Episode 119. Male Friend, Female Friend
“It was a misunderstanding.”
The Grand Duke grabbed Rose’s hand and spoke. However, Rose couldn’t easily believe the Grand Duke's words.
“A misunderstanding? She even kissed you in front of me.”
She didn’t want to be a narrow-minded woman. That’s why she didn’t find fault with the Grand Duke and Julius’ relationship.
But she couldn’t ignore what she saw right before her eyes.
“No matter how close you are, I didn’t know you were close enough to kiss.”
Rose’s cold eyes were fixed on the Grand Duke. They were as fierce as a midwinter blizzard.
“Ha, that’s...”
How could he explain it so Rose would understand?
No good excuse came to mind.
Julius, that guy is a man. He simply confessed his feelings.
But with the reputation of the Mederion Kingdom, it was difficult to speak up.
It would be nice if Julius had revealed it himself.
Rose's gaze grew darker as she watched the Grand Duke, who couldn't offer any excuses.
"Be honest. Were you by any chance... a couple in the past?"
"Huh, don't be ridiculous."
"So you're saying you're just friends with no feelings?"
"Yes."
"Your Highness... is the kind of person who would casually kiss a friend he has no feelings for."
"No, Rose."
Rose lowered her head and bit her lower lip.
The trauma of her previous life, which she had forgotten, seemed to creep up on her body.
"Actually, I've been wanting to ask you this for a while... Your Highness, do you think there are friends between men and women?"
Rose didn't believe in friends.
Friends of the opposite sex were perfectly possible. But no friend was as close as a friend of the same sex. Rose had always thought so. Her miserable past life had led her to believe there were no friends between men and women.
"I actually don't believe in it. That's why I was so anxious."
Rose whispered her thoughts.
“But I couldn’t let it out. I was afraid you’d think I was weird. But... Your Highness shattered my trust.”
“I’m sorry. But what you saw was completely misunderstood. I don’t see Juli as a woman.”
That guy was a real man.
The Grand Duke, unable to express his resentment, was only frustrated.
“It’s the same old thing everyone says. I don’t see her as a woman, I don’t see her as a man. But... that’s how they all started. We’re just close siblings. I don’t see them as the opposite sex. Even if we were alone in a room together, nothing would happen.”
Rose slowly raised her head. Her face was already hurt. As if Julius and the Grand Duke's relationship had been inappropriately exposed.
“But do you know what happened to all those people who said that? They ended up lovers and had children.”
Even cheating was common.
“Male friends, female friends? I don’t give a shit about those things.”
“Rose...?”
Grand Duke Artaeum's eyes widened at Rose's angry expression. He'd never seen her like this before.
Rose spouting harsh words was utterly unfamiliar.
"I've kept quiet until now because I care about you, Grand Duke. But I don't think I can stay silent any longer."
Rose's eyes widened, and she turned to the Grand Duke.
"Choose. Me, or the Princess? I can't stand seeing the Princess and the Grand Duke being so casual."
Her voice was clear. But her eyes couldn't hide the wavering.
She lacked confidence. She wasn't certain the word "you" was coming from the Grand Duke's mouth.
She always took a backseat.
Between friends and lovers, Do-hyun always chose her friend, not herself, who was his lover.
"Gyeo-ru is just a friend. You're acting like that over nothing."
"What kind of girl are you? Gyeo-ru doesn't have any friends. That's why we're paying more attention to you."
"Please don't overdo it. It's not even a delusion... I'm tired now."
He had hidden his relationship with Doana, and instead, she had driven herself into being a delusional woman.
'If the Grand Duke says the same thing as Do-hyun...'
Rose swallowed hard and looked at the Grand Duke.
'I'm breaking up with this person.'
She didn't want a heartbreaking relationship anymore. No matter how much she liked him, it was something she could never accept.
Perhaps because he saw the tragic look in Rose's eyes, the Grand Duke of Artaeum sighed softly and took a step closer to Rose.
"I made you so anxious."
The words that came out of the Grand Duke's mouth weren't any kind of cajoling, but a single, warm word.
The Grand Duke smiled faintly and stared at Rose.
