13. Rosa Wants to Avoid Flags (7)
“Really, what a reckless girl…”
As evening approached, at the corner of Chris’ mansion, in Rosa’s room…
In addition to Ladu, who had become her primary doctor, Rosa’s bedroom was often visited by Chris and other guests, but that day, a new member was added to Rosa’s room.
“She willingly drank the tea, knowing it was poisoned…”
The one who whispered hoarsely was the most exalted woman in the Kingdom of Berg.
Dorothea, the bewitching queen who was also the personification of tuberose.
She sat down on the round chair beside the bed alongside Chris, Leon, Ladu, and Anton.
Dorothea stared thoughtfully at Rosa’s sleeping face.
The queen, who would often wear flashy outfits, came without any makeup on. Even her hair was disheveled as a result of hard work.
Several hours had passed since Rosa drank the tea and fainted.
Like a beehive that had been disturbed, the garden, which was supposed to be calm, was thrown into chaos.
The healer, Ladu, and the priest, Anton, rushed to Rosa’s aid. In the meantime, Dorothea, who had suspicions about the pages because of Rosa’s comments, ordered their arrest.
Leon immediately ensnared them with his magic, while Chris confirmed that they were indeed the culprits through his ability.
The two pages pretended to be at odds with each other to lace the queen’s tea with poison.
According to Anton, who was knowledgeable about dispelling curses, it wasn’t a common poison such as arsenic, but corrosive poison made with a curse.
The poison was extremely lethal. It was made of bacteria that infested a demonic beast’s body, which had been significantly enhanced with dark magic. If ingested, the internal organs will fester at an alarming rate, resulting in an agonizing death.
Although the magical effect could be reduced by dispelling it with non-standard magical power, the effect of the bacteria couldn’t be avoided.
In other words, it was a terrifying poison that could kill anyone with high magical power.
However, despite coughing blood once, Rosa was otherwise relatively unharmed, and was currently sleeping from exhaustion.
Ladu concluded that it was all thanks to a miraculous stroke of good luck.
First of all, a healer couldn’t be affected by healing magic.
In other words, the very magic used to nurture and activate the bacteria inside the body. As a result, the bacteria didn’t benefit much from her magic.
Of course, there was a threat from the bacteria itself, but the fact that Rosa happened to be drinking soil at the time greatly reduced the risk.
According to Ladu, charcoal and soil were effective against some bacteria, including the one that nested inside a demonic beast’s body.
Truly, a miraculous stroke of good luck.
“Rosa’s purple eyes see through any deceptions, and no matter how dangerous it is, if it’s to save someone, she wouldn’t hesitate.”
After completing the general examination, Ladu laid Rosa on the bed and announced in front of everyone, who watched with bated breath.
“She wanted to win the trust of Her Majesty the Queen and be close to her, even if it meant drinking poison.”
Indeed.
Ladu, or rather, almost everyone there took Rosa’s action as such.
Anton leaned forward, about to say something, but after a brief consideration, he refrained.
While he suspected that Rosa did it due to some stupid reason, he was hesitant to go out of his way to explain it.
“Even if she didn’t do that, her words would’ve been enough…”
“No, but if Her Majesty were to be poisoned and collapse, Rosa, who brought in the tea, would be the prime suspect. She probably decided to go to such lengths to eliminate any basis for suspicion. If I were in the same situation, I’d probably have done the same.”
“Normally, someone would try to explain it first. The peculiar boldness that Rosa sometimes shows chills me to the core.”
Chris, Ladu, and Leon frowned as they voiced their opinions.
“Indeed, Brother. No matter how many hearts I possess, it wouldn’t be sufficient. I’m seriously considering placing Rosa under house arrest in the palace.”
“I agree with that. However, there’s also the option of placing her in the rehabilitation room of the main temple.”
“Now that you mention it, there’s also a chamber in the inner palace where previous queens have been placed under house arrest.”
“—Everyone, please calm down. Let’s not resort to inhumane methods, okay?”
Concerned, Chris and the others mumbled about placing her under house arrest. Their eyes were dead serious. Anton went pale and tried to calm them down, his voice shaking the entire time.
Suddenly, the queen spoke.
“…So, a girl like her exists.”
A quiet voice, utterly devoid of bravado.
“The noble and compassionate Angel of Rose… She could’ve just let the woman who harassed her die, and yet she risked her own life to protect her and gain her trust.”
Leon and the others exchanged glances at her meek demeanor, which was a far cry from her usual high and mighty self, and then Chris spoke up.
“Your Majesty—no, Mother, is what Rosa said true?”
