A few days passed since Eve regained her energy.
In front of the palace, there was a long line of unfamiliar visitors.
This is because Desmond II called together alchemists and wizards from all over the empire to lift Rosenite's curse.
Hundreds of people a day requested entrance to the temple, as they claimed to be skilled in healing and curse-breaking.
Most of them were merely patsies with a sinister desire to see the Empire's white roses in person, or with an impure agenda to steal the Philosopher's Stone. Of the alchemists and wizards in the court, only a handful were qualified to see the Rosenite for themselves.
Rosenite's quarters, the Crimson Chamber.
The bedroom, which should have been filled with loveliness and splendor, just like its owner, had now turned into a bleak altar.
The only furniture was a bed, and the floor was lined with soft cords instead of carpeting. At the corners of the twelve-ringed circle were spirit artifacts to aid in the purification of turbidity. Among them were the branches of a precious world tree.
“You guys worked hard today too.”
“Hello, 7th Princess.”
The maids who were looking after Rosenite recognized Eve and humbly bowed to her.
Since it was a familiar visit, they quietly left the place.
Eve crossed the bedroom and sat down on the bed.
She was fulfilling her promise to Desmond II. The potion baths were being taken by the maids of honor, so all she had to do was cast a spell to help her dream good dreams.
“Rosie..."
No matter how much she called her name, there was no response, not even the slightest movement.
No wonder she hibernated to stop the curse from being completed. She knew it in her head, but humans were still creatures of sight.
Desmond II, unable to accept Rosie's near-corpse-like condition, walks away. Eve became a little sentimental, too, and forgot her resentment and sometimes felt sorry for her.
Eve was a busy Princess, so she couldn't stay long. Eve got up from her seat.
“I'll come again.”
At that moment, Rosenite's fingertips, which had not reacted to anyone, twitched slightly.
But she didn't see it as she turned around and left the bedroom.
Outside Rosenite's room, Michael was waiting for her. They walked down the hallway together.
Eve headed to the green room.
Michael expressed his concern to me, who didn't look too happy.
“You have a gloomy expression every time you come out of that room. I’m worried that the evil energy of the demon dragon is affecting you as well.”
"No way."
The flames that had been consuming the burnt offering had disappeared as soon as the fire went into hibernation.
Suddenly, Eve remembered the curse of Ambroxa, which was vividly engraved in her memory.
Eve noted that Ambroxa was looking straight at her when she uttered the curse and that she was the “ugliest” of creatures.
“I'll come again.”
At that moment, Rosenite's fingertips, which had not reacted to anyone, twitched slightly.
But she didn't see it as she turned around and left the bedroom.
Outside Rosenite's room, Michael was waiting for her. They walked down the hallway together.
Eve headed to the green room.
Michael expressed his concern to me, who didn't look too happy.
“You have a gloomy expression every time you come out of that room. I’m worried that the evil energy of the demon dragon is affecting you as well.”
"No way."
The flames that had been consuming the burnt offering had disappeared as soon as the fire went into hibernation.
Eve let out a small sigh. The resentment she'd thought she'd gotten rid of during the regression had returned.
"I will cut the bloodline of the owner of the golden talisman, and give the ugliest of creatures a taste of the abyss!"
The owner of the talisman was the Hadelamid Empire, and the ugly creature was Homunculus, who had been created as a natural enemy of the demons.
'Simply breaking the imperial line will not be the end of despair for all Homunculi. On the contrary, it should be welcomed with open arms. That is...'
Eve's gaze slid over to Michael as she finished her interpretation.
He looked into Eve's serious eyes and responded with a playful gesture.
"Oh."
There was no surprise in speaking with a smile. Eve, who was already deep in thought, was defenseless, so she blushed and lost her temper.
“Hmm..."
There was no way Michael could miss the ticklish atmosphere that had been there for so long. His purple eyes, having found the opportunity, took on a slightly mischievous look.
“Oh, by the way, do you know that?”
“Uh, yeah? What?”
Before they knew it, Eve and Michael's footsteps had stopped in the middle of the villa's hallway. There was no one else in sight, just the two of them.
Michael thrust his bewitchingly handsome face right in front of Eve's nose.
“You didn’t keep the promise you made to me.”
"Promise?"
“You clearly said that you wouldn’t leave me alone once I returned to the palace..."
“Oh, that’s...!”
“I’ve been doing nothing but studying alone for a week now.”
“Hey, Michael.”
"Liar."
"OMG."
