little strange today.”
At Lucas’s offhand comment, I felt a slight twitch beneath my eye.
“What? Is it my outfit?”
“Huh? Why are you suddenly talking about clothes?”
So that’s not it? Then what’s strange?
As I tried to recall, Lucas tilted his head slightly and spoke again.
“Your outfit today is pretty normal. You’ve come to the knight order in much fancier clothes before.”
That’s right. I had.
The White Knights, the order Rosevelia belonged to, were fairly relaxed about attire. As long as members wore their uniforms for classes or training, no one really minded their daily outfits.
Despite recalling all this, I had hesitated for a moment before entering the knight order in this dress.
The subconscious mind really is scary. I almost said something stupid.
“Then what exactly is strange?” I asked.
“Well, judging by your outfit, it doesn’t look like you’ve got class today. But you’re not heading to the training grounds, and you’ve been trailing after me since earlier. That’s what’s strange.”
Of course I’m following you today—you’re the biggest guy here.
I’m trying to avoid someone I really don’t want to run into!
“I’m skipping personal training today. By the way, when is Ed supposed to get back?”
“He said he’d be back by this afternoon.”
“You’re sure you saw Edwin with me at the eve’s banquet, right?”
Lucas nodded firmly.
“I told you, I saw you together.”
The moment I arrived at the knight order, I’d asked around to see if anyone remembered seeing me at the eve’s banquet.
Most shook their heads, but Lucas claimed to have seen me with Edwin.
If I could get even the smallest piece of information from Edwin, it would be helpful.
Or should I just go straight to Ian and ask him outright?
I bit my lip to stifle the impulsive thought. Ian already believed I was just feigning drunkenness to avoid answering his questions.
But if I admitted I genuinely remembered nothing about that night? What if Ian decided to lie outright to mislead me?
Would he really deceive me like that?
“Surely not…” I muttered under my breath.
“What did you just say, Rosevelia?”
I waved my hands at Lucas, who had been rubbing his eyes and looking at me questioningly.
“Nothing. Forget it.”
Right now, meeting Edwin comes first.
If I could get even a small clue about that night from him, it’d make facing Ian much easier.
“Lucas!”
“The deputy commander is calling me. I’ve got to go.”
Before I could stop him, Lucas dashed off toward the main building, leaving me standing alone.
I glanced around briefly before heading toward the less-traveled side of the fortress wall.
There’s no way Ian would show up here, right?
Walking along the base of the fortress wall, I suddenly stopped. According to Rosevelia’s memories, there was an ocean beyond the wall.
As I traced her recollections, I was soon overtaken by a longing to see the vast, open sea.
I knew it was a risky idea, but with this body, I’d be fine. Rosevelia herself occasionally climbed the wall to gaze at the ocean.
Familiar with the layout, I quickly found a relatively low section of the wall and climbed atop it.
The sight of the expansive ocean immediately washed away all my worries.
The endless stretch of blue, the white foam breaking against the rocks.
Breathing in deeply, I let the fresh sea breeze fill my lungs. The crisp scent of the ocean surged to the tip of my nose, leaving a cool, invigorating sensation.
How long had it been since I felt this kind of freedom in broad daylight?
Though everything still felt chaotic, I was overwhelmed with gratitude simply to be alive and able to take in this breathtaking view.
“Back up there again, are you?”
That voice.
I turned swiftly, and the sight before me confirmed it: Gabriel, the commander of the White Knights, his hair and beard streaked with gray.
As always, Gabriel wore a gentle smile as he looked up at me.
“Just pretend you didn’t see anything,” I said with a cheeky grin.
“Get down, now,” he replied firmly.
“Yes, yes, I was just about to…”
I stopped mid-sentence, ready to jump down, as I spotted a figure quickly approaching behind Gabriel.
That face… it couldn’t be.
As I hesitated, Ian stepped closer to the wall and extended a hand toward me.
“Shall I catch you?”
“No need.”
At that moment, a strong sea breeze blew past, whipping my golden hair around wildly. Pushing the unruly strands back from my face, I was met with the next challenge: my skirt, flapping uncontrollably in the wind.
As I struggled to hold down the fabric, a concerned voice called out from below.
“You’ll hurt yourself, senior.”
Looking down, I saw Ian standing in an awkward position with his arms outstretched.
Landing steadily on my feet, I found myself staring at Ian with a mix of disbelief and confusion.
“What… what were you just doing?”
“You seemed like you were in danger, so I offered my assistance.”
Ian shrugged, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
In the original story, he was supposed to be emotionless and cold.
He hadn’t even flinched at the adorable female protagonist’s relentless advances.
He was a bloodless, merciless tyrant—a war-obsessed maniac!
“If someone needs their mouth shut, it’s not me but this one over here,” I retorted.
“Apologies for the late greeting, Commander,” Ian said, bowing his head politely. Gabriel waved his hand with a hearty laugh.
“It’s fine. You’re the junior, and she’s your senior, so it’s all good.”