Though these were the words he'd longed for, hearing them felt strangely odd.
Rose looked up at the Archduke with a bewildered expression. The Grand Duke gently stroked Rose's hair.
"I didn't know you were thinking that. I was so foolishly self-centered. I'm sorry."
"Ah..."
Rose's frozen heart began to melt at the Grand Duke's warm words.
"Where should I begin..."
Grand Duke Artaeum scratched the bridge of his nose, trailing off. He blinked silently before finally looking straight at Rose.
"Don't be surprised, Rose."
The Grand Duke spoke with a determined air, as if he had made a major decision. The words that came out of his mouth were hard to believe.
"Juli, that guy is actually a man."
...What?
In that moment, Rose felt as if she had been hit by a hammer. Her head was pounding, and she had a hard time coming to her senses.
‘A man... What did I just hear?’
Even after hearing it, she couldn’t believe it. Rose muttered and opened her mouth to the Grand Duke.
“T-You don’t have to make excuses like this.”
“It’s not an excuse. I’m just telling you the truth.”
“What... What the hell are you suddenly saying? The Princess is a man?”
“I had no intention of deceiving you from the beginning either...”
Grand Duke Artaeum trailed off and sighed.
“He came dressed as a woman. He pretended to be his twin sister, Julia.”
“... Yes?”
So... if the Grand Duke were to summarize, the Princess of Mederion was not Julia, but her twin brother, Julius?
“Yes?!”
Rose let out a squeak without realizing it.
“I couldn’t speak easily because of the prestige of the Mederion Kingdom. If I had known you were so misunderstood, I would have told you sooner.”
“Ah... haha.”
An awkward laugh echoed softly. The anger that had been building up to the very tips of her hair crumbled away.
“No... I really... didn’t know the Princess was a man.”
Rose simply thought she was a slightly taller woman. She always thought the scarf she wore around her neck was just a fashion accessory. She thought her husky voice was Julius’ unique charm rather than something strange. She was a beautiful person in Rose’s eyes, but to think he was a man?
Rose couldn’t easily recover from the shock.
“I swear before you. I won’t make any friends of the opposite sex.”
The Grand Duke of Artaeum swore before her, but Rose felt nothing but shame at the moment her misunderstanding had created.
“If you tell me to kill everyone who approaches me, then I will. You are the most precious thing to me. If that’s what you want... I can do anything.”
For a moment, the Grand Duke's eyes flashed like a beast's. An eerie aura loomed, but only for a moment.
The Grand Duke hid his aura and looked at Rose, his gaze uncharacteristically warm.
"You're the only woman in my life. You were, and you always will be."
The Grand Duke of Artaeum hugged Rose like a product. Rose was so beautiful, even in her jealousy. He felt sorry for Rose, who must have suffered so much, but the thought of her fidgeting and stamping her feet brought a smile to his face. It was proof that she loved him so much.
What had almost become a major fight was resolved smoothly when the truth about Julius's true nature was revealed.
Time passed quickly. The northern winter, which seemed never-ending, bowed its head.
Rose, sitting in her study, stretched and looked out the window.
"Spring."
New buds were sprouting from the bare branches. Rose sat up, her body heavy, and walked towards the window.
While she was enjoying the pleasant morning, Neruan knocked on Rose's office.
"Are you there?"
"Yeah. What's up?"
When Rose answered, Neruan opened the door and came in.
"I came to deliver a letter."
"A letter?"
"Yes."
Neruan answered slowly and glanced at Rose.
"It was for Count Wence."
"Ha... Again?"
Eric, that guy sent another letter.
"Throw it away."
"Can you just throw it away without even looking at it?"
"I bet he's going to say the same thing again."
He gave her alimony, so why didn't she move out of the Grand Duke's mansion?
"He's really ridiculous,"
Rose smirked, her eyes cold and cold.
Rose had never agreed to such conditions in the first place. "I'll pay you alimony, so you move out of the Grand Duke's mansion?"
No, alimony was a legitimate price for divorce, nothing more, nothing less.
But Eric arbitrarily imposed conditions and constantly demanded payment from Rose.
