episode_0097

A polite gesture expressing respect. Between the clearly articulated sentences were words describing the man before him. Hair of a familiar color fluttered in the wind. Green eyes, like leaves, quietly looked down this way.

‘Valkaros Lantana von Staufen.’

Would many modifiers be necessary? The Emperor. The sole sun of the Staufen Empire. The birth father of the unfortunate princesses, and the one who imprisoned the cursed Rose on a distant planet. I was standing before a cold heart.

‘Why is this person here?’ Why was he here? A sudden appearance. Even as I chewed on the question at the end of the sentence, I waited for a response to my greeting. Soon, the Emperor parted his lips with a calm resonance.

“Is that you? The new attending physician assigned to the Second Princess.”

A voice devoid of any vitality. Only a cold breeze brushed his neck. Was it due to his significant tone? Even though little content had been exchanged yet, I intuitively knew that he knew everything. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be this composed.

‘He knew… from the start.’ I murmured softly to myself.

Originally, I shouldn’t have been here. The matters concerning Rose were a secret directly covered by the Emperor, so it was not a place where outsiders could freely set foot. Therefore, access to the detached palace had been strictly controlled until now. Although I had managed to get in with Charlotte’s help. Even that felt more like sneaking in than following proper procedures.

In short. If I were caught, I’d be in all sorts of trouble. That’s why I had been careful, but it seemed I couldn’t deceive the eye of the Sun. Valkaros was already aware of my presence.

As I racked my brain in silence, a middle-aged voice echoed in my ear. “That’s enough, you may rise.” It was permission to straighten my knelt knees. I bowed once, then slowly raised my lowered body.

Our gazes briefly met. “Young Master Snakers.” “Your Majesty.” “It seems this is the first time I’ve seen your face like this.” “I didn’t expect Your Majesty to recognize me. I will consider it an everlasting honor for my family.” “A guest has come to my home, so as the host, is it not proper to receive him? Even if it’s an uninvited guest.”

“…You knew, after all.” “Yes. I knew from the start.”

As expected. The Emperor seemed to have already assessed the situation. Even though I had followed the princess, I had, after all, intruded into a forbidden area, so I belatedly added an apology. My lips were serious, without even a hint of a smile.

“I am ashamed.” “There’s no need to bow. You merely responded to the First Princess’s request, did you not? She often sought out physicians to care for the Second Princess.”

Princess, or ‘she’. Even though he was clearly referring to his child, the titles were incredibly stiff. His excessively cold tone added to the wintery atmosphere. As I keenly felt the icy air. The Emperor’s appearance from the original work briefly came to mind.

‘Well.’ He wasn’t a character whose story was particularly detailed. Rather, his character was mostly inferred through episodes involving the princesses. It was also a part that had once been a main plot point.

Valkaros. A cold-blooded man who gave affection to nothing in the world. In his mind, only the scales of practicality existed, and he was a person who utterly abhorred being swayed by personal emotions. It was no wonder that his moniker in the original work was ‘Cold Heart’.

[Category: Free Forum] [Title: No matter how I look at it, the Emperor is the root of all evil in the Rose arc] Seriously, there’s no character whose maliciousness rivals this guy. He neglected his only blood relatives, his daughters, from a young age. He barely ever showed them his face. As if that wasn’t enough, when the Second Princess fell ill, he immediately abandoned and confined the 8-year-old child. Ultimately, the family was broken. The good relationship between the sisters was ruined. Elize fought her illness alone for over 10 years, fell into various mental illnesses and self-harm addiction, and eventually died by extreme choice before her lifespan was over. Charlotte was traumatized by it, leading to reduced social skills. In the story, If the Dean is the peak of incompetence, This Emperor bastard is the peak of maliciousness.

[He really is a complete bastard.] -> Even animals cherish their offspring, they say. -> Reading the side stories makes my hatred for the Emperor boil.

[There’s a reason Yuda destroyed the Empire.] -> Now people are even defending Karyl. -> Destruction? No, it’s ‘normalization,’ isn’t it? -> Great Yuda. -> GOAT… I don’t particularly miss him.

[Dean vs. Emperor] -> An unpopularity battle where superiority cannot be judged. -> Incompetent Prophet vs. Malicious Betrayer, wow. -> Isn’t incompetence better, at least? -> No, the Emperor is better. In the later stages, he provides troop support and various aid. -> On the other hand, our esteemed Prophet does nothing.

