Chapter 32: Forest Encounters
The next few days after she was given the chance to take part of such meeting, Rosaria had continued her royal duties as a princess and left the men to do their jobs.
Her unusual plan to poison or to contaminate the water was put into action, it was a good suggestion, thought it was cowardly to do so, the emperor had no other choice seeing they were losing the battle.
And because of that, now she was facing a new problem.
As boring as it was, she had to join her teachers and attend lessons for princesses that Rosemond's royals and other late empresses had used to attend to. It was the rules for every princess in any nation to be taught and princess Rosaria Elijah Serpentine Ronan-Rosemond, was no exception of such rules.
" That's all for today your highness " her etiquette and dance teacher close the book she was holding and smiled.
" My, my, I expected no less from the princess of Rosemond. Consistent perfection, I see the crown prince has an eye for excellence, he choose a wonderful wife, I'm very happy he looks at you with such affection" she laughs gracefully and Rosaria follows as if she was pleased.
" If you'd know how damn blind his eyes are, you wouldn't be laughing right now , his gaze is all for his mistress and not mine, lady. Although I'd rather he never looks at my way with warmth or else I might really make him permanently blind " Rosaria internally roll her eyes at the idea of the crown prince being complimented rather than her efforts, as she worked her ass for days and practiced while juggling her training everyday.
"I thank Mrs. Bethyll for teaching me, without your guidance, I wouldn't have such good results in my studies " Rosaria says and the older woman returned a smile for hearing such good compliment.
" I heard rumors that your last teacher in the earldom of House Ronan, forgive my words, that the Princess Rosaria lacked the few basic etiquette and had problems with following the rhythm in dancing, yet it looks to me that these rumors are false. How dare they, if they saw Princess Rosaria personally, they will never say such words" Mrs. Bethyll defends her and gotten a few smile from Rosaria.
" If you get transported to any historical settings a hundred times, there's no way you'll ever forget. " Eve mentally reply but she only showed a smile.
I could even perfectly dance with a blindfold on, that's how worse it is.
" The celebration is just a few days away, it seems there's no need to worry about your performance Princess " Mrs. Bethyll says happily, she didn't need to teach the princess when she could follow her instructions to the t. The older lady was truly enjoying her moments with Rosaria, she didn't cause her any headache during her visits.
They talked a bit longer before Mrs. Bethyll left to head back home, stating her lesson has been finished for today.
Rosaria had finally got the lady out of the room and was about to rest when a knock on her door caught her attention.
" You may enter " She said and sat on her sofa, waiting for the person outside to come in. When she saw who it is, she immediately looked at what the person was holding.
Sandra, her maid, was holding a large box and looked at the princess in confusion.
" So it arrived. " Rosaria smiled seeing what the maid had bought and the stood from her seat. She had ordered a set of clothes secretly, without the maids knowledge, she once headed out of the palace during her resting time and gone to town in a cloak.
She not only ordered an outfit but also a weapon, that's why they looked lost as one of the package was slightly heavier than it looks.
" Leave it inside my closet and leave me be, I'll be resting my eyes in my room for a while " She orders them, which they didn't hesitate to follow. They place the packages inside her large closet and left the room, the door shut softly.
Rosaria then immediately moved and opened her closet.
A smile on her lips appeared.
Eve knew this body was a bit on the weaker side, with no whatsoever training or exercise like all noble ladies are around her, she was doomed to be injured or killed even by those who wished for her suffering.
That's why she wanted to be familiar with the basics of fighting and using weapons, Eve has the knowledge and experience of a veteran soldier, high rank military official, apocalypse survivor and martial master, but her vessel only has an experience of lifting a steak knife!
That wouldn't do.
Cause when push comes to shove, she must be able to fight back to live.
