PTB Chapter 5

The more time she spent with Arsen, the more her desire for him grew. At first, she had tried to win him over simply because it was hard to survive without having him on her side. But in reality, it was her instinctive attraction that drew her to him. Sure, her current circumstances were far from ideal, but with memories from the modern world, she would gradually adapt to this one—and maybe even solidify her standing just like Tanasis had.

If that happened, perhaps she could treat this discriminated man well too.

‘No matter how I think about it, it’s such a waste to keep things at a mere commander-subordinate level. Should I just go ahead and make him mine?’

While she was mulling over this delightful dilemma, a red-haired knight appeared to summon Arsen.

“Commander. We’ll resume departure.”

“…I’ll be right there.”

As Arsen straightened from his crouched position, a dark shadow fell over her head. From her seated view, his towering height felt all the more overwhelming.

Just like before, Arsen gently picked her up. Having experienced this once already, Rose had grown used to the posture and promptly wrapped her arms around his neck.

Truthfully, she wasn’t injured to the point of being unable to walk. But being treated with such care by him pleased her greatly, so she decided to just accept it. She even found herself wishing they’d lose their way so she could stay close to him longer.

“It hurts when you jostle me, so walk slowly.”

Feigning weakness, she deliberately slowed his pace. The man’s strides were as commanding as his sturdy frame. Sometimes, she thought he resembled a sleek racehorse with those well-toned muscles. Though right now, that speed wasn’t helpful.

Feeling his pace slow at her words, Rose buried her face into his broad shoulder. She could feel the tension in his trapezius muscle hardening under the pressure, but she bit back her giggles and pretended not to notice.

***

The knights carefully cleaned up the battlefield, worried that the smell of blood might attract wild beasts. Meanwhile, the sun had begun to set behind the mountain slopes. Their journey had been delayed, and they couldn’t reach the village before nightfall. In the end, they decided to camp in the forest for the night.

“You’re telling me I have to sleep outdoors?”

Aracne, looking haggard and irritated, snapped at them. It hadn’t even been a full day, but her appearance was already a mess. Her pale under-eyes and tangled blonde hair practically screamed for rest. Even as a knight tried to explain the situation, she wouldn’t listen.

“You said the village isn’t far!”

“How many times do I have to tell you it’s dangerous to travel at night?”

The man arguing with her was Hagen—the knight they had seen earlier. His rough dialect and one squinting eye made him seem more like a mercenary than a proper knight.

“Then we should’ve moved faster in the first place!”

“His Highness was unconscious for half a day. Nothing we could do about that.”

“Oh? So now it’s my fault? Maybe if you’d done your jobs properly, I wouldn’t have been hurt.”

“How dare a mere low-ranking knight insult Her Highness the princess. You really live up to your crude bloodline.”

“Apologize to Her Highness at once!”

The maids chimed in angrily. A vein bulged on Hagen’s forehead. His frustration mounted at the sheer impossibility of reasoning with her. Arsen, sensing the tension, stepped in to block Hagen and spoke up.

“We’ve prepared a tent where you can rest as comfortably as possible. It’s no grand chamber, but at least it will ease the fatigue from your time in the carriage.”

He gestured to the tent set up by the trainee knights. Aracne, still tense, glanced at the tent and visibly softened. With a condescending air, she said

“Just for tonight. I expect treatment more befitting royalty going forward.”

With that, the second princess entered the tent with her maids. Hagen wiped his forehead roughly.

“Royalty, my ass.”

Then he made eye contact with Rose and grimaced.

“Damn. Mood ruined.”

After Hagen disappeared into the tent, Rose looked around blankly.

“Got caught in the crossfire just for standing nearby…”

She had known the knights harbored resentment toward the royals, but their open hostility still stung. Then again, it would’ve been stranger if they were kind after being insulted like that. It made Arsen’s composure all the more admirable.

While dinner was being prepared, Rose quietly sat near the campfire. She was blankly staring at the flames when Arsen approached, accompanied by a young knight. He was a small man—unusual for someone from Dunstane Island—with glossy brown hair.

Arsen handed her a small bamboo bowl. Steam rose from the potato stew within.

“I apologize for the poor fare. Once we reach the village tomorrow, we’ll serve you a proper feast.”

“This much is exactly what I expected when I left the palace.”

