Chapter 09
The maid stared alternately at the bottle in her hand and at Roshanne with a look of utter bewilderment.
The atmosphere had suddenly shifted, making it seem as if she’d be deemed an incompetent maid if she didn’t open the bottle cap right then and there.
Sensing something was off, the maid gripped the cap and applied force to twist it open.
‘Huh?’
She was skilled in all sorts of tasks and prided herself on her grip strength. But something felt strange.
‘Why won’t it open?’
Even with all her might, the bottle cap wouldn’t budge. The maid’s face flushed bright red as she poured every ounce of strength into her fingers. Her hands trembled violently, yet the cap refused to turn.
“…Is it that hard?”
Roshanne gazed at the maid with a pitying expression. Somehow, that look felt subtly mocking, igniting the maid’s competitive fire.
“No, of course not!”
After all, Roshanne had opened it once before and then closed it again.
How tightly could that skinny wrist have sealed the cap, anyway?
The maid twisted her whole body backward, throwing her full weight into it. But the cap stayed firmly in place.
Sensing the situation, the other maids quietly gathered around and joined the effort, yet the bottle cap remained unyielding.
“The bread’s going to get cold. Just give it here.”
After waiting for what felt like ages, Roshanne let out a sigh and beckoned with her palm.
Though she’d meant to humiliate them, the maid oddly felt humiliated herself as she handed the bottle over to Roshanne.
“These jam jars…”
The maid flinched at Roshanne’s murmur.
She was clearly referring to the jam jar in hand, but it eerily sounded like a curse.
And then…
Pop!
“Why make such a fuss and let the bread go cold over something so simple? I should’ve just opened it myself from the start.”
The cap, which hadn’t budged despite several people piling on, popped open with a light, cheerful sound as if it were nothing.
“…!!”
“You all should work on building up your strength first. How do you manage your duties with such weak grips?”
Roshanne spoke with genuine concern as she spread the jam on the bread with a knife and took a delicious bite.
In truth, Roshanne was perfectly content even if the bread wasn’t hot.
Expecting gourmet meals on the battlefield was a luxury.
Up until now, her diet had consisted of dirt-crusted dried horse meat, or soups thrown together with whatever was at hand, or scrawny dried fish—that was all.
Roshanne slathered on the jam thickly and neatly devoured the entire slice of bread before rising from her seat.
“The bread’s tasty even when cold. Thanks for your hard work.”
“…!”
The maids, startled, hastily bowed their heads.
It was obvious that cold bread couldn’t possibly taste good. And since they’d brought it that way, they certainly didn’t deserve praise for their efforts.
So, those words must have been a rebuke, implying, “Did you serve me cold bread on purpose?”
The Roshanne before them now felt distinctly different in atmosphere from the quiet one they’d known until then.
“I’m full, so I think I’ll go for a walk. You can handle the cleanup, right?”
Roshanne asked, looking at the maids with half-lidded eyes.
The warm weather and full belly made her feel as if someone had sprinkled sleeping powder over her—drowsiness crept in gently.
“Yes, yes!”
But to the maids, her gaze was different. Her relaxed expression made her face seem colder than usual, as if she were asking, “You brought cold bread and couldn’t even open a jar properly—surely you can at least clean this up?”
“We’ll take care of it, miss.”
The maids bowed their heads. Roshanne tilted her head curiously at their responses, which were strangely more amiable than before, and stepped out of the greenhouse.
The beautifully manicured estate garden was a delight to stroll through in person.
When Roshanne had first declared she’d walk the garden, everyone had nearly fainted, insisting she take a carriage.
The garden was far too vast for walking, they said—it would be a waste of time.
But Roshanne wandered a little bit of it each day. Why bother creating such beauty if every visitor arrived by carriage, and even the duke himself rode around in one? Who was supposed to appreciate it, then?
‘Walking like this bit by bit will improve my stamina, too.’
With her hands clasped behind her back, Roshanne strolled through the lovely garden that the gardeners had so meticulously tended.
Just then, a faint fluttering sound came from beneath a large tree.
It was so subtle that no one else would have heard it, but Roshanne caught it clearly.
She headed toward the tree where the faint wingbeats originated.
“…Oh dear.”
Beneath the tree, a tiny fledgling bird, not yet able to fly, was thrashing about in a desperate bid to survive.
Roshanne crouched down in front of the baby bird and looked up. High above, midway up the towering tree, a nest was visible.
The mother bird was darting frantically around the nest, searching for her chick.
“You fell out of the nest, didn’t you?”
Roshanne gently placed the little bird in her right palm. It had fallen from a great height, but fortunately, it didn’t seem injured.
“Good timing—I’m full and could use some digestion anyway.”
Roshanne lightly tapped her legs a few times.
Then, she stepped back slightly and carefully confirmed exactly where she would climb.
“I’ll take you back up. Don’t be startled.”
Having loosened her legs with a quick stretch, Roshanne dashed forward.
She planted her foot on the tree trunk and leaped high upward in one fluid motion.
