CH 16

Chapter Sixteen: Rosa Wants Rotten Friends (I)

A brilliant princess who bears the kingdom on her shoulders. That’s what Chris’s assessment had been. A lovely blond girl who had inherited the royal family’s features. Her magic power had been immense, even though her affinity had fallen into the earth element. She had been both open-minded and conscientious.

Everyone, even her own mother, had high hopes for her.

Chris had been bold, dignified, and powerful. She had, after all, been the one who would inherit the kingdom on her brother’s behalf. She had felt sad for her brother who was being overlooked because of her.  However, she had enjoyed the attention she was getting from the people around her, and it would be terrifying for her if she lost it, so Chris had put in a lot of effort.

Her mother would surely pull ties to adopt her cousin Kamil, or any other acceptable blond-haired boy for that matter, if she were to relax even a little. Chris’s childish mind had already figured it out. That was why she had worked even harder, even more boldly, and even more fearlessly to be judged suitable for the position of king.

At the age of eight, she had managed to awaken to the fire element as a product of her efforts.

However, when her brother Leon, who had been sent to study abroad, awakened with a great amount of magical power, the situation had abruptly shifted. Even Chris’s mother, who had fought tooth and nail to ensure that Chris inherited the throne, had abruptly changed her attention to Leon and elevated him to the status of successor.

Chris felt like a discarded toy at that time.

Chris may have been able to stomach it if it had simply been her mother who had suddenly changed. All her friends, on the other hand, had abruptly transformed, criticizing her tomboyishness, and asking that she act more like a girl. Chris had been completely taken aback by this.

After all, she had once been praised for being able to ride a horse. She’d be praised for her ability to act like a man as well. She had been showered with praises every time she practiced swordsmanship. With Leon’s appearance, though, all of it had turned into criticism.

Chris had understood at the time that no one had ever embraced her for who she was. They had mostly lauded her abilities and appearance, both of which were deserving of a successor.

Her realization had caused her to become defiant, vowing to exclusively don male clothing.

She’d pull her hair back and pretend to be a boy. She’d even altered her tone of voice and started tossing objects. She’d done whatever she’d done out of spite. It had been a form of defiance. To protect her injured heart, she had continued to excessively perform the things for which she had been commended.

Her surroundings, on the other hand, had not been able to accept it.

That had infuriated Chris even more, and if she became upset or screamed, she had only been met with scared or annoyed stares. Several people had assured her that she was just fine as she was.

Chris, on the other hand, had known they were lying because of the immense magic power she possessed. She had hoped for someone to accept her, but every time she saw through the pretenses of people around her, she was hurt even more.

She had thought that cycle would go on for eternity.

Until recently that is.

There’s something off with that woman…

Rosa Von Langheim was the woman to whom Chris was referring.

A Count’s daughter from a remote region.

Rosa, Chris had assumed, would be like the other ladies, blinded by the bait of a meeting with Leon. Rosa, on the other hand, was different, as Chris would eventually discover.

Rosa was unrealistically beautiful, to begin with.

Even Chris had been taken aback by her blond hair, violet eyes, snow-white skin, and slender limbs.

Rosa had a gaudy and well-defined physique, unlike most other ladies, who followed an abnormal diet and had tall and thin bodies.

Chris had heard Rosa was sickly, and she had even seen her pass out several times. Rosa, on the other hand, had managed to overcome this by putting in the work each day, which shocked Chris.

Chris had been ecstatic to find someone who was putting in the same amount of work as she was.

Rosa’s unwillingness to surrender had also been noted by Chris.　

Despite being assailed by Chris’ magic, Rosa had kindly smiled at her and assured her that she was wonderful just the way she was. Chris had been able to determine that Rosa’s claims were genuine. Rosa’s violet eyes had had an undeniable purity to them.

Rosa had also departed right away when she realized she wasn’t to Chris’ taste, which had driven Chris even farther into Rosa’s pace.

Which was also why Chris had called for Rosa on the next day as well.

Rosa eventually began to see Chris daily.

