episode_0062

“May is green, Rosalie grows♪”

It was the bright blue and pleasant morning of Saturday, May 12th.

Rosalie Berhart, brimming with excitement, looked into the mirror and styled herself.

“Should I go for pure and innocent? Or push for a mature, overflowing charm? Or maybe cute? Hehehe… Ras isn’t really that picky about tastes, is he?”

In truth, it wasn’t that Ras wasn’t picky, but rather that all the women around him, with their diverse styles, were exceedingly charming beauties.

Rosalie eventually settled on an outfit that was neither too daring nor overly plain.

“Hehe. It’s just a casual date… If my outfit is too revealing, it’d be unbecoming for my age. Rosalie.”

Age… Thinking about it, Rosalie briefly recalled the lovely, pretty, and cute Pisces.

Pisces, much younger and fresher than Rosalie herself, could dress up as if ready for a life-or-death struggle, and it would simply be cute rather than unbecoming or burdensome.

‘Anyway, she’s incredibly cute, isn’t she? The way she keeps trying to subtly check me is also adorable…! But Pisces-ssi, Rosalie isn’t an easy woman either.’

She knew that Pisces, despite her timid demeanor, secretly harbored a competitive spirit towards Rosalie herself.

The quick-witted Rosalie had already caught on, through several shared occasions, that Ras held Pisces and Irha in very high regard.

Similarly, she also knew that Irha and Pisces were not hiding their fresh yet deep affection for ‘their lovely boy’.

‘Ras… he doesn’t seem to be choosing and selecting from his surroundings. Rather, it feels like he’s deliberately ‘collecting’ them around him. Tsk tsk… What a greedy person…! Is pretty Rosalie not enough for you?!’

It was a surprising fact that the laws concerning marriage and domestic relations in the Sephiroth Empire did not strictly prohibit polygamy.

However, for various reasons, bigamy, such as polygyny or polyandry, was merely taboo in Sephiroth by social convention or practical custom.

Instead, Sephiroth’s laws would impose rather harsh penalties in various aspects if problems arose due to bigamy, and public perception of bigamy was, well… considered to be at rock bottom.

The public sentiment towards bigamy was so poor that more than half of the population believed it was legally prohibited, making the permission for bigamy virtually defunct.

Therefore, it was common practice not to take multiple wives, but rather one wife and concubines. Of course, the perception and treatment of concubines were also not very good.

Rosalie, being quite knowledgeable about the law, was aware that polygamy was permitted.

So, even if the sinful Ras were to take multiple wives, she would accept it.

Ras was her first love, and whatever choice he made, she wanted to respect it, regardless of her own desires.

Rosalie’s only small desire was to become the main wife!

‘Phew… but it’s also peculiar… while he has a slightly philandering side, separately, I can often sense guilt or indebtedness in his gaze… with a touch of pity as a bonus…’

Rosalie, deeply infatuated with Ras, viewed his every action favorably.

However, she keenly felt that the intense, inexplicable emotions Ras often showed when looking at Rosalie herself, Pisces, and Irha were not due to mere infatuation.

In any case, she suppressed the thoughts that were already starting to complicate things.

Today, she resolved to forget all these things and enjoy a sweet, intimate time with just the two of them, just like when they first headed to Sephir.

“Rosalie..! Don’t lose heart. Being young isn’t everything. Besides, Ras seems to like the slightly mature style the most. I’m definitely the main wife..! How can a subordinate defeat the main wife?! Subordinates are concubines!”

Lately, feeling a bit insecure about the rise of the ‘subordinates’, she would proclaim her status as the main wife every morning…

After bravely completing her morning routine, she left her quarters and stepped out of the school.

As she walked lightly, almost flying, towards the meeting place with Ras, she was truly dazzling, and everyone, regardless of gender, looked at her as if captivated.

However, her thoughts were entirely focused on her lovely boy, so the gazes of those around her were of no concern.

*

The Meeting Plaza.

Barely a month had passed since his regression, yet the person he was to meet at the Meeting Plaza had changed.

He remembered that first day after the regression, when the ‘flower of infidelity’ bloomed… he had come here lazily, acting bizarrely in order to make a scene for Lizley.

But since the person to meet had changed, today wasn’t the day for such behavior.

I arrived 30 minutes early, standing neatly and perfectly straight, without even a glance away.

The timing for the confession, which I’d been agonizing over all last week… Rosalie-ssi had casually mentioned her birthday was approaching, so I decided to aim for then.

‘Hehe, Teacher-nim’s birthday always coincides with the festival. May 16th! Gifts are fine, but you absolutely *must* wish me a happy birthday~’

So today is a prelude to successfully preparing for the confession, which is less than a week away..!

