Episode 133. The Identity of the Culprit Who Stole Luna's Tears
'I need to tell the Grand Duke that it's okay...'
Rose struggled to lift her arm onto the Grand Duke's back. She could barely lift one arm, but her body felt too heavy.
'My mouth... won't open.'
Her vision began to spin. She felt dizzy, her eyes closing on their own, her body refusing to obey her.
Her legs trembled from the lack of tension. However, Rose struggled to maintain her balance.
She could feel the Grand Duke's trembling body through her skin. If she lost her balance and collapsed to the floor, he would surely suffer even more.
'You must have been very surprised...'
She needed to calm the surprised Grand Duke, to apologize, but her body kept failing her.
Rose strained her voice, feeling the need to say something to him.
"I'm sorry... for startling you."
A voice crawled out, almost a whisper. It was so quiet it wouldn't have been audible if the surroundings hadn't been so quiet.
Rose's breathing became increasingly rapid.
'I'm just relaxed... Why is it so hard to come to my senses?'
Rose wasn't aware of how much blood she had lost. She didn't have time to think about it.
She was simply relieved that Finn had stopped at her command.
Rose's vision was becoming increasingly blurry. It was as if a white fog had enveloped her, making it impossible to see.
'It's so... dizzy... all.'
On top of that, sleep kept creeping in. She wasn't tired, but her body wouldn't obey her.
Blinking her heavy eyelids, Rose finally closed them. Lost in thought, her body sagged.
Rose's head fell onto the Grand Duke's shoulder with a snap. The Grand Duke felt the blood drain from his body at the sight of Rose suddenly leaning against him.
Could it be...?
Anxiety washed over him. Rose couldn't just collapse like this, could she?
"...Rose?"
"..."
The Grand Duke, unable to hide his anxiety, called out Rose's name. However, there was no way Rose, who had already collapsed, would respond.
He quickly grabbed Rose's shoulder and checked her face.
"!"
Rose had collapsed. She was gasping for breath, her breaths thin and unsteady.
Cold sweat formed on her forehead, and her hands were cold.
She looked so bad that it wouldn't be strange if she died.
"Rose!!"
"What's going on?"
Neruan ran over, hearing the Grand Duke's voice, which was almost a scream. Neruan, who entered with a serious expression, saw Rose collapse as if dead.
"What the...!"
He ran towards Rose, his face ashen.
"Your Highness, what happened?"
"Rose... Rose..."
However, the Grand Duke, caught in a panic, was unable to properly explain the situation to Neruan.
"Let's lay her down first."
Neruan patted the dazed Grand Duke's shoulder and spoke urgently. He could tell at a glance that she was losing a lot of blood.
Instead of the shocked Grand Duke, he laid Rose on the sofa.
"The wound is deeper than I thought."
Immediate action was needed. Instead of calling the doctor, he stared blankly at the Grand Duke. Then, as if he had no more to worry about, he grabbed his arm.
"What are you doing? You should use healing magic quickly."
The Grand Duke's magic was more powerful than the doctor's.
Neruan had warned the Grand Duke against using magic until everything was accomplished, but now was not the time to abide by that rule.
Saving Rose was the priority.
Despite Neruan's words, the Grand Duke struggled to come to his senses. He stared at Rose with wavering eyes, unable to do anything, his eyes filled with despair.
Fear consumed the Grand Duke. The despair he felt when he lost his parents as a child resurfaced.
If I lost someone precious again... What should I do?
Now... I can't live without you.
Neruan, looking at the Grand Duke who couldn't come to his senses even in this dire situation, shouted as if he couldn't do it anymore.
"Your Highness, the Grand Duke!"
He placed both hands on the Grand Duke's shoulders as if telling him to come to his senses.
"What are you doing! Are you going to leave Rose like this? It'll be okay if you treat her right now. So come to your senses."
Neruan's voice, which seemed to be threatening, brought the Grand Duke back to his senses.
Instead of answering, he ran straight to the sofa where Rose was lying. He grabbed Rose's wrist and felt her pulse first.
It was faint, but there was a pulse. There was still a chance.
