Rosie's Games

214  On Their Way to Wugari

"You are from Cirid?" The captain of the team, Captain Gaudy "Hawk Eyes" Mirez narrowed his gaze to the tall man named Lucas.

"Yes, we are." Rosie, Lucas's wife, answered in response.

"And you are going to Lonyth?"

"We are planning to buy our supplies before going to Wugari."

"Why would you go to Wugari? If you wanted to avoid war, isn't it better to travel to the south? Rakha or Aster would have been a better choice," Valentin asked. He was sitting next to Elias, staring intently at Rosie.

"My husband and I— wanted to work with the Duke of Wugari. We were fighting against the beasts in Cirid when they told us to leave. We had no choice but to go to Wugari," Rosie answered calmly.

"Captain, you did not see it, but Lady Rosie killed a Wolf King," Valentin said as he poured some hot tea for Lucas and then for Rosie. Since Lucas and Rosie arrived in their small encampment, Lucas never spoke a word again, and it was just Rosie who did all the talking. This was not exactly suspicious as most of the warriors that they had met in the past were not exactly talkative.

These people had seen many deaths and had lost many friends and maybe even family members.

For someone like this to survive on the battlefield for so long, talking is the last thing that they would care to do. Most of the warriors that they had met in the past were broken people who would not hesitate to kill just for the sake of survival.

Valentin once again thought of what had happened earlier and thought of what Rosie did. On the outside, it looked like Rosie was very agile. She was easily avoiding the beast as if she was playing a game. And just as the wolf was already weak and wounded, Lucas threw her towards the wolf so she could end its life.

It was the perfect cooperation of two people who had fought against beasts together.

His eyes then landed on the large tooth around Rosie's neck. He knew that he was not the only one who noticed it. Valentin then elbowed Elias, who had been silent since he saw them. Something about Elias was off since they met and he wondered if it was because of Rosie.

For some reason, Valentin could feel something from her. It was not exactly a bad feeling, in fact, it was the opposite. It was something else, something that resembled an invisible pull. Something about her seemed to make him want to follow her. Valentin lowered his gaze and turned his attention to the sleeping white tiger next to Rosie.

What a strange pet, he thought inwardly.

The captain had been asking questions to Rosie and Lucas, so he took this chance to brew some more tea.

"What did you do to that wolf?" Elias finally spoke after staring at Rosie.

"I killed it," Rosie smiled, almost innocently. The woman did not exactly look beautiful with her black hair and ordinary brown eyes. Nothing stood out when one looked at her. Just like her husband, she looked like most women from the North. "Is something the matter?" she asked.

"How?"

"I don't tell my secrets, Sir," Rosie responded. The smile on her face never disappeared. "Especially to someone I just met."

"You stabbed its eyes. That is not something that could easily kill them. Not a wolf king."

"Did you perhaps think we would survive in Cirid if we could not even kill a wolf king?" Rosie clapped back. "I am not sure if you are thinking about this because I am a woman or if this was your first time seeing someone slay a wolf with ease. All I know is that I dislike your tone."

"You—"

"If you want to know my secrets, why don't you fight me?" Rosie asked.

"Lady Rosie, please calm down. Elias is simply like this…"

"Stop it, Valentin."

"You see... we have been friends since we were younger and he is always like this. Please forgive him this time."

"I said stop it!" Elias said. For a few seconds, their eyes met. Valentin immediately took the opportunity to touch his friend's shoulders, instantly wiping out the anger inside Elias's body.

"Walk away, Elias. I will call you when it's time for dinner." Valentin said.

Hearing this, Elias got up and scoffed before leaving without another word.

"I apologize for my friend's behavior," Valentin quickly said.

"A temper as hot as fire," Rosie noted, surprising Valentin. He immediately wondered if Rosie knew what they were.

"He— He was born with it," Valentin smiled.

"And so were you," Rosie said, meeting his gaze.

'She knew,' Valentin thought. This woman must have known! But how?

"What are you talking about?" Valentin asked.

"A temper as cool as water." Rosie's lips thinned. "It made me wonder how you met and became friends."

"Let us stop talking about them," Captain Gaudy intervened, to Valentin's relief. The captain, Sofia and her maid were the only three people who saw their appearance because of a situation that they experienced on their way here. Meaning, they knew their real identity. Thankfully, the captain was smart enough to stop the conversation. "It would be better if you travel with us. Numbers do well these days."

"Of course," Rosie beamed. "My husband and I had been traveling for days. It would be nice to travel with other people this time." Rosie looked at her brooding husband and smiled. "Isn't that right, honey?"

"Right," Lucas responded in a soft tone. "Whatever you say is always right."

Valentin's eyes almost jumped out of its socket. Just like Rosie, her husband Lucas looked rather ordinary. In fact, he looked a little frightening because of his height and physique. Moreover, the enormous sword on his back made him that much more intimidating.

How could someone who looked like an angry bear just change their demeanor in a matter of seconds?

Valentin shivered inwardly. Is this the power of… love?

"Uh…. Everyone… dinner is ready." Sofia's soft voice came from behind them. Earlier, the captain asked Sofia and her maid to stay away, as he was not certain about Lucas and Rosie's identity yet. Valentin immediately looked at the beautiful woman with two deep dimples on her cheek.

Sofia Aranes.

She was the daughter of a fallen noble in Cirid, and, just like them, she was on her way to Wugari.