"I'm sorry about what happened."

Conrart stared at Rozalia. She sat in her bed, looking absently out the window. He could see sadness in her eyes. He hated himself for it. She had been kidnapped. She had fallen off a horse and her left leg broke. It was heavily bandaged. Conrart was supposed to meet her. He wasn't there. He didn't save her. He hated himself.

"Gwendal came for me," she replied tonelessly, not once looking at him. "It's fine."

"It isn't fine," Conrart insisted. "They could have killed you."

"They only wanted money."

"I should have been there," Conrart said. "I could have lost you."

Rozalia didn't answer for the longest time. Her long silence made Conrart nervous. She had been getting more and more like this.

"You were with Julia again, weren't you?" she asked emptily as Conrart stared in shock. "That's why you forgot you were supposed to meet me. And if you heard that it was Julia who was in danger, you'd leave me and go after her even though you know I'll get hurt." He watched a tear fall from her eye.

"I won't!" Conrart argued. "I won't leave you for her."

"Liar."

"Rozalia…"

"I know you, Conrart," Rozalia said sadly. "You would absolutely leave. You love her."

"That's not true!" he protested. "You know I love you. Rozalia-ʺ

"Are you still insisting on that?" she interrupted.

Conrart stared at her. She still refused to look at him. "You're angry at me."

"I'm not angry," she argued. "I just want you to be honest."

"Rozalia, I-ʺ

"Would you mind leaving?" Rozalia asked as Conrart stared at her, horrified. "I don't want to talk to you right now."

Conrart jolted awake. He sighed and sat up. He looked at the bright daylight outside and put his face in his hands.

"Good morning."

Rozalia turned and found Gwendal walking toward her. She had walked to breakfast and found that nobody was there. She stood by the window and waited for them to arrive.

"Good morning, Gwendal," Rozalia smiled as he came to stand by her.

"Where is everyone?"

"It seems that they've overslept," she answered.

Gwendal snorted in response. They looked out the window together.

"Do you remember the day those bandits kidnapped me and it was you who saved me?" she asked suddenly.

"Yes."

"Afterwards you told me that I shouldn't wait for Conrart," Rozalia continued. "That it would be pointless to do so and it would only bring me pain. Do you remember?"

"Yes, I remember," Gwendal replied.

"I am sorry I never took your advice, Gwendal," Rozalia smiled sadly, watching a troupe of soldiers on their horses.

"That was a long time ago," Gwendal responded. "We both know that circumstances have changed. It might be more prudent to wait and not make hasty decisions."

"Are you suggesting the opposite of your previous advice?"

"One must be flexible," Gwendal answered.

Rozalia chuckled. "I certainly didn't expect that answer from you."

Gwendal snorted yet again. "Conrart loves you," he told her.

"I know he did," Rozalia answered.

"He still does."

Rozalia paused for a moment as she mulled it over. "I have trouble believing that."

"Just because he loved Julia doesn't mean he didn't love you, Rozalia," Gwendal pointed out.

"He loved her considerably more," Rozalia closed her eyes. "I will not stand being a consolation prize. Not after everything we've been through together."

"Conrart never thought of you as a consolation prize," Gwendal told her. "He loved Julia with the knowledge he couldn't have her. He felt his faults against you, knew the pain he caused you."

"What was I supposed to do?"

"He needed you then," Gwendal lectured, "and you left him because of your pride. Don't you think that if you had loved him unconditionally, you would have stayed no matter what?"

Rozalia was hurt by the accusation. She was hurt even more with the knowledge that Gwendal was right. She had left Conrart with his choices, left him to face it alone to save her face, her pride. She never admitted it but she felt angry, felt betrayed, and she left him. Though she said she would wait, she felt victimized and she resented it.

"You resented that he didn't choose you," Gwendal revealed. "Answer me this, did you really love him or was it only convenient for you to say that you did?"

"I did love him," Rozalia insisted and then sighed, "but not in the way I should have. You're right, Gwendal. This is my fault."

"You both have faults enough," Gwendal pointed out. "The time and the situation were against you." Gwendal glanced over at her. She looked morose and a tinge guilty. "He missed you. He wanted you back but because he couldn't manage to give up Julia altogether, he was sure you'd never have him."

"You must think I'm terrible," Rozalia whispered. "I let him shoulder the blame. I can't forgive myself for that. He'd be better off forgetting me."

"Is that what you want?" Gwendal asked. "I advised you not to wait, not to expect too much. I never suggested that you should leave him to face the burden of the situation alone."

"I don't know what to do anymore," Rozalia confessed. "I never should have come back here."

"Your brother brought you to me to try to make you see how utterly ridiculous your choice to suddenly marry was," Gwendal told him. "It's a coward's move. You must know that. Why are you taking the easy way out?"

"You think it's easy for me to marry someone I cannot possibly love?"

"Then why are you doing it?"

"I want to bury the past, Gwendal," she confessed. "I don't want to think about it anymore. It's over. It's useless dredging up the past."

"If you insist on doing this," Gwendal said, "I find it's pointless to say anything else. You're every bit as frustratingly stubborn as Conrart."

"I suppose I am."

"Why do you both insist on hurting yourselves?" he asked. "Such foolishness is hardly believable."

"Good morning!!"

Gwendal and Rozalia turned and found Yuri walking into the room. He was followed by Wolfram and Greta. Greta immediately ran to Rozalia's side. Gwendal watched her, disappointed. He wouldn't say it, but he was infuriated by Conrart and Rozalia. Stubborn idiots, the both of them, he thought, don't know what's good for them. Why must they insist on being miserable?