The Grand Duke gently lifted the cloth wrapped around Rose's neck. Rose's slender, pure white neck was dyed crimson.
Seeing the deep scratches, his heart pounded again. He cupped both hands over Rose's wounds. He closed his eyes and concentrated. Vast mana began to condense into his palms.
A pure white light radiated around the Grand Duke's hands. It was a dazzling light, unlike anything he had ever seen before.
Neruan frowned at the dazzling flash and covered his eyes with one hand.
The pure white light spread even outside the window. The Grand Duke desperately poured his mana into Rose.
Rose's wounds, torn by the sharp claws, began to heal as if by magic. Rose's once pale face regained its vitality. Rose's panting, which had been labored, gradually subsided. Rose's expression now assumed a peaceful expression.
The Grand Duke's magic had successfully healed Rose. The wound healed. However, the scar couldn't be completely erased.
The Grand Duke, sweating profusely, looked at Rose. And upon seeing Rose's neck, which had completely healed, he breathed a sigh of relief.
This time, he had protected it. Something precious to him.
Rose... He had protected her.
Rose collapsed and fell into a deep sleep. And then she dreamed. It was a lucid dream.
As soon as she opened her eyes, she knew it was a dream.
'A dream.'
A dark warehouse without a single light.
Her body moved busily, as if searching for something.
Rose felt as if she were watching a first-person movie.
Her body moved on its own, not of her own will.
"Surely... it should be here,"
The body's owner muttered.
'Am I possessed, even in my dreams?'
It felt like entering someone else's body. It felt somehow familiar.
However, the difference was that she couldn't control her dream body.
Rose was merely an observer.
She couldn't say anything, couldn't do anything.
Simply entering the body of an unknown person and observing their actions. That was all she could do.
The body's owner was moving very busily.
"What is it? What are you looking for?"
It's so dark that she can't see well, but she should turn on some light and search.
She wanted to say this to the body's owner.
Someone is rummaging through every drawer.
"I think they're secretly looking for something."
Otherwise, they wouldn't be acting so desperately.
Moreover, their actions were quite aggressive.
"Huh? Is it okay to break everything like that?"
The body's owner was truly bold. He smashed every lock with a blunt object, breaking them.
"This person... Is he a thief?"
To say that... His hands were so delicate.
Those slender, pale hands were too delicate for such a task.
"But... these hands are somehow familiar."
The delicate hands felt just like her own.
"Well, they're all the same."
Rose muttered to herself indifferently. Meanwhile, the body's owner was rummaging through the room. She quickly searched everywhere, even grabbing documents that seemed important.
"Why isn't it there?"
A bewildered voice asked, as if she hadn't found anything.
"I think you've already searched everything. What you're looking for, isn't it?"
This was the strangest dream she ever experienced.
It was my first lucid dream, and it was also the first time she dreamed of someone else's memory being peeked into their own.
'I need to tell the Grand Duke that it's okay...'
Rose struggled to lift her arm onto the Grand Duke's back. She could barely lift one arm, but her body felt too heavy.
'My mouth... won't open.'
Her vision began to spin. She felt dizzy, her eyes closing on their own, her body refusing to obey her.
Her legs trembled from the lack of tension. However, Rose struggled to maintain her balance.
She could feel the Grand Duke's trembling body through her skin. If she lost her balance and collapsed to the floor, he would surely suffer even more.
'You must have been very surprised...'
She needed to calm the surprised Grand Duke, to apologize, but her body kept failing her.
Rose strained her voice, feeling the need to say something to him.
"I'm sorry... for startling you."
A voice crawled out, almost a whisper. It was so quiet it wouldn't have been audible if the surroundings hadn't been so quiet.
Rose's breathing became increasingly rapid.
'I'm just relaxed... Why is it so hard to come to my senses?'
Rose wasn't aware of how much blood she had lost. She didn't have time to think about it.
She was simply relieved that Finn had stopped at her command.
Rose's vision was becoming increasingly blurry. It was as if a white fog had enveloped her, making it impossible to see.
'It's so... dizzy... all.'
On top of that, sleep kept creeping in. She wasn't tired, but her body wouldn't obey her.
