One of the knights glanced suspiciously in the direction Viola had run off toward. Lustian worried that he had perhaps seen her.
“This scent…” the knight frowned. “Did someone break a Judith flower? It’s suspicious that the scent is so strong in that direction.”
The Judith flower symbolized the woman from the legend, a central figure to the Arpen Empire. They bloomed all year round near the lake and it was forbidden to step on or damage them. Even if one were to step on one by accident, that act could still result in severe punishment. Hence, not even most of the royal family dared to walk in the vicinity of the Lake of God.
“Don’t worry about it,” Lustian said firmly. “There was no one.”
♛
After a while, Viola returned to her room, still sporting a coat from a man whose name she did not even know. She took off the robe and was going to head to the bathroom when she saw Rosha coming out of her room rubbing her eyes. The younger girl was startled at the sight of Viola’s drenched appearance.
“Where are you coming back from so late?” she asked. “Ah… did you fall in some water?”
“Yes,” Viola nodded.
“Oh no, your face is a mess. What if you catch a cold from walking around at night all wet like this…?”
Rosha hurried into the bathroom and drew warm water into the bathtub. One positive aspect to the Imperial Palace was that it was connected to a hot spring, so each building was able to access hot water at any time. The tension in Viola’s body completely subsided when she soaked her shivering body in the tub’s soothing waters.
“Do you think anyone might have seen your natural face?” Rosha asked anxiously.
“No,” Viola replied.
“Phew, that’s a relief. Can’t get caught with all that effort it takes to camouflage you, can we?”
“That’s right…”
Rosha turned around to tidy up the dirty clothes that Viola had just removed. The blue-eyed princess leaned her head against the bathtub and thought of the head knight’s face.
The image of him floating alone on the lake… She could still remember how the moon seemed to cast its rays only upon him amidst all the darkness. Viola found she could not stop thinking of him no matter how hard she tried to close her eyes and will herself to focus on something else.
‘Should I have at least asked for his name?’
Viola jumped in surprise at her own thoughts. Why on earth was she so interested in this strange knight all of a sudden? A second later, she heard Rosha’s startled voice yell from the living room.
“Princess, whose coat is this?! It’s a gentleman’s coat!”
Viola finished her bath and wrapped herself in a robe before coming out to meet Rosha who looked at her with wide, doe-like eyes. In her hands, she fearfully held the coat in question.
She tried to dismiss her attendant’s concerns, “It’s nothing.”
“You came back wearing a strange gentleman’s coat,” Rosha looked even more astounded at Viola’s nonchalant attitude. “What do you mean it’s nothing?”
“It’s just a random coat I picked up to help cover myself while I was out.”
“Huh?” Rosha pointed to the fabric. “Look here! The owner is definitely not just any usual, high-ranking noble… What if he comes looking for it?”
“That won’t happen.”
Now that she was able to get a better look at the garment in brighter lighting, Viola could see it was indeed woven from high-quality material. She knew that this kind of cloth was imported from faraway continents across the sea. This single coat would have cost the equivalent of an average noble’s monthly living expenses.
Slightly embarrassed and unsure of what else to say, Viola grabbed a nearby blanket and wrapped herself in it all the way to her face.
“Hoo… Okay,” Rosha sighed in defeat. “Go get some rest, Your Highness, but remember to always be careful. Your safety is most important to me, and it’s not just because I want to uphold my promise to my aunt.”
♛
Viola felt as if she had just lay down and suddenly it was morning again. As she pulled herself out of bed, she grabbed her throbbing head. She didn’t have any time to wonder why it was aching since she had to quickly get herself ready for her morning classes.
Rosha entered Viola’s room to help her prepare for the day, but her expression was etched deep with concern. She was still anxious over the events of last night.
“I just fell in,” Viola began, continuing their conversation from yesterday. “I’m saying this because I don’t want you to worry. I couldn’t sleep, so I went for a walk in the garden. There was a pond in my path that I didn’t see because of the darkness.”
The attendant still looked a bit wary, but she seemed overall satisfied with Viola’s account.
“Ah, that’s what happened?” Rosha sighed. “If that’s the case, then I’m glad.”
“Yes,” Viola nodded.
She didn’t want to worry the poor girl even more than she already did, so she figured it was better to conceal the fact that she had sneaked out of the villa last night.
“By the way,” Rosha added, “I hid the coat. We don’t want there to be a misunderstanding in case someone comes to inspect our chambers.”
Viola nodded in agreement.
Rosha’s hands then quickly went to work changing Viola’s skin tone from ivory to a dull yellow. The color was drab enough to earn a furrow of the brow from curious onlookers rather than their goodwill. There was nobody in the palace uglier than Viola at the moment. Even her hair was dyed a plain, unappealing shade of brown. Additionally, Rosha pressed Viola’s chest down so tightly, her front became almost indistinguishable from her slender backside.