CH 149

When the first woman in Rose’s mask appeared, Dylan couldn’t believe it.

When he purposely approached her, and when she hugged him, he doubted her.

She’s not Rose.

If it was Rose, his body would have been engulfed in burning pain.

Even as he was dying from the curse Yurtha had created, his gaze still searched for Rose and…

– Don’t you want to twist and break that ankle and trap her in your arms?

The madness planted by the curse goes straight to Rose.

Not a woman who appeared as a savior.

However…

‘Why are you running away like a fake?’

Doubts arose.

That was just the beginning.

After Rose disappeared, Dylan purposely stuck by the woman’s side, watching her.

And he discovered a surprising fact.

A woman’s tone, gestures, and habits. Every little thing was the same as Rose.

<You’re not good at drinking.>

The way she snatched the wine from his hand, bending her eyes like a crescent moon.

Even the way each action triggered a memory.

It was Rose.

“So you answer me.”

Dylan vomited blood to the woman with a bewildered face.

The head said that it wasn’t Rose, but the body pulled him over here.

“Who are you?”

*****

The wrist held by him hurt. But the sting of his eyes on me, strangling my throat, quickly drowned out the sensation in my wrist.

“Who are you?”

“Dylan, that’s…”

What should I say?

What was I supposed to say?

That I’m actually fake? That I’ve been pretending to be Rose this whole time?

How could I say something like that?

“Say something!”

Dylan shouted.

There was a desperation in his eyes.

“You said you lost your memory. At least say you don’t remember it!”

“You already know the answer.”

You know I’m not Rose.

But why do you act like I should be Rose? Why?

Are you trying to project Rose onto me?

To give me that sickening sensation again?

“Let go of my hand.”

“…….”

“You’re hurting me, let go.”

Dylan’s eyelashes trembled, perhaps in response to the word hurt.

He closed his eyes tightly and opened his mouth heavily.

“I’m hurt too.”

“What?”

“It still hurts like crazy when I’m with you.”

Even though it was painful, he was holding my wrist without letting me go.

Looking at his confused red eyes, strangely, my mind calmed down.

“So you want me to tell you I’m Rose?”

“… It’s not like that.”

“Not like that? Then Rose showed up, and why are you still holding me, Dylan.”

I pulled my arm out of his grasp.

“I’m not Rose.”

At that moment, the emotion that had passed through Dylan’s eyes came clearly.

A terrible pain.

I turned away from him.

*****

After parting ways with Dylan, I went straight to the empty chapel.

Is this the place?

Unlike the bright and colorful banquet hall, the chapel was dark.

All the light came in through the cracks in the arched windows.

‘Where’s Rose?’

I looked around the chapel.

Then, out of nowhere, the sound of a piano echoed through the chapel.

Hit the keys a few times and then suddenly bang! The beat and the melody, the sound of everything messed up, struck me like a thunderbolt.

I reflexively covered my ears from the tremendous noise.

‘What is this….’

In the distance, I could see a large organ pipe moving up and down.

That moves…

Under the organ pipe, a slender figure could be seen pounding the keys roughly.

‘Rose!’

What the hell are you doing over there?

I thought about what to do with that loud noise.

She’s going to attract everyone.

“Stop!”

But my voice was drowned out by the loud pipe organ sounds.

The performance continued.

Until Rose runs out of exhaustion.

Rose got up from her seat as if she had struck the piano with satisfaction.

“So it’s you, not him?”

She is probably referring to Richard.

Rose was not surprised that I had come here, in a calm tone.

“Yeah, I’m here.”

I also answered calmly.

“Don’t you think we need to have a conversation?”

“Conversation?”

“Yes. Why did you kill me, why did you appear here… There’s a lot to talk about.”

“You seem to have a lot of things you want to ask me.”

“You definitely have something you want from me. What are you trying to do?”

Otherwise, she wouldn’t be doing things that irritate me.

“What are you thinking?”

At those words, Rose’s smile became meaningful.

“You know what? I’m playing the piano for the first time today.”

It was a sudden change of topic.

“I’ve been wanting to play it for a long time.”

“…….”

“Isn’t it strange? How can such a pretty sound come out of such a large object.”

Rose pounded the keys as if curiously.

Ding- Ding- Ding-

The same tone sounded constantly.

“When I was young, I think I dreamed of being cheered by playing this instrument in front of many people.”

Rose’s eyes dimmed for a moment, as if lost in memories.

“So I thought it would make a pretty sound when I hit the keys, but it doesn’t.”

“What the hell are you trying to say?”

“……”

“Don’t say anything strange and tell me what your purpose is.”

Rose grinned.

“I just told you. I wanted to play the piano.”

“What…?”

“I really wanted to hit it, a lot.”

The hand slowly sweeping the piano grew stronger and stronger.

Soon Rose’s pink eyes turned to me. They glowed a bright red, speckled with madness.

“But let alone the piano, they took everything from me.”

She dropped herself off the pipe organ and slowly approached me.

“I had to be locked in the dark for a very long time.”

“…….”

“Do you know what it feels like to be trapped in darkness for years when you have no idea how many years have passed?”

The woman’s voice, which had been drowsy, gradually gained strength. Poison came out of every syllable she uttered as if she were possessed by evil.

“It’s been such a long time that I’m sick of it.”

“…….”

“For a long time, I had to watch everything being taken helplessly in the dark, and even disappearing.”

When Rose stood in front of me, her expression was completely distorted.

Oddly enough, looking at that face reminded me of a crying little child.

“… What are you talking about? Say it so I can understand.”

Are you saying I stole Rose’s body?

“So when I got my body, I looked forward to meeting you for a very long time.”

Rose reached out to me.

Her hand strokes my cheek, sending goosebumps down my spine as she touches my soul.

“But this is not what I wanted to meet.”

“…….”

“It wasn’t this stupid thing. It wasn’t you, a blank slate, acting like you don’t know anything!”

She shouted as if she were venting her frustration, then looked devastated.

Then she suddenly got annoyed.

“I came here to take everything from you, but this is no fun.”

She touched my forehead as if displeased.

“How dare you forget your memory? Who says so?”

I waved her hand as it touched my body.

“Don’t just say what you have to say, say it straight away! Is it because I possessed your body?”

But it didn’t happen because I wanted it. I was…!

At that moment, my mind wandered and a memory came to mind.

The figure of a girl with pink hair crying in the temple.

What is this memory?

I couldn’t come to my senses for a moment, and a strong force grabbed my shoulder.

I woke up to the sudden pain.

“It’s not that simple.”

“…….”

“You took my body and ruined everything for me. But why can’t you remember by yourself?”

“……”

“You dare to get out of this pain by yourself? Who says so?.”

The woman’s eyes flashed with fierce anger.

I felt my flesh burning, as if my body were being consumed by the flames.

Then she smiled, a smile that didn’t match her twisted expression.

“You still don’t know? Who is the figure I showed at the banquet hall?”

“……”

“That’s who you are. Don’t you remember that?”

It was me?

“I’m here to take everything from you, Rose.”

A woman, a woman I thought was Rose, called me by that name.

As if I was Rose.

“… Aren’t you Rose?”

“Haa! Have you forgotten that now?”

The woman smiled as if she was full of energy, and then got angry again.

“Remember straight. Who you are. I’m not Rose, Rose is you.”

So who is the woman in front of me?

There’s no way I’m Rose…

She says she’s not Rose.

I instinctively opened my mouth.

“… You are Rosie.”