Chapter 170: Black Rose Mardian

For now, I decided to observe the situation here.

Rather than blindly apologizing, I wanted to first know how Mardian was doing.

If Mardian is truly happy with her current life, then it would be best to leave without any regrets.

I didn’t want to cause any trouble for Mardian because of my selfish desire to be forgiven.

If Mardian is happy, that is enough for me—even if I never receive forgiveness in my lifetime.

With that resolve, a few days passed.

Instead of staying at the inn prepared by Grandmother Miranda, I spent the night in the annex where Mardian’s lovers stayed.

The annex, much like Viviana’s mansion, boasted a grand and impressive stature.

The room assigned to me was one of the smallest, but still large enough for me to stay alone.

Over the past few days, I had managed to get a sense of the atmosphere here.

I observed the personalities of the women known as Mardian’s lovers, as well as how their relationships with each other developed.

One early morning, I was waiting for them alone in the annex dining room.

Soon, the door to the dining room opened, and a woman with greenish hair appeared.

“Hello, Shirley-senpai.”

“…Hello.”

She shyly returned my greeting.

Unlike the first day, when her eyes were filled with venom, today her gaze was much friendlier.

“I’ve prepared breakfast for you, Shirley-senpai.”

Shirley likes chicken.

I offered her a chicken stew I had prepared with care.

Shirley sat down beside me, took a cautious bite of the stew, blushed slightly, and nodded.

“It’s delicious. You really are good at cooking.”

“I’m happy to see you like it, Senpai.”

The women here usually handled their own meals.

It wasn’t that there was a shortage of ingredients or cooking space.

In fact, there were piles of high-quality ingredients, harder to find even in fine shops.

But because there was almost no one who knew how to cook properly, they had been settling for quick and easy meals.

When I heard that, I volunteered to take over the meal preparations.

It seemed a waste to let such good ingredients go to waste.

For two days, I prepared all their meals—breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Cooking was one of my pleasures, so I gladly made the time.

And thanks to that, I gained the goodwill of the people here.

“It looks like the other senpais are still asleep.”

“Yeah… I’m the only one who exercises in the morning.”

Shirley yawned and took another bite of her stew.

Surprisingly, she was a very diligent person who exercised every day.

Because of that, her physique stood out among the other women, as hers was the most toned.

“You’re really dedicated, Senpai. I can barely manage to exercise even once a day.”

“Well… the Black Rose-sama does appreciate my body.”

“Oh, you have something in your eye.”

I leaned forward slightly and extended my hand to her face.

I gently wiped the crust from her eyes and fixed her messy hair.

“All done. You look even prettier now, Senpai.”

“……”

Shirley blinked in surprise for a moment before quickly turning her head and hurriedly eating the stew.

Soon, the other lovers came down to the dining room.

As we ate the breakfast I prepared, various conversations flowed.

The main topic was, unsurprisingly, Mardian.

Perhaps because I was the naive youngest, they didn’t seem to mind discussing Mardian openly in front of me.

The conversation was mostly filled with criticism rather than praise.

It seemed that everyone was secretly struggling with Mardian’s sadistic tendencies.

In addition, I was able to hear various pieces of information about her.

Mardian, who is deeply absorbed in her work every day, reportedly spends most of her nights in her studio.

She visits the mansion for only about a week each month.

And while she stays here, the women of this place have the role of helping her unwind and relax.

The more satisfied Mardian is with her lovers’ services, the more jewels and gold coins she gives out, it seems.

‘What a dream job.’

She provides lodging and plenty of ingredients for them.

If they just cater to Mardian’s mood for a week each month, they get money in return.

No wonder people come here to become Mardian’s lovers.

Of course, there’s the burden of accepting both the wall of homosexuality and the sadistic desires she has.

“Today, Black Rose is visiting the mansion.”

At Rushel’s words, everyone’s eyes sparkled with joy.

It was understandable; for them, Mardian’s visits were like payday.

“Tina, you just stay here and watch how we treat Black Rose.”

“Yes, Rushel.”

As a newcomer, I didn’t have the privilege of meeting Mardian face-to-face yet.

That was fine with me.

I wanted to observe her condition for now.

“Hey, newbie. Can you make some tea cakes?”

A woman with violet-colored hair smiled as she looked at me.

Her name was Erina. She was the one who received Mardian’s favor after Rushel.

“Tea cakes? I know how to make them…”

“Great. Let’s serve them to Black Rose. She’ll surely like them.”

At her words, the other women nodded eagerly, their eyes sparkling.

“Oh, that’s a great idea, sister!”

“She’s definitely not just a concubine for nothing.”

Other lovers showered Erina with praise.