Her tastes and atmosphere… I would perfectly grasp everything about them.

But in truth… there was no real need to discuss Rosalie-ssi’s tastes; today, I simply wanted to meet her.

After all, I had already been on quite a few dates with her, and she wasn’t someone difficult enough to warrant such anxiety.

Rosalie-ssi actually wasn’t particular about anything, and rather than having special preferences, she most liked it when I put my sincerity into things.

It had always been that way, everywhere we went together in Sephir.

She was very different from Lizley, who would subtly and meticulously scrutinize the quality of food, the restaurant’s ambiance, or the weather on the day of the meeting.

She enjoyed laughing and chatting with me, and then eating something reasonably delicious.

And she liked subtly holding my hand or linking arms with me while strolling around the streets.

Even if the weather was a bit gloomy, it was fine.

Being face-to-face with me and sharing warmth was her priority.

However, regardless of her being an accommodating and comfortable person, I simply wanted to prepare the best for her.

The custom-prepared gift, the birthday which was the best timing, and the ‘May Rose’ festival where Leone and Delphy were said to be most vibrant and beautiful…

All of it was for Rosalie-ssi, who was my benefactor before the regression and had become love after it; I was enduring and waiting with a burning heart and mind.

“Ras!! I’m sorry. Am I very late?”

Our Teacher-nim, who had run over, panting, was utterly adorable.

How lovely was it that she apologized first, even though she had arrived earlier than the appointed time, simply because I was already there?

“No. I just came out early for no reason. Because I wanted to see you quickly?”

When I spoke with a touch of playfulness, Rosalie-ssi’s eyes curved beautifully as she smiled.

Afterward, she naturally linked her arm through mine and playfully pulled me along.

“This is our first time meeting like this, just the two of us, in Delphy, isn’t it? Teacher-nim is a local expert here. Our cute freshman-ssi needs to be led by a senior, right? I was quite indebted to you last time in Sephir.”

“You’re the most trustworthy person in the world. Then, may I ask for an escort, Senior-nim?”

“Of course! Just trust me… Let’s see~ First, let’s go to Delphy’s famous dating spot, Rose Lake…. It’s less crowded and pleasant in the morning.”

“You’re pretty.”

Rosalie-ssi often boasted like this, and she looked both cute and pretty when she did.

But just today, seeing Rosalie-ssi, who had put in a little more effort than usual, my mouth or brain seemed to malfunction, and the word “pretty” just blurted out without any context.

I wasn’t usually the type of guy to say things so suddenly and out of context…

“Oh dear..! What’s so pretty about an old Teacher-nim like me? Hehehe… Thank you, Mom and Dad..!”

With a slightly blushing, flustered face, she led me towards Rose Lake, Delphy’s famous dating spot.

It was just like her to cling even tighter to my arm as her face reddened.

“Teacher-nim, you seem to get cuter with each passing day, don’t you?”

“I don’t know… I’m weak to compliments about being pretty that come out of nowhere. And… it’s a bit chilly by the lake, so warm me up quickly….”

After asking me to warm her up, Rosalie-ssi clung tightly to me, practically nestled in my arms, and she was the cutest she had been since I met her.

To warm up this beautiful and cute noona, the nameless guy was forcibly dragged out from within my mind, grumbling.

‘Hey. I am the fervent flame of battle… a nameless, solitary warrior…’

‘She says she’s cold. Stop grumbling and warm her up, you idiot.’

Anyway, since Nameless was a guy who listened well despite his grumbling, I was soon able to warm Rosalie-ssi up very pleasantly.

“Thank you, Ras.”

Her whispered voice carried a sweet, floral scent.

*

“Garett, wait.”

“What is it?”

Skada and Garett were walking along the banks of Delphy’s Rose Lake on Saturday morning.

“Look, ahead. Aren’t those people we know?”

“Hm?? Ras and… next to him is Professor Rosalie-nim?”

Although the banks of Delphy’s Rose Lake were wide, it was natural for familiar faces or acquaintances to stand out.

Seeing Ras and Rosalie, who were being openly affectionate with each other, the princess and her knight found themselves unconsciously dry-mouthed.

“Oh… wow… my goodness… Professor-nim is quite assertive. But wasn’t Professor-nim married?”

“Hmm… she looks quite devastating, flaunting such allure with that body. But surprisingly, if you take off the ring, no one has even seen a strand of her lover’s hair, let alone a spouse… It must be a fake wedding ring.”

Skada, who was well-versed in political marriages, arranged engagements, and deceptions (though she had never experienced them herself), surprisingly came to a conclusion quite easily.

