The Last Snow

Chapter 25: Nightmare part 1, Muddled Memories

The night before...

After the dinner celebration was finished, Rose waved at Jennie and bowed before the prince. She was about to leave when Lisa held her hand.

Lisa pulled Rose closer and embraced her tightly, drawing some attention from everyone.

"I want an embrace, Madame Roseanne. Thank you very much for joining me.", whispered Lisa. She had no idea that Rose was suffering from her embrace.

Rose, who was sore all over from Lisa's tight arms, patted Lisa's back. She said, "The pleasure was mine, your highness. You should let me go before the whole castle gets the wrong idea about us."

Lisa smiled and held Rose for a few more seconds before releasing her. She kissed Rose's cheek before waving goodbye and looking for Jennie, who seemed to have disappeared into one of the courtyards.

Rose walked out of the banquet hall by herself. There were some stairs in front of her, and looking at them made her sigh out loud.

"May I?", asked General Shindong from behind Rose. He offered his arm as support, which Rose gladly accepted.

"Thank you, General Shindong. It seems that my strength has not yet fully returned.", answered Rose, who took full advantage of the general's arm with each step. Once she was on flat ground, she looked at General Shindong and smiled.

"It is I who must say thank you. You risked your life for the prince and suffered many injuries for that unfair trial. A trial of combat normally involved hunting a mindless monster who terrorized the kingdom, not a long-time enemy of the throne. The three of you accomplished something that would have required a large army."

"The four of us, general.", answered Rose.

"I apologize. Yes, the four of you. Regarding that matter, I understand that you had no choice but to leave Chen's body in the catacombs since carrying Taemin was challenging enough considering the conditions you three were in."

"Indeed. Chen should still be there, General Shindong. Actually, would you mind doing me a favor?", asked Rose. They've been walking towards the infirmary very slowly.

The truth was Prince Lee asked General Shindong to make sure that Madame Roseanne made it back to the infirmary safely. She would have done it herself, but she had something else she needed to do. 

"Of course, anything for the most beautiful and bravest lady in the whole city.", answered the general. They were now in front of the infirmary. Rose saw Somi waiting for her inside. She signaled to Somi to give her a few more minutes, and Somi nodded in agreement.

"Would you mind sending in a few soldiers to retrieve Chen's body? He died as a hero, general. All three of us would be dead if not for him. So... I wanted to give him a proper burial in the city, assuming the prince allows. Please, general. I would accompany them if I must.", begged Rose.

There was a look of desperation on Madame Roseanne's face.

General Shindong had seen Madame Roseanne many times before, but this was the first time that he saw her like this. Her confident smile was nowhere to be seen, and her eyes were pleading and begging.

The general couldn't help but smile. He gently pulled Rose into an embrace. The same kind of embrace that a father greeted his children with whenever they were scared or needed his help.