“You’ll make them, right, newbie?”

Of course, they would pretend as if they had made them themselves to serve Mardian.

The more they satisfy Mardian, the bigger the gifts they will receive.

It was a rather clumsy move.

No one here knew how to cook.

If someone did, they would have already made various dishes for Mardian.

Even if they suddenly made homemade treats, I didn’t think the suspicious Mardian would believe it and be pleased right away.

“Yes, I’ll do it, senpai.”

I nodded without saying much.

I had come here to ask for forgiveness, but the thing I wanted most was Mardian’s happiness.

Whether it was for my sake or not, if Mardian could be even a little happier, I would gladly put in the effort.

‘I know I’m doing something foolish.’

Perhaps some might find me frustrating.

Why am I going around in circles when I could just go directly and apologize?

But I was scared.

Once I set foot here, even my firm resolve shrank back.

Mardian must hate me so much that she probably wants to kill me.

If I made eye contact with her now, I would only be met with a gaze full of disgust and contempt, and I would be kicked out.

I made Mardian a traitor of the empire, and in the end, I passed all the blame onto her.

Is it right to now go and confidently ask for forgiveness from her?

Is asking for forgiveness really for her benefit, or is it just my own selfish desire?

At least until I can answer that question, it might be better not to act hastily.

I tried to comfort myself with various excuses.

In the end, though, I might just be running away.

***

On the vast land.

A carriage quietly sped along the road that cut through the dense forest.

At the end of the road, a grand mansion, dignified and imposing, filled the entire view.

As the carriage stopped, the door opened.

The flowing hem of a crimson dress elegantly cascaded down as a woman stepped out.

“Welcome back, my lord.”

The neatly arranged knights bowed in unison, offering a formal greeting.

However, the woman’s blood-red eyes carried the same emotionless gleam as always.

“Is there something you need to report?”

At the lord’s cold voice, one knight cautiously spoke up.

“Um… my lord, there is actually a problem that is somewhat difficult for us to handle.”

He held up a large basket that had been prepared and continued.

“And that is?”

“Well, a week ago, a young lady who claimed to be your lover brought this gift.”

“A gift?”

“Yes. Since Lady Rushel said she had never seen this person before, we were going to dispose of it right away… but the items in the basket seemed quite valuable…”

The lord’s red eyes quietly scanned the gift basket.

Indeed, just as the knights had said, the basket contained precious items.

From delicately embroidered decorations to necklaces with deep crimson hues.

Each item in the basket seemed carefully chosen to match the lord’s tastes.

Among the carefully wrapped goods, a piece of letter paper caught the eye.

It was clear that a great deal of effort had gone into preparing this gift.

However, unfortunately…

“Throw it away.”

The lord’s red eyes remained emotionless.

She showed no interest in the expensive items or the effort put into them.

Money had long since lost any meaning to her.

“What? But…”

“If it’s a waste, the knights can take it.”

Her voice was cold, without a hint of hesitation.

“…Yes, thank you.”

The lord passed the gift basket without a second glance.

It was nothing more than a cheap attempt to win favor, unworthy of her attention.

Everyone here knew the truth. Once someone caught the lord’s eye, gold coins would pour down.

Most likely, the person was trying to get on her good side for that very reason.

And if they called themselves her lover, their intentions were hardly pure.

As the lord entered the mansion’s garden path, someone came out to greet her.

“Welcome back, my lady.”

It was Rushel.

With graceful movements, she elegantly greeted the lord.

The lord stared at Rushel for a while.

She was smart, perceptive, and, above all, stunningly beautiful—enough to be worthy of the lord’s favor.

“Are you going to take a bath first? Have a few prepared as needed.”

“Heh, I’ll tell the children to get ready in advance.”

Rushel responded sweetly, with a seductive smile.

The lord let out a light sigh before adding.

“Oh, and… there’s a child who claims to be your lover.”

“Ah, are you referring to the new recruit?”

The lord’s red eyes turned towards Rushel.

“New recruit?”

“Yes. She’s quite lovely and quick-witted. I thought she would appeal to Lady Black Rose, so I decided to accept her for now.”

“Hmm…”

The lord showed no particular interest.

After all, at best, she was just a pretty woman.

He would grow bored of her quickly after a few nights in bed.

And when the time came, She would simply hand her some gold coins and quietly send her away.

She must have come here with the same expectation in mind.

“You’ll handle it well, I trust.”

“I am simply grateful for my master’s trust.”

Rochelle, still wearing a soft smile, bowed deeply.

Black Rose, Mardian.

Once a woman with eyes burning with greedy ambition.

But now, her eyes were merely dark and sunken.