CH 69

"What? Tell me in detail."

Russell was the first to respond. Rose spoke sparsely about what had happened that morning, and her story further added confusion to their already confusing case.

As she finished speaking, Wells pressed on his throbbing temples.

"Your Majesty, does this make sense? According to the legend, the body of a monster is sealed in a mirror. Can it be transferred into a human body like that of a soul?"

"That's something I didn't see in the book either. Lady Honeywell saw and felt it for herself, so it's a possibility, but... If so, we must capture Ilya Titonsser with due haste."

"…Did Duke Proud properly send the knights to the Barony of Titonsser?"

"He would have sent them under direct order. He would have to carry out my orders properly so as not to be suspected. Still, I'll have to check separately when I return to the Imperial Palace."

"I’ll have to interrogate Ilya Titonsser at least several times to find out the truth."

"Alright, that should be it for now."

The topic of conversation seemed to deviate from Duke Elliot to Ilya Titonsser.

As Russell and Wells discussed how they'd go about Ilya's wanted order, Rose remembered about the past.

If it is true that the monster, or part of it, is in Ilya's body, I think I know why she was close to Elliot before the regression.

Even then, Ilya's body must have contained the monster like it does now.

Like a tidal wave, clues from the past that she had suffered through without knowing why were solved one by one.

While thinking about the past before returning, Rose suddenly recalled a hallucination she had often seen recently.

The Tristan Empire was turned into a sea of fire by the monstrous entity.

…Will that be after I die? Or is it what will happen in the near future?

Whatever it is, it will happen if the monster sealed within the empire awakens.

While Rose was lost in her thoughts, Russell gradually stood up.

She stood and watched as the emperor prepared to return to the Imperial Palace.

"I’ll place a wanted order on Ilya Titonsser and attach surveillance to tail Elliot. Wells, keep Lady Honeywell safe."

"Of course. I will see you off."

Rose followed Russell and Wells out of the office.

All the way to the first floor, the two talked about their future plans, and Rose listened quietly without thinking of interfering in the friendly chatting of the best friends.

"…When winter passes and spring comes, there will be various events, but I don’t have the confidence not to be distracted by them."

"Still, there are many people who don’t know about the investigations, so I think the event should be held as it is. There is no need to raise an alarm. This year, I will prepare briefly and concisely."

"Wells, you have been in charge of the event, so please do your best this time."

"Haa… It’s been a tough year already."

The duration of the conversations between Russell and Wells lasted until the three of them arrived at the main entrance of Honeywell Manor.

When they went outside, a carriage was waiting for them to take Russell back.

The knight on standby opened the door and waited patiently for Russell to step into the carriage. Rose couldn't hide her regret as she looked at his back.

Is it because there are other people around? You don't treat me the way you would when it's just the two of you.

Because of his position, she understood that he couldn't be nice to women his age without care.

Nonetheless, she hoped he would give her a fleeting glance before the carriage left.

Alas, the carriage door closed, and the coachman settled in front of the carriage.

She did not leave until the royal carriage had completely left Honeywell Manor.

"Rose, let's go in now. You'll be tired from uncovering all of these plots all at once today."

"Ah, huh, yes. Let's go in."

"It’s too early for dinner, so go to your room and rest, or maybe you'd like to stay in the office with me?"

"No. I'll go to the room for a bit. Don't worry, I'll be with Anne."

Wells couldn't let go of his uneasiness even though they were in the same mansion, so he looked behind him every once in a while to check in on his beloved sister on the way to his office.

Rose had no choice but to call Anne on the spot and show him that she would not be alone for even a moment.

Only then, as if relieved, did he walk away with a bounce in his step.

"Lady Rose, what happened to the Master? He looked so worried about you."

"Yes, but don't be alarmed, Anne. It's not a big concern."

"Yes, but Lady Ilya is not here? According to the butler, the Master called for me to escort you at all times and then went to the office."

Anne inquired curiously about Ilya's whereabouts, causing Rose to think for a moment about what to say.