Blinking her heavy eyelids, Rose finally closed them. Lost in thought, her body sagged.
Rose's head fell onto the Grand Duke's shoulder with a snap. The Grand Duke felt the blood drain from his body at the sight of Rose suddenly leaning against him.
Could it be...?
Anxiety washed over him. Rose couldn't just collapse like this, could she?
"...Rose?"
"..."
The Grand Duke, unable to hide his anxiety, called out Rose's name. However, there was no way Rose, who had already collapsed, would respond.
He quickly grabbed Rose's shoulder and checked her face.
"!"
Rose had collapsed. She was gasping for breath, her breaths thin and unsteady.
Cold sweat formed on her forehead, and her hands were cold.
She looked so bad that it wouldn't be strange if she died.
"Rose!!"
"What's going on?"
Neruan ran over, hearing the Grand Duke's voice, which was almost a scream. Neruan, who entered with a serious expression, saw Rose collapse as if dead.
"What the...!"
He ran towards Rose, his face ashen.
"Your Highness, what happened?"
"Rose... Rose..."
However, the Grand Duke, caught in a panic, was unable to properly explain the situation to Neruan.
"Let's lay her down first."
Neruan patted the dazed Grand Duke's shoulder and spoke urgently. He could tell at a glance that she was losing a lot of blood.
Instead of the shocked Grand Duke, he laid Rose on the sofa.
"The wound is deeper than I thought."
Immediate action was needed. Instead of calling the doctor, he stared blankly at the Grand Duke. Then, as if he had no more to worry about, he grabbed his arm.
"What are you doing? You should use healing magic quickly."
The Grand Duke's magic was more powerful than the doctor's.
Neruan had warned the Grand Duke against using magic until everything was accomplished, but now was not the time to abide by that rule.
Saving Rose was the priority.
Despite Neruan's words, the Grand Duke struggled to come to his senses. He stared at Rose with wavering eyes, unable to do anything, his eyes filled with despair.
Fear consumed the Grand Duke. The despair he felt when he lost his parents as a child resurfaced.
If I lost someone precious again... What should I do?
Now... I can't live without you.
Neruan, looking at the Grand Duke who couldn't come to his senses even in this dire situation, shouted as if he couldn't do it anymore.
"Your Highness, the Grand Duke!"
He placed both hands on the Grand Duke's shoulders as if telling him to come to his senses.
"What are you doing! Are you going to leave Rose like this? It'll be okay if you treat her right now. So come to your senses."
Neruan's voice, which seemed to be threatening, brought the Grand Duke back to his senses.
Instead of answering, he ran straight to the sofa where Rose was lying. He grabbed Rose's wrist and felt her pulse first.
It was faint, but there was a pulse. There was still a chance.
The Grand Duke gently lifted the cloth wrapped around Rose's neck. Rose's slender, pure white neck was dyed crimson.
Seeing the deep scratches, his heart pounded again. He cupped both hands over Rose's wounds. He closed his eyes and concentrated. Vast mana began to condense into his palms.
A pure white light radiated around the Grand Duke's hands. It was a dazzling light, unlike anything he had ever seen before.
Neruan frowned at the dazzling flash and covered his eyes with one hand.
The pure white light spread even outside the window. The Grand Duke desperately poured his mana into Rose.
Rose's wounds, torn by the sharp claws, began to heal as if by magic. Rose's once pale face regained its vitality. Rose's panting, which had been labored, gradually subsided. Rose's expression now assumed a peaceful expression.
The Grand Duke's magic had successfully healed Rose. The wound healed. However, the scar couldn't be completely erased.
The Grand Duke, sweating profusely, looked at Rose. And upon seeing Rose's neck, which had completely healed, he breathed a sigh of relief.
This time, he had protected it. Something precious to him.
Rose... He had protected her.
***
Rose collapsed and fell into a deep sleep. And then she dreamed. It was a lucid dream.
As soon as she opened her eyes, she knew it was a dream.
'A dream.'
A dark warehouse without a single light.
Her body moved busily, as if searching for something.
Rose felt as if she were watching a first-person movie.
Her body moved on its own, not of her own will.
