Melvin, whose eyes were watery, had his head down. Then, he jumped as he heard the lady's sweet, hushed voice.
What did she mean by keeping it a secret?
He couldn't figure it out. Rosetta's serene atmosphere was unreadable.
She continued to talk as she looked at the injured man.
"I'll take that man with me and have him treated, but let's keep it a secret that we picked him up from this place. Actually, isn't this situation unfair?"
"Wh-what do you mean by that, Milady?"
Rosetta tilted her head to the side, as though the answer was obvious.
Melvin stared blankly at her, then turned his gaze towards the injured man.
"We were cut off on the road, but that horse over there got frightened and ran away. I'm not sure about you, but don't you think it's unfair? I'll be fine, but… you could lose your job."
Her voice which lulled him to a stupor had a mysterious power to draw him in.
"Isn't it unfair, Melvin?"
Listening without saying a word, he nodded unconsciously.
'Come to think of it, the lady's right.'
Wasn't it him who got cut off?
He was just steering the carriage normally, but the other horse surprised itself.
And then that other guy went over the edge all by himself.
It was strange—no, it would be unfair if he would be asked to take full responsibility for this accident.
"That's true."
"Also, I heard that quite a few servants will be dismissed and replaced soon."
"Pardon?"
He had been staring at the carriage, but his gaze turned back to Rosetta.
Her voice became lower, as if the words she was about to say were a great secret.
"A lot of servants are about to be dismissed. But I, for one, think that you're the best horseman we have. I want you to work for the Valentines for a long time. So, let's keep what happened here today just between the two of us, hm? What do you say?"
"Even… even so, would that be alright?"
It was a desperate question, but the pendulum had already swung to the other side for quite a while now.
Rosetta smiled sweetly and nodded.
Like a judge who had acquitted a sinner.
"Of course. It's not like we're abandoning this man. I'll take responsibility for him and make sure he gets treated."
"Mi… Milady…"
"Don't worry. When he wakes up, I'll talk to him and smooth over this incident. I was the one who asked you to take me to this mountain even though it wasn't on our itinerary, so I should at least do this. The only thing you'll need to do is keep your lips sealed tightly. If anyone asks or raises any suspicions and our words don't match… I'll just be called a liar, but you'll become unemployed."
"To keep my lips sealed tightly…"
"We never came here in the first place. I looked around at the city according to the schedule I have, then you dropped me off at the hotel. I never went near this mountain. Right?"
As her gentle whispers continued, Melvin's heart gradually stopped pounding nervously.
In the end, he wanted to hold her hands in his and cry.
He wouldn't be blamed at all. Instead, the lady would even deal with all of it herself.
Not only that, but she was also even worried about his job and suggested to just keep it all a secret.
How could a noble do so much for a mere horseman?
"Yes, of course, Milady. I'll keep it to myself for the rest of my life."
He nodded vigorously, his eyes grateful for the chance that he could still keep his job. He clasped his hands together tightly, still holding the handkerchief that the lady gave him.
Rosetta's smile widened as she looked at Melvin.
She soon reached into her pocket and took out a shiny gold coin, holding it out to the horseman.
The eyes that were soaked with emotions just now opened wide.
"Milady… this is…"
"A bonus. You must have been so surprised today, but I know better than anyone that none of it was your fault. I'm giving this to you so you can relax later."
"You don't need to, Milady…"
"Come now, just take it. Consider it a gift from me."
'Oh, she's so thoughtful.'
Even if the mythical saintess would descend upon this land, she would be nothing compared to the lady.
Melvin clamped his lips together so that he wouldn't shed any tears, then he held out his trembling hands that still held onto the handkerchief.
It was impossible to ignore the lady's sincerity.
Soon, the gold coin was placed on top of the handkerchief, then she moved away.
The round gold coin sparkled under the light of the early moon.
At this moment, Rosetta's eyes similarly glimmered with satisfaction.
* * *
The carriage rattled.
The eyes, which looked out the window through the slightly opened curtains, were cold.
'Now, Melvin's lips had been sealed.'
There was a reason why she deliberately shut the horseman's mouth shut.
There was a limit to money when it came to blocking loose lips.
Of course, there were definitely people who could be shut up in one go with money, but there were only a few of them.
Who would be foolish enough to stop at just a taste?
Rather than money, the other ways to effectively shut people up were trust, conscience, and fear.
She was ready to take advantage of every option available to her.
All four methods were applicable to Melvin, so he wouldn't dare to leak information.
Outside the window, the sky had darkened.
The carriage continued travelling under the bleak night sky.
The atmosphere was enough to induce a romantic air, but the unconscious man opposite her was in such a bad condition that such a frivolous romance was far from her mind.
She looked over to his black hair, which fluttered along with the vibrations of the carriage, then she spoke.