Her hand opens the box with a key, the guards must've tried to check her package but they couldn't opened it. She already prepared for that and bought the key with her. The lock made a click sound and opened. When she looked at the contents' she was happy to see the long curve of two long resilient piece of wood and a cord connected in two ends. Inside the box also have several practice arrows and hunting arrows. Her custom made chest-guard, hand-knife and bracer had also been placed inside.
She takes out the bow and adjusted her hold. Rosaria ordered these and made sure it was fit for her stature and weight.
" It's perfect " she smiles and pulled the cord, it was strong and firm. She puts it back in the box and locked it. She thinks of a place to hide it and thought of a place where she could easily take it out without anyone knowing.
The stables! I used to hide my sword's in the previous world under the hays of my horses stable.
Rosaria nods to herself and closed her closet, she should request to have an imperial steed or just a normal horse, in a pretense of having a hobby of horse riding.
The next day, during breakfast with the royal family, she hinted about wanting to take a stroll with a horse. Christopher was the first to response, surprisingly, he caught on to what she was hinting them.
" A Horse. Do you have any other request? " the crown prince looked at her, and Rosaria smiled and shook her head.
" None your highness " she says.
Cristopher's eyes linger at her direction longer than he should, he didn't say anything else and just agreed to give her one in the afternoon. Rosaria thanked him politely.
Rosaria was smiling and chatting with her royal parents but no one knew how she was suspecting the man next to her, the crown prince.
What is he up to? This is the first time he had been eager to accommodate her request.
It was until the afternoon that he had finally understand what the man was planning.
Ah, so this was what he had in mind. Really, this man...
Rosaria covers her mouth and looked at two people in front of her. She was starting to show an insulting expression that she wanted to hide. Her lips were starting to twitch, she needed to calm down and not break into a laughing fit.
How cute. unfortunately, you'll never get what you want from me.
Rosaria adjusted her expression and gone over to Caroline and Christopher, who were talking to each other. There were a few attendants around and had held the reins of the horses. There were two beautiful steed in front of her, a white horse and a black stallion. The black one was surely Christopher's own imperial horse.
Caroline saw Rosaria walking towards them and looked anxious. She lower her head and greeted her, shyly looking in her direction. Rosaria smiled and let's her stand straight, her eyes then looked at the white horse that was patiently waiting for it's new master.
She heads towards it with curious eyes and the large animal didn't feel fear from the incoming stranger. Rosaria touched it's side, looking at the curious eyes, her golden gaze showed affection to the beautiful animal. Her silver hair almost matched it's white fur, as if together they make a wonderful image when standing side by side or when Rosaria rode in it's back. The sun shone warmly yet there was no sweat forming around the princess's skin. She wore a lighter garment, it fit for todays activity.
Rosaria watched the mare as it comfortably enjoyed her touch.
" Hello there love, look at me " Rosaria says in the most softest voice she could have, there's adoration in her tone. Christopher heard her words and looked at her, only to find out she was talking to her new horse.
He looked away, slightly annoyed.
Rosaria could trained her if she hadn't been taught the basics, but by the looks of how submissive she was when Rosaria touched her, it seems it wasn't needed.
" Hand me the reins " Rosaria still looked at the lovely horse, the wrangler who was in charge of the imperial horses, looked at her highness anxiously as she extended her hand and opened them to receive what she requested.
Caroline had long watched her highness and looked worried for her. Christopher, stayed quiet.
" Princess, these horse might be a mare but she is extremely unfriendly and doesn't want to be alone with anyone. It took me a month until I could ride her, she is very moody and cunning, she might throw you off her back " The man said and Rosaria smiled.
" Then it looks like we would get along with each other then. The reins, if I could have them now, that would been greatly appreciated " she said and left no room to argue and the wrangler couldn't reject her.
He handed her the reins and was about to help her to mount when she smiled and hold herself up, her hands grip the saddle and she easily kicked her dress in a curve as she seated perfectly on the saddle. The mare didn't even react violently, as if she had long expected the stranger, with her long silver hair almost the same color as her fur, was going to accompany her.
