My Ruin to You - Chapter 198

“Please put in a good word with the Commander for him. I was the one who talked back.”

“I know. The Commander likely heard it as well.”

It seemed they had been observing the situation longer than she thought.

“I see.”

“Young Lady, you are a volunteer assisting the front lines, not a knight bound by military command. While some discipline is necessary, there’s no reason to obey orders that cross the line. You did well.”

His words held a mix of concern and reproach, as if to say, ‘You stand up to His Highness so stubbornly, so why are you taking this from Mür?’

Now that she thought about it, Merrick’s expression was sterner than usual. Roseline thought of Malsen, for whom she felt a great deal of affection. Perhaps Merrick felt the same way about her.

“Shall we go? His Highness is waiting.”

Merrick stepped forward as if to guide her. Roseline blinked with a conflicted expression, recalling Valen’s parting words. So that’s what he meant. Come to think of it, it was impressive how Merrick had grasped his meaning from just those words.

“I’m sorry, but I need to get back inside.”

“Sigh, Young Lady.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Do you not know how much His Highness cherishes you?”

“Yes.”

Merrick’s eyebrows twitched. As his lips moved, seemingly wanting to scold her, Roseline quickly said, “I’ll see you next time,” and stepped into the healing tent. She could hear him calling from behind but pretended not to hear, quickening her pace.

Inside, Malsen was sitting dazedly in a corner chair, her eyes rolling around before fixing on Roseline. Worry, anxiety, self-blame—emotions unsuited to Malsen flickered across her face. Roseline quietly sat down beside her.

Should she ask if she was okay? Should she reassure her that things would get better now that Mür had been summoned by the Commander?

Should she encourage her to stand up for herself like the lady she was? She had many things she wanted to say, but as had become the norm lately, she simply kept her quiet vigil in the seat beside her.

Thank you. The small voice, mixed with the busy noises, felt heavy. Roseline patted the back of Malsen’s hand. Malsen flinched and looked at her.

“…The mood seemed to allow it, so I just did.”

Roseline smiled awkwardly and withdrew her hand. Malsen fiddled with the back of her hand where the warmth had been, the corners of her mouth lifting faintly.

“Don’t bear it alone. You’ll get sick.”

There was no verbal reply. Roseline glanced briefly at Malsen, who was fidgeting with her hands, then swallowed a sigh as she looked at the busy scene in the healing tent.

Honestly, stepping in earlier was impulsive, but I was still surprised he actually raised his hand. I had prepared myself to take the hit. Just as Merrick said, since Roseline was neither a formal knight nor a soldier, that violence—mere venting, not education or anything legitimate—would become grounds for disciplinary action.

There was no telling how much the professor and the commander would believe her, or what punishment they would give Mür, but at least the matter was concluded without major commotion, which was good.

As much as she hated to admit it, it was thanks to Valen, who had stepped in at the right moment and calmly resolved the situation. However, feeling indebted to him wasn’t entirely pleasant, so Roseline comforted herself by crediting her own efforts in stopping him and tried hard to push thoughts of Valen away.

“My lady, could you spare a moment?”

It was just when she was thinking she couldn’t just sit there staring into space like a rag doll forever and needed to find something to do. A soldier on guard duty at the healing tent called for her with a tense expression.

“What is it?”

“It’s urgent. Please.”

Roseline followed the soldier without suspicion. Since she and Malsen were the only idle ones in the busy healing tent, she assumed a situation requiring her magic had arisen. But the soldier led her not to where patients were, but to the storage shed behind the healing tent.

“I have brought the young lady, Your Highness.”

The soldier bowed deeply before leaving the storage shed. His retreating expression was a mix of pride at having completed his mission and relief. Roseline, standing stiffly, scanned Valen, who stood before her, with a thoroughly bewildered gaze.

“…What are you doing right now?”

“You wouldn’t come, so I came to you. Why?”

He slowly rose from where he had been perched on a stack of trunks.

“Where’s my reward?”

“Pardon?”

“A reward. You endured it well, didn’t you?”

“…What?”

“How, and in what way, am I supposed to endure more, when the man who raised his hand to you is still walking around perfectly fine on his own two feet?”

In the shadowy interior of the shed, sunlight streaming through the slanted gap in the entrance traced his steps across the floor. Finding Valen’s stubbornness utterly absurd, Roseline snorted and turned to leave.

“Don’t go.”

Valen closed the distance in a few strides and caught Roseline’s arm.
“If you leave like this, I can’t do anything.”