Yerin finds herself racing past Yuna and heading straight to the stables where their horses were currently at. It wasn’t possible. She’s been keeping an eye on Eunbi this whole time and not once has she left her sight, and she made sure that no one besides her and Yuna were wandering about the estate at night so how could the Black Rose strike again?

Could it be possible that it wasn’t actually Eunbi after all? But the sword…

Nevertheless, she needed the details straight from her captain. Her letter was too vague, the messenger didn’t give her much and she had so many questions going on in her mind. It just didn’t make sense to her at all.

“Yuna, stay here and keep an eye on Eunbi for me.” she tells her fellow knight as she hastily mounts her mare and drapes her cloak around her.

“Isn’t it enough proof that Eunbi isn’t actually who you think she is?” Yuna tells her.

“Then I need proof that it’s really the Black Rose that showed up.” Yerin retorts, guiding her mount out of the stables. Yuna just lets out a sigh and follows her silently as she trots out and towards the front gates where they saw Yewon and Eunbi seemingly waiting for them. Both of them seemed curious to see the knight heading out.

“Are you going somewhere, Yerin?” Yewon asks in complete wonder.

Yuna decides to answer for her, “Yerin will be heading for the city for a little while. It seems that the Black Rose has struck again.”

Both women’s eyes widen at the bit of news.

“I see…” Yewon mumbles, “Then I wish you a safe trip.”

It was visible from Yerin’s expression that she wasn’t in the mood for anything at all, with how serious her face was as she checked on her horse’s state but she nodded to Yewon in thanks.

“I’ll be back before sunset.” Yerin tells her fellow knight who just nods. Her gaze then turns to Eunbi and lingers for a little before she urges the mare to trot off soon breaking off into a sprint once she was a distance away from the mansion. She needed to get to the city as fast as she can. She needs to know.

The trip normally took a day’s ride, but Yerin took the short way so that her trip would be lessened. Though it was a difficult path, but she’s more desperate for answers than her safety at that point. Yerin soon finds herself staring at the city gates, with the gate guards not hesitating in letting her in once they recognized the familiar red cloak of the King’s Guard. She didn’t even bother greeting them as she galloped straight towards the barracks where she hopes Sojung currently is.

She practically jumps off her mare and heads off to run and bursts into Sojung’s room without knocking once she arrives.

“What do you mean she struck again?” she practically demands, not wasting any time for greetings.

The surprise in Sojung’s expression was hard to miss once her gaze fell on Yerin, “Yerin? What are you doing here?”

“I heard what the messenger said but I want to know—“

“The details right?” Sojung interrupts, “It was already in the letter.”

“That’s not enough details. What else did the victim say?” Yerin rests her hands against the desk and leans towards Sojung.

Sojung sighs, “Sit down.”

Yerin follows, giving her captain her unwavering attention as she listens.

---

Yuna glances occasionally at the two others as they sit around the table for dinner. Alfred and their parents decided to pass up the meal while the daughters opted to accompany Yuna since she hasn’t really eaten anything since lunchtime. The said knight has been staying at the gates keeping guard and waiting patiently for Yerin’s return, but unlike what she told her that she will arrive before sunset, the chevalière was still nowhere to be found and she was getting worried that something may have happened during her visit to the city.

Granted, there was little that could actually do Yerin harm, but along with Sojung, Yerin has been together with Yuna since before they were instated as knights, so it felt a little different not hearing anything from her for a while.

“Yuna?”

A soft voice calls out to her amidst the silent dining room and when she looks up, she sees Yewon staring back at her with concern in her expression.

“Sorry, you were calling for me?” she quickly apologizes to the younger woman.

“You haven’t eaten a single bite yet, is something the matter?” she asks her, with Eunbi looking over as well in mild curiosity but Yuna couldn’t really tell as her face was blank and devoid of any expression she could see.

“I’m sorry, I’m just worried that Yerin hasn’t come back yet.” she answers with a small laugh, trying to show that it wasn’t that of a big deal but she falls silent almost immediately, asking to herself where in the world Yerin was and why she hasn’t returned.

“I see… Well if it comforts you, Yerin is a splendid knight and I’ve seen your spars. I’m sure she can handle herself. Perhaps something just got in the way of her return.”

“Thank you Yewon.” Yuna turns to her, grateful for the attempt at comforting her, but it obviously didn’t do much as she still looked restless. Still, it wouldn’t do well to worry her further when Yewon was trying to help her out so she straightened herself and began eating.

