Ch.147For Elise (1)

The dormitory with its lights off.

In the darkness without a trace of light, faint signs of life occasionally echo.

It was a sorrowful breath.

“Ugh…”

A faint heat escapes.

A completely disheveled appearance.

Red hair cascades down, embroidering the blanket.

In a scene like fallen petals left behind, a girl lies sprawled across the bed.

None other than the rose herself.

“Haa, haa…”

Rough, repeated breathing.

Her leaf-like green eyes are clouded with haziness.

I was gently stroking the girl’s stomach.

A regular treatment that took place periodically.

It was the process of releasing the mana accumulated in her lower abdomen and relaxing the tense surrounding muscles.

My softly extended fingertips caress her snow-white skin.

Swish-

“Hng, ugh…”

Following that.

A quiet moan blooms from between tightly bitten lips.

The rose exhales with mixed heat.

Her gaze trembles.

I asked mischievously.

“Why are you holding back your voice? There’s no one here besides us anyway.”

“Stop talking, haa, nonsense… just hurry up, and finish.”

Only the two of us were in the spacious dormitory.

Originally, this was where Elise, Sharlotte, and her personal maid Tanya lived together, but the other two had vacated the place for the treatment.

They probably wouldn’t come back for at least three hours.

In other words, there was no need to suppress her moans like this.

But for whatever stubborn reason, the rose maintained consciousness even while panting.

As if refusing to give in.

“I don’t see the point, but…”

“You’re really, annoying.”

The girl’s attire was close to half-naked.

The covered area was that minimal.

It was ordinary negligee-style sleepwear, but her clothes were lifted to expose her stomach.

For treatment, obstacles needed to be minimized.

Naturally, such thin fabric made it difficult to cover her body.

Because of this, the rose revealed her curved lines and the underside of her breasts, barely concealing just the tips at the end.

Her once pale cheeks were now as red as her hair and rose petals.

Was that flush from embarrassment?

Or was it from lingering sensation?

I had no way of knowing.

I simply continued the treatment.

“As you command.”

My hand touches her lower abdomen.

A shadow seeps through her skin, squirming.

Immediately after, Elise’s focus melts away.

It was because of her body’s heightened sensitivity. Nearly twice as sensitive as usual.

As the tangled mana unravels accordingly, a snow-white thrill flashes.

The girl’s lower body twitches.

“Hyak…!?”

Her waist bounces lightly.

I press down firmly on her rising lower abdomen while simultaneously holding the rose’s trembling hand.

Each time her abdomen is compressed, a tingling current flows through Elise’s spine.

Her gaze flutters, unfocused.

Was it because of the intense stimulation?

Moisture pools in the corners of her eyes.

I stroke the girl’s hair as if to soothe her.

As if to say she’s enduring well.

“We’re almost done.”

Sweat trickles down.

The damp heat soils the blanket, and a sticky bodily scent spreads throughout the room.

Faint breathing fills the pitch-black interior.

Flower petals trembling as if about to break.

Was it because such reactions seemed cute?

I searched for the most sensitive spot and pressed it firmly with my index and middle fingers.

Elise’s pupils dilated and her shoulders jerked.

The girl glares at me reproachfully.

“You again…!”

“Shh.”

I quickly placed my finger on the rose’s lips.

Otherwise, I would have certainly gotten an earful.

Before any further complaints could follow, my hand pressed on her abdomen.

The mana tangled inside unraveled, and the tense muscles relaxed gently.

Following that, the stimulation striking her brain became even sharper. All her nerves concentrated on her lower abdomen where my fingertips touched.

Something hot and knotted consumed the girl.

Everything sinking in that way.

“Relax your strength.”

Sruruuk-

As I lightly traced a circle on her stomach, her waist rose once more.

I applied pressure with my palm to prevent her posture from collapsing.

As her rising lower abdomen met my pressing hand, an even stronger compression was applied.

“Ugh, haa…”

Perhaps melted by the repeated stimulation.

Her fierce eyes had returned to their unfocused state.

My finger still rested on her lips.

I gently caressed that soft flesh with my moving index finger.

My thumb dug into the moist crack between her parted lips.

“Mmph… mmm, ugh, haa…”

The sensation of her completely enveloping my finger.

The hot, moist heat of her mouth seemed to transfer completely.

At the tip that had pushed its way in was a welcoming tongue.

It was still somewhat stiff, but perhaps having grown accustomed through treatment, she seemed to accept the foreign object in her mouth.

Her moisture-filled tongue calmly covered my finger.

Though she had glared at me like she wanted to kill me at first, now even this contact had become routine.

At times like this, I couldn’t help but recall the moment when we were first with each other.

The rose from those days, bristling with thorns.

-I’ll… kill you.

-How dare you do such a thing…!

Even from those days.

Now she was as fragile as petals facing winter.

She had calmed her own thorns.

I gently stroke her red hair.

“Hehe, you’re being good.”

“Don’t treat me like a child.”

“Then should I stop stroking?”

“…You’re really annoying.”

Instead of answering, Elise turns her head.

It meant she wanted me to continue.

And so, throughout the treatment, I stroked the girl’s stomach and head.

Such actions ended only after her nightwear was completely soaked with sweat.

***

The treatment that had continued for over two hours.