Rose smacked her lips and took a spoonful. Her hunger awakened, she quickly focused on eating. Arsen, watching her clearly enjoy the meal, eventually lowered his gaze to her feet.

“How is your injury?”

“I’m fine. It’s much better now.”

“I grew complacent because we were near the capital. I should’ve been prepared for danger at all times…”

His voice trailed off with regret at his failure as a knight. Then he gestured to the young man beside him.

“He’s still inexperienced, but he’ll serve as your guard for now.”

“My guard?”

“Yes. In light of what happened earlier, we’ve assigned temporary guards to both princesses.”

Rose looked over the knight carefully. With his overly stiff demeanor, he looked like he had only just received his knighthood.

“Greetings, Your Highness. I’m Lance from the Remigis Order.”

The knight didn’t have a surname—common for those from Dunstane Island. Outside of the Lafayette family, there were no nobles there.

“Nice to meet you, Sir Lance. I’ll be in your care.”

Lance was visibly startled to hear the princess speak so politely.

“Please speak more casually.”

“I prefer it this way.”

Arsen stood and left the two to talk.

“Your tent is over there. Lance will escort you.”

“Thank you. See you tomorrow.”

“Rest well.”

Lance couldn’t bring himself to tell the princess to speak more informally, and the discomfort showed clearly on his face. That only made him seem even younger.

“Sir Lance, you’re from the Lafayette domain, right?”

“Yes. People find it odd, but I’m actually pretty tall.”

He mistook her comment about his height and grumbled that it wasn’t fair. Compared to the knights in Remigis, he might be shorter, but he was above average overall. It wasn’t his size that made people question his origins—it was the purity in his demeanor, rare among the rough Dunstane men.

“How old are you?”

“I had my coming-of-age ceremony earlier this year.”

“Oh, then we’re the same age!”

Princess Rose was also approaching her coming-of-age ceremony. Though she was actually far older if she counted her past life, she still felt a sense of closeness to Lance. More importantly, he wasn’t openly hostile like the others.

“We’re friends now.”

“Friends…?”

Lance repeated the word like he’d never heard it before.

“Yes, Sir Lance. I’m counting on you to protect me.”

***

The next day, the carriage broke down, and Rose had to travel on horseback. Luckily, she’d learned horseback riding as a hobby in her previous life, so it wasn’t a bad alternative for her. She was preparing to mount without issue.

“Have you ridden a horse before?”

Arsen was holding the reins in front of the horse. At that moment, she realized this was her chance to ride with him.

“Unfortunately, no.”

“Then please ride with me until we reach the village. It’s small, but we should be able to find a carriage there.”

As expected, he intended to lift her onto his horse.

‘Jackpot. I can’t believe my fantasy’s coming true.’

She gleefully took his hand, pretending to be reluctant. Arsen held her by the waist and easily lifted her into the saddle. The high vantage point made her briefly dizzy. The military horse was much larger than any she’d ridden before.

“Wow, it’s higher than I expected.”

“He’s gentle, so there’s no need to worry.”

Arsen then mounted behind her and gave the signal to move out. True to his word, the horse moved smoothly despite carrying two riders.

As a result, her attention was drawn entirely to the man’s breathing behind her. The occasional ticklish breath sent strange chills down her spine.

When she leaned back, her body met the cold, hard surface of his plate armor.

‘If only he were in casual clothes—I could’ve felt every muscle move beneath his shirt…’

Because of the recent monster attack, full armor was necessary. Still, she couldn’t help but feel disappointed.

She accidentally let out a wistful sigh. Arsen noticed the subtle relaxation in her posture and raised an eyebrow. Most beginners found it hard to balance on a moving horse. Even with his help, they would usually be stiff from nervousness.

But the princess seemed completely at ease despite claiming to be a beginner. Something wasn’t right.

“Your Highness.”

“Yes?”

When she turned to meet his gaze, Arsen groaned inwardly. What kind of beginner changed positions so naturally on a moving horse? He realized, once again, he’d fallen for one of her cheeky tricks.

“…So you have ridden a horse before.”

Rose blinked innocently, as if she didn’t understand. But Arsen’s sharp eyes saw right through her act. She hadn’t expected to be caught this quickly, but it was too late now. The horse had already picked up speed.

She smiled playfully and lightly tapped his forearm.

“I never said I couldn’t ride a horse.”

He had asked whether she had ridden before. Since she hadn’t in this world, it wasn’t a total lie, was it?