"Surely... it should be here,"
The body's owner muttered.
'Am I possessed, even in my dreams?'
It felt like entering someone else's body. It felt somehow familiar.
However, the difference was that she couldn't control her dream body.
Rose was merely an observer.
She couldn't say anything, couldn't do anything.
Simply entering the body of an unknown person and observing their actions. That was all she could do.
The body's owner was moving very busily.
"What is it? What are you looking for?"
It's so dark that she can't see well, but she should turn on some light and search.
She wanted to say this to the body's owner.
Someone is rummaging through every drawer.
"I think they're secretly looking for something."
Otherwise, they wouldn't be acting so desperately.
Moreover, their actions were quite aggressive.
"Huh? Is it okay to break everything like that?"
The body's owner was truly bold. He smashed every lock with a blunt object, breaking them.
"This person... Is he a thief?"
To say that... His hands were so delicate.
Those slender, pale hands were too delicate for such a task.
"But... these hands are somehow familiar."
The delicate hands felt just like her own.
"Well, they're all the same."
Rose muttered to herself indifferently. Meanwhile, the body's owner was rummaging through the room. She quickly searched everywhere, even grabbing documents that seemed important.
"Why isn't it there?"
A bewildered voice asked, as if she hadn't found anything.
"I think you've already searched everything. What you're looking for, isn't it?"
This was the strangest dream she ever experienced.
It was my first lucid dream, and it was also the first time she dreamed of someone else's memory being peeked into their own.
"Just go. I'll get caught if I keep doing this,"
Rose muttered in a voice that couldn't be heard. But the body's owner wasn't giving up so easily.
She searched the area once more, then lifted the carpet from the floor.
"Found it,"
A confident voice said.
"Found it?"
Rose blinked, scanning her surroundings. She saw nothing unusual.
The body's owner took five steps, her shoes clicking together. Then she tapped the floor three times, as if signaling something.
Then something amazing happened. A moment ago, something appeared from the empty wall with a groan!
"Huh? What the? There really was something there?"
Rose stared at the object protruding from the wall with wide eyes.
It was a massive safe.
A completely different level of sturdiness from the ones she'd broken before. She didn't think she could easily open that door by striking it with a blunt object like before.
The body's owner, as if agreeing with Rose's thoughts, threw the blunt object he was holding onto the floor. He then fumbled with the safe.
"Would fumbling yield an answer?"
Surprisingly, she did.
The body's owner pressed her ear close to the safe and turned the key combination.
It was like a scene from a spy movie, like a spy easily opening a tightly locked safe.
The safe made a click-click-click sound and then opened with a bang.
The huge safe, which seemed to contain all sorts of treasures, contained, ironically, a single, sparkling jewel.
"What? Just that one?"
It didn't seem like something the protagonist of her dream would be looking for.
However, contrary to Rose's expectations, the body's owner said,
"Finally... I found it."
She reached deep into the safe and snatched it up in one swift motion.
The body's owner unfolded the jewel she had taken from the safe before her eyes.
Rose, who had been observing everything with indifference, took a deep breath upon confirming the jewel's identity.
"Luna's tears. I finally found them."
What the body's owner had found were Luna's tears.
A jewel of a brilliant crimson hue.
A woman's figure was reflected on the jewel, shining beautifully enough to be transparent.
The owner of this dream. Her figure was faintly visible.
Rose unconsciously stared intently at the jewel.
And..
'What! That woman...!'
She knew who this body was.
A face shone clearly on the jewel.
It was a face she knew well.
Rose, waking from her dream, gasped. She quickly sat up.
Judging by the sunlight streaming into the bedroom, it must have been morning. Unlike yesterday, when she had felt so weak, her body felt remarkably light.
She frowned and covered her face with one hand.
Her heart pounded.
The scene she had seen in her dream felt somehow ominous.
It felt like it wasn't just a dream. No, it definitely wasn't a dream.
"...What the heck...."
Rose stared into space with wavering eyes.
"...The person reflected in the jewel... It was definitely me."
The face visible above Luna's tears was clearly Rose's own.
Rose's memories from the original were clear.