“She bolted off so quickly this morning though.” Eunbi suddenly spoke up, surprising Yuna as she hasn’t exactly heard the woman speak unless she was being asked something. In a way, the knight had the impression that Eunbi didn’t want to join conversations in general, “Is the Black Rose that much of a deal to her?”

“Yerin has been searching for the Black Rose since she became a victim herself.” Yuna tells her, to which they both shared a look of surprise, “Unlike the rest of us though, she has her own reason for pursuing the person.”

“A personal reason? Revenge?” Eunbi inquires, brow raised.

“Oh no, Yerin’s never the type to hold grudges.” Yuna waves her arms in denial, “To be fairly honest, I never understood her intentions either and to our captain, her reason is childish, but apparently it’s enough for her to be this motivated. The both of us don’t mind anyway.”

“I see…” the older daughter trails off and falls silent after, resuming her meal.

Yuna watches the woman’s movements from the corner of her eye and remembers her conversation with Yerin back then when her fellow knight had told that she was sure that the Black Rose was Eunbi. She was more than convinced that it was her and kept a strict watch on her just to find proof but after today’s news, she wasn’t so sure. There were many nobles that had the same blonde hair as Eunbi, and Yerin didn’t really have a good look at the sword to know for sure that what Alfred had used to fight her with was the same. She was already convinced that Yerin was running on her instincts and not evidence at some point, but she can’t help but want to trust her fellow knight.

So even though she wasn’t sure herself, she will also run on the assumption that Eunbi is the Black Rose.

Still, she’s recently noticed Yerin and Eunbi being together a little more than usual as compared to before. And based from what she’s seeing, the latter is also showing a little more interest in the knight than she usually did. Since when did such relationship between them begin?

Although, she’s not really surprised. Yerin’s reputation as a charmer wasn’t a joke. Her skills were almost scary to say the least, Yuna even has to admit that she might have fallen for the woman’s charms at one point before she regained her senses and convinced herself that there would never be anything between them besides camaraderie and friendship. Overall, Yerin was a difficult person to read, and perhaps it was that kind of personality that drew women to her, trying to get a read on her, trying to understand her, causing anyone who gets to know her become interested.

She was a playful individual, but surprisingly radiates a calm aura about her. She can be flirty and then be serious in the next second. She can look dumb, but then showcase a certain wisdom that no one has ever seen. There were a lot of sides to Yerin to explore that Yuna was sure anyone who would spend time with her would only scratch at the surface of her entire being.

The three of them soon finish their meals and Yuna excuses herself from the two, telling them that she will be at the gates if she needs them.

And so beneath the clear night sky and amidst the crisp night air, Yuna can only ignore the cold as her worry for her fellow knight was more prevalent. It was getting late.

“Do you mind if I join you?” a familiar soft voice interrupts her thoughts and when she looks up, she sees Yewon walking silently towards her, a lamp in hand and with a thick blanket wrapped around her frame to combat against the cold. Yuna almost feels herself getting jealous at how warm and comfortable she looked.

“Not at all.” Yuna smiles, watching as the younger takes her seat beside her on the fountain, “Do you need anything?”

“I don’t, but it must be lonely waiting on your own.” Yewon chuckles, holding out her hand and it was only then that Yuna notices the extra cloak she brought with her, “I saw that you left without any protection against the cold and thought I can join you and bring you this.”

“T-thank you, milady.” Yuna stammers, a little touched at the gesture and receive the warm blanket with another thanks. She sighs in relief at the immediate effect the blanket had once she wrapped it around herself, not feeling the cold breeze pelting onto her incessantly. The slight tinkling of Yewon’s soft laugh makes its way to her ears and she has to admit that she’s never heard of anything as pleasing as it was.

“Eunbi’s not with you?” Yuna inquires, looking around just in case the woman was also there, but upon seeing Yewon shake her head, the knight felt a little worried. After all, Yerin had told her to keep an eye on the woman and she was doing the exact opposite.

“Eunbi said she was tired so she went to bed early.”

“And you’re not?”

“The sky is clear tonight so I thought it would be nice to watch the stars every once in a while.”

Yuna follows her gaze and finds herself in awe at the sight of the multitude of stars littering the vast expanse of the night sky. Being worried for Yerin the whole day, she never really took the time to just take a breather and relax.

“They’re beautiful.” Yuna couldn’t help but remark.

“You don’t have a view like this in the city?”

“I’m sure we do, but I haven’t really taken the time to notice.” Yuna admits, not tearing her gaze away from the view. It almost felt hypnotic in a sense that her mind was starting to become blank and she just wants to stare at the sky and think of nothing else, “I’ve only ever focused on bettering myself and doing my duties as a knight, I don’t think I even remember the last time I had a break.”