Conrart sat staring out the window. The whole castle, it seemed, was busy that morning. Gunter had Yuri shut up, forcing him to study and would not tolerate any distractions. Wolfram was out on patrol. Anissina took Greta to town to buy dresses. Gwendal had locked his office door, successfully preventing anyone from entering. And Rozalia…

He looked over at her. She was concentrated in the book she was reading. They were in the library. Yuri slyly suggested and then insisted that, because everyone was busy, Conrart should keep her company. What else could he do? Everyone else was off doing something. Rozalia didn't look at him, hardly spoke at all. Conrart disliked this. He frowned and looked out the window again.

"It's a beautiful day," he commented.

"Yes."

He looked over at her. She still was absorbed in her book. "Shall we take a walk outside?" he asked.

Rozalia looked up at him, debating. She watched his sincerely smiling face. She couldn't remember how often he had baited her with that sunny smile of his. It was impossible to refuse that charming smile. Rozalia frowned. Why does he have to smile at her like that? She snapped her book shut.

"I think a walk would be nice," Rozalia smiled back.

A light breeze was blowing through the garden. It was a pleasant day, Rozalia admitted to herself. She and Conrart walked side by side. There was a distance between them. Despite that, both of them walked in good spirits.

"Do you remember when we were children?" Conrart suddenly asked. "We used to run around here every day."

Rozalia chuckled. "I remember tripping and then listening to you laugh at me," she agreed. "You called me a klutz for days."

"I remember you calling me a toad because I laughed," Conrart laughed. "I was so upset."

Rozalia laughed with him. Something caught her eye and she walked a distance away from Conrart. She walked up to a tree and stared at it, a nostalgic smile on her face. Conrart walked next her, staring at the tree himself.

"We had some good memories under this tree," Conrart said, reaching out and touching the bark with his hand.

"I never thought it'd still be here," Rozalia said.

"Oh, I think this old tree will always be here," Conrart smiled at her.

Then a playful smile crept on Rozalia's face. "Let's climb up it," she suggested, "for old time's sake."

"But you're wearing a dress."

"That's never stopped me before," she grinned slyly and began scaling the tree.

Conrart watched her curiously as she climbed deftly up the tree. She used to complain tirelessly when they were younger and Conrart insisted on climbing up the tree. She nagged endlessly that she was wearing a dress and that she had already torn some, yielding to his ridiculous tree climbing excursions. Now this grown woman, this respected and well liked lady was climbing up the tree in her full gown, her face alight with mischief. Conrart hasn't seen that expression on her face in a long, long while.

Rozalia looked back down at him. "Are you coming or what?" she questioned.

"Uh…"

"Don't tell me you're scared, Captain," Rozalia laughed and continued up the tree without him. "Come on. Who knows when we'd get to do this again?"

Conrart chuckled at the childishness of it all. "Alright, but this was your idea," he said, beginning to scale the tree himself. "Don't complain when you tear your dress."

"Are you insulting my tree climbing prowess, good sir?" Rozalia joked.

"I would never presume to insult your prowess, madam," Conrart responded lightly. "I am merely protecting myself from your anger."

"How dare you suggest that I get angry?" she laughed. "A lady never allows herself to be angry."

"Oh, of course," Conrart agreed. "You must forgive my oversight."

"I will only if you admit something," Rozalia announced, sitting and arranging herself on a strong branch.

"What is it?" Conrart asked, taking a seat beside her on the branch.

"You have to officially declare that I'm better at climbing trees than you are," she grinned.

Conrart laughed. "Alright, I concede to your superior skills," he said.

"I forgot how beautiful the view is from up here," Rozalia sighed, looking out to the town with a content smile.

"Is it worth ripping those dresses for?"

Rozalia chuckled. "I think so sometimes."

"You know, I can't count how many times we've sat up here," Conrart sighed.

"You used to get me in so much trouble when we missed dinner because we're up here."

"You know those sunsets from up here were to die for," Conrart chuckled.

"I don't know how you tricked me into half the things we did," Rozalia chuckled.

"Trick?" Conrart asked with feign shock. "I should be insulted."

Rozalia laughed with him. "We used to have so much fun when we were younger," she said. "Things were so easy, uncomplicated."

"I think we had a share in making it complicated," Conrart grinned.

"That's true," Rozalia sighed. "I wish some things could have stayed simple, easy."

"Me, too."

Rozalia looked over at him. He offered her a smile. She was about to say something when she was swiftly interrupted.

"Captain?"

Conrart looked down. It was one of the soldiers under his charge. "Yes, what is it?"

"Are you attending training, sir?"

Conrart gave Rozalia an apologetic smile. "Duty calls," he said.

"Of course," Rozalia said and watched him descend the tree.

Conrart jumped down to the ground and looked back up at her. "This was fun," he said. "We should do it again sometime."

Rozalia watched him walk away. This was fun, she admitted. And she would like nothing better than to do it again. But she was afraid that might no longer be possible.

Yuri looked out the window, a grin on his face. He watched Rozalia watch Conrart walk away. He'd been watching, of course. When he convinced everyone to let Conrart and Rozalia be on their own for a while that morning, he didn't expect very much result to come out of it. But, as anyone with eyes could see, the two certainly still loved each other. And they were making it all too easy.