_In order to tell you everything, I must first speak of the monster’s soul that resides in me. _

…For now, it's okay to keep it a secret. If brother makes a decision, I have to follow it.

"I didn’t know the details, but Ilya had departed for the Barony of Titonsser."

"So suddenly?"

"Something must have happened to Baron Titonsser, maybe that's why my older brother called to check on me."

"Ah, yes, Young Lady. It shouldn't be a big deal then."

"...Yes."

Fortunately, Anne, who was full of trust in Rose, was trusting enough to be easily deceived without a doubt by her lies.

Rose took Anne's hand and walked quickly, lest she ask any more difficult questions that she couldn’t answer.

"I went out to the Imperial Palace today, so I am a bit tired. Let's go to bed quickly."

"Is that so? Ah! I have something to show you in the bedroom."

"For me?"

"Yes."

"What is it?"

Anne didn't answer. Instead, she smiled mysteriously, which rather raised her curiosity.

Rose quickened her steps toward the bedroom and sped up her pace toward her room. In the end, Anne called out to Rose and ran after her rapidly disappearing form.

As soon as she ran through her bedroom corridor, Rose opened the door and made her way in excitedly.

Immediately, something in the room caught Rose's eye.

"That…!"

A beautiful bouquet of flowers rested comfortably on the tea table.

The flowers in the vase must have been arranged, as there were several flowers pleasantly placed in a luxurious vase prepared right next to it.

Anne passed by Rose and approached the table.

"The Imperial Knight took it out of the carriage and handed it to me. He said that Lady Rose left it behind."

"That's right, my… A bouquet of flowers."

Rose walked slowly to the table.

She recalled carrying a bouquet of flowers when she and Russell rode the carriage to the Imperial Palace.

Rose had brought it with her because, even in an emergency, she couldn't bear to leave the bouquet she had received from Russell behind. But when she arrived at the mansion, worries about Wells' safety dominated her mind, and when she got off the carriage, she didn't even get to give a sparing thought to the bouquet.

The knight found the bouquet of flowers lying on the carriage seat and handed it to the butler.

Rose reached out and picked up a flower. A smile came to her eyes as she looked at the flower held at her fingertips.

"It is a gift I received."

It feels like someone is tickling my heart with a soft brush.

Twirling the stem with two of her fingers to spin the flower, Rose put it down gently and began arranging the flowers on the table.

"Anne, I will do this myself."

If it was the usual, Anne would have insisted before leaving with a light reminder to rest. But this time, perhaps reading something from Rose's expression, Anne backed away and gave her mistress some space.

"As you wish, my lady. Do you need anything else?"

"Huh? No, I am alright."

"Yes, then I will tidy up the room."

Anne left Rose by the table and occupied herself with tidying the room, including the bedding and desk.

Rose sat down on a chair and carefully picked up each flower from the open bouquet to lovingly inspect.

The flowers that do not match each other in color or combination as she separated them.

[TL/N: The person (the emperor) who put the bouquet together had no knowledge of flower arrangement, thus it was most likely matched in bunches of different types of flowers together without worrying about it being aesthetically pleasing.]

Nevertheless, Rose carefully weaved various flowers one by one to achieve harmony.

"How interesting. I felt a bit sorry that His Majesty returned to the Imperial Palace without giving me a glance, but now I don't feel that way at all."

Rose was able to end the day with a clear mind and heart because, in her heart, she could clearly see Russell preparing a bouquet for her, one flower at a time.

An unusual phenomenon happened to the Tristan Empire.

Even if they were criminals, the Royal Family, which did not issue a wanted order for aristocratic women, issued a wanted order for the arrest of Baron Titonsser’s daughter.

The crime was that she deceived the Honeywell family and tried to kill a beloved member of them.

Upon hearing the news, some of the nobles were furious with Ilya and the Titonsser family for daring to harm Tristan's only ducal family’s daughter.

Conversely, some nobles whispered that the Royal Family, who spread the news of young Ilya, who had just reached adulthood, as a wanted criminal in the capital's social circles, was ruthless.