Of course, Chris wouldn’t be upset if Rosa didn’t show up every day; nevertheless, Chris believed that if he gave Rosa some time off, she would leave the detached palace, so he summoned her every day.

Rosa, in general, wouldn’t do much.

She would simply watch over Chris with a smile on her face.

If Chris got angry, she would simply smile at him, and if he acted bluntly, she wouldn’t do anything. However, what had surprised Chris the most was that Rosa was a perfect listener.

When Chris spoke with her, he would be swept up in her genuine curiosity and her gleaming eyes, which caused him to talk more than intended.

In addition, Rosa had over-exaggerated reactions.

Just a few days back when Chris had brought some sweets to give her. He had told her, “Would you like to try one? J-Just so you know, i-it’s not like I bought them for you or anything. I bought them because I wanted to eat them!”.

Rosa had broken into tears and had slammed her head against the table because of this.

Chris, who was not a fan of sweets, had ended up sampling them after being shocked by this.

Rosa had become a close friend of his before he realized it.

***

“What? You’re dismissing all the ladies that were intended to be your companions?”

“That’s right. They’ve gotten on my nerves for long enough.”

Today was Rosa’s twentieth visit. While they were conversing, Chris abruptly brought up the topic of dismissing all of his previous companions, which surprised Rosa.

“Um… Thank you for the brief time we had together…”

“What are you saying, you idiot! Naturally, you’re staying!”

“What? Really?!”

Rosa was taken aback when she heard Chris say that since she had assumed she would be dismissed as well.

In the end it meant that she would be the only one left in the detached palace.

Chris abruptly moved his face away as Rosa gazed at him.

“I-It’s just that, I feel you are sufficient to meet my desires for a companion. What I’m trying to say is that… if I have you… I…”

Chris remarked, his voice getting softer as he became more embarrassed.

Rosa then smashed her head against the table with a serious face.

It was a means to thank the gods for the ultimate Pundere standing before her.

“?! What was that sound?”

Chris asked as he turned abruptly.

Rosa, on the other hand, quickly recovered her previous posture and said, “It’s nothing.”

Chris was still a little dubious when he saw Rosa’s compassionate attitude, but he decided to let it go. He then opened his mouth and spoke once again.

“You’ve been bullied by the other women recently, haven’t you? Almost all of the women here are ambitious, and their egos are enormous. So, before they get way ahead of themselves, I decided to dismiss them. I-It’s not l-like I’m doing this for you or anything…!”

“…!”

Rosa could barely contain her excitement as she was overjoyed by the ideal Pundere before her.

He’s cute! He’s a bottom!

Despite her gender, the princess was the ideal Pundere.

Rosa’s main interest was still Bernando, but if Chris continued to display more and more of these ideal Pundere, then Rosa’s focus could alter in the future.

Rosa chastised herself for her proclivity towards infidelity.

Wait… What did Chris mean by bullying?

Rosa thought, suddenly remembering what Chris had said.

“What do you mean by bullying?” She asked.

“It’s useless even if you try to play dumb. One of my servants, who couldn’t let this slide unnoticed, informed me that those women have been sending you threatening messages and scribbling on your favorite books.”

Chris said with a serious tone.

Hearing his explanation Rosa finally put the pieces together.

Such incidents had indeed occurred.

Rosa had received threatening messages and had her books scribbled on while she was away, most likely by women who disliked her since she was allowed to the princess’ chambers every day.

I used some of the threatening letters as reference material since they were written so well. And those so-called favorite novels of mine are nothing more than ordinary love stories that I use to cover myself, so I didn’t think much of it. I had completely forgotten about it.

Rosa, as an aspiring BL writer, embraced anything that could be utilized as a future reference. Furthermore, because all BL fans were accustomed to reading between the lines, the fact that her books had been splattered with ink had made no difference to her.

Rather, the ink had censored certain words, giving the books an impure touch, which compelled Rosa to express an interest in them for the first time.

