They continued their journey, stopping at her camp for a change of clothes and horses. Then continued on the road that led to the Lost East Wall.
The closer to the war zone she got, the worse the scenery became. It was like a plague had taken over the land, with no one in sight. Abandoned houses, deserted villages, and empty farms.
The cliff from which the king and the pink rat fell down was close. The dense forest was where the lead material that blocked astral powers could be found.
Celine dismounted her house and walked on foot. She felt her own powers being muffled the deeper she went into the forest. Dead area, they called it, where no astral energy could penetrate, and where blessed weapons lost their shine.
'Let's see what they will do when the villainess tries to save the day, instead of ruining it.'
It was the message she passed to the one who sent the soldiers to stop her.
'Ugh, I'm already disgusted by myself, and I haven't even started yet.'
The flap of wings from above made her stop. She looked up to see Togo perching on a branch and pointing with its beak, leading her in the right direction.
No search party, no rescue mission, no trace of anyone. The pink rat and the king were still missing.
She moved through the bushes, the buzzing sound of insects getting louder. Poisonous animals and plants were everywhere, making it a dangerous place to camp in.
Togo guided her to a hidden cave behind a waterfall. A naked pair was huddled together, shivering from cold, their bodies pressed against each other for warmth.
Celine dropped the heavy bag from her shoulder, causing them to snap their heads in her direction, "You look cozy."
"Lady Rochefort..." the pink rat quickly pushed away the king, covering herself with her hands.
A displeased frown appeared on the King's face at the loss of warmth, "You know her?" he asked, but the pink rat didn't answer.
Celine pulled out a blanket and threw it at the pink rat, then walked to the middle to start a fire, "Any injured? Any fever? Are you both okay?" she asked as she worked.
The pink rat quickly covered herself with the blanket and began to put on her clothes, "Umm...I'm fine. He is not. He hit his head when we fell. I-I think he has lost his memory, his bones are broken too, but I managed to set them back in place. His wounds are healing but..." she looked at the king nervously, "his condition hasn't improved much since then. His fever is getting worse."
She continued to blabber, not wanting to admit she had been using her nakedness to regulate the king's temperature.
Celine made the fire, and began to boil the water. From her bag, she took out a small sack of herbs. She crushed them in her hands, her eyes glancing at the pink rat from time to time. "Is he your lover?"
"WHAT?!" the pink rat squeaked, her cheeks turning beet red, "No, no! He is just...a...patient that I need to take care of."
"Does your patient know that?" Celine asked, pouring the herbs into the pot, "He looks like he is more than willing to take you as his wife."
"No, I mean, I don't want to..." The pink rat pulled the blanket tighter around herself, while the king glared at Celine.
He was probably angry at her for revealing the truth. He didn't deny it either, which made it even more awkward.
"Who is she?" he asked.
The pink rat looked down, afraid to say anything, "M-my classmate from the academy. Lady Celine Rochefort...um..."
"Just say I'm your bully, and be done with it," Celine set a pot on a tripod, "I'm sure that's what you want to say anyway."
"Eeh? No! I didn't mean— " the pink rat panicked.
"Is she the one, who made your life hell?" the king's glare intensified, "The one you told me about?"
Celine began to make a soup with the herbs and meat. The scent of it filled the cave, making everyone's stomachs growl.
"You know how to cook? I didn't expect that from a noble lady," the pink rat said, trying to ease the tension. Her stomach rumbled again as the smell became stronger. She swallowed her saliva, drooling slightly.
Once the stew was done, Celine poured it into two bowls, one for herself and one for the pink rat.
"Um, what about him?" the pink rat asked, looking at the king.
"The enemy's king is your problem, not mine," Celine answered, causing a spit to come out of the pink rat's mouth, "I don't want to be accused of treason."
"You know who I am?" the king asked, his attention captured by Celine.
Celine blew on the stew to cool it down, not bothered to entertain his questions. She needed strength, and food, according to someone, was the best source of it. She took a spoonful and ate slowly.
The pink rat looked between the two, not knowing what to do. She ended up offering her stew to the king, "Here, you should eat. You need strength to fight the fever."
He took the bowl and threw the contents on the ground, making the pink rat flinch, "How are you sure it's not poisoned?" he looked at Celine like she was the biggest criminal in the world, "She has no reason to help us."
The pink rat couldn't even look at the wasted stew, thinking the same thing. Why would Celine help her after all they had gone through? And in such a dangerous place, where no one could hear them scream. "I don't know what she wants either..." she admitted, her voice getting smaller and smaller, "But I will try it first, to see if it's safe—"
The king pulled her back when she tried to eat from the stew on the ground. He looked as if he wanted to slap her for her stupidity. "How do you know she isn't lying? That it's not just an act," he said, hissing at an abrupt pain that made him wince and hold his ribs.
"Since he is just your patient, do you plan to return to the Crown Prince after he gets better?" Celine asked, sipping on her stew.
"Crown Prince?" the king repeated, letting pink rat cover him in a blanket after she put on her clothes.
"Yes, a very handsome man, who is very much in love with her," Celine added for good measure, making the pink rat's face flush again, "I admire people who can share their things. It's a shame I'm not as generous. I like to keep my things to myself."
The way Celine looked at the pink rat, made the girl fidget in her spot, "W-what are you trying to say?"
"I no longer want a man, who doesn't belong to me," Celine said, placing the empty bowl on the ground, "The Crown Prince is yours to take."
"Excuse me?" The pink rat was flabbergasted. "But you love him!"
"He is no longer worthy of me," Celine said, as if it was a logical conclusion, "I have higher standards now. And the Crown Prince doesn't meet them anymore."
The pink rat's jaw dropped, and the king's eyes widened. Neither could believe what they were hearing.
Celine grabbed the bag and lay down on it, "Don't thank me. I'm just getting rid of some trash," her words were powerful enough to drop the Crown Prince's attractiveness by half.
His popularity depended on him being chased by someone like Celine, and now that she had dumped him...her value was rising again. And she could sense it by how the king was looking at her, with a hint of intrigue.
"But...but..." the pink rat stuttered, her brain trying to catch up with the situation, "Why? What changed?"
Celine covered her head with the hood, turning her back to them, "Love is a weakness I can't afford to have, so I destroyed it before it destroyed me. The End."
She closed her eyes, leaving the couple in a confused state. She was not going to lead them to the sea, or pretend she was still in love with the Crown Prince.
It would be uncomfortable to have the curse turned on her instead of it getting stronger. She would no longer be able to harvest the hate, the envy, or the disgust from people. She couldn't improve her reputation too much. If she ever got bedridden because of her reputation being too good, she would become a sitting duck, waiting to be killed.
'Why do I keep trusting him?' She questioned her own actions, but deep inside she knew why. She couldn't fight alone. Not when her goal was far away and the enemies were multiplying. 'He has a talent for bringing life to things after all, even to a dead woman like me.'