Chapter 5
“A rose that feeds on pain. What a truly fascinating ability.”
Leaving the noisy banquet hall behind him, Windsor approached with calm, measured steps.
As he stepped out of the deeper shadows, his figure became clearer.
Even so, his peculiar atmosphere did not change. Windsor had always suited the darkness.
His dark crimson hair seemed as though it devoured all the surrounding light.
“Ah, of course—the most beautiful thing here is you, Rosina.”
Without even glancing at Yustaf, Windsor walked straight toward me.
His gaze slowly traveled from the tips of my feet up to my head. In his terribly dry eyes, there was a chilling madness—as if he could barely endure not possessing the person standing before him.
…I can’t breathe.
Even though I had grown somewhat accustomed to it by now, he was still someone I didn’t want even the edge of my clothes to brush against.
Feeling as if my throat were tightening, I instinctively touched my collarbone.
Suddenly, Ricardo came to mind.
“D-don’t come again. I’m not happy to see you at all—”
His flushed face as he shouted.
Those sparkling blue eyes.
The warm body temperature I had felt at my fingertips.
Perhaps it was because his presence was so refreshing—so completely different from Windsor. Just imagining it somehow made me feel like I could breathe again.
I quietly inhaled and spoke.
“Thank you, Lord Ruler.”
I brushed the hair that had fallen down behind my ear and smiled brightly—so much that the corners of my eyes curved.
I’m so happy to receive your praise.
Making sure that message reached him.
Windsor had begun showing an obsession with me once I started standing out during the Festivals.
My father, Aslan, noticed this and seated me beside the ruler to strengthen the position of the Winslet family.
It was disgusting that I had become a bargaining chip for Aslan, but I had no intention of openly refusing either.
As long as Windsor remained this obsessively attached to me, he was the most useful shield protecting me from my family.
Just as expected, Windsor pulled up the corner of his lips as if pleased by my smile.
With a satisfied expression, he touched one of the nearby rose vines. A single rose snapped in his hand with a sharp crack.
“Take this as repayment for the compliment.”
The once vibrant rose instantly shriveled and withered the moment it fell into Windsor’s grasp, as though its life had been drained away.
A low laugh settled near my ear.
His lips lingered on the dried rose before pulling away.
Damn it.
When Windsor’s energy seeped into the rose I had created, it felt like my bones were breaking.
But I simply smiled as if nothing had happened.
“Of course, Lord Ruler.”
After answering briefly, I adjusted my clothes and withdrew the roses filling the corridor. Then I stepped toward Windsor.
During all this, Yustaf had remained standing exactly where he was, watching with an unreadable expression.
Well, it has nothing to do with me.
Yustaf and Windsor often pretended not to notice each other when they crossed paths. I lost interest in him completely.
The man standing before me now was far more dangerous.
“The banquet will begin soon, but I ended up taking too long. I apologize.”
“It’s fine.”
Windsor replied generously and extended his arm.
After thanking him with a glance, I placed my hand on his arm and entered the banquet hall with him.
The banquet had officially begun.
* * *
The banquet unfolded no differently than usual.
As always, it began with endless praise for Windsor Albrecht and Inferno.
Before long, crude jokes began circulating among the participants.
“That bastard started bawling and begging me to spare him. Said he had a family depending on him.”
One man stood in the center of a group of reapers and spoke loudly.
Apparently, he was today’s storyteller.
“So? What happened?”
“What do you think? I kindly played with him.”
“What kind of game?”
I wasn’t interested in their conversation and simply picked up my wine glass.
While the storyteller deliberately built suspense, the other reapers chattered excitedly.
“Last time I played hide-and-seek with my crocodile. That was fun.”
“I summoned two souls and made them fight. Told them I’d spare the winner.”
“Idiots. They must’ve tried hard without knowing they’d both die anyway.”
Laughter rang across the banquet hall.
They chatted as if they were sharing amusing stories.
Only after the noise died down slightly did the man continue.
“I told him I’d spare him if he did exactly what I said.”
“What did he say?”
“Of course he agreed. Nodded like an idiot.”
More laughter exploded.
Satisfied by the reaction, the man continued.
“I dragged him in front of his daughter who was still alive and told him to kill her. Then I’d let him live.”
“Wow. That’s brilliant. So?”
“He grabbed my pant leg and cried like a baby. Annoying as hell. Since he kept dragging things out, I just killed him.”