The gaze processing was pathetic, with a diagonal drop to hide the wobbly pupil. This look proved fatal to Eve, who was already vulnerable to Michael.
"OMG."
The gaze processing was pathetic, with a diagonal drop to hide the wobbly pupil. This look proved fatal to Eve, who was already vulnerable to Michael.
"Ah..."
Eve suddenly felt short of breath and her throat burned. It was as if a long-lost thirst had suddenly hit her.
Meanwhile, Michael's half-hearted pretense continued.
“Uh, I’m sorry!”
“No. It’s all my fault for my shortcomings. I really need to work on my charms a bit more..."
“Ugh. No.”
It would be difficult to polish it any further.
Eve held Michael's hand tightly, even for the sake of her heart's well-being.
And with a determined face, she confessed that she had already fallen to Michael.
“Let’s go right now.”
“...It’s broad daylight.”
“What does it matter? When Michael is around, it’s night, and it’s the bedroom.”
“I just got excited.”
Although he speaks like a joke, Michael's eyes are already filled with sincerity.
It was so dark that he wondered if it was a dark color.
Meanwhile, Eve was adjusting her schedule in her head.
'Yeah, it's afternoon now, so maybe I can take some time until lunch tomorrow..."
After all, isn't the virtue of a saint the fulfillment of a promise? Eve rationalized herself like that and bravely led Michael forward.
And finally, when she stood in front of the door, Cedella greeted her.
She delivered shocking news.
“Your Highness, a distinguished guest has arrived and has been invited to the reception room.”
Eve and Michael's eyes shook wildly.
“Hey, Cedella. I’m in a bit of a rush right now, no, I’m busy, so come back another day..."
“He is your teacher.”
Eve and Michael's eyes widened at the news.
The reception room, rumored to be the most beautiful in the green room, presents an elegant and tranquil scene.
Eve has been brewing her own tea after a long absence from her user. This time, Eve's tea is a combination of seven flowers, including cornflower and marigold, with mallow as the main flavor.
Her recipe was one of the finest she'd ever made, and the color of the mallow flowers varied depending on the acidity of the water.
The alkaline nature of the potion turned the water a brilliant blue that resembled the color of the Tianhai Sea, while the neutral water above it was tinged with a mauve hue. The two-toned tea was so beautiful that it looked like it should be sipped with the eyes, not the mouth.
“Drink it.”
Of course, there was enough tea on the table for Eve to serve herself.
The precious ones were there: the great sage of the spruce forest and Michael.
“My tea blending skills are improving day by day.”
The long, dark-haired man in the owl mask commented as he took a sip of tea. Eve was flattered by the compliment.
“After a few months of recuperation, I feel somewhat better.”
“You were at Crescent Lake?”
“Yes, it is the place in the Serenita estate that you were granted by the current Emperor.”
“Oh, you heard the news.”
“I should keep my ears open for the story of a favorite disciple, who, by the way, never came to see me. This is how you make your master walk, you little bastard.”
“Ugh. I’m sorry.”
The great sage teased Eve, who was fidgeting, but soon reassured her, saying that he understood.
When the quarrel between the master and the disciple was completely resolved, the great sage turned his head. His black eyes were directed to where Michael was.
There was Michael, silently sipping his tea.
“Long time no see, King of Homunculus.”
“...That is indeed so, Great Sage of the Spruce Forest.”
Michael's low, deep voice as he responded had a cold edge to it.
In fact, Michael would have treated him this way if the person in front of him had not been Eve's teacher.
He probably wouldn't have even used that tone. The great sage saw through Michael's psychology.
“You seem to have feelings.”
“I can’t say no.”
“Hmm, is that so?”
Michael was slightly moved by the ambiguous question.
“Don't pretend you don't know. You've been scamming me with regression rituals since your last life, and in this life, you're telling Eve my personal story like that..."
Is this the way a great sage who has mastered the truth of the world handles his affairs?
While Michael was speechless, the great sage took over his turn to speak again.
“It looks like you’ve regained all your memories.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“How does it feel to find a renegade for my disciple and kill her, or to lose her when she should have been there, or to suffer the loss of her when she should have been there, or to say all these things to her?”
Michael, who was hit by a fatal surprise, turned the tips of his ears red. The bullet pierced his cheek.
Eve's gaze seemed to ask, 'You even said that?'
Michael barely managed to keep his composure, gritted his teeth, and asked politely.
“...Do you by any chance dislike me, great sage?”
“I got caught.”
The great sage was honest.
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