Misfortune ss2

Chapter 2

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*Read the previous chapters here https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/108bQqoZtg5xjJfsh01j2vl0GUnkbhxMo

The lively dance continued, the banquet atmosphere reaching its peak.

Roan, catching his breath after the dance ended, suddenly glanced somewhere as if sensing a presence.

The Emperor, who had been seated leisurely on the throne like a spectator who had secured a prime viewing spot, was rising to her feet.

Roan's eyes darted quickly. Fortunately, his aide, Silber, was nearby. He was surrounded by a group of noblewomen, his face peeking out like a mole's.

"Captain Dief."

"Yes, Colonel!"

Silber responded immediately to Roan's call, excused himself from the noblewomen, and hurried over to Roan. His expression seemed genuinely relieved by the superior's summons, likely having endured considerable hardship.

"You called?"

"I need to step away for a moment. I'd like you to escort the Count instead."

Roan whispered, his voice lowered, never taking his eyes off Delnia. It was called escorting, but the underlying meaning was blatantly clear: keep the other scoundrels away.

"Is it urgent?"

Silber asked, his eyes widening. He couldn't help but be surprised that Roan, who had been endlessly circling Delnia as if tethered by an invisible leash, was the one making such a suggestion.

"It won't take long."

Roan merely gave a brief nod in response, offering no lengthy explanation.

"Understood."

Still, Silber answered loyally as always. After all, obeying his command was far more rewarding than returning to the noblewomen's group.

Having given his instructions, Roan turned without hesitation and approached Delnia. Bending low, he whispered into her ear.

"I must attend to His Majesty briefly. Captain Dief will assist you in my absence."

Without needing further explanation, Delnia readily nodded her consent.

The moment permission was granted, Roan strode purposefully out of the banquet hall. His strides widened as much as his reluctance to leave her side.

"Your Majesty."

Fortunately, the Emperor hadn't gone far. She was strolling down the corridor with her attendants and turned to look at him.

"You're finally catching up."

The Emperor greeted him with a light rebuke. It seemed she too had been waiting for an opportunity to speak with him alone.

Roan bowed deeply once more in a formal salute. The Emperor waved her hand dismissively, as if formality were unnecessary, and spoke.

"It seems it truly is a miracle you returned alive. Judging by the chaos engulfing the world."

A faint, resigned smile touched the Emperor's lips as she spoke, almost like a complaint.

In contrast, the man at the center of all this welcome wore an impassive face.

Though his expression, devoid of even a hint of emotion, was not entirely without irritation, the emperor chose to be magnanimous. After all, this was no one he couldn't afford to be generous with.

"So, what brings you here?"

"I have a request to make."

"Surely you're not asking for that title back, the one you refused?"

Even as she asked, her tone carried certainty.

Roan had already declined a noble title the Emperor had intended to bestow upon him. The Emperor didn't know the exact reason. She’d only heard the excuse that it was too much honor.

But seeing the partner Roan brought today, the Emperor guessed he might have changed his mind. After all, proposing to the Count of Eperne would require a respectable position of his own.

"No."

But once again, Roan's answer defied the Emperor's expectations.

"No? Then what?"

At the Emperor's pressing, the corners of Roan's mouth tilted slightly.

"I have somewhere I must go. I wish to leave the capital today, if possible."

"………………Today?"

The Emperor repeated, sounding disgruntled.

After all, the banquet currently underway had been arranged to celebrate the hero's return. The three-day feast still had two days remaining.

Yet, to suddenly leave before even a single day had passed? Even if the official proceedings were over, hundreds had gathered specifically for him.

"This is a rather awkward request. Granting it feels insulting, but refusing makes me look petty."

Yet instead of scolding him, the emperor shook her head with a hollow laugh.

"Well, I think I can guess the reason without hearing it."

Even at this probing remark, Roan remained silent. Only a faint smile touched his lips, as if confirming her guess.

After all, wasn't this the man who had once abandoned his principles for a mere woman?

The emperor recalled the condition he had dared to demand before going into battle. That moment when the man who seemed endlessly upright had broken himself without hesitation.

