“I thought you were going to the Baron’s home to investigate?” Sojung asks, staring at her fellow knight who was sitting on her chair, behind her desk, inside her quarters, without her permission, “And I thought I said I will go with you.”

 

Just the typical Yerin behavior.

 

Said knight just leans back and shrugs, forgoing all explanation and went straight to reporting what she discovered, “It was an impostor.”

 

“What?”

 

“I went there early this morning,” Yerin explains, “And asked the baron and his daughter thoroughly about everything they remember concerning the theft. The daughter then admitted to secretly meeting a commoner for a while now and wanted to help out that man since he was having some financial difficulties.”

 

“So she gave away her jewelry to help while making it look like the Black Rose was the person behind it?” Sojung continues, already understanding where she was going with the story.
 

Yerin slumps tiredly against the desk, disappointment coming out of her in waves, “And here I thought we finally had a lead… I should have known it wasn’t her when they never mentioned a duel.”

 

“How did you get the daughter to admit it in the first place?”

 

When Yerin raises her head, a smirk on her face and looking confident and smug, Sojung didn’t need any further explanation.

 

When it comes to girls, Yerin would definitely get what she wants. This dumb, natural, charismatic, charmer, who always has a way with words—

 

“You look like you want to strangle me.” she suddenly remarks, causing Sojung to roll her eyes and tell her to get out of her chair so that she can get back to work.

 

“I’m surprised her father didn’t react to your approach in any way.” Sojung says, finally getting to sit down, “Anyway, what are you doing here?”

 

The captain almost immediately regrets asking the moment Yerin’s lips explode into a sweet smile, a look that means she was going to ask something of her and that she won’t like it or would have to have to fight back just to keep Yerin from doing anything stupid.

 

Seriously, what were they thinking when they assigned Yerin to be part of the King’s Guard when all she brings is trouble?

 

“No.” Sojung says immediately.

 

“I haven’t even said anything yet!”

 

“It’s written all over your face, and you’re giving me a bad feeling, so no.”

 

“What do you think I was going to ask anyway?”

 

“I don’t know, but I’m more than sure that it’s anything but good.”

 

Yerin pouts, “I was just going to ask you about the black rose that you got…”

 

“No.”

 

“Why?” she stares, “You always talk to me about doing my duties and now you’re here keeping me from doing them—“

 

“Then I’ve got a ton of work here for you that doesn’t involve the Black Rose.” Sojung begins, already beginning to grab some papers from her drawer.

 

Yerin pouts, “You’re so stingy.” she remarks, “If you won’t tell me then I’ll find someone who will!”

 

“Wha—“

 

“Bye!”

 

“Yerin come back here—!” her words was unable to reach the woman as Yerin already bolted off to god-knows-where, doing an investigation of her own, causing Sojung to just bury her face in her hands as another headache begins to form.

 

Until now she still does not understand why Yerin remains so fixated in anything that involved the Black Rose. Though she did know that her family was once a victim, but this obsession cannot be explained by that alone. Yerin didn’t seem the type to want to get back at someone just because of a small thing like that and she did get the jewelry back, so she just doesn’t quite understand what urges her to chase after the person so eagerly.

 

Any attempt of her trying to draw out answers from the knight in question always ended up in vain. Yerin would fall silent, looking dazed as if reminiscing something pleasant before completely changing the subject, showing just how much she didn’t want to speak about her motives.

 

And Sojung didn’t like people keeping things from her, especially when they’re being quite obvious about it.

 

Standing up from her seat, she heads over to the castle training grounds, knowing that Yerin would no doubt be heading that way to gather information. If Yerin refuses to tell her anything, then she will also make sure that she doesn’t get any information unless she comes clean with her intentions.

 

---

 

Yerin marches hastily towards the training grounds, hoping to find the person she was looking for. If there was anyone that Sojung trusted regarding any task, that person would be Yuna, a fellow King’s Guard who was undoubtedly the best knight the kingdom has. Even Sojung admits that she could not best Yuna when it comes to swordfight. The only reason why she wasn’t made captain was because Sojung had better leadership qualities while Yuna… well Yuna likes to be in her own world when it came to training.

 

And true enough, she found the woman just stabbing one of the dummies in the training grounds nonstop, seemingly trying to master her aim in hitting vital points.

 

Yerin definitely does not want to duel her anytime soon if she was that serious in injuring her opponent. She already feels sorry for the human who will replace the dummy that she was practically skewering with her rapier relentlessly.

