Second Arc (His Art of War) - 138. One Cold Night IV
After a short silence, Rose finally decided to find out something else about Angel again.
"Then what is your opinion about the king?"
This time it was Angel who fell silent. He was confused about how to answer since he knew he was unqualified to say it.
Rose noticed Angel's hesitation and thought he was afraid to share his opinion for fear that she would report to Angel.
"Trust me I won't report it to the king," Rose assured him. Moreover, he was an elite soldier, if the king found out about this, he could lose his head.
After a breath left his mouth, Angel shifted his gaze at the night sky.
"Despite whatever he goes through, the king continues to do his best to protect his kingdom and those who care for him ... He will not hesitate to destroy anyone or anything that tries to ruin what he has built. That's all I can say. " Good or not, cruel or not, he couldn't judge himself. He had his own reasons for his attitude and decisions. And for him, it was the best decision he could make from his point of view. He didn't know how other people saw it. Was he cruel because he started a war? Was he evil because he had dark powers? Was he greedy because he took over the three kingdoms to protect his kingdom?
Hearing his answer, Rose pouted in disappointment.
"The king isn't here, can't you give me an honest answer?" She didn't want to find Angel's weakness or anything, but at least a soldier would have one or two complaints about his king.
"At least you must have something you don't like about him, right?" she pointed out what she meant.
Angel smirked and returned his gaze to Rose.
"Of course I have."
"What is it?" said Rose curiously.
"He's only living as a king. He never lives as himself. Don't you think that's stupid?" replied Angel. Even so ... He knew he couldn't run away from his fate and this was the main reason why he kept suppressing his personal feelings.
"But as a king, he should have acted like that. I can't tell him my complaint," added Angel.
Rose was speechless. She remembered how Angel behaved cautiously when he met her at Asteria five years ago. Even after their reunion at Scarlet Stone Castle yesterday, Angel was cautious despite his victory. He did look heartless, but Rose knew what he was doing based on his rationality. What made her confused was only why he spared her life last night.
Since Rose was silent, Angel decided to ask her.
"What about you, Your Highness? What do you think about the king?"
Rose shifted her gaze side to side restlessly
"I told you I don't know … I've been thinking about him, but I need more time to understand everything."
Angel paused a moment in surprise before chuckling.
"So you don't deny that you're thinking of the king." His chuckle sounded between his words.
She turned to Angel in panic.
"But it's not like what you think!" she retorted. Her panic was clear from her voice and expression. Her face began to turn red in embarrassment. Of course, she thought about him, but thinking of a man who had attacked her kingdom wasn't the most embarrassing thing for a royal family like her?
"I - I'm thinking about him because he has attacked my kingdom. So it is not because of my personal feelings," she tried to defend herself.
But instead of stopping, his chuckle grew louder.
"I never said you thought of the king because of your personal feelings," he said as he could make his voice.
Rose's face got even redder. She realized she had blurted out without a second thought. She exhaled with annoyance and turned her head the other way.
"Lower your voice. You will wake other people up," she said in annoyance.
Angel swallowed the rest of his chuckle and looked at her again.
"Fine. Then may I know your opinion about the king? I promise I won't tell him."
"I don't want to tell you," she pouted.
"I've given you my opinion and told you what I know about the king. You should give me something in return," he tried to bargain.
Rose glanced at him in embarrassment and hesitation. During these five years, there had been something up in her heart, especially after Ivetta said about Angel's death and asked her to say nothing about it since it could ruin the two kingdoms' relationship. Therefore, even though she wanted to let out what was in her heart, she finally decided to keep quiet. She didn't even dare to say anything else to Ivetta.
"Promise me you won't laugh at me," she said.
"Of course."
She turned to him and looked at him with a serious gaze.
"Even if it sounds stupid for you," she said in an emphatic tone.
"... Alright," he repeated. He was quite surprised by Rose's response.
Rose shifted her gaze towards the village square, avoiding Angel's gaze.
"I can't deny I still have feelings for him even after yesterday's war. But on the other hand, my pride ... My dignity ... My obligations ... as Zephyrus' royal family holds me back from admitting it. Because he is my enemy... I should have killed him instead of falling in love with him," she admitted. Maybe this was what made Rose decide to try assassinating Angel last night, but his response and what he did made her think twice. Now, she felt like she was caught between her own feelings and her obligations.
Angel's heart started beating fast. There was a feeling of joy rising in his heart after hearing her confession.
"Then why don't you try restarting your relationship all over again?"
Rose shook her head, her hands wrapped around her bent legs that were covered by a blanket.
"I told you it wasn't that easy. He changed ... I know what he did because he wanted to protect his kingdom. But after all the bad news and rumours I heard about him. There were doubts in me. Besides ... I fell in love with him because he saved me and only knew him for a few hours. I don't know anything about him. "
He knew they had to get to know each other first, but somehow her last words bothered him.
"Then are you in love with me?" he asked.
Rose turned to him in displeasure. Obviously, his words crossed the line.
"What do you mean?"
"You said you fell in love with him because he saved you, right? I also saved you earlier, will you also fall in love with me?" he clarified his statement.
"Of course not. Do you think I fell in love that easily?" she replied curtly.
"Then doesn't that mean your feelings for the king aren't that simple?" said Angel.
Rose paused. After her reunion with Angel, she kept suppressing her feelings since she felt it was just her naivety, but now ... She just realized she didn't just fall in love just because he saved her. Once again she looked away from Angel.
"I don't know ..." she said as she hugged her legs tighter and placed her head on her knees. Her feelings were mixed with fatigue and the cold that was biting her body.
Seeing Rose's reaction, he decided not to ask any more questions. He realized they had gone through a lot after their reunion. But one thing was certain, at least Angel knew, this relationship was not a dead end. Besides that, now he knew, Rose had feelings for him. All they needed was time.
Seeing Rose who had closed her eyes, Angel decided to end their conversation.
"Your Highness, it looks like you are tired. Please get inside."
But Rose didn't answer him.
Feeling she was so lost in thought, Angel decided to give her a pat.
"Your High ---" But Rose's head fell on his shoulder. From her face, she looked very tired.
Angel sighed, his eyes fixed on Rose's sleeping face.
"This time ... I won't lose you again like five years ago." A smile on his face. His hands fixed the blanket that covered her body.
"Good Night, Rose." Then he leaned his back against the wall and closed his eyes.
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