The man shrugged.
“His daughter couldn’t even see me, but she kept reaching out and screaming.”
More reapers gathered around them, attracted by the story.
I quietly set my wine glass down.
Disgusting.
This happened at every banquet.
But that didn’t mean I had gotten used to it.
The unpleasant feeling from handling souls crawled up my legs again, like insects crawling over my skin.
I wanted to wash the filth out of my ears.
What was even more miserable was that, in the end, what I had done wasn’t much different from what they did.
Maybe I should leave.
My head had been throbbing for a while.
Just as I was about to stand—
A low voice suddenly spoke above me.
“You seem bored.”
…Windsor Albrecht.
Annoyance flared instantly, but I forced my expression to remain calm and looked up.
Golden eyes curved gently as they looked down at me.
I smiled lightly.
“How could that be? It’s a banquet you prepared, Lord Ruler.”
“No, no. I understand how you feel. But the most important ceremony hasn’t happened yet. Isn’t it too early to leave?”
Windsor shook his head lightly.
I wanted to leave before that started.
Although the atmosphere was already heated, the banquet’s true highlight was something else.
The execution of reapers who failed to meet the required standard.
At Windsor’s signal, the castle administrators moved quickly.
“Hurry up, bastard. Don’t drag your feet.”
An administrator shoved someone forward and dragged them toward the stage at the front of the hall.
The reaper fell flat onto the stage.
The banquet instantly erupted with laughter.
The reaper grit his teeth and struggled to stand, but it was useless.
Like the others being dragged forward, his wrists and ankles were tied with rope.
There are a lot of them.
Even though Yustaf had already dealt with some earlier, the stage was quickly filled with reapers.
They were dragged out with ropes binding their hands.
The ropes didn’t suppress their abilities.
But most reapers whose executions had been decided didn’t even think about resisting.
They knew exactly what would happen if they did.
“Everyone, be quiet.”
Once all the condemned were on stage, Windsor spoke in a low voice.
Compared to the surrounding noise, it was extremely quiet.
Yet the hall fell silent instantly.
As suffocating silence settled over the room, satisfaction appeared on Windsor’s face.
After scanning the stage, he turned to me.
“Well, Rosina. Does it look entertaining?”
Windsor always checked my reaction like this.
It was exhausting.
My head was already hurting, so it would be easier to just nod.
But after thinking for a moment, I changed my approach.
“Hmm… rather than entertaining, I’m a bit worried.”
“About those reapers?”
“Of course not. Do you really think I’d care about something like that?”
I covered my mouth and laughed softly.
As if it were a ridiculous joke.
“Those insects that pollute Inferno deserve to disappear.”
“Then what are you worried about?”
Windsor’s expression brightened again.
I quickly continued.
“I’m worried that worthless trash like them is forcing you to waste your precious time. You’re already so busy working for Inferno.”
It had already been 200 years since I was reincarnated in this world.
After attending this festival so many times, I had realized something.
If Windsor was in a good mood, the condemned could at least die more comfortably.
“Even without this, if you’re enjoying yourself, Lord Ruler, then I’m always happy.”
“Hahaha!”
Windsor burst into loud laughter.
He laughed so hard he even tilted his head back.
Since he usually behaved so elegant and composed, I was slightly surprised.
“Oh my, I made you worry.”
Still chuckling softly, Windsor bent down in front of me.
His sticky gaze lingered on my face.
“As you wish, I’ll leave today’s executions to the administrators.”
“You made the right choice. Please relax.”
“As expected, you’re always the one who thinks about me.”
Windsor gently took my hand.
Soon his dry lips touched the back of my lace-gloved hand.
It felt like my hand was rotting away, but I kept smiling.
“Think nothing of it.”
After exchanging smiles, Windsor gestured to the administrators, who moved immediately.
The reapers lined up quietly on stage, waiting for their sentences.
But there was always an exception.
“I—I don’t want to die!”
“You bastard!”
One reaper suddenly went mad, snapping his ropes and breaking formation.
He jumped off the stage and began running toward the tables below.
Scrrrrkkk.
His nails scraped against the floor as he ran on all fours like a beast.
“I’ll kill you all!”
The escaped reaper looked around wildly after avoiding the administrators.
Then he froze.
His gaze locked onto something.
Exactly beside Windsor Albrecht.
Right where I was standing.