 

“Did someone annoy you today Yuna?” Yerin asks upon approaching only to drop to the ground when the knight suddenly turns, almost turning Yerin into the dummy she was just practicing with.

 

She did manage to dodge the woman’s blade by a hair’s breath.

 

“Oh, Yerin. Hi.” Yuna greets innocently.

 

“That’s what you say after almost stabbing me?” she asks, looking up at her with a forced smile.

 

“I didn’t see you. Sorry.” she just says, sheathing her sword and grabbing a nearby towel to wipe the sweat off her neck, “I rarely see you here. Are you finally agreeing to train with me?”

 

Yerin sits up, “I don’t want to die yet…”

 

“You say that, but you want to duel the Black Rose who’s most likely better than I am if she was able to defeat all those nobles she’s dueled.” Yuna remarks, giving the woman a knowing look, “That’s why you’re here right?”

 

Yerin nods somberly, once more impressed by how perceptive Yuna was. She must have rarely come to the training grounds if she can easily read her intentions just by being there for once.

 

“I’m surprised the captain told you about it.” Yuna says, sitting down beside her on the ground, “So what do you want to know?”

 

“Who received the rose a few nights ago.” Yerin went straight to the point.

 

“What about the one you discovered?”

 

“It was an impostor.” Yerin replies in a disappointed tone, “It’s a long story.”

 

“I see…” Yuna nods in understanding, “Well, I’m not told much either except that the person lost really badly. They’re recovering from serious wounds last I heard.”

 

Yerin frowns, digesting that bit of information, “How bad?”

 

Yuna was about to reply when a new voice interrupts their conversation, the same voice that Yerin initially ran away from just a few minutes ago, and when they both turn to the source, the knight can only offer a sheepish smile, silently asking the woman for mercy.

 

“Both wrists were injured by the blade.” Sojung tells them, arms folded across her chest, “A few stabs to the shoulder and almost managed to pierce his neck. He’s lucky he’s still alive.”

 

“That… doesn’t sound like her style.” Yerin mumbles.

 

“I think the same.” Yuna nods, “The Black Rose always stops after one deciding hit. If she’s a true swordswoman, she wouldn’t go that far.”

 

“That’s why we’ll be heading there right now.” Sojung tells the both of them, glaring pointedly at Yerin, “Yuna, go and get ready. Me and Yerin will have a talk first.”

 

The knight stands to do as she is ordered, looking over at Yerin who stares back, communicating with her gaze not to leave her alone with the dev—the captain. But the younger chevalière can only offer her a look of pity.

 

“…Don’t die.” Yuna says, sounding as if she’s already given up on her and in the next second, she was already sprinting away from Yerin whose hand was already on her sword’s hilt.

“Yerin.” Sojung’s commanding voice shakes her from her thoughts, and the woman knows that there was no more escaping from the captain, “If you really want to be part of this search, then you will have to tell me your reason.”

 

“And if you don’t like the reason?” she asks, standing up and brushing the dirt off her pants.

 

“That’s for me to decide.” she answers, “But a stupid reason is better than none at all.”

 

Yerin pouts for a bit before folding her arms across her chest. She takes a few minutes, just finding the right words in order to explain the exact reason why she wants to see the Black Rose so badly, but of all the words she could think of, there was just one that stood out the most. Just one word that was more than enough to explain everything she felt towards the mysterious entity.

 

“She was beautiful.”

 

Sojung raises a brow at the spontaneous praise. She almost thought that she was changing the subject again, but the wistful expression that Yerin sports as she says this assured her that they were on the same page and that she was referring to the same person she is thinking of.

 

“Beautiful?” Sojung repeats, confused.

 

“I saw her.” Yerin clarifies a little further, “And fought her. And her swordplay… I want to see her swordplay again and again.”

 

Yerin looks up at her captain whose expression she could not decipher. It was as if Sojung couldn’t decide whether to take her seriously or not and stared at her as if she had grown another head on her shoulder. She understands that well! Her reasoning didn’t make sense in the first place, but she’s sure that her feelings were real. Yerin has never felt herself being that driven for anything. It was a foreign sensation, something that she was still trying to wrap her head around, but thinking about it was useless when her heart was more than desperate for it.

 

“You want to see her again because you found her swordplay beautiful?” Yuna finally returns, managing to overhear what her fellow knight said. Yerin just nods.