The tumultuous process was well concluded.

As I quietly cleaned up, the rose suddenly speaks with furrowed brows.

Her eyes held some kind of irritation.

“Today… wasn’t it a bit excessive?”

“I’m always the same.”

“You’re probably the only one who can freely molest an imperial princess like this.”

“It’s simply a medical procedure. There’s no other meaning.”

“Well… looking at the state of things, I’d believe it if someone called it rape.”

“So do you dislike it? If Your Highness wishes, I can stop at any time.”

“…You’re pushing it.”

The girl mutters.

Perhaps suddenly lost in thought.

Silence descends with bitten lips.

Soon, Elise exhales quietly and utters a single sentence.

It was a solemn voice.

“Do you remember?”

“What are you referring to?”

“I told you before. That I would accept anything you do.”

“I remember. You certainly did say that.”

“Even if… it were rape. If it’s you, I would accept it.”

“You’re saying something terrible.”

“That’s how sincere I am. This is certainly not a lie.”

“Indeed. Your determination to receive treatment is impressive.”

“Well… I didn’t specify which part I was sincere about.”

“Either way, I’m just happy. It means you trust me.”

“You always manage to slip away so well.”

“Thank you.”

“That wasn’t a compliment.”

Casual conversation flows between us.

Even amidst such talk, I continue to tidy up the surroundings.

I snap my fingers briefly to smooth out the blanket.

The rose, perhaps exhausted from the treatment, sat on the bed completely drained.

As I quietly stood by her side, something suddenly caught my eye.

It was the white bandages wrapped around both her arms and neck area.

I carefully take her wrist.

“Have you put a knife to your body again?”

“……”

“I’ve told you many times that self-harm is not good.”

“I just… did it habitually. It strangely makes me feel at ease.”

“Didn’t you promise me? That you would try.”

“…Sorry.”

When I pressed her firmly, the girl’s complexion darkened.

My gaze had cooled slightly.

The withered atmosphere.

Though it made me feel bad, as her physician, I couldn’t just accept it.

This was an issue she had to overcome herself.

I slowly unwrap the bandage to replace it with a new one.

Sruruuk-

Reddish lines and marks revealed through the thin fabric.

I apply medicine over the field of blooming wounds.

“Um…”

Perhaps because of my unfavorable expression.

Elise, uncharacteristically hesitant, grabs my sleeve.

“I’m sorry… I just, I’m so used to pain, sometimes, when it’s unbearably difficult…”

A voice lacking confidence.

Though she was usually fierce and tyrannical, in moments like these, she would act as if about to break.

The rose, despite not showing it, was quite conscious of my reactions.

Whether she was being a nuisance, whether she was bothering me, or if she might be abandoned.

Despite covering herself with all sorts of sharp thorns, her fragile essence remained unchanged.

Even that aspect resembled a rose.

The girl says.

“So… don’t make that expression.”

Elise bites her lip.

Loneliness or a dull ache.

Such things are contained in her green eyes.

I couldn’t bring myself to speak hastily.

“……”

I had resolved to be strict.

But I couldn’t ignore that desolate gaze.

A needless bitter taste spreads in my mouth.

‘You don’t need to apologize to me.’

That’s right.

What fault could this child have?

The only sin she bears is being born with a twisted fate, so who could blame her even if she breaks endlessly?

I simply didn’t want to see such a delicate flower wither.

With a somewhat relaxed atmosphere, I take the girl’s hand.

Her body temperature was warm.

“Your Highness.”

“Yes.”

“I wish for Your Highness to cherish your own body.”

“I know… but, I just can’t get used to it.”

“I understand that Your Highness is making an effort. I just said it in the hope that you might try a little harder. My feelings aren’t hurt at all, so you don’t need to be so anxious.”

“…I wasn’t particularly concerned about that.”

A needlessly prickly response.

I stroke Elise with a slight smile and add a few pieces of news. This seemed like the best timing to speak.

I meet her calm green eyes.

“I have something to tell you.”

“What now.”

“It seems the time has finally come for me to fulfill the promise I made to Your Highness.”

“Promise…?”

“There was one, wasn’t there?”

The very first promise we made.

That I would bring hope to your life, and thereby break your curse.

“Could it be…”

“That’s right. Just yesterday, the research on manastone disease was completed.”

I smile faintly.

The girl’s eyes momentarily go blank, perhaps having inferred the nature of the promise.

A brief vitality shines in her leaf-like pupils.

As if answering that hope, I speak.

“I will break your curse.”

“……”

“Let’s head to the imperial palace tomorrow. All the keys are there.”

Balkaros Lantana von Staufen.

That damn emperor bastard.

There was much I needed to hear from him.

About Elise’s curse and all the relationships involved.

[Report on Manastone Disease]

[Author: Medro Andreas]

-Manastone disease takes a form closer to a curse than a disease.

-There are ancient records of utilizing the chronic characteristics of curses to transfer the disease’s influence to others.

-This process of ‘Curse sharing’ dramatically lowers the patient’s mortality rate.

-However, curses can only be exchanged between blood relatives within second cousins.

Part of the content written in the report.

I mutter as if lamenting while pondering it.

“All the answers… must be with him.”

After such a long time.

It was time to end the curse.