8. Rosa Wants to Avoid Flags (2)
—Time rewound for a few minutes.
Beneath his gentle smile, Anton felt sorry for Leon and Ladu, who sat across from him.
Good grief, that young lady seems to be attracting a lot of men.
Anton had been listening to their heated conversation about Rosa even before he sat down. He came to realize how much they yearned for her.
Leon was a prince of a great country who was skilled in both literary and military arts as well as magic. All of the ladies in the kingdom fell for his breathtaking beauty.
As for Ladu, despite being a pagan, he had remarkable healing skills. He was slowly garnering trust within the royal castle.
As a priest by trade, Anton was proficient at gathering information.
Rosa was quite something for winning the hearts of the two.
My mistake, three.
Whenever Bernardo stared at Rosa, the passion in his gaze far surpassed that of brotherly love. No, in fact, due to certain circumstances, Anton found out that Bernardo and Rosa weren’t even half-related.
…Even so, no, that’s precisely why I can’t support you, Bernardo.
Anton recalled how Bernardo gritted his teeth because he couldn’t attend the tea party, and smiled wryly.
With his keen and observant eyes, Anton discovered that Bernardo wasn’t as innocent as he seemed. If anything, despite his cute appearance, Bernardo was a ferocious, carnivorous creature, like a kitten in a cat family.
Although Bernardo had warmed up to Anton after he offered to cooperate with the plan to sabotage the tea party, Anton had no intention of supporting his love journey, so he wouldn’t attempt to help Rosa be aware of Bernardo’s feelings.
After all, Anton was ruining Rosa’s engagement for his own purpose—scratch that, for several of his purposes.
I didn’t expect any less from you, Rosa. You’re a once-in-a-century, or even millennium, talent. Letting you get hitched with a man is just preposterous. You should blossom like a lily.
His instincts told him as much.
Yes, unlike her greedy relatives, Rosa, whom he met again after a long time, had grown into a fair and just maiden.
Golden hair as if woven by sunlight. Milky white skin. Purple eyes that were akin to exquisite gems.
Her lovely voice was as pleasant as the chirping of bird, while her graceful demeanor was reminiscent of an angel.
At a glance, she appeared to be elegant and straightforward, but Anton liked the fact that she was gullible and oblivious in the most unexpected way.
To Anton, Rosa had the makings of a clumsy girl.
Aah, for as long as I remember, I’ve been looking for the ideal Petite Soeur. Someone who seems delicate and innocent damsel on the surface, but is surprisingly strong. The kind of beautiful girl who is fancied by Gran Soeur…
As he internally cried out a desire that was exactly like a certain someone, Anton secretly clenched his fist under the table.
After encountering many girls at the orphanage, Anton was about to give up, thinking that there was no way Petit could exist.
—But there she was. I never expected her to be so close to me.
When they met again at the opera house, Anton was secretly delighted. Even more than that, he was excited because he thought that Rosa had also awakened to lilies.
However, that joy was short-lived.
Roses were a taboo for Anton, who’d been pressured by his male colleagues ever since he lost weight during his time at the monastery.
Rosa’s love for roses does bother me. Still, in terms of her looks and superficial behavior, I have no complaints. All I have to do is purify her inner rottenness. If she ends up becoming a lily, even better. Above all, I’d strongly suggest she be with Prince Chris.
Yes, the two of you can go yuri yuri forever in the future…
From Anton’s point of view, the combination of Chris, a beautiful girl who acted masculine, and a servant girl, Rosa, a beautiful older girl with a gentle demeanor, was the best.
As an addition, it was wonderful how their ages and sisterhood roles were reversed.
Thus, in order to make that reality, Rosa needed to remain pure forever.
After all, if she was engaged to a man, she might realize that he was in love with her, leading to a bittersweet Young Adult development where she went like: “…His Highness Leon is in love with me. What do I do?”
Partly because of that, even though Anton was disappointed with Rosa’s denseness, he never told her, “You’re popular with men.”
Unaware of that, the men in front of Anton, especially Leon, seemed to be looking forward to Rosa’s appearance.
They must’ve pictured their ideal lady donning a gorgeous dress in their mind.
However, beneath his polite demeanor, Anton was gloating.
—What a shame.
From now on, Rosa would completely shatter their ideal image!
Anton had already given Rosa some advice.
‘Ignore the dress code.’
‘Behave in a boring and unapproachable manner from beginning to end.’
‘Eat and drink in the most vulgar manner.’
‘When the situation calls for it, immediately engage in rotten talk without reading the mood.’
Rosa diligently took note of his advice and responded sternly. “I actually thought about doing the same.” She must’ve been eager to smash that engagement flag.