 

“I’m more focused on the fact that you saw her for yourself and even engaged her.” Sojung sighs, “But that’s a discussion saved best for later. We’ll be travelling quite a distance today so we best set out now and you can just explain to us everything you know on the way, is that fine?”

 

Yerin just blinks, “I guess?”

 

“Then that’s settled. Let’s go grab the horses, we have another baron to visit.”

 

---

 

“So the rumors of her being a woman were true.” Sojung remarks as they ride down the dirt road at a leisure pace. The baron they were to visit was expecting them sometime in the afternoon and it was still morning so they decided to take their time and listen to Yerin’s story about her encounter with the thief. After her story, the two were left contemplating what to make of it.

“I thought she only fought men.” Yuna says.

 

“During that time, she focused more on running away than engaging me in combat.” Yerin tells her, “It was more of a survival instinct of hers. What I do know is that she’s not familiar with the town.”

 

“I thought the same, or she wouldn’t have gotten herself in a dead end like that.” Sojung agrees.

 

“So she’s not from here?”

 

“More like her knowledge is fairly limited. She seems to know just where to steal and who to fight after all.” their captain surmises, “A normal thief wouldn’t go out of her way challenging any competent male noble in each household. If anything, it looks like she’s more focused on dueling than stealing anything.”

 

“So what does that mean?” Yuna asks.

 

“I’m not sure.” Sojung shrugs, “Only she knows what she’s trying to relay here. What I understand though is that she has something against nobles. The entire effort of stealing and donating her win to a poor family is a huge indicator.”

 

“A vigilante then.”

 

“Does this mean she’s among the commoners or the impoverished?”

 

“Not necessarily…” Yuna mumbles, “She’s most likely just tired of the inequality.”

 

Sojung and Yerin look over at the knight in understanding, knowing that her words come from a certain similar experience. Unlike them, Yuna wasn’t a noble. She worked hard to climb up the ranks and it was exceedingly hard since she was discriminated both as a woman and a commoner. She pushed on despite that and all her hard work paid off, now working alongside the most skilled knights of the kingdom and being the most skilled herself.

 

Despite the flourishing of their kingdom, the obvious hierarchy amongst its people was still visible. Many nobles thought of themselves as the privileged, and the ones not of noble birth were people underneath them. The injustices that happen on a daily basis were already pretty much accepted by the common folk and all they could do was just bow their head to the whims of the higher class and accept their fates if they were ever to cross them wrongly.

 

Yerin and Sojung were not such nobles. They knew that titles were just an accessory, but it never spoke of anyone’s true worth. A title was nothing more than just a fancy name but beneath all of it, the person was just as human as everyone else.

 

They both believe that everyone should work for their titles. Not have them from birth.

 

They soon reach the baron’s residence not long after noon and looks up at the huge gates and metal fence that enclose the baron’s home. Within it was the extravagant mansion that the baron owned, with a lavish front courtyard where they could see one of the gardeners tending to the flower bed.

 

The guards at the gate immediately stopped them and questioned their purpose.

 

Sojung then produces a letter from underneath her cloak and hands it to the guard who immediately salutes to them upon recognizing the seal stamped on the object. They open the gates and all three trot inside, seeing a couple just at the entrance of the home already aware of their arrival.

 

“Lord and Lady Constance.” Sojung greets, swiftly dismounting her mare as the other two follow, “I’m honored that you would welcome us yourselves.”

 

“Not at all, chevalière. It is only right that we welcome you ourselves despite our duties.” the baron remarks, turning to the other two who also greets him with small bows, “I’ve been informed that you wish to aid us with what happened a few nights ago?”

 

“Yes, it just so happens that we have encountered several incidents similar to yours and we wish to delve further into the matter.” Sojung explains.

 

“Very well, let’s discuss this inside then.”

 

They are ushered inside, Yerin and Yuna following their captain silently though the latter was taking in the sight of the house’s interior with slight awe in her features. It was actually her first time seeing what it was like inside a noble’s home as she’s never experienced being in one. The closest she could get was her own room in the barracks but that was it.

 

Yerin can only watch Yuna fondly as she stared at anything that seemed interesting, which was everything in general. Yerin couldn’t really blame her for acting that way and just let her be, finding her fascination adorable and let the younger knight have her fun.