“Not even once?” Yewon asks in wonder.

Yuna shook her head, “Being King’s Guard entails a lot of work to be done.”

“Yerin seems to have plenty of free time from what I see though…” the younger wonders aloud.

“I honestly have no idea how she does it.” Yuna expresses her amazement, “She has her own duties, but she always manages to get them done and still have time to go around. Our captain calls her lazy but there’s no doubt that she takes her role in the King’s Guard seriously.”

“It seems Yerin manages her time well.” Yewon chuckles, “But I’m sure it’s because it’s what she wants. It looks to me that you don’t seem to mind the work given to you.”

Yuna turns to her in mild surprise, not understanding how she came to that idea, but the fact that there is some truth in her words despite not knowing her for that long was impressive.

“I think that when people really do what they want to do, they will always find the time for it. In a way, you secretly enjoy doing your duties, is what I think.” Yewon expounds to which Yuna nods her head in agreement.

“I’ve always wanted to be a knight. It was a little difficult since only nobles had that privilege and had special attention, but I managed to do it anyway, and so you can say that I am living my dream.” Yuna smiles, “It’s hard work, but it’s fulfilling nevertheless.”

“Right, Yerin did say you were a commoner.” Yewon remembers, “That’s very admirable of you, Yuna.”

“Thank you.” Yuna grins happily at the small praise. A pleasant feeling was coursing through her veins and she finds herself enjoying that feeling slightly more than normal.

“You’re different from the other nobles I’ve encountered.” Yuna couldn’t help but remark, “Like Yerin and Sojung.” she sighs a bit, “Most of them just tells me that I got lucky and that I’m not really deserving of my title. I don’t even understand why. I’ve done all I can to prove them wrong, but they still hold onto that belief so strongly.”

“Nobles…” Yewon begins to say, her gaze looking searchingly at the sky above them, “Isn’t all that pleasant of a population. Sometimes, don’t you ever just imagine a world where nobles and commoners all lived in equal footing?”

“I’m sure that would be every single commoner’s wish.” Yuna tells her with a laugh, but falters slightly at the determined look the younger woman suddenly sports. The soft, kind Yewon that had joined earlier seemed to have disappeared somewhere and in her gaze, there was seriousness, as well as a tinge of anger that was unbecoming of her from all the times that she’s seen her, “Yewon?”

The younger woman snaps out of whatever thoughts she was having and turns to Yuna, slightly startled, “I’m sorry, were you saying something?”

“Oh I—“ Yuna pauses abruptly as her ears suddenly pick up the sound of hoof beats against the dirt road from a distance. Alarmed, she bolts up from her seat and turns to the gate. It was dark, and the only lights that illuminated the area were the lamps placed at the front of the gate. But amidst that dark, she could vaguely make out a silhouette of a figure on horseback making their way towards them.

It was only when she catches a glimpse of the familiar red cloak that she runs towards the gates and opens them to let her fellow knight inside.

Relief envelops her being as she looks up at Yerin who just smiles back at her casually in greeting.

“You said you’d be back before sundown…” Yuna immediately begins scolding her, “What happened?”

“The captain wanted my help in some things.” she answers, dismounting the mare and pats her nose gently, giving her a small sign of thanks. She lets one of the guards bring her ride to the stable and faces Yuna only to notice the other presence with her, “Oh, milady. I didn’t notice you there, I apologize.”

“You don’t have to apologize, I’m just glad that you returned safe, chevalière.” Yewon tells her with a small smile, “Yuna here was worried sick when you haven’t returned just like you said you would.”

Yerin turns to her fellow knight before cooing, “You missed me that much Yuna? Come here you, let me give you a hug.” she spreads her arms and approaches her fellow knight who tries her hardest to avoid her but ends up failing in the end, “Thank you for keeping my friend company, milady. From the looks of it, looks like the two of you had fun.”

“That we did.” Yewon agrees, “Now I best go back inside or else Eunbi will be scolding me for staying out too late. Have a good night to the both of you.”

The two knights return the greeting and watches as she heads inside, closing the doors behind her.

Yuna then turns to Yerin, about to ask her for details as to her trip but stops short upon seeing the teasing look Yerin was giving her.

“Ah, it’s so pleasant to see people growing up, isn’t it?” Yerin pats Yuna’s shoulder with a happy hum before the younger could even say anything, “It’s so nice to be youthful.” she says, already heading back to the mansion as well.

“Yerin you’re just a year older—” Yuna chases after.

---

uwu it feels nice to be writing again~