Rishe stepped out onto the balcony, and sipped a little wine while listening to the music playing from the hall.

She tried swirling a bit of it in her mouth and shut her eyes to the stinging spiciness.

While she was taking sips repeatedly, Arnold suddenly appeared on the empty balcony.

Whats with the face?

Dont worry, Im not frowning at You Highness in disgust.

Replied Rishe while swirling her glass.

Its just that this wine is so spicy.

Spicy? The wine?

Its a special recipe with chili peppers. I was able to lose weight and put up with the first sip.

Have those crappy people been running around harassing you?

Arnold asked as he took the glass from Rishes hand.

She wouldnt have let him do so easily if he were an opponent, in fear of being taken advantage of at the next moment. Arnold sniffed at the content and winced.

You dont need to drink this stuff. Ill throw it away.

Oh-no-no, dont! The wine was courtesy to me, I shouldnt lose this opportunity to savor the taste. At least drink it with no leftovers.

Rishe hurriedly retrieved her glass and took another sip.

However, the spiciness of the pepper is easily dissolved in the spirits. She grimaced at the tingling spiciness that runs on her tongue.

.Speak, who are they? Ill have their heads cut off.

Thats stupid. Rather than discard those people, better use them wisely.

With the peppers in the wine, a few servings of it really was tough work. Rishe glared at the wine glass and was suddenly reminded of another matter.

By the way, theres one thing I do owe you an apology for.

Apology?

Actually, Ive borrowed His Highness name as shield.

..

This time around, its all good thanks to her threat of conveying Arnold of your harassment.

Using someone elses name in a fight isnt pretty after all. Rishe bowed her head while Arnold sighed in one breath.

Whats wrong with a wife using her husbands name?

Erm, Im still only your fiancee.

Leave it alone. Its a done deal anyway.

Ah!

The glass that Rishe was holding was taken from her again.

She thought it would be discarded this time, but to her surprise, Arnold swallowed the contents in one go.

Rishe was speechless. She lowered her head and muttered in disbelief.

.spicy.

I, I told you so! Are you okay?! Water is better than liquor.!

Im fine. More importantly, have I done justice to the wine rationale?

!

In other words, Arnold had helped Rishe escape. Since cutting their heads off was stupid, then hes letting her do it her way.

Thank you.

Arnold laughed at her awkward gratitude.

Then he suddenly asked out of the blue.

What were you thinking about when we were dancing?

What do you mean?

You were thinking about someone else, not me in front of you. Who was that person?

Rishe was at a loss for an answer.

(I met you in another life, five years later)

Hmm?

Its a strangely sweet tone of voice. In spite of this, he stared at her with the eyes of a hunter, with no intention of letting Rishe escape. Nevertheless, she cant give a straightforward answer.

I was worrying about His Highness body, not about anyone else.

Youre worried?

Falsifying with a lie that was close to the truth, Rishe blurted out something shed noticed in the middle of the dance. She indicated his left shoulder with her finger.

Were you injured here?

Its, its really just a minor discomfort.

But it was certainly a catch.

Arnolts left shoulder was only slightly sluggish when compared to his right.

For example, if the right is equal to 100, the left can be 98. Since his dominant arm is his right, its a discrepancy thats unnoticeable just in a normal dance.

It was the memories of her previous life that convinced Rishe of this.

Its also because of this that Rishe was able to inflict a wound on Arnold.

Unbeknownst to Arnold at that time, she had this notion that if she were to attack him on the left, she would have had the chance to defeat him.

As it turned out, her sword skill was insignificant, because Arnold got through Rishe effortlessly.

Fu

Arnold gave a dark grin. The expression on his face, which seems to be lurid, was also somehow bewitching.

Instead of answering right off, Arnold reached for his collar and snapped off the clasp with one hand.

Then he stripped his military armor gently to the side.

(Uh.)

On his exposed neckline was a large scar.

From the looks of it, its a scar thats hidden by his clothes and extends to an invisible area. Its probably years old.

Its an old wound. It goes all the way to the shoulder and is a bit mangled.

Thats awful.

Rishe thoughtlessly reached out and gently touched Arnolds neckline.

Arnold could have shaken it off, but he silently accepted Rishes fingers.

Tracing it slowly, his scar is something that she can feel even through her gloves.

(Its an old scar that looks like a decade old. They were stabbed with a blade more than once. Its like he was stabbed in the neck over and over again, intending to kill him)

Her memories of being a pharmacist once prompted Rishe into picturing the scene. What came to mind was Arnold, who shed a tremendous amount of blood.

How did he survive such wounds? On top of that, the fact that he can still move was a miracle.

Even when the wounds were miraculously healed, he must have gone through epic suffering before he was able to handle the sword as he wanted.

Only a few people know about this wound. Not to mention, no one ever figured it out on their own.

How did you get these scars?

..

With a dark grin, Arnold looked down at Rishe with eyes narrowed.

She couldnt make out his expression more than usual because the moon was behind him, but he must be telling her.

( Dont go any further, I guess.)

When Rishe pulled her fingers back, his grin that looked a bit feral disappeared.

Arnold tidied his clothes and refastened the metal fittings around his neck.

(Arnold Hein almost died in the hands of someone nearly a decade ago. Who was it and for what?)

Rishe looked down deep in thought.

(Speaking of those who have the advantage of killing the Crown Prince, the other heirs to the throne and their allies Arnold Hein must have a younger brother. Though, Ive never met him yet.)

This is also a point of concern. Even though Rishes title as a lucrative hostage was in effect, its a wonder how often she would be able to meet the royal family.

In this regard, it may not be the will of the imperial family, but rather Arnolds intentions. For example, tonights party was about to end, but he didnt inform Rishe.

Your Highness, Arnold, theres something Id like to do.

Rishe looked up at Arnold.

Id like to select my ladys maids in a few days.

All right. Ill tell Oliver to hurry up.

No. I would like to choose them myself, rather than bothering Oliver-sama.

His amused eyes turn to me. The disturbing grin that had been there earlier had completely disappeared, and Arnold was his usual self.

What are you up to now?

Nothing important. Im just concerned about the working conditions of the maids.

With an empty glass in her hand, Rishe thought back of the handmaidens she met at the well.

To live a long and idle life is to survive first and foremost.

In order not to be killed at the age of twenty this time, it is probably imperative to prevent the war that Arnold Hein started. And the only thing Rishe can do to increase the chances of preventing the war is to reach out to other dignitaries with whom she has interacted in her previous lives.

Theres a lot of work to be done for her to take action at the upcoming wedding ceremony.

(Farm a field, grow medicinal herbs, do a lot of shopping, collect a lot of cheap sake, and then)

Rishe seriously laid out a plan that seems to have nothing to do with avoiding war.