“Ras broke up with Lizley, and my word… he’s already managed to charm the Academy’s health professor-nim. What an incredible junior he is.”

“Hmm…! Ahem. Garett, who is the most beautiful woman in the world?”

Skada, who had suddenly entered solemn master mode, was a bit taller than Garett and looked very strong due to her well-trained body, but in Garett’s eyes, she was utterly cute and lovely.

It seemed as if she was forcing him to say she was prettier than Rosalie, who was famous as the academy’s greatest beauty, but what did it matter between a couple?

“Isn’t the Second Imperial Princess of the Sephiroth Empire also an peerless beauty? That’s a truth that wouldn’t change even if a spear blade were at my throat.”

“Ahem!!! You have faithfully spoken the truth, so I shall raise your salary.”

Skada, who was boasting, was also a great beauty, so Garett, with his infatuation buff, genuinely believed he had spoken the truth.

*

At the same time, on the terrace of an elegant villa.

A man and a woman, exuding elegant grace, sat there like a painting.

Truly… they had just sat there for a long time.

The silence, which had stretched for almost an hour, finally came to an end.

The one who spoke first was the man.

“Your expression isn’t good at all.”

“Is there any reason for my expression to be good?”

Gruff. Emotionless. Dry.

It was a situation where a couple best described by the phrase ‘worse than strangers’ was on a non-date.

Neither of them loved each other, but they were forced by their respective parents to spend an hour together every month, without fail.

“Anyway… our allotted time is almost up, so let’s just finish this up and go our separate ways. Leon, don’t you have another lover you’re meeting anyway? As always.”

It was Marisa who continued speaking such scathing words, completely devoid of emotion, so dryly that there was no rise or fall in her voice.

“It’s surprising that you notice every time I get a new lover, even though you have no interest in me. Are you perhaps subtly obsessed with me?”

“What a dreadful thing to say. You just make it unpleasantly obvious. Aren’t you the one obsessed with me, rather? I dislike people whose true intentions are unknown, like you, the most. Whoever it is, they must be suffering greatly trying to accommodate your eccentricities.”

“Obsession, huh… Yes, I won’t deny that. I have no intention of loving you, but I don’t want you to go to anyone else either. Aren’t you just a doll anyway? Valencia’s doll, the imperial family’s doll…. I won’t ask you to bear children, so living your whole life as a doll might not be bad.”

“That’s insulting. For someone who can’t even say a word to his own grandfather to speak like this… Duke Valencia is also ridiculous. To think of pairing us up, no matter the political reasons.”

A cold war, followed by a war of words… The unknown meeting between the two was so unproductive that they couldn’t even wound each other.

Marisa looked at her watch and tidied up as if she had been waiting. An hour had painstakingly passed.

“One hour. This disgusting meeting is over. Whether it’s you or Skada… if either of you guarantees my freedom, I intend to support you wholeheartedly. Think it over carefully, Leon.”

“Never. I dislike you. I want you to be unhappy, so I will not give you freedom, in any form. By the way… you seem to have become quite close with Ras lately. Have you developed a romantic interest? It’s surprising…. The thought of you holding a man’s hand, or the two of you going somewhere and talking alone… it’s unbelievable.”

“You are a repulsive person. A person who is comfortable only when the world, no matter where, is in their palm. However, you do not have the capacity to grasp the world in your palm. That excessive greed will pierce through your hand.”

Leon naturally revealed that he had planted eyes and ears everywhere to monitor her.

And Marisa, without an ounce of hesitation, spewed venomous words that were almost like curses.

The two of them thus ended their now-stale date once again.

Marisa, walking out from the suffocating villa, pulled out her communication magic tool.

Wishing to shake off the sticky, unpleasant feeling, she decided to contact her ‘friend’ who first came to mind.

“This much… isn’t this the kind of contact ‘friends’ can make? We’re even fellow ‘literature club members’…”

Marisa muttered as she pressed the magic tool repeatedly.

[Ras-gun, what are you doing? The festival is just a few days away, so please make sure to finish writing the article for the school magazine today. Tomorrow is Sunday, but would you be willing to meet and have a discussion? I apologize. I’m sure it’s inconvenient to be contacted like this on your day off…. Anyway, please contact me whenever it’s convenient, even in the early morning. I’m bored since neither you nor Irha are here on the weekend.]

It was a message she had needlessly written long, but unlike usual, Ras did not reply to Marisa immediately.

10 minutes, 20 minutes, 30 minutes…. Marisa finally decided to stop waiting for a reply.

“Tch.”

Marisa grumbled petulantly.

Somehow, a sense of disappointment was quite deep, unlike her usual indifferent self.