"...It was true that Rose really had Luna's tears."
There was a law of inconvenience in possession.
That was the setting of the characters that differed from the 'original novel'.
The Rose in the original clearly had a hidden secret not described in the book.
Luna's tears that Cedric had. Rose seemed to have stolen them deliberately.
Maybe... Maybe!
"Rose... The protagonist of this novel might not have been in love with Eric to begin with."
With years of experience writing romance novels, she was certain.
"To enter the Count Wence... she pretended to be in love with Eric."
To get revenge on Count Wence, who destroyed her family.
Even in the original, Count Wence's fortunes suddenly declined.
The book stated that the Counts were simply swindled by Duke Flice...
"That wasn't the case..."
Peeking into Rose's memories, she was certain.
The Rose in the original... was actually plotting the annihilation of Count Wence.
She searched the area once more, then lifted the carpet from the floor.
"Found it,"
A confident voice said.
"Found it?"
Rose blinked, scanning her surroundings. She saw nothing unusual.
The body's owner took five steps, her shoes clicking together. Then she tapped the floor three times, as if signaling something.
Then something amazing happened. A moment ago, something appeared from the empty wall with a groan!
"Huh? What the? There really was something there?"
Rose stared at the object protruding from the wall with wide eyes.
It was a massive safe.
A completely different level of sturdiness from the ones she'd broken before. She didn't think she could easily open that door by striking it with a blunt object like before.
The body's owner, as if agreeing with Rose's thoughts, threw the blunt object he was holding onto the floor. He then fumbled with the safe.
"Would fumbling yield an answer?"
Surprisingly, she did.
The body's owner pressed her ear close to the safe and turned the key combination.
It was like a scene from a spy movie, like a spy easily opening a tightly locked safe.
The safe made a click-click-click sound and then opened with a bang.
The huge safe, which seemed to contain all sorts of treasures, contained, ironically, a single, sparkling jewel.
"What? Just that one?"
It didn't seem like something the protagonist of her dream would be looking for.
However, contrary to Rose's expectations, the body's owner said,
"Finally... I found it."
She reached deep into the safe and snatched it up in one swift motion.
The body's owner unfolded the jewel she had taken from the safe before her eyes.
Rose, who had been observing everything with indifference, took a deep breath upon confirming the jewel's identity.
"Luna's tears. I finally found them."
What the body's owner had found were Luna's tears.
A jewel of a brilliant crimson hue.
A woman's figure was reflected on the jewel, shining beautifully enough to be transparent.
The owner of this dream. Her figure was faintly visible.
Rose unconsciously stared intently at the jewel.
And..
'What! That woman...!'
She knew who this body was.
A face shone clearly on the jewel.
It was a face she knew well.
***
Rose, waking from her dream, gasped. She quickly sat up.
Judging by the sunlight streaming into the bedroom, it must have been morning. Unlike yesterday, when she had felt so weak, her body felt remarkably light.
She frowned and covered her face with one hand.
Her heart pounded.
The scene she had seen in her dream felt somehow ominous.
It felt like it wasn't just a dream. No, it definitely wasn't a dream.
"...What the heck...."
Rose stared into space with wavering eyes.
"...The person reflected in the jewel... It was definitely me."
The face visible above Luna's tears was clearly Rose's own.
Rose's memories from the original were clear.
"...It was true that Rose really had Luna's tears."
There was a law of inconvenience in possession.
That was the setting of the characters that differed from the 'original novel'.
The Rose in the original clearly had a hidden secret not described in the book.
Luna's tears that Cedric had. Rose seemed to have stolen them deliberately.
Maybe... Maybe!
"Rose... The protagonist of this novel might not have been in love with Eric to begin with."
With years of experience writing romance novels, she was certain.
"To enter the Count Wence... she pretended to be in love with Eric."
To get revenge on Count Wence, who destroyed her family.
Even in the original, Count Wence's fortunes suddenly declined.
The book stated that the Counts were simply swindled by Duke Flice...
"That wasn't the case..."
Peeking into Rose's memories, she was certain.
The Rose in the original... was actually plotting the annihilation of Count Wence.
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