CH 68

"Lady Honeywell, Wells and I have hypothesized that Elliot Proud was after you."

The announcement Russell made did not come as a surprise to Rose. She had already been killed by Elliot once, so a second time didn't make much of a splash.

A few months later, after her return, she thought she had completely forgotten the pain of falling off a cliff that day... Alas...

Rose closed her eyes at the pain that came back so vividly.

Wells wrapped his arm around Rose's shoulders. 

I was worried that Rose might be shocked by the unexpected news.

Something flashed through Rose's mind as she leaned against Wells's arms.

Are you targeting me specifically, Elliot? Aren't you targeting the entire Honeywell family?

Rose wondered to herself. If Elliot was aiming at her, why did he aim his sword at Wells in the Imperial Palace that day?

She opened her eyes wide and looked up at Wells.

"Elliot is targeting me?"

"Yes, Rose... He won't stop until your death."

Rose gasped at Wells' reply. 

Was it not Honeywell, but Rose Honeywell, that Elliot was really aiming for all along?

"Rose. Innocent and stupid, my lovely Rose. It would be good for you to go without knowing anything."

What Elliot had said before pushing her off the cliff came to mind.

Rose looked back and forth between Wells and Russell with tears in her eyes.

"Why? Why is Elliot trying to kill me?"

Both men knew the reason, and yet they couldn't bear to speak the truth. 

Rose grabbed Wells by the sleeve, and Wells led Rose to sit on the sofa.

"Rose, do you know about the myth of Abaddon?"

"I know a little. You mean the monster that ruled the continent before the Empire was established?"

"Yes, it was real. The first emperor, Proud ancestors, and Honeywell ancestors. The three of them teamed up and sealed the monster away."

"..."

"The three of them couldn't completely defeat the monster that was so powerful, but they separated its body from its soul and sealed it to prevent the monster from rampaging on the continent again."

"Does that have anything to do with why Elliot is trying to kill me?"

Wells nodded slowly.

"The soul of that monster is sealed inside your body. His Majesty and I are guessing that Elliot is trying to get it out of your body."

Rose couldn't think of a reply to say. 

No, I'm so horrified I can't even close my mouth, much less say something. 

Rose was speechless and unable to speak. She raised her hand and placed it near her heart.

Her heartbeat could be felt under the skin of her palm. The loud beating thumped against her fingers.

...There's a monster inside me.

She wanted to deny Wells' words as a lie, but Rose had no choice but to accept reality when she witnessed firsthand Wells and Russell's serious faces.

While her mind understood and comprehended the information calmly, her emotions did not. 

Rose covered her mouth and gagged. 

I feel like I'm going to vomit.

"Rose!"

Wells called out Rose's name anxiously, who waved her hand at the restless Wells.

"I'm okay. I am... I'm okay."

Rose, who had been taking deep breaths in and out, finally spoke up after regaining her composure.

"Why is Elliot trying to get that monster's soul out of me?"

"I don't know that yet. But just last fall, he was a man who didn't want to be engaged to you, so it's suspicious that he suddenly changed. Proof of the soul residing in you is that your body recovers incredibly quickly."

"Come to think of it..."

Rose let out a short exclamation.

Wells and I had such a conversation. The injuries that had occurred several times recently had disappeared so quickly, like melting snow.

It was Russell who intervened during the brief pause in the conversation.

"Lady Honeywell came to be like that... Perhaps it is because of the influence of Abaddon's sealed soul."

"But I was normal until last year. At the turn of the season, I catch a cold, and even a small fall easily hurts me."

"Huh. Maybe it was before that."

"Before...?"

Is it after my regression? But does that affect the soul? Because I died once, so that's what caused it?

Rose kept the hypotheses in mind. It could be a possibility that she should consider, but the next words from Russell quickly changed that.

"At the time of the hunting festival, do you remember the cave we went into to escape the rain?"

"Yes, I remember."

"There is the holy sword used to defeat Abaddon hidden deep in that cave. In my opinion, maybe the distance between Abaddon's soul and the Holy Sword was so close that the seal was shaken and a small piece became loose."

Thinking back to that day, Rose can't quite remember what happened in the cave.

At one point, my head suddenly felt like it would break, and she remembered that her whole body was in pain.

As she ran, she reached the end of the cave, where she found a sword sticking out of it.

Rose raised her head in excitement as she vaguely remembered the sword.

"I saw it!"

Russell and Wells turned to Rose at the same time.

"I---I saw that Holy Sword in the cave!"

"Is that true? If so, it seems that it has had some effect on the monster's soul, and that's why your body became a body that won't feel pain even if you get hurt."

Wells' worries increased.

Russell, who was sitting on the couch across from them and listening to their conversation, secretly clenched his fist.

"I knew it."

"Yes?"

"What are you talking about?"

Wells and Rose's heads snapped in the emperor's direction.

Russell's amethyst eyes grew cold like a cold wind in midwinter.

"Elliot Proud. He knew Rose was with the sword."

A long sigh escaped Russell's lips as his agitation grew.

The problem was that when he found Elliot and Rose in the cave, he didn't interrogate them.

However, no matter how many times he hoped to turn back time to that moment, Russell knew that he would not have been able to ask Elliot anything.

Because the priority was to move Rose to a safe place who passed out in Elliot's arms.

Russell wiped the tiredness from his face with the palm of his hand.