Even if he gave up everything, it wouldn't be enough, so it was ridiculous.
Neruan stared blankly at Rose and then cautiously opened his mouth.
"He's someone I shouldn't talk to. I'll tell the Grand Duke."
"Fine. A guy like this will only get more upset if you give him attention."
Rose dismissed Neruan in a nonchalant tone. The day, which had begun peacefully, was thrown into a trance by Eric.
And the work didn't stop there.
Knock knock.
There was a sudden knock on the door.
“Excuse me, Rose. Do you have a moment?”
“Gwen?”
It was none other than Gwen who called out to Rose in an uncertain voice.
“Come in.”
As soon as Rose answered, Gwen came inside. He came in hastily, his face filled with worry.
“I have something urgent to discuss.”
Gwen exchanged a brief greeting with Neruan and sat down on the sofa. Rose sat across from Gwen and studied her face.
“What’s wrong, Gwen?”
“Um... I have some bad news.”
He sighed deeply, as if embarrassed by Rose’s question.
“It’s okay, so tell me quickly.”
“The brands that were supposed to open stores... are starting to cancel their contracts one by one.”
“Yes? Suddenly?”
“Yes...”
Rose’s hair turned white at Gwen’s words. This was an unexpected scenario.
A contract that was progressing smoothly was canceled. What on earth could be the problem?
Rose tried to calm her pounding heart and asked calmly.
“Did you hear why?”
Gwen nodded weakly.
“He said he was going to sign a contract with another department store.”
“Another department store?!”
What on earth was he talking about?
He was the first person in the world to try his hand at a department store. And yet, of all reasons, he was going to sign a contract with another department store?
Rose was utterly confused.
“Another department store? I’m the first to do it.”
“Yes. That’s true, but... there’s a rumor going around that a department store is opening in the capital too.”
She felt her blood drain from her body.
‘Could it be... someone stole my idea?’
Rose swallowed hard and bolted from her seat.
“I think I should go to the capital right now.”
Rose spoke quietly, her eyes determined.
She needed to see who was trying to steal her business.
“It was a misunderstanding.”
The Grand Duke grabbed Rose’s hand and spoke. However, Rose couldn’t easily believe the Grand Duke's words.
“A misunderstanding? She even kissed you in front of me.”
She didn’t want to be a narrow-minded woman. That’s why she didn’t find fault with the Grand Duke and Julius’ relationship.
But she couldn’t ignore what she saw right before her eyes.
“No matter how close you are, I didn’t know you were close enough to kiss.”
Rose’s cold eyes were fixed on the Grand Duke. They were as fierce as a midwinter blizzard.
“Ha, that’s...”
How could he explain it so Rose would understand?
No good excuse came to mind.
Julius, that guy is a man. He simply confessed his feelings.
But with the reputation of the Mederion Kingdom, it was difficult to speak up.
It would be nice if Julius had revealed it himself.
Rose's gaze grew darker as she watched the Grand Duke, who couldn't offer any excuses.
"Be honest. Were you by any chance... a couple in the past?"
"Huh, don't be ridiculous."
"So you're saying you're just friends with no feelings?"
"Yes."
"Your Highness... is the kind of person who would casually kiss a friend he has no feelings for."
"No, Rose."
Rose lowered her head and bit her lower lip.
The trauma of her previous life, which she had forgotten, seemed to creep up on her body.
"Actually, I've been wanting to ask you this for a while... Your Highness, do you think there are friends between men and women?"
Rose didn't believe in friends.
Friends of the opposite sex were perfectly possible. But no friend was as close as a friend of the same sex. Rose had always thought so. Her miserable past life had led her to believe there were no friends between men and women.
"I actually don't believe in it. That's why I was so anxious."
Rose whispered her thoughts.
“But I couldn’t let it out. I was afraid you’d think I was weird. But... Your Highness shattered my trust.”
“I’m sorry. But what you saw was completely misunderstood. I don’t see Juli as a woman.”
That guy was a real man.
The Grand Duke, unable to express his resentment, was only frustrated.