"You're taking a break for now, aren't you?"

"Yes. It's thanks to the Admiral's consideration."

"Right. Taking a proper rest now isn't a bad idea. Things should be peaceful for a while."

The war ended while Roan was missing. Dalos surrendered helplessly without significant gains, and the princess was perfectly established as the new emperor who restored peace to Brunois.

Even Roan Barthez, the central figure of it all, had returned alive. It was a miracle, entirely unrelated to her reign, yet the people saw it differently.

A hero favored by the Sea God. That man, now an emperor to whom they swore allegiance.

As if sanctioned by the gods themselves, the empire's support for the emperor showed no sign of waning.

"Come to think of it, I don't believe I've properly congratulated you on your return yet."

There was a slight flaw in the Emperor's words. When Roan was declared a fallen warrior, he had already been posthumously promoted to Rear Admiral. By the time he returned, the imperial court and navy had bestowed upon him so many honors that there was no more room to store them, necessitating the construction of a separate warehouse outside the palace.

But strictly speaking, those were all bestowed by the imperial court. Not by the Emperor herself.

He was a loyal subject who had elevated her status so immensely; surely he deserved at least one personal award from her.

"I'll try to fill that gap myself."

The Emperor shrugged her shoulders and accepted his absurd request.

After all, the remaining schedule would likely boil down to eating, drinking, chatting, and dancing to their hearts' content, so it wasn't particularly difficult.

"I am deeply honored."

"But are you truly not interested in a title?"

The emperor grabbed the man, who seemed ready to turn and leave at any moment, in a tone that made it clear he couldn't understand him.

"If you intend to propose marriage to the Count of Eperne, wouldn't a respectable title be necessary?"

Even faced with such a direct question, Roan showed no sign of flustering, offering a composed smile instead.

"I believe the titles matter little. If the Count wishes to be with me."

As long as he could be with her, he truly didn't care what name was attached to their relationship. He meant it sincerely.

"Perhaps I could enter as a son-in-law by marriage?"

"You?"

The Emperor repeated the question in disbelief at Roan's remarkably casual suggestion.

For a commoner to become a son-in-law to a noble house would be an unparalleled rise in the world. But this was Roan Barthez. For the Navy's representative and hero of Brunois to enter a lowly family as a son-in-law was closer to demeaning himself.

Even when the emperor personally offered a title to prevent such a ridiculous situation, she couldn't fathom why the man refused.

"Perhaps, you see."

Roan emphasized this as he took a step back. But it wasn't because he found it laughable himself. Rather, his attitude, as if he dared to dream such a fanciful dream, only made the emperor more utterly flabbergasted.

"Then I shall take my leave."

Before the conversation could continue, Roan promptly bid farewell and departed.

The Emperor watched the man's retreating back, her expression still one of utter bewilderment. Though his gait was restrained as always, she couldn't shake the impression that the man resembled a colt with fire on its tail.

Where he was rushing off to was obvious. There couldn't be more than one person making that man so anxious.

"Truly, a man in love is a pathetic creature no matter when you see him."

The Emperor grumbled about him to the head maid approaching to attend to her. Yet, a hearty smile had already appeared at the corner of her mouth.

"And cute."

As if to say it was hard for anything pathetic in this world not to be cute, she murmured softly.

"Where are you going?"

The quick-witted chief lady-in-waiting asked again, her gaze still fixed on the path where Roan had vanished.

"I want to see Haide."

The Emperor, whose mind had changed once more, uttered this candidly, almost as if talking to herself.

Soon, the Emperor's footsteps, having changed course from heading toward the bedchamber, crossed the quiet corridors of the palace.

***

Contrary to the Emperor's expectations, Roan did not immediately return to the banquet hall. Instead, he walked resolutely in the opposite direction.

Turning a quiet corner of the corridor, he entered a desolate passage devoid of any sign of life.

Roan's steps halted before the third balcony located where the corridor turned.

"I shall enter."

He declared after knocking twice on the door. Before any reply could come, he immediately pulled the curtain aside.