Chapter 140
“Rosie!”
Clidden caught Rosie’s drooping head in his hands and lifted her into his arms.
Her body, which had always been warm whenever she was sick, was now completely cold and limp.
Shivering at that unnatural chill, Clidden gently stroked her cheeks and carefully brought a finger to her nose.
“Y-you’re… okay, right?”
Roselina’s anxious question made him want to nod immediately, to say everything was fine—but Clidden couldn’t speak. He bowed his head in silence.
He didn’t want to believe it, but at this moment, she—
“…She’s not breathing.”
Every delicate feature, her pale skin, her brittle, faded brown hair—everything was intact, except for one thing. Her life force had completely drained away.
Clidden stared at Rosie in his arms with eyes that could hardly believe what they were seeing.
‘…Is this really happening?’
If this were a dream, it would be a nightmare of extraordinary magnitude—but Clidden silently prayed that it was. Yet, as always, the horrible moments he wished were dreams were all too real.
When he lost Rosaline… and now, in this moment.
At that time, a voice pierced through his daze—an emperor shouting in disbelief:
“Rosaline! That can’t be! Rosaline… Rosaline can’t be dead! Where is the royal physician? Where is he!?”
…Rosaline?
“Rosaline!”
…No way—
Clidden remained frozen, staring at the emperor, Rosie, Roselina, and the Pope standing beside them.
The Pope nodded solemnly.
“There were traces of a blessing on Lady Rosie’s body. That is likely why she survived as a sacrifice for this long. The blessing of Lanke is strong enough to rescue someone even from death.”
But it seemed even that had reached its limit.
The Pope looked at Rosie with a sorrowful expression.
From her body, drained of all black magic, a faint blue light now seeped out.
This was the divine power, the blessing of Lanke, that had protected her from the curse of being a sacrifice.
The fact that it was now leaking meant her death was imminent.
The Pope had already resigned himself to that.
But Clidden had not.
He watched the faint blue aura emanating from Rosie and murmured:
“…A blessing strong enough to rescue someone from death…?”
That’s right. Now that he thought about it, the newborns of the royal family were always said to receive such blessings.
The priests would infuse their holy power directly, preventing even minor illnesses and granting a single rescue from the brink of death.
Roselina herself had been seriously injured as a child after falling from a horse but quickly recovered thanks to the blessing’s power.
Transferring a priest’s divine power to someone was tantamount to giving a part of one’s own life.
It was as dangerous as it was powerful.
‘Which means—’
Clidden gathered the dissipating blue energy from Rosie’s body with his hands and spoke.
“…Lankeshi.”
Divine power radiated from Clidden’s hands—a brilliant blue, far more intense than the faint glow from Rosie’s body.
“…No! Clidden!”
The Pope’s voice rose, alarmed, sensing what Clidden intended.
Clearly, Clidden planned to use his own divine power to hold onto the blessing trying to leave her body.
If he succeeded, Rosie would live, untouched by the departure of the divine energy.
But then Clidden…?
Even if he didn’t die, he possessed the highest level of divine power in the church, essentially making him a holy knight.
Even for him, pouring all that power into saving someone would be an enormous loss—both for the Church and for his lifetime of training.
Still, Clidden did not stop. He drew forth all the divine energy within him, catching the traces of the blessing that were drifting away and directing them toward her.
Then—
“…Take all my remaining power, if need be. Please… save her.”
All the light poured into Rosie.
A brilliant radiance surged in an instant, disappearing into her body.
Slowly, her limp body began to lift slightly off the ground. Her brown hair fluttered as if stirred by a gentle breeze, gradually taking on a soft pink hue.
Her once pale skin regained its color, and her previously halted breathing returned weakly.
Everyone around was speechless, witnessing the miraculous scene of Clidden and Rosie.
Then—thud.
Clidden collapsed beside her.
‘I was happy to work for such a prestigious family, but all I ever seem to do is clean up corpses…’
‘What can you do? You have to do it to raise children.’
‘Still… I never thought I’d have to clean up dead children.’
‘Ugh… Wait. Do you hear something?’
‘Hear something? What sound?’
‘No… I thought I heard a child crying somewhere…’
‘Are you seriously going to keep saying creepy things like that?’
It had been the day she was supposed to die.
Yet, for some reason, she didn’t. Among the other children who had already died as sacrifices, she regained consciousness.
‘P-please… save me…’
Those who found her alive murmured awkwardly, unsure how to respond to her desperate plea.
‘…What do I do?’
‘What can you do! If you want to prevent future trouble, we should kill her here and now.’
‘…But she’s just a child…’
‘Tsk…’
The men debating whether to kill or save her were terrified, and she begged on her knees, swearing she would never speak of that day again if they spared her.
‘…Kid. So, where were you captured? What’s your name?’
‘My… my name? I’m Ro… Ro…’
But strangely, her full name wouldn’t come to mind—likely a side effect of black magic.
‘Ro? Tsk… Just call her Rosie. That’s common enough.’
And so, she was placed in some orphanage under the name Rosie, and not long after, sold as a maid to Count Kikerne’s household.
There she met Lily.
‘Rosie? I’m Lily Kikerne. You’re really pretty.’
She was later separated from her.
‘It’s because of you. If you hadn’t been there, Viscount Moulton wouldn’t have rejected my confession!’
She received a terminal diagnosis.
‘Clidden.’
…And she met him.
[Take this key to the Vine Rose Hotel in Baydos. I hope you live a radiant life.]
“…Clidden.”
Rosie murmured his name, recalling their first meeting.
Her voice was dry and cracked, as if she hadn’t had water in days.
Then, as if in response, she heard someone calling her.
“Rosie!”
She struggled to lift her heavy eyelids.
The first thing she saw was a familiar, ornate red ceiling. Then, her gaze met the blue eyes looking down at her.
“…Are you… awake, Rosie?”
It was Clidden Diero.
But for some reason, the warmth that usually shone in his eyes had been replaced entirely by anxiety and worry.
His eyes were darkened by fatigue, showing the strain he had endured.
“…Did I… faint again? I’m sorry…”
Her last memory had been in front of the emperor at the banquet, so she imagined how awkward that must have been for him.
Perhaps it would have been better to simply refuse the banquet, as he had suggested.
She glanced at him, pondering, when—
“…The princess has awakened!”
Someone shouted this and ran outside.
‘…Princess?’
Rosie blinked slowly and looked at Clidden. She recognized her surroundings.
It was the room she had used during her time as Princess Rosaline.
“Why am I… here?”
No one knew she was Rosaline. Even though she was Clidden’s lover, that alone wouldn’t explain why her former princess’s bedroom was opened for her.
Rosie looked at Clidden, as if expecting an explanation, when—
“Rosaline!”
The door burst open, revealing the emperor, empress, and Roselina.
The dam of suppressed memories that had been sealed for so long completely collapsed at that moment.
Tears welled in Rosie’s eyes before she could even think.
And—
“Father, Mother—.”
These words escaped her before she could stop them, uncontrollable.