“It’s the same old thing everyone says. I don’t see her as a woman, I don’t see her as a man. But... that’s how they all started. We’re just close siblings. I don’t see them as the opposite sex. Even if we were alone in a room together, nothing would happen.”
Rose slowly raised her head. Her face was already hurt. As if Julius and the Grand Duke's relationship had been inappropriately exposed.
“But do you know what happened to all those people who said that? They ended up lovers and had children.”
Even cheating was common.
“Male friends, female friends? I don’t give a shit about those things.”
“Rose...?”
Grand Duke Artaeum's eyes widened at Rose's angry expression. He'd never seen her like this before.
Rose spouting harsh words was utterly unfamiliar.
"I've kept quiet until now because I care about you, Grand Duke. But I don't think I can stay silent any longer."
Rose's eyes widened, and she turned to the Grand Duke.
"Choose. Me, or the Princess? I can't stand seeing the Princess and the Grand Duke being so casual."
Her voice was clear. But her eyes couldn't hide the wavering.
She lacked confidence. She wasn't certain the word "you" was coming from the Grand Duke's mouth.
She always took a backseat.
Between friends and lovers, Do-hyun always chose her friend, not herself, who was his lover.
"Gyeo-ru is just a friend. You're acting like that over nothing."
"What kind of girl are you? Gyeo-ru doesn't have any friends. That's why we're paying more attention to you."
"Please don't overdo it. It's not even a delusion... I'm tired now."
He had hidden his relationship with Doana, and instead, she had driven herself into being a delusional woman.
'If the Grand Duke says the same thing as Do-hyun...'
Rose swallowed hard and looked at the Grand Duke.
'I'm breaking up with this person.'
She didn't want a heartbreaking relationship anymore. No matter how much she liked him, it was something she could never accept.
Perhaps because he saw the tragic look in Rose's eyes, the Grand Duke of Artaeum sighed softly and took a step closer to Rose.
"I made you so anxious."
The words that came out of the Grand Duke's mouth weren't any kind of cajoling, but a single, warm word.
The Grand Duke smiled faintly and stared at Rose.
Though these were the words he'd longed for, hearing them felt strangely odd.
Rose looked up at the Archduke with a bewildered expression. The Grand Duke gently stroked Rose's hair.
"I didn't know you were thinking that. I was so foolishly self-centered. I'm sorry."
"Ah..."
Rose's frozen heart began to melt at the Grand Duke's warm words.
"Where should I begin..."
Grand Duke Artaeum scratched the bridge of his nose, trailing off. He blinked silently before finally looking straight at Rose.
"Don't be surprised, Rose."
The Grand Duke spoke with a determined air, as if he had made a major decision. The words that came out of his mouth were hard to believe.
"Juli, that guy is actually a man."
...What?
In that moment, Rose felt as if she had been hit by a hammer. Her head was pounding, and she had a hard time coming to her senses.
‘A man... What did I just hear?’
Even after hearing it, she couldn’t believe it. Rose muttered and opened her mouth to the Grand Duke.
“T-You don’t have to make excuses like this.”
“It’s not an excuse. I’m just telling you the truth.”
“What... What the hell are you suddenly saying? The Princess is a man?”
“I had no intention of deceiving you from the beginning either...”
Grand Duke Artaeum trailed off and sighed.
“He came dressed as a woman. He pretended to be his twin sister, Julia.”
“... Yes?”
So... if the Grand Duke were to summarize, the Princess of Mederion was not Julia, but her twin brother, Julius?
“Yes?!”
Rose let out a squeak without realizing it.
“I couldn’t speak easily because of the prestige of the Mederion Kingdom. If I had known you were so misunderstood, I would have told you sooner.”
“Ah... haha.”
An awkward laugh echoed softly. The anger that had been building up to the very tips of her hair crumbled away.
“No... I really... didn’t know the Princess was a man.”
Rose simply thought she was a slightly taller woman. She always thought the scarf she wore around her neck was just a fashion accessory. She thought her husky voice was Julius’ unique charm rather than something strange. She was a beautiful person in Rose’s eyes, but to think he was a man?
Rose couldn’t easily recover from the shock.