"I pretended not to know his lies because I didn't want to be suspicious. After all, Elliot Proud is a close vassal to me."

Rose and Wells couldn't say anything to Russell to deny that obvious fact.

The moment when the suspicion that settled in a corner became certain, the feeling of betrayal that occurred could not be put to rest with any comfort.

"I want to catch Elliot and bring him in right now, but we don't know the location of the mirror where the monster's body is sealed."

"Yes, and it'll only show our hand."

[TL/N: Might expose the fact that they know he's plotting against them.]

Wells answered grimly, causing the three to fall silent.

After that long silence, Wells was the first to break the awkward atmosphere.

"I don't know why Duke Proud hasn't made a move against Rose recently, but I don't want to keep him and Rose in the same place."

"That is my opinion as well, because Wells can't stand by his sister's side all day at the manor. It won't work out. And even if he puts on a knight to watch you, Rose, if Elliot goes head-to-head, no one can beat him."

"Then why don't we take Rose somewhere else until we get Duke Proud out of the way?"

"Flee? Is there any place where we can hide her?"

"What comes to mind now is the Marquise of Rosenberg. It's halfway up the mountain, and the road to it is rugged and heavily guarded, so Elliot won't be able to approach it easily."

Wells seemed to have already made up his mind, and his words were unstoppable.

Marquise of Rosenberg. 

As Wells said, it was difficult to visit due to the rugged terrain around it, so it was not even visited by tourists.

Besides, Allison, the owner of the Marquess of Rosenberg and Russell's sister, was also a suitable person to stick close to Rose's side to see what would happen.

Rose, who has been listening to Wells' story by his side, interrupted urgently.

"No! I don't want to!"

"Rose?"

"I want to be in the capital."

"Rose, this place is dangerous because Elliot is here. If he awakens the monster's spirit, you could be hurt. You could die."

"I'm still against it. I don't want to go alone! I want to stay here."

Rose shook her head as if she knew nothing but the word no, expressing her refusal.

As Wells said, if she avoided Elliot and went to the Marquise of Rosenberg, she might be safer than staying in the capital.

But Rose couldn't easily leave Wells' side knowing that he'd be in the direct line of danger.

Didn't I see it in person before? Elliot's sword cut through Wells without hesitation. I won't let that happen again!

Wells was adamant about sending Rose to the Marquess of Rosenberg, but Rose was adamant.

"Rose. Ilya Titonsser might still be in the capital. Are you still going to stay here and put yourself at risk?"

When Wells mentioned Ilya's name, Rose's eyes widened at the sudden memory of the person. 

"Why is Ilya..."

"She was trying to get you harmed through Stanley Gardner. Ilya Titonsser, who we don't know where she has hidden away, also puts you in danger... Are you still going to be here?"

"How did you...?"

Rose was too shocked to speak.

The fact that Ilya had sent Stanley Gardner to her was a fact that only she and the dead knew.

Rose had no intention of hiding it from Wells until the end, but unexpectedly, he brought it up first.

Wells' breathing quickened as he got worked up.

"Everything that happened at Honeywell Manor, even the smallest details, is reported to me. The day before the abduction, Stanley Gardner and Ilya Titonsser were spotted during a secret meeting outside the manor. The two of them were originally close, so I let it go without a doubt."

Wells paused for a moment, gritting his teeth as if holding back his anger.

"And the fact that on that day, she asked Anne for information about going out. I know very well that your outing was not planned. It might be a coincidence, however, I am unbearably angry that Ilya Titonsser tried to use Stanley Gardner to put you in harm's way, whether or not the plan worked out."

Wells, who had been spitting out curses non-stop, stopped abruptly and caught his breath. He then spoke in a calming voice.

"I was going to ask about it myself, but my conversation deviated when confirming the reason why Ilya Titonsser went to Duke Proud's mansion, so I didn't hear what I needed to hear."

Rose lowered her gaze. 

The questions that Wells was trying to ask Ilya were something Rose also desired to ask.

But why didn't I ask Ilya? She had come to my room early in the morning, and I hadn't asked even the simplest of questions.

Wasn't it Ilya, who claimed she was worried about me with a shameless face, who denied ever talking to Stanley Gardner?

She didn't believe it at that time, and Rose intended to investigate more after she'd come back. 

...How did that conversation end?

Rose, frowning, searched through her memories. It just happened that very morning.

Ilya's green eyes flashed in front of Rose's memory as she searched for memories.

Deep green eyes, like midsummer green.

As she remembered it, Rose's shoulders trembled.

"I remembered."

He got into Ilya before it could get to me. It had to be.

The moment I looked into Ilya's clear eyes, my stomach twisted. It felt like someone had put a hand in my stomach and twisted my intestines around.

Rose touched her forehead.

...No. The reason I felt that uneasy was because I saw something else in Ilya's eyes.

What...? What did I end the conversation with?

I can't remember exactly because I averted my gaze as soon as I made eye contact with Ilya, and my stomach twisted. I got distracted after.

Rose closed her eyes and tried earnestly to remember that fleeting moment.

Green eyes resembling a forest, shadowing in the darkness beyond. Another bizarre gaze was watching me from beyond the shadows.

Rose opened her eyes slowly. 

She can feel the gaze of Russell and Wells looking at her worriedly.

As if answering the worried eyes of the men, Rose threw out the key that unlocked the clue to what had taken place in their enemy's territory.

"...The monster is inside of Ilya."