Rosaria wore a mint green dress with lighter fabrics, so if feel on the back of the horse with a soft touch. Rosaria then brush her hair and flips them to her back, making sure none of her strands were in her shoulder.
" She's a good girl " Rosaria says and touched the side of the mare's neck and smiled. " Does she have a name? " She asked the wrangler, who had his mouth wide opened.
A few mansion workers had watched their royal couple and the hidden mistress, standing outside the building with two horses and two other men, they could be seen and recognized even in a distance with their distinctive hair colors. Seeing their princess handle her first mount like a veteran soldier, everyone became struck with awe.
The wrangler who was in-charge with Rosaria's horse, snapped out of his daze when he realized he was asked a question.
" We have not named her, your highness. She was given to you by the crown prince, you have the right to name her " He lower his head and proceeds to move away seeing how the mare was eager to show her strength and speed to her new master. Rosaria held the reins and made the excited mare to stay still, she immediately behaved and was swishing her tail to make other strangers move away from her new owner. Especially the two yellow turds next to her fellow horse, the stallion.
The two yellow turds, moved and Christopher held Caroline's shoulder to keep her away from the tail.
" Well, a name.... Let's see " She wanted to call her Alex but it didn't fit her. Alexander, if he was a horse, he would be like a black stallion, proud and aggressive. Only tame to it's chosen owner.
Rosaria looked at the stallion behind her and saw how it was calm but it clearly hates the presence of another person next to the crown prince, it's definitely not fully tamed. She looks down to her horse and looked at it's fur.
She thinks for a name and decided to be uncreative.
" Minerva, I'll name you Minerva " The name of the goddess of war and wisdom. This world doesn't have the same history as her previous world, so they will never know the meaning of such name.
Eve will have to place her trust in her new companion in the future.
She heard a sound that escaped from the crown prince, Rosaria looked at at him and saw how he had settle down on his saddle. The stallion moved uncomfortably, but stayed in it's placed, it breathe through it's nose as if snorting.
" Is lady Caroline going to join us? " Rosaria asked seeing how he was going to take her hand and lift her up to his front.
Christopher, glances at her way and then look at his struggling lover who seems to not understand where to place her foot.
" Forgive me, my dear. Lady Caroline wanted to ride along with you, but it seems she couldn't ride a horse alone, I couldn't leave the lady out " He says and Rosaria looked at him with a knowing smile before she looks in front of her.
You think I'm jealous? Keep on dreaming, the woman you vowed your life in front of the altar is long gone.
" What are you asking for forgiveness for, your highness? I was about to tell you to assist the lady carefully. Take it slow dear, I wouldn't want for her to get hurt. "
Rosaria chuckles amusedly seeing his confused expression.
Rosaria the noticed her hair was getting in the way of her face, she then takes out her hair tie and collected her hair, wrapping her silver locks around her fingers, forming a high ponytail. She grabs her hair tie and locks it around her silver strands and secured it tightly. The wind blew strong in the afternoon and the tree branches near the area made a sound as they sway.
Her long hair shined and sway along the wind. Rosaria's figure had been painted with the shade of the afternoon sun and her turn her head to greet the passing breeze, where Christopher could see her eyes glowed like the color of the amber sky basked in the sunlight.
Rosaria didn't look behind and no look as if she wonder if Christopher was holding Caroline's waist. She didn't turn her gaze and look jealously to his secret lover, his wife never spare him another glance as she turn her horse and rode away without a care.
Christopher looked at her disappearing figure as she heads straight to the forest, her silver hair waving as if temping and asking for him to follow.
" Are you settled? " His eye didn't leave his wife's figure that was still seen as it rushed away.
" My prince? " Caroline calls out to him but before she could answer his question, she yelps as he started move his horse. Caroline wasn't comfortable with the sudden movements and called to him again, but Christopher hushed her. She couldn't say anymore and frown.