"…Excuse me. Are you awake now?"
He still hadn't opened his eyes.
Indeed, there was nothing strange about not waking up a few days after an accident like that.
With her legs crossed, Rosetta stared at the man, but as the carriage slowed down, she approached him.
As she bent down and leaned over, his sleeping face was right in front of her.
She untied the bandage over his hand and tied it over his eyes.
His red eyes should not be seen for the time being.
Ironically, however, the bandages over his eyes were red due to the blood that seeped into the cloth as she and the horseman moved him.
It was a good thing that the frazzled horseman didn't seem to notice his eyes.
She glanced at the bandages that she wrapped over him.
For some reason, the eyes of the man who begged her to save him flashed in her mind.
* * *
The carriage arrived in front of today's original destination.
[ Larrington Hotel ]
Even in the dark, the words shone brightly on the sign.
The blue light, which created a mysterious atmosphere, looked like a constellation embroidered over the night sky.
There weren't any LED lights in this era, only mana stones to power these kinds of things.
A hotel with a sign powered by mana stones. Sure enough, it was a hotel that suited the Duchy of Valentine.
When the carriage stopped near the entrance of the hotel, a well-dressed man rushed to the door.
He exchanged a few words with the horseman, then went back inside to call over a few people.
Perhaps the horseman told the man who it was inside the carriage.
Or perhaps the man saw the Valentine family's crest on the carriage.
She pushed the door open, then soon, men lined up to help her out.
"Welcome to the Larrington Hotel, Princess*."
As soon as she stepped out, the greeting was uttered clearly.
Fortunately, there weren't too many people around since it was late at night. If it was daytime right now, she would have drawn more attention.
Rosetta nodded, then opened her lips.
"There's a man inside. Move him carefully and try not to stand out. Never take off the bandages wrapped over his eyes."
"I understand, Princess."
"Call a doctor, too. A competent one that can keep his mouth shut. Tell the doctor to treat him adequately, but never remove the bandage.
"I'll arrange it at once."
It was a satisfactory answer.
The man replied calmly and did not even bat an eyelash as he saw the heavily injured man inside the carriage.
Usually, when a man in Cassion's condition was being hidden in a carriage, people would immediately think of the worst.
But far from hesitating or giving her judgmental looks, the competent man gave Rosetta a concise answer without any fuss.
A heavy tongue and simple answers.
This was why nobles liked staying at the Larrington Hotel.
Of course, Rosetta knew there was a deeper reason to it.
Some of the men who went back into the hotel came out again carrying some heavy black cloth.
After seeing those men go into the carriage with the cloth, Rosetta turned around and entered the hotel.
"Welcome, Princess. We've been awaiting your arrival."
As soon as she stepped inside, a female employee approached Rosetta and gave her a lively greeting.
She was a woman with light brown hair and dark brown eyes that were curved slightly.
Meanwhile, the corners of her lips were lifted up in a seemingly effortless smile.
To summarize, it was a good service-oriented expression.
After the greeting, the woman turned back and showed Rosetta the way.
Left with the impression that the woman was good at her job, Rosetta followed her wordlessly.
They were transported to the fifth floor through a mechanism powered by mana stones, then the woman explained their surroundings.
"The room reserved for you is here on the fifth floor, which is accessible only to VIPs. In addition, the security is tighter on that floor compared to the others, so the Princess may relax comfortably."
Rosetta was already privy to these details.
To be exact, it was information she read in the novel.
There was one time when the male lead stayed in this hotel. It was to avoid the sudden rain on his way to meet Alicia without setting an appointment.
At the time, he also stayed in a VIP room on the fifth floor, and the staff who guided him there said the same explanation that the woman just gave her. This spiel seemed to be permanent until years later.
As she listened to the woman speak more, Rosetta sat on the sofa inside the hotel room.
Oh, it's soft.
She had been riding a carriage this whole time, so this sofa felt like sitting in paradise.
She leaned back against the backrest, then she spoke.
"Excuse me."
"Yes, Princess. If there's anything you'd like, please let me assist you."
At the terse call, the employee answered back with a soft tone. The corners of her curved eyes were as amiable as ever.
Rosetta smiled at the woman as she leaned back on the sofa.
"Have you ever seen a shooting star during the night of the blue moon?"
At the question, silence stretched between them. The smile on the woman's face seemed to have been erased for an instant.
Even so, since her lips were still raised, it looked like she was still smiling.
"So you're here to see a beautiful sight."
A dreary voice spilled out of her hardened lips.
It was a completely different voice from the friendly, service-oriented tone that she had while she guided Rosetta to the room.
—
tl/n:
* a duke's daughter is also called 'princess'. To be more precise, she should have been called 'ducal princess' but that's a mouthful, so I just went with 'princess.'
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────