“I swear before you. I won’t make any friends of the opposite sex.”
The Grand Duke of Artaeum swore before her, but Rose felt nothing but shame at the moment her misunderstanding had created.
“If you tell me to kill everyone who approaches me, then I will. You are the most precious thing to me. If that’s what you want... I can do anything.”
For a moment, the Grand Duke's eyes flashed like a beast's. An eerie aura loomed, but only for a moment.
The Grand Duke hid his aura and looked at Rose, his gaze uncharacteristically warm.
"You're the only woman in my life. You were, and you always will be."
The Grand Duke of Artaeum hugged Rose like a product. Rose was so beautiful, even in her jealousy. He felt sorry for Rose, who must have suffered so much, but the thought of her fidgeting and stamping her feet brought a smile to his face. It was proof that she loved him so much.
What had almost become a major fight was resolved smoothly when the truth about Julius's true nature was revealed.
***
Time passed quickly. The northern winter, which seemed never-ending, bowed its head.
Rose, sitting in her study, stretched and looked out the window.
"Spring."
New buds were sprouting from the bare branches. Rose sat up, her body heavy, and walked towards the window.
While she was enjoying the pleasant morning, Neruan knocked on Rose's office.
"Are you there?"
"Yeah. What's up?"
When Rose answered, Neruan opened the door and came in.
"I came to deliver a letter."
"A letter?"
"Yes."
Neruan answered slowly and glanced at Rose.
"It was for Count Wence."
"Ha... Again?"
Eric, that guy sent another letter.
"Throw it away."
"Can you just throw it away without even looking at it?"
"I bet he's going to say the same thing again."
He gave her alimony, so why didn't she move out of the Grand Duke's mansion?
"He's really ridiculous,"
Rose smirked, her eyes cold and cold.
Rose had never agreed to such conditions in the first place. "I'll pay you alimony, so you move out of the Grand Duke's mansion?"
No, alimony was a legitimate price for divorce, nothing more, nothing less.
But Eric arbitrarily imposed conditions and constantly demanded payment from Rose.
Even if he gave up everything, it wouldn't be enough, so it was ridiculous.
Neruan stared blankly at Rose and then cautiously opened his mouth.
"He's someone I shouldn't talk to. I'll tell the Grand Duke."
"Fine. A guy like this will only get more upset if you give him attention."
Rose dismissed Neruan in a nonchalant tone. The day, which had begun peacefully, was thrown into a trance by Eric.
And the work didn't stop there.
Knock knock.
There was a sudden knock on the door.
“Excuse me, Rose. Do you have a moment?”
“Gwen?”
It was none other than Gwen who called out to Rose in an uncertain voice.
“Come in.”
As soon as Rose answered, Gwen came inside. He came in hastily, his face filled with worry.
“I have something urgent to discuss.”
Gwen exchanged a brief greeting with Neruan and sat down on the sofa. Rose sat across from Gwen and studied her face.
“What’s wrong, Gwen?”
“Um... I have some bad news.”
He sighed deeply, as if embarrassed by Rose’s question.
“It’s okay, so tell me quickly.”
“The brands that were supposed to open stores... are starting to cancel their contracts one by one.”
“Yes? Suddenly?”
“Yes...”
Rose’s hair turned white at Gwen’s words. This was an unexpected scenario.
A contract that was progressing smoothly was canceled. What on earth could be the problem?
Rose tried to calm her pounding heart and asked calmly.
“Did you hear why?”
Gwen nodded weakly.
“He said he was going to sign a contract with another department store.”
“Another department store?!”
What on earth was he talking about?
He was the first person in the world to try his hand at a department store. And yet, of all reasons, he was going to sign a contract with another department store?
Rose was utterly confused.
“Another department store? I’m the first to do it.”
“Yes. That’s true, but... there’s a rumor going around that a department store is opening in the capital too.”
She felt her blood drain from her body.
‘Could it be... someone stole my idea?’
Rose swallowed hard and bolted from her seat.
“I think I should go to the capital right now.”
Rose spoke quietly, her eyes determined.
She needed to see who was trying to steal her business.
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