CH 55

It seemed that the power, whose essence was unknown to Rosen, would help Emily. Rosen asked in a desperate voice.

“Can’t magic cure a disease?”

“It can’t right now.”

“You mean you can?”

“I don’t know.”

“…”

“Rosen, stop it. You are overworked. You will fall sick again.”

Rosen didn’t listen to Emily. Rosen looked after Emily all night, then collapsed in bed and took a short nap. In the morning, she had to work again. There were many patients. Hindley said he wouldn’t let them live if she neglected to make money to look after Emily.

The next morning, Rosen opened the warehouse door and realized that an essential herb had run out. Originally that was Emily’s job. When she told Hindley about it, he uttered a simple order.

“You gather herbs from the mountains.”

“Me?”

“Who else but you? Emily is sick.”

“But you said you would kill me if I left the house needlessly.”

“I said you can leave. Should there be no flexibility?”

“…”

“Don’t think that nonsense. If you run away again, I’ll really sell you this time. You know that it’s no use running away, right?”

Hindley didn’t have to worry. She completely stopped thinking about escaping after their failed escape. Resignation and helplessness took hold of her. Even as she climbed the mountain away from the center of town, she did not think about an escape route like before.

Rosen just thought she had to go home quickly. She was reluctant to leave Hindley and Emily alone. Hindley no longer cared about whether Emily was dead or not. He regarded Emily as inferior to dirt after her miscarriage.

It must have been because Rosen was somewhat familiar with the work of the treatment center that Emily thought Rosen could do what she did.

When she got home late that night, she threw the herb basket on the table and headed straight to Emily’s room. But Emily, who should have been lying on the bed, was nowhere to be found.

“Where did Emily go?”

Instead, the pest Hindley was lying there. He didn’t answer. She didn’t know why, but he was staring at her terribly. She urged him.

“Where is Emily?”

And at that moment, pain spread across her cheek. Then the other cheek caught fire. Rosen fell to the floor. Then the kicks began. She thought for a moment about what was wrong and then stopped herself.

After all, Hindley was going to spit out abusive language and tell her what happened. What did she did wrong, and what annoyed him. Most of it was nonsense, so she didn’t even bother wondering anymore.

“Two b*tches cheated on me!”

Hindley couldn’t contain his anger and threw around the furniture in the room. He soon rummaged through a drawer and grabbed something. Rosen went white as she noticed what Hindley had discovered. It was the contraceptive herb.

What she feared the most happened.

They got caught.

“I knew this would happen. Where and what have you been doing to eat this? Dirty wh*re! You weren’t a virgin when I bought you, were you? I saw you with the butcher’s son, Tom! You did it secretly, right? Did you like it that much?”

“No!”

“No, then what is it? Say it. Or was it that you didn’t want to carry my child? F*ck, since when you have been doing this? I thought it was weird. Emily, did that b*tch give you this?”

“No, I did it myself! Emily is not involved! She doesn’t know anything!”

“Don’t be silly! You two always whispered and deceived me, I knew from the beginning. You two made it, didn’t you? Tricking me!”

Hindley’s familiar nonsense flowed in. Rosen instinctively looked around. Emily’s hair was scattered on the floor. Her blood cooled and lips and fingertips trembled. 

Did Hindley kill Emily?

Rosen sobbed.

“Where is Emily? What did you do to Emily?”

“Why, are you curious about her? You’ve gone too far. I’ve locked her up in the warehouse. What did you expect me to do? She didn’t tell me anything the whole time. She wasn’t always that, so she must have been corrupted by you. I won’t let you go until you confess. It’s even better if you keel over and die.”

“Get me out of here. Emily is sick! She is going to die!”

Of course, Hindley didn’t even pretend to listen. 

Rosen struggled and wrestled, but in the end, she was grabbed by hair and dragged helplessly to the bed.

After it was all over, Hindley suddenly became friendly. He whispered as he nursed her wounds.

“Rosen, don’t do this. We can live well. Of course, you’re still young… I think you must have been afraid to have children. I will forgive you this time.”

“What about Emily?”

“Stop talking about Emily! I’m going to get rid of her and focus on you. Emily can no longer function as a woman anyway. Let me look at you. Let’s start anew together. Hm? With a clean slate.”

“…”

“We can work at the treatment center together now.”

Rosen didn’t answer. He took a deep breath, then laid back and fell asleep.

After Hindley fell asleep, Rosen got up quietly from the bed and stopped in front of the chest of drawers he had smashed. Ian Kerner’s propaganda, which had been secretly collected, poured all over the floor. She looked at them for a long time, flipping through each one.

“Now I know. You can’t protect me.”

Sitting by the window, Rosen folded the flyers into the shape of an airplane and threw them. She muttered as she stared at the countless paper airplanes flying into the night sky.

“You said you’d protect me! You punks! You said you’d protect us!”

Only then did Rosen finally admit it. 

“…No one will protect me.”

This was war. 

A war that wouldn’t end until either they died or Hindley did. 

A war more cruel and wretched than the war against Talas.

At least for her it was. Nothing improved by holding their breath and staying still or enduring until the end.

And the war would never be over until one side won.

Rosen returned to bed and stared intently at Hindley’s sleeping face.

Hindley would eventually kill them. 

Hindley had to die if they were to live. 

She couldn’t believe she just now realized it.

Hindley said ‘let’s start with a clean slate’, so she thought she’d give it a try too.

There were unavoidable things in the world.

Hindley Haworth had to die.

Don’t you think so?

Hindley Haworth really deserved death.