[The Emperor became cute after meeting Yuda.] -> Yeah, right. -> Why are the arrows coming at me again? -> F*ck… What’s with the cool factor… haha. -> There he goes again, bringing up weird memes.

I remember his evaluation among players wasn’t very good. He wasn’t explicitly an antagonist, but he was so neglectful towards his blood relatives, the princesses, to the point of indifference, and he even personally imprisoned the cursed Elize in a detached palace. Since this served as a pillar of the tragic storyline, public opinion couldn’t have been favorable. He even proudly ranked in the lower tiers in a popularity poll once conducted.

‘I disliked him too.’ Even I didn’t like him. When I was producing videos for the Rose episode, I often inserted curses about him. The term ‘malicious Emperor’ was deeply ingrained.

But now. ‘What…?’ I couldn’t hide my bewilderment. The part that had been bothering me since earlier. I belatedly found the reason for that unfamiliar feeling. My gaze fixed on Valkaros, who stood opposite me.

“I’ve heard the news. That there are signs of recovery, which is unusual?” “Yes… that’s right.” “I just dropped by to check briefly.” “……”

No. This person couldn’t possibly be like this? Considering how he was depicted in the original work, it was impossible. Valkaros was utterly indifferent to the princesses. It wasn’t that he hated them, or lacked interest; it was more like he genuinely treated them as if they didn’t exist in his life. To the point where it seemed he might have even forgotten he had children.

As I mentioned earlier, it wasn’t explicitly stated, but it was inferred from fragmentary parts throughout the story. Especially in Elize’s recollections, similar mentions were frequently scattered.

‘What whim is this?’ Question marks filled my mind. As I wore a doubtful expression for a moment, the middle-aged voice added a reply. The unchanging, wintery resonance seemed to be tinged with frost.

“There’s no need to be so tense. This is truly a visit with no hidden meaning.” “I apologize. I was just surprised for a moment.”

What had surprised me so much? I didn’t commit the discourtesy of speaking the reason aloud. It was a question that involved mentioning the Second Princess, a disgrace that the imperial family had to hide, and a being no different from discarded kin. Instead, I merely swallowed my thoughts in tight-lipped silence.

Perhaps vaguely sensing the atmosphere, Valkaros subtly turned his head. A moment of silence followed. Whoosh-. Only the night wind blowing erased the emptiness. The Emperor, whose eyes had been fixed with a dead gaze, soon let out words as if casually, yet they were sharp as an awl.

“Recovery… I heard that curse is incurable.” “That’s true by conventional methods.” “So, it’s possible by unconventional methods?” “It’s difficult to assert definitively. However, I can say that we are in the experimental stage.” “Should I call it audacious? To use a princess of the realm as an experimental subject.”

Well, it’s true, but. Shouldn’t you, of all people, be saying that…? Is he deliberately trying to pick a fight? Otherwise, he wouldn’t mention Rose himself. I tried my best to keep my furrowed brow in check.

“I apologize.” “Well… it doesn’t matter.”

He was a difficult person to understand. If I were to compare him to someone… yes, perhaps similar to Charlotte. He subtly gave off the feeling of being in a world of his own.

“So.” Green eyes, glancing this way. They resembled the leaves of a rose, but unlike hers, their color was withered.

“Can you really do it? The treatment.” A question. My answer was fixed.

“I believe there’s a strong possibility.” “Huh… overflowing confidence.” “An incurable disease doesn’t mean it can never be cured. It simply means the solution for treatment hasn’t been discovered yet.” “It sounds as if you hold the solution in your hands.” “You may interpret it as you wish. Only time, not far from now, will provide the answer.”

“An interesting proposition.” Valkaros nodded. Perhaps intrigued by my audacious demeanor, a light flickered in his characteristically empty pupils. It was an adult, frozen and frozen again, shattered into pieces.

“Isn’t that truly a dream-like claim?” Was he still half in doubt? Normally, he would have dismissed it as nonsense, but hearing the news of actual recovery seemed to confuse him. His expression was as if he were contemplating where to begin dismissing it as absurd.

“…I truly hope that bravado of yours is real.” “Pardon?” “If so, I might even hand over this entire Empire to you.” “That’s quite an excessive remark for a joke.” “Do you think it’s a joke?” “……”

I ultimately had no choice but to remain silent. The Emperor’s actual appearance differed from the image and impression I had known since my previous life. While the overall atmosphere was exactly as I remembered, There were subtle discrepancies in his reactions, attitude, and gaze.