Rosaria spent her afternoon together with Minerva, her mare. They shared a wonderful moments riding through the forest and jumping over fallen tree trucks, she was fast and smart. Rosaria didn't care if the two followed her, she could let them eat her dust and quickly disappear to the open field just outside the palace. The knights guarding the gate didn't even need to ask for her identification and opened the gates, she let's the mare showed her speed and the challenge wasn't rejected. Her green dress fluttered behind and her heels on the stirrup.
The field was empty but a few trees and bushes were around, a few mountains and valleys could be seen in the distance and the mare choose to race a few more kilometers. She exited the back of the palace, which had long and wide forest area, mountain ranges and plains facing east. The large body of land was fit to trained horses.
Rosaria had looked back and saw how the castle and houses had looked so small from the distance, even if the two followed her, they must have lost her tracks. She didn't want to check their location, they can have a good time treating todays activity as their date.
Rosaria let's Minerva runs a few more distance and then let her run freely. She check's her mini-map and the blank area that was once dark and charted was now showing the terrain around her. She had unlocked this area of the map, she closed the map and watched Minerva as she enters a dense forest just below the foot of a mountain.
Rosaria let's her freely wander, she did see from her map a stream up ahead and though her companion would want to drink. She didn't want to deprived her of water, Rosaria was also slightly thirsty from the ride.
The branches crackled and the leaves rustle from the wind, the breeze felt hot and the sun was unforgiving. There was no sign of clouds in the sky, thankfully the forest shaded her from the heat and cooling her from the heat under the sun.
Minerva finally found the water source she was looking for from the looks on how she was galloping happily. They saw the stream, Rosaria kicks away her heels and unmounted the horse. Her bare feet landed in the grassy ground, she then looks around and saw in her map no signs of life around especially people.
" Finally " some alone time outside the palace.
Rosaria wander's around just near the stream and found the place to be perfect for her archery practice. No one was around to keep her distracted, the forest was filled with sturdy trees and there was a spring water coming down from the mountain.
She sits down and let Minerva drink to her hearts content. Rosaria checks the time and saw she had an hour before the sky started to darkness. She unties her hair and let her silver hair lay to the clean ground.
" This is a perfect spot for tomorrow's training, away from the annoying royals and gossiping palace workers"
honestly, how could Rosaria lived in a place like that?
She leans her back in a soft mossy roots, she looks at the peaking sky covered by the forest leaves and branches. Minerva settles close to her and watches her, as if she was listening to her words.
Rosaria sits up and looks at Minerva, she laughs when she remember the crown prince's words had tickled her.
What a joke.
" He acted so innocently while his mistress was next to him, like I didn't know about his little affair. " Minerva replied with a short tap on her front hove, this urge for her owner to rant her bottled up emotions. No one was around to hear her dissing the idiot narcissistic crown prince and his dumb blonde mistress.
" The kingdom's founding celebration is just days away. Everyone basically knew about this scandal, people will pick on me. Although I'm no longer acting like how a princess should, I still need to keep a smile and act blind about this. Right now, even if I'm part of the royal family, I'm still just a daughter of an earl, I don't have a fraction and I'm pretty sure everyone is waiting for me to announce I'm with a child. " She massages in her temple and think for how her plan of leaving the palace could succeed.
" I might not succeed in this plan of mine, but there's no other choice " she sighs tiredly and her companion only looked at her, the mare blink.
" you know, if I could have arrived here the moment the wedding vows were being exchange, I would have stop the priest and ran away from the church, with this body, I could probably run a few distance and still be captured but that's better than sealing the deal in a holy church, with the royal family as a witness and a the documents signed. " she leans her back on the mossy grown and closed her eyes, Eve was never this chatty but her mood would sour whenever she was sent to such world settings. It's never fun for a person who lived in a modern era to be stuck on a place where they would be deprived from human rights and technology.