Chris asked cautiously.
“Is it true that you don’t actually mess around with men, love roses instead of tuberoses, and are yearning for a friend?”
“…”
Dorothea remained silent for a while.
Normally, she could’ve easily come up with a rebuttal in the blink of an eye, but now it was as if she had forgotten how to speak.
Eventually, Dorothea collected herself and slowly spun her tale.
“I loved studying. I had immense magical power, so everyone respected me. At that time, I was more of a prince than a princess. I once declared that I would rule and guide my homeland. As a ruler, I was wiser than anyone else, pure-hearted, and was as lofty as a rose.”
Leon and Chris’ eyes widened as they learned about their mother’s unexpected past.
Strangely enough, when they heard of her confession, spoken in a demure tone, they didn’t find it difficult to believe.
Dorothea had lustrous golden hair and round, determined eyes.
Without a doubt, she was the mother of the dignified Leon and the competitive Chris.
Then, Dorothea became downcast.
“—When I came to this country, the first thing His Majesty the King did after seeing me was order me to be stripped naked. Surrounded by numerous ladies-in-waiting and physicians, my aptitude as a woman was tested. Locked in a chamber in the inner palace, I waited for His Majesty’s visit… My only purpose was to conceive an heir to the crown…”
Such was the chamber that Leon mentioned earlier.
For generations, kings were particular about their royal lineage. As such, they would place their queen under house arrest in the name of protection until she became pregnant and successfully gave birth to a child.
The room was filled with luxurious furniture and splendid jewelry from top to bottom, yet lacked anything that could improve intelligence or humanity.
A gilded cage for women.
“Beauty was all that mattered. As soon as I acted strong and intelligent, I was met with scorn. Whenever His Majesty showed his favor, those around me became jealous. I was constantly ridiculed. They’d put either dirt or poison into my tea. My maids either abandoned or betrayed me. In order to liv… In order to preserve myself, I had no choice but to kill my heart.”
Her heart, which should’ve been pure and rich, became frayed every time the servant she trusted left, as if whittling down.
When her heart was on the verge of breaking, Dorothea put it together with dirt.
Glamorous and arrogant.
A fierce woman who drowned herself in luxury and carnal pleasure.
She was fine with tuberose.
Even if she was scolded or threatened, she bloomed brightly and happily.
“It was stubborn of me. If I hadn’t done that, I’d have been miserable. Moreover, by keeping up the pretense of a dimwitted beauty, those around me would feel at ease and the risk of my being poisoned was reduced. I was satisfied, but…”
Then, she murmured again, “But…” while staring at the sleeping figure of Rosa.
“When I heard the rumors about her, all my repressed anger came rushing back at me.”
A noble and compassionate Angel of Rose. A girl who was loved by everyone.
What does she have that I don’t?
Nothing was left of her virtues, while that girl remained sheltered, smiling obliviously.
“I wanted to drag her down. That was why I set up all sorts of trick at the tea party—yet, she was unyielding, and I lost. My thorns, though sharp, couldn’t graze the well-guarded trunk of goodwill, so thickly grown.”
Dorothea murmured resolutely.
Chris listened in silence, but then looked up in determination and called out to her.
“No, Mother. You’re mistaken.”
“Huh?”
“While Rosa is undoubtedly noble and compassionate, it was never because of a sheltered upbringing.”
Chris unconsciously clenched his fists.
“Growing up, Rosa… She was abused by Count Langheim.”
“What did you say…?”
“W-what?”
Dorothea’s eyes widened at the disturbing remark.
Anton was so shaken, he almost toppled over, but Chris took it as a surprise coming from being a clergyman and brushed it aside quite naturally.
“I won’t go into details here, but it seems that Count Langheim has been neglecting Rosa, depriving her of food, and sometimes punishing her. That’s why, while Rosa is so compassionate, she also shows fear towards the men around her.”
—Chris trembled as he held her breath and glanced at the gentlemen in the room.
Dorothea grasped as she remembered what Rosa had said.
‘That’s the kind of person I am,’ Rosa muttered with a self-deprecating look on her face.
Although Rosa was so intelligent and beautiful, she never overstepped her boundaries.
Yet, at the same time, she was a daredevil who would readily give up her life.
The queen felt that everything made sense and accepted Chris’ explanation.
“No way, then—”
Rosa’s “tragic past” was spreading at an alarming rate.
The moment Dorothea touched one end of it, she became infected.
“This girl, even under such circumstances, still maintained her integrity…?”
As she looked down at Rosa, her jade-colored eyes were brimming with tears.
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