Her light body soared effortlessly, and she grabbed a branch with her left hand.
Then, she hopped onto the branch and jumped even higher once more.
Though her strength and agility remained unchanged, her defenses against external impacts were weak, so she had to carefully control her movements to avoid injuring herself.
Fortunately, while her palm got a slight scrape, bringing an unfamiliar twinge of pain, she wasn’t seriously hurt.
After a few more climbs, she quickly reached the bird’s nest.
“Here you go.”
Roshanne gently placed the baby bird, which she had carried so calmly in her right palm, back into the nest with utmost care.
The chick, brought up without the slightest jolt, let out loud, insistent peeps from inside the nest.
Perhaps hearing its cries, the mother bird, who had been darting rapidly around the area, returned to the nest.
“Don’t worry. It’s safe.”
After speaking lightly to the mother bird, Roshanne nimbly maneuvered her body and descended back down.
The birds would be on alert if a person lingered nearby.
As she gradually made her way lower, Roshanne suddenly paused on a sturdy branch about midway up and gazed out at the view.
“…It’s beautiful.”
The scenery seen from high in the tree was truly mesmerizing, impossible to tear her eyes away from.
“…The land I protected.”
All this beauty had been safeguarded by Roshanne’s own hands.
Her chest ached with a heavy, muffled emotion.
Was it because the land she had traded everything to protect was so profoundly beautiful?
Or because she was only now seeing the exquisite land she had defended?
Or because she felt grateful that she could see it at last, even if belatedly?
She couldn’t pinpoint the reason, but Roshanne’s breaths trembled as she exhaled, stirred by this strange feeling.
Her vision shimmered, then soon grew hazy.
“No one… is looking for me.”
Even if she stood here like this for hours on end, there was no chance of being forcibly summoned away.
Savoring the pure happiness of it, Roshanne spread her arms wide.
The incoming breeze carried fresh, vibrant scents that danced along with it.
Even though she was wide open and vulnerable like this, there was no need to stay on guard, and no one would come to attack her.
It felt just like she had become the freely soaring bird she had rescued moments ago, filling her with delight.
That’s when it happened.
“…Miss! Come down!”
“Miss! How on earth did you get up there? Hurry and come down!”
Anxious calls echoed urgently from far below.
Roshanne lowered her widely outstretched arms and directed her gaze downward.
There, though she didn’t know how long they’d been there, she saw the maids staring up at the tall tree she had climbed, their faces drained of color in sheer horror.
“Even if no one’s searching for you, miss, this isn’t the way!”
“Miss! It’s dangerous!”
What nonsense is this? They must have too much time on their hands.
Roshanne leaned her upper body downward and waved her hand dismissively, as if irritated.
“Don’t bother me—go do your own work, all of you.”
“Eek! Miss! Don’t move!”
“What? You just told me to come down, and now don’t move?”
“Come down! No! Don’t move!”
The maids gasped in alarm from beneath the tree, pleading desperately with Roshanne.
‘…Why are they acting like that?’
There had to be some misunderstanding.
The people below shouted conflicting commands.
Come down, or stay still.
By now, Roshanne was utterly confused, unable to figure out what exactly they wanted from her.
Thinking she might as well descend, she stretched one foot out into the air—and pandemonium broke loose all at once.
“Ahh!”
“Eeeeek!! Miss!!”
Screams erupted from everywhere.
Feeling awkward, Roshanne had no choice but to pull back and return to her original stance.
In the midst of this, even more people began gathering under the tree.
Some fetched large blankets, spreading them wide and holding them aloft.
Eventually, a few servants even attempted to climb the tree, only to fail miserably and tumble down.
‘No way…’
Roshanne bit her lip lightly, her confused eyes darting around.
She realized something was amiss only after watching everyone who tried to climb fail so pathetically.
‘Can ordinary people not climb up here…?’
A cold sweat trickled down her spine.
When her seal had been released, the people Roshanne had spent time with were all brave knights who fought alongside her on the battlefield.
Though not heroes like her, they were strong too, and scaling a tree like this was nothing to them.
‘If they can’t even climb a tree… where do these people hide when someone’s chasing them? When pursued by wolf beasts or enemies… where do they… launch ambushes from?’
Of course, ordinary people had no occasions to be chased or to ambush anyone.
“Roshanne!”
Duke Railaten, who had rushed over after receiving a report, was utterly aghast.
He loudly commanded his personal guard knight to rescue Roshanne safely.
Only after the duke’s own escort knight sprang into action could Roshanne finally descend safely from the tree.
“Roshanne! What is this! What on earth!”
As soon as Roshanne came down from the tree, the servants let out sighs of relief, clutching their chests, while the duke exploded in fury.
“Just because I issued a minor confinement order! You dare pull a stunt like this?!”
“Duke. Hear me out first.”
“Were you trying to get yourself killed?! Huh?!”
Roshanne tilted her head as she looked at the duke.
‘Why is he so angry?’