She looks at Minerva and the horse had long ignored her and started to nap.
" Good talk " pats her head, Eve was starting to worry about herself now she had realized she just started a conversation with a horse.
I'm going crazy, this is why historical settlings reduce my braincells.
She covers her face and made a frustrated sound before removing one hands and closed her eyes, Eve had now decided to take a short nap. Rebooting herself through a nap she would let her be back to her usual self when she wakes up.
" Minerva, I'll take a nap, don't go wandering far away " Rosaria says as if the horse understood.
She just needs thirty minutes to an hour tops to reboot her own self.
It didn't take her a minute to be in a state of deep slumber, the calming sound of the inhibited forest had made her drowsy immediately. The heat was unbearable under the sun but the sleeping beneath the trees in a forest cooled her down and made it easier for her to loose consciousness.
Minerva enjoyed the afternoon nap next to her owner, she had laid her head down and was contented with their rest. They stayed still for a few minutes until the mare's ear perk up and she lifts her head, she looked at a direction where she heard careful footsteps was from. She saw an incoming figure, suspicious of him, she stood on her hooves and slowly made her way towards the stranger.
The man wore dark clothes that covered his skin to his neck, dark boots and pants, he removed his cigar from his lips and crushed it under his boots, he takes off his long coat that should have made him sweat under the heat of the sun yet he his skin didn't glisten from any sweat.
The mare wait patiently and was curious what he would do next. He touched the horse's white head carefully and Minerva felt no danger from him.
The mare approves of his presence and returns to her sleeping owner to lay down with her. Unknown to the sleeping figure, the man had found her and looked at her sleeping face.
He silently blew the last smoke from his lips and found himself a place to rest, he sat under the tree next to the one the woman was sleeping. He then quietly removes his sword to lay it down next to his side and watched the forest carefully across him, guarding the silver haired lady that was oblivious to the incoming soldiers that had entered the kingdom's land.
During the battle for weeks, the soldiers from Harthemr empire had felt the change of their body and it resulted to a few sick soldiers. The situation was confusing on their side but they continued, thinking it was because of the heat of the high temperature from the sun, which made more of their soldier drink more water to hydrated themselves and keep them from fainting or resulting in a stroke.
The front line was strong on their side, until it wasn't.
As if a cursed was placed in the troops, they vomited and had severe cases of stomachache. The pain had made them unable to properly fight and defend.
A few of their military officials didn't have this kinds of symptoms, including their captain. Which made them question the origin of such phenomenon, they only had one answer to such strange events.
" Captain, there seems to be some kind of sorcery happening in this area, our men suddenly have been fighting some kind of inner demons " one Harthemr soldier spoke in their language and reported to the main base that was located near their own kingdom, it would have taken this man ten days by horse from the frontline. The general had been in a bad mood ever since he had receive the same report from another one of their base.
Judging by the time this Harthemr soldier got here, a few more soldiers might have fallen from the unknown sorcery or sickness and their own defenses in the front lines had weaken.
Their captain stood from his seat, his desk messy from letters coming from the palace and news about the battle from different bases.
The soldier in front of him was frightened as he saw the taller man with a cold expression painted in his face, sharp eyes felt like his gaze could cut down anyone from it's sight. The soldier guessed the other base must have come to the same situations as his own.
" Bring me to the southern border camp " The rest of the soldiers had become silent, their situation had become chilly, the man had cause their fear to surface on their faces.
" Take 25 doctors to each base, we cannot falter this very minute when we're this close to killing the royals of Rosemond! "
Seething in anger and years of hatred, the captain pushes the entrance cover and walks out with the rest of his knights. Everyone heard his commands and few knights arrived to his side along with their best horses.
" We cannot fail him, send a message to his highness and make sure re-enforcements are ready for our signals "
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
VeronicaJade
VeronicaJade Word count: 4,334
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I will re-edit and probably polish this chapter later if I'm not too busy~
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