Annamaria and Rosaria left the office and, guided by their attendants, returned to the carriage stop where their respective carriages and horses awaited.
Annamaria urged Nico, who was still casting a longing gaze at the White Tower, to prepare the horses, then turned to Rosaria and asked, “Shall we form an alliance?”
“An alliance?” Rosaria looked back with a dubious expression, and Annamaria smiled.
“Our aim is the same—to find Bruno Stecchi, capture him, and reclaim Smeraldo. Wouldn’t it be better to join forces, rather than go about it separately?”
“Have you forgotten what Jeremiah said? That the one who retrieves Smeraldo will become his wife? If we both bring back Smeraldo, what are we supposed to do? Demand he marry us both?”
“But do think about it for a moment.”
With a pointed finger, Annamaria explained gently.
“Bruno Stecchi is originally a military magician, possessing enough magic power to serve in the Magic Army. And now he’s acquired Smeraldo, which contains potent royal magic. That means his power is probably at least double that of an ordinary magician. At the very least, he’s on par with me.”
A faint smile played on her lips.
“Are you certain you could subdue such a foe alone, Rosaria? Wouldn’t it be wiser to join forces with me?”
If Bruno Stecchi’s magical power now equaled Annamaria’s, it would be a tough battle.
Rosaria recalled the duel at the ball and groaned, ‘Capturing him alone would be no easy task.’
“But… if we both recover Smeraldo, what happens next? Which of us will be the bride?”
Unbothered, Annamaria replied, “Once we retrieve Smeraldo, you and I can duel. Whoever wins will bring Smeraldo to Jeremiah and become his wife.”
“…I see.”
Even if a duel with Annamaria awaited, nothing would matter unless Smeraldo was retrieved first.
Scouring the land for a wily adversary whose whereabouts were uncertain, and risking being outpaced by Annamaria, would only reduce her chances of becoming the bride. Rosaria understood that.
Likewise, Annamaria didn’t want Rosaria to find Smeraldo before her.
To increase her odds, she needed to cooperate.
This way, their chances became fifty-fifty.
If she didn’t cooperate with Rosaria, her chances would be even lower—she might not even find Bruno Stecchi, or capture him if she did.
The wisest course was to secure Smeraldo first.
After a moment of silent contemplation, her gaze lowered to her feet, Rosaria soon lifted her head.
“Very well. Let’s work together to reclaim Smeraldo. For this matter only, we join hands.”
Rosaria’s gesture as she offered her hand for a handshake was that of a true knight.
Annamaria reached out to take it, but hesitated at the last moment, lowering her hand and, in a diversion, asked, “May I ask one thing? Why do you wish to marry Jeremiah? You don’t harbor any romantic feelings for him, do you?”
Galileo, perched on her shoulder, tilted his head.
“Eh?”
Rosaria’s expression grew stiff; as always, her emotions were plain to see.
“What are you talking about? I care for him—”
“Earlier, you tried to prove that the Kroene contained Potion of Love by eating it yourself, didn’t you? You could only do that because you have no romantic feelings for Jeremiah. If you had eaten the potion and then felt a passionate love for him, it would have proven the potion’s effect. That was your reasoning, wasn’t it?”
From that absurd commotion, Annamaria had realized one thing.
Rosaria was not in love with Jeremiah.
Yet she still wished to marry him.
“It even seemed as if you hoped you might fall for Jeremiah after taking the Potion of Love. Why do you wish to marry a man you do not love?”
“Is it so wrong not to have feelings of love!? What about you—it’s not love for you either!”
“Not at all. There’s nothing wrong with it. My reasons are practical as well. I was simply curious, that’s all.”
“It’s…none of your business.”
Turning her face away, Rosaria mounted her horse.
“Don’t forget our alliance, Rosaria Romano. Let’s move to reclaim Smeraldo. I’ll send a messenger to your Nobleman’s Cottage tomorrow morning.” Annamaria smiled.
And from atop her horse, Rosaria replied with some irritation, “I’ll await your message, Annamaria Furlanetto.”
Watching Rosaria and Rico ride away, Annamaria headed for her own carriage.
“You figured that out so easily. I didn’t notice at all,” Galileo said quietly.
“What is it?”
“That Rosaria isn’t in love.”
“How many years do you think we’ve been rivals? I can always spot her unnatural behavior.”
“Then why does she want to get married?”
“That, I don’t know.”
She must have gone round in circles with foolish thoughts, but had found no answer.
“Aren’t you curious? Why Rosaria wants to marry? Doesn’t it bother you?”
Even as she climbed into the carriage, Galileo glanced back anxiously at Rosaria’s receding figure.
“It’s rare for you to be so curious, Galileo. Usually, when I fuss about things, you just tell me to ‘leave it be.'”
“That’s because your usual fussing is always over pointless things, so who cares? But this is a serious matter, and it’s rare that I can’t read Rosaria’s intentions.”
“That’s true.”
***
The carriage set off, and the scenery outside the window began to flow by slowly.
The carriage headed for the Furlanetto estate.
Resting a finger against her lips in thought, she murmured, “Since we’ll be chasing after Smeraldo together from tomorrow, it might be wise to know what’s driving her so desperately…”