‘He hopes my bravado is real.’ Doesn’t it sound like a sentence that wishes for a miracle to cure Elize’s illness? Like he hopes the Rose’s curse will be lifted? The person I know is certainly not someone who would feel that way.

As I mulled over my complex thoughts, Valkaros, who had been standing still, turned his back. It seemed he intended to leave.

“I should be going soon.” “Weren’t you here to see Princess Elize?” “I’ve changed my mind.” “I will see you when the next opportunity arises.” “Well… I hope I don’t have to see you again, if possible.” “Pardon?” “I’m leaving.”

Before the conversation could be fully concluded. The Emperor departed first. Watching his back as he exited the garden, various thoughts completely filled a section of my mind. I murmured to myself, as if unwinding those thoughts.

‘I didn’t expect this.’ Could there be a backstory I don’t know? Content recorded beyond the Emperor, not revealed in the original work. I found myself smiling unwittingly.

“Ha.” It truly was an interesting world. I thought I knew everything, but when I actually approached it, something entirely different awaited. Unknown things lay hidden everywhere, waiting for me. Ignorance held such vibrancy; how could I possibly consider this world a lie? Every scent that brushed my nose was genuine.

‘But.’ On the other hand, precisely because of that. I couldn’t treat everything carelessly. When the moment of departure inevitably arrived, I would have to fade without leaving scars on the things I had loved. Only retaining the scars from thorns that had cut my fingertips.

After briefly savoring the lingering feelings, I took a step. It was the path leading to bed.

‘Before I sleep… should I go check on her condition?’ Elize, whose condition hadn’t been good for the past few days. Remembering that her pain worsened every night, I quietly made my way to the room where Rose stayed.

As I freely traversed the cool air. Before long, my feet reached the door at the end of the hallway.

“……” A slight gap. Through it, a faint light leaked out. A brightness that only two or three candles could produce. Even though it was already past dawn, perhaps the Rose in the greenhouse couldn’t fall asleep?

I slowly opened the closed door and entered the room.

“Pant, pant…” Just as I stepped onto the soft carpet. What I heard was breathing. Breathing mixed with desperate groans, as if suffering from pain.

“Ugh… Ugh.” Rose was not lying in bed. Instead, she was crouched in the middle of the room, her body curled tightly. Her shoulders twitched with her ragged breaths. The red-haired girl seemed engrossed in something.

‘This is.’ I couldn’t help but harden my expression. As a metallic scent brushed my nose, red traces on the floor appeared in my sight. The faint scent filling the room was none other than the smell of blood.

“…Hah.” Tears streamed down. As if following the transparent drops, red marks originating from her wrist stained the carpet. Between the cleanly cut wounds, countless roses bloomed. Even though she was already smeared with red petals, the girl moved her hand as if she wasn’t satisfied. A pocketknife, wet with flower sap, hung from her fingertips.

Slip-. The haphazardly loosened bandage stretched long. The fabric, which had been pure white just hours ago, had now forgotten the concept of regeneration and was dirtied by saturation in violence. At its end, only a thirst for self-destruction remained.

“Hauck… Ugh.” Scratch, scratch-. Rose, adding wound upon wound as if lost in a daze. The girl didn’t even perceive the presence of others, blankly spewing out only blood and tears. There was no vitality in her blinking eyelids. Her green pupils, like leaves, seemed to be withering to black.

“Your Highness.” Even though I called out softly, Rose continued to self-harm while weeping. It seemed she couldn’t hear any other words. I approached the girl. And then.

Grab-! I embraced her slender body from behind. At the same time, I silently held her wrist, which was becoming a mess.

“Ugh…! Ugh!” Sudden restraint. She struggled as if startled by it, but the arms restraining the girl didn’t tremble even slightly. I held her in a warm embrace and calmed her. I brought my lips close, as if to touch her pale ear, and whispered words of comfort several times in a calm voice. I didn’t forget to stroke her head with my hand.

“Shh… It’s okay.” “Hiccup, ugh.” “Everything’s okay. Because I’m here by your side…”

And so. Until the intense atmosphere subsided, the two of them rested for a while. Melting into the lukewarm warmth.