 

They were then led into a study which was vaguely similar to Sojung’s. A desk and a couple of shelves filled with books on one side, a fireplace on the other and some comfortable chairs for guests if they were ever needed. The only differences were the lush velvet red carpet that covers the entire floor they stood on, the silk curtains on the windows and the huge portrait of the baron himself hanging on the wall behind his desk.

 

The three of them were asked to take their seats while the maid prepared tea. It wasn’t long when they finally settled down that the baron began to narrate everything that happened that night, going into full detail about the event.

 

When he finally finished giving his take on the story, the three knights shared a knowing look and a nod before Sojung leans forward to begin asking questions.

 

“You’re saying that she dueled you, but your son intervened?”

 

He nods somberly, “I should have stopped him if I knew that he would find himself in that state.”

 

“And the Black Rose got angry at that?” Yerin asks, leaning forward interestedly, “Are you sure it was his interruption that was the reason behind it?”

 

“Yerin.” Sojung warns her and the knight immediately backs off, understanding from her tone that she was treading dangerous territory. She decided to keep shut, but in her mind she was slightly angered. If anything, the Black Rose she knew fought with honor. It was in the way during their encounter that she took her seriously despite not having drawn her sword just yet. For Yerin, that was an indication that she took all her opponents seriously, considering them as rivals that only deserved her best performance.

 

Yerin remembers how she didn’t hesitate one bit to take advantage of any opening Yerin showed her and it was for that reason that Yerin admits her loss and acknowledges the difference in their skill.

 

“My son did let out a few words, but it was to taunt her!” the baron quickly defends, “To make her let her guard down, but I admit that he may gone overboard with his taunting.”

 

“It sounds to me that she wanted to put your son in place.” Yuna quips, “Did your son question her skill or call her inferior in any way?”

 

“Y-Yes, he did.”

 

“He most likely insulted her, hence his grievous injuries.”

 

“I don’t understand why she would go to that extent…”
 

“It’s to show your son just how much difference in skill there is between the both of them. She was merely proving him wrong and teaching him a lesson that he will surely remember for as long as he lives.” Yerin sighs, “Any decent swordsman would refuse to be underestimated, all the more if the enemy doens't know a single thing about them.”

 

The baron huffs, “She hurt my son! I only want her to pay for what my son is going through now!”

 

“We’ll be sure to capture her, Lord Constance.” Sojung assures him, shooting Yerin another look of warning, “But we may need to know more, if you remember anything else, it would be helpful.”

 

Not long after, the trio was on the road back to the castle, slightly disappointed at the outcome of their visit. They were hoping to gain more information that they can use if ever they were to encounter the person, or even anything that would help them with regards to the Black Rose’s identity, but what the Baron told them was nothing different from what everyone has told them. Even Yerin provided more information than they did, and it was the closest they had to having a clue.

 

“Blonde hair, slim physique and slightly similar to your height.” Yuna recounted everything they had told them, “And an obvious mastery to the sword.”

 

“You’d think having been trained by the sword for years would make them more observant of their surroundings.” Yerin remarks, “They didn’t even say anything about her sword.”

 

“You didn’t either.” Sojung reminds her.

 

“Oh, I didn’t?”

 

“No you didn’t.” her captain glares a bit, “What about the sword?”

 

“Well…” Yerin tilts her head thoughtfully as she tries to remember, “It was beautiful.”

 

“I sometimes regret asking you important things.”

 

“You call everything about the Black Rose beautiful.”

 

“That was a useless answer.”

 

“Hey!” Yerin interjects, sounding offended, “I meant it in a literal sense!” she huffs a bit as they wait for further explanation, “It wasn’t the type of rapier that you would find anywhere. If anything, I’ve never seen anyone having a rapier like it and I’ve dueled a lot of people.”

 

“Like it was customized?” Sojung asks to which she nodded, “Was there any defining feature on it?”

 

“I didn’t have enough time to notice anything else. I was too busy avoiding it.”

 

“At least we know it couldn’t have been a commoner.” Yuna shares her input, “Commoners wouldn’t bother getting one, and if it’s for defense purposes a cheap sword from any blacksmith would be enough. I doubt anyone would have the money to have one made for personal reasons.”

 

“But the possibility is still there.” Sojung points out, “She could be anyone at this point. Our only hope is to catch her when she strikes again.”

 

“Any suggestons on how we do that?”

 

“The nobles are her target, right?”

 

The two knights nod.

 

Sojung smiles mischievously, “Then they will serve as our bait.”

---

A/N 

no mentions of Sinb just yet but maybe soon...? ^__^