Rose also heard the news while at the manor.

Ilya's wanted order was a whispered tale that only came and went between nobles, so Anne, who was only a servant at the duke's mansion, didn't seem to know a word of it.

If she had heard the whispers, it wouldn’t have been Rose who broke the news to Anne. Rather, it would have been from none other than Wells.

To deliver news of the wanted mandate to Ilya to his beloved sister, Wells had tea time on the balcony of Rose's bedroom.

"Will Ilya be caught through issuing a wanted order in secrecy like this?"

Rose asked Wells the questions she had thought up the moment she heard the news. He shook his head as he sipped his tea.

"I honestly am not sure. If Ilya Titonsser was able to use strange powers because of a part of the monster residing inside her, then ordinary knights wouldn't be able to catch even a hint of her presence."

"Then why is the wanted order…"

"It is a kind of warning. Well, if Ilya Titonsser had the bright idea to come out of hiding in secret and run about, then with just one sniff of this warrant, she would choose to hide somewhere and not show up."

"Didn’t she go to the Barony of Titonsser?"

"The first report came from the knights in the Barony of Titonsser, but neither the Baron nor the Baroness of Titonsser seemed to know about Ilya’s whereabouts."

Rose touched the teacup handle lightly.

"How did Ilya become like that? What did I do to her that was wrong enough to warrant killing me? Is it because of the body of the monster in her that urged her on?"

The first impression anyone had of Ilya was that of a country girl who showed great interest in the capital city.

That was the same impression Rose had felt before and after returning from the past.

Whether it was before or this time, even if she hid her other intentions, Rose had never suspected that she truly felt that way.

Rose sighed as Wells put his hand on the table and wrapped it comfortingly around hers.

"Maybe it’s because her ambition was too great."

"Ambition?"

"Yes, I felt it even when I saw her at the mansion of the Barony of Titonsser. Ilya Titonsser had this dazzling fantasy about life in the capital. She probably developed this mindset because she grew up in that small country estate. Her world was only within those walls."

"…"

"She must have always dreamt of a glamorous life in the capital. So, when given the chance to meet someone from there, like when I had to spend the night there and wait out the storm, she must have thought to use me to come to the capital."

"Ilya received the sponsorship of Honeywell and made her debut, but even after her coming of age, I was planning on having Ilya stay at the Manor for a while until she was completely independent."

"I did too, but to think that she would stab us in the back and run away."

Wells revealed a twisted grin of displeasure.

Rose pretended not to see his smile and wisely changed the subject.

"What about Elliot? Is Elliot still being watched?"

"Yes, there are the Shadow Knights, which are managed separately by His Majesty and not by Duke Proud, trailing him. They're vigilantly monitoring Duke Proud, as sooner or later he may sneak from the capital."

"Elliot will leave? Why?"

"There is a steep valley behind the Rosenberg estate, and they say that the corpses of women keep appearing there. His Majesty is about to send Duke Proud to investigate it, as the emperor has just returned to the capital and can’t leave."

Wells brought up such a scary story so casually that it took Rose's face a moment to become horrified.

"Dead body…? Ah, Allison! Will she be alright? Isn't it dangerous to be there alone?"

The Marquisate of Rosenberg was a territory ruled by Allison.

Even though she is the master of the estate, there was no law that stated that Alison would be safe when such a terrifying course of events took place in her domain.

Rose asked out of concern, her voice full of worry for her friend.

Wells, who tended to follow Allison as he was with the emperor, sympathized with Rose's concerns.

His reaction, however, was somewhat sluggish.

"Rose, did you know that even though Allison may not appear mischievous, she is very good at deceiving others."

Aren't you speaking rather sarcastically of her, brother?

Rose noticed Wells wasn't laughing at Allison for the mask she wore in front of others but rather...

The corner of Wells' mouth went up to one side in admiration.

Subtly, Rose realized that maybe the reports of horrific events taking place at the Rosenberg estate were false.