“Is climbing the wall strictly forbidden?” Ian asked.
“It’s not explicitly forbidden. But there was an incident where someone fell and got injured before.”
“Still, I’m fine, aren’t I, Commander?”
“I know how skilled you are, but haven’t I always reminded you of one thing?”
Gabriel stroked his beard with a mock-serious expression.
“Yes. Never let your guard down.”
Gabriel cared deeply for Rosevelia. Even before she reached the pinnacle of becoming a Swordmaster, he admired her talent and constantly urged her to succeed him as the commander of the knight order.
“Exactly. Being skilled doesn’t mean you can afford to grow complacent. If you set your mind to it, you could take my position at any—”
“Commander, let’s save that conversation for another time.”
I hastily cut him off, feeling Ian’s curious gaze settle on my face. Gabriel glanced between Ian and me before letting out a hearty laugh.
“Feeling bashful, are we?”
“Well, with others around to listen… maybe a little?”
“Then you’d better keep him quiet.”
“Wait, Commander—”
You can’t just leave us here alone like this!
As soon as Gabriel walked off, Ian stepped forward to block my path.
“Senior.”
“What?”
I looked up from my frantic search for an escape route. Ian was standing much closer than I expected. His black hair, damp from what I assumed was rigorous training, swayed slightly in the breeze.
I found myself staring at the subtle iridescence in his hair, and for a moment, I held my breath.
Before me was a vast and deep ocean. Ian’s eyes… they were the exact same color as the boundless, liberating sea I’d been gazing at moments ago.
“I never got an answer to my earlier question…”
Right. Now isn’t the time to be dazed.
Snapping back to reality, I quickly pointed toward the training grounds. Someone seemed to be walking past in the distance.
Wait, red hair?
“Sorry, rookie. Something urgent just came to mind. Let’s talk later.”
Thankfully, Ian didn’t follow as I bolted away. Standing outside the training grounds, I caught my breath as some of the newer recruits greeted me.
I had thought that rare red hair might belong to Edwin, but there was no one with red hair near the training grounds.
Did I imagine it?
Just as I turned to head toward the stables, a voice stopped me.
“Rose?”
The familiar, cheerful tone immediately clued me in. The man stepping into my path, his red hair catching the sunlight, was none other than Edwin—the secondary male lead of the original story.
“Ed?”
“That’s right. The very same Edwin you’ve been desperately searching for.”
“I wasn’t searching that desperately…”
“Really? Then I’ll be on my way.”
“Wait. I do have something to ask you.”
Unable to resist, I found myself studying Edwin’s face closely. Even though I had seen it countless times in Rosevelia’s memories, it felt different meeting him in person for the first time. Fascinating, almost.
At this point, I couldn’t help but wonder about Daisy, the original female lead.
“Is something wrong?”
“Huh?”
“Your expression looks serious.”
Edwin was not only Rosevelia’s fellow knight and peer but also her closest friend.
He was the only one who truly understood her and the only person she trusted wholeheartedly.
So… maybe it’s okay to tell him this much.
“Well… I’ve been having memory issues recently.”
“What?”
“You know how I was sick for a whole day? Strangely, I can’t remember anything that happened around that time.”
“What did the physician say?”
“They said everything’s fine.”
“Are you sure? Maybe you need more rest.”
Edwin frowned slightly and placed his hand on my forehead.
“No fever.”
“I’m completely recovered.”
“So what exactly can’t you remember?”
“I don’t remember anything from the eve’s banquet. Lucas said he saw you and me together. Is that true?”
Before I could even finish my question, Edwin tilted his head, clearly confused. The spark of hope in my chest fizzled out instantly.
“We weren’t together, but I was nearby.”
Nearby, that’s it?
Noticing my disappointment, Edwin furrowed his brow slightly, as though trying to recall something. A moment later, his eyes lit up, and he let out a small gasp.
“Oh, I did see you talking to one of the recruits.”
“A recruit?”
“Yeah. I think his name was Klein. You seriously don’t remember anything?”
“Not a thing. He keeps saying I gave him some kind of answer, but I have no idea what we talked about. It’s like the whole day was wiped from my memory—I don’t know who I met or what I did.”
“If you don’t remember, why not ask him directly? If you explain honestly, I’m sure he’ll understand.”
“…”
I sighed internally. Maybe I do have to just confront it head-on.
‘Did you forget? Or do you want to forget?’
‘No, I just… want to pretend it didn’t happen.’
Would they believe me if I said I lied about remembering the banquet because I couldn’t recall anything?
“I only saw you talking to the recruit, but I didn’t hear what you said,” Edwin added.
“What was my expression like during the conversation?”
“The recruit seemed a bit nervous, but you looked relatively calm.”
“He was nervous?”
Edwin nodded casually before speaking in a nonchalant tone.
“Yeah, probably because he was confessing to you or something.”
Confessing? A confession?
“A recruit confessing to me?”
…That can’t be right. Can it?