Rather, I’d like to make friends with the person who did it…

Rosa had previously seen the perpetrator leave her room after committing the crime, so she was fully aware of who it was.

It was no other than Arina. The daughter of Baron Yansen and the person with the lowest status within the detached palace.

Petronella, the daughter of Count Hugla and Arina’s older cousin, was the one who had exposed Arina’s behavior.

Rosa had heard that the Yansen family owed the Hugla family a hefty sum.

As a result, Arina was unlikely to be able to disobey Petronella’s commands.

Rosa deduced from all of this that Arina was most likely an introvert with a tendency for overthinking.

Lady Petronella has a reputation for courting gentlemen, so I doubt she’ll be swayed by BL… Lady Arina, on the other hand, isn’t that good at interacting with the opposite gender and has a lot of promise in my opinion.

For example, Arina’s overthinking trait was something that Rosa valued highly.

In addition to possessing an outstanding ability for writing, which she had demonstrated in her threatening letters, Arina had a reserved disposition that made it difficult for her to openly communicate with people of the opposite gender.

To top it all off, her weak mental state made it easy for her to be tricked into various religions.

Rosa could easily make Arina awaken to the joys of BL and get entirely captivated in them in one fell swoop if she played her cards well.

I must lure her in. I’ll first get to know her, and if everything goes well, we could end up settling in a monastery together and becoming fellow BL god writers. After that we’ll both become apostles of Rose Love…

Rosa thought, her fantasies running wild once more.

She couldn’t stop smiling as she imagined how beautiful it would be if a well-educated noble lady with a BL background joined her in the monastery.

They would immerse themselves in their fantasies in a garden for ladies, where annoying things like marriage and socializing were non-existent.

After all, ladies with exceptional creativity could effortlessly communicate their illusions in the form of books.

If Rosa could create a BL circle of diverse authors, she would eventually form an enormous literary salon.

Which literary salon would then develop into a community?

After that, they’d have novel-selling gatherings twice a year, for example in the spring and winter, to promote their religion. In short those gathering would be called Spring Comi and Winter Comi

This would all help promote BL throughout the continent.

Truly an impossible dream. However, I will make it a reality no matter what! Rosa thought to herself.

Rosa was inspired to form such a group, even though the names and specifics may alter.

By doing so she would be able to create an ideal future for herself.

I need to work hard. Just how can I brainwash Lady Arina? Should I try puring some of my rotten magic power into her blood, or something? I finally get how those girls feel when they put their hair in the drink of the person that they like…

Rosa’s blond hair hid her eyes, which had lost all luster as she contemplated such insane ideas.

“….y! Hey! Rosa! Are you okay?!”

Rosa awoke to see Chris shaking her by the shoulders, a troubled expression on his face.

Rose immediately understood she had acted suspiciously because she had become lost in her perverse fantasies.

One of every BL fanatic’s bad habits was the ability to completely dismiss the current dialogue and completely immerse themselves in their fantasies.

Rosa quickly came to herself and waved her hands.

“Y-Yes! I’m completely fine! There is nothing wrong!”

“Like hell there isn’t. Your face is deathly pale. To think that the bullying problem has gotten this far…”

“Huh?”

Rosa seemed to have turned pale once again as a result of her excitement.

This concerned her since the misunderstanding could lead to the dismissal of her future Rose Love apostles.

Rosa became desperate as she thought about it, and she clung to Chris, saying,

“I-I’m not pale at all. I just got a bit excited. That’s all!”

“What part of this could get you excited! Don’t cover for them! Damn it… If you had only told me sooner, I could have acted faster…”

“No, that’s not right. I don’t mind at a…”

“That’s enough!”

Afterwards Rosa tried to persuade Chris numerous times by saying, “I haven’t been bullied.” “In fact, I want to become friends with them.” “Please rethink the dismissal.”

Chris, on the other hand, was able to discern that what Rosa said was true because of his power, which enraged him even more, causing him to take matters into his own hands.

The princess dismissed every single lady in the detached palace the next day as a byproduct of her sense of justice.