As long as their goals aligned, Rosa was a highly-driven and serious student, the teacher’s favorite.
I know that she’s a good person at heart, so I was worried that she might fail. For starters, she’ll arrive late at Her Majesty the Queen’s tea party. Also, if she deliberately wears clothes that are the opposite of the dress code, she’ll most assuredly make a pretty bad impression.
Anton nodded with satisfaction.
If Rosa, who had been provided with a luxurious dress by Chris and the others, were to appear in a drab outfit, it’d be akin to trampling on their kindness.
—…Huh?
But then, Anton suddenly turned his head and stared at the women sitting around the table.
At last, it dawned on him.
Don’t they look kind of plain? Moreover…
…Hold on.
The queen came from the other side of the garden, accompanied by a priest.
Seeing that she was also wearing a plain dress of dull blue color, Anton had a sense of foreboding.
Just like Leon and the others, Anton also had a bad feeling, but for an entirely different reason.
Instead of an extravagant fashion show as usual, the women were in a competition to dress as modestly as possible, and Dorothea’s opening line only solidified it even further.
Judging from the looks on the faces of the ladies, Chris, and Leon, the queen seemed to be scheming something. Furthermore, the queen lit up at the sight of the empty seat, so it was probably part of her plan.
Anton didn’t know the circumstances, but the queen was intending to humiliate Rosa at that tea party.
In other words, the queen only invited Rosa to the tea party to harass her, so no effort was necessary to make her disliked.
At least, that was how it was supposed to be.
I recall telling Rosa that instead of the tailored dress, she should wear the oldest, plainest, and shabbiest dress…
If anything, Rosa’s wasted efforts may have led her to fall into line with the dress code.
…No, calm down. Even if she adheres to the dress code, it’ll only be a minus, not a plus. She can’t make up for the points she loses for being late…!
Anton spoke to himself, but a voice came from behind him, shattering his efforts.
“Oh…?”
The person who appeared at the last minute was none other than Rosa.
For some reason, instead of the main entrance, she appeared from the garden path. As she covered her mouth with her hand, her pretty eyes went wide.
She seemed surprised, and everyone who was present gasped in shock when they saw her.
After all, she looked so gorgeous.
The dress she wore was a light ink color, almost like a mourning dress.
Yet instead of diminishing her appearance, it only accentuated the radiant glow of her complexion and the brilliance of her lustrous blonde hair to its fullest extent.
The simple dress was unadorned by a corset or any decorations such as lace or embroidery.
Yet, it was that very simplicity that highlights the delicacy of her collarbone and the slender silhouette of her waist, subtly adding a touch of allure.
Her hair was left unbraided, and a single white rose, still dripping with dew, was tucked behind her ear, as if on a whim. She was the living definition of a transcendental sophistication.
Truly otherworldly.
There stood an innocent Angel of Rose, unfettered by the beauty and ugliness of the world.
“—Pardon me, but am I late?”
Anton finally regained his senses when he heard that voice. Despite being full of confusion, her voice was as beautiful as a bell.
Anton’s smile was twitching.
Wait, Rosa. Weren’t you supposed to be late…?
“No, not at all.”
Rosa was immediately defended by Chris, and she was quickly seated.
“What a relief, Rosa. I thought you were late.”
“No, uhm, I wasn’t late, but I was expecting everyone to wear stylish clothes today, so this is somewhat unexpected…”
“No, Rosa, they’re no match for you. You’re the most pitiful!”
Chris enthusiastically praised Rosa as she muttered in confusion.
Seeing Rosa’s eyebrows knitted as if she was having trouble comprehending it, Anton froze with a smile on his face.
…And you—you also come out on top despite wearing such a plain outfit…!?
Aah, as a relative, I’ve misjudged the power of her beauty because I was utterly fixated by her taste in roses…
Anton never expected that she’d pull it off and become the pinnacle of sophistication.
I have a really bad feeling about something…
Anton—yes, Anton was the only one who could accurately comprehend Rosa’s thoughts.
Perhaps she took Anton’s advice and decided against wearing the tailored dress to trample on their kindness.
She must’ve worn a mourning dress to look poor.
In order to display her eccentric taste, she probably plucked a rose and tucked it in her hair instead of a jewel.
However, under the current situation, it all worked in the opposite direction.
“—Sister, can you truly make others despise you?”
Suddenly, he recalled Bernardo’s anxious question.
Somehow, it was akin to a prophecy, and Anton began to break in cold sweat.
I-is this really going to last for another two hours…?
The tea party had only begun.
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Anonymous says
Thank you for the translation