Side Story. Rose's Past and Present in the Original (4)
"You even betrayed your master, and now the treatment from the Count of Wence is so bad, huh? That's why you're working as a lowly knight."
Cedric was a truly wicked man.
He would use people, tempting them with the thought that he'd drain their liver and gall bladder, only to drain them of all their goodness and discard it.
Cedric had no intention of caring for Buttern, who had bitten his master.
"You...! Gulp, gulp!"
"Don't get excited. The faster your heart beats, the faster the poison will spread."
As soon as Rose finished speaking, Buttern vomited blood and collapsed.
"Oh... I told you too late."
Rose met Buttern's eyes on the ground and smiled brightly.
"Goodbye. Sir Buttern."
Rose let out a silent scream, then blurted out kind words that didn't quite register in her mind.
"Gwen is the best, after all."
Rose acted as a woman who couldn't get away from Eric while watching Eric and Cedric's actions from behind.
Eric and Cedric didn't seem particularly wary of her, so it was easy to peek at their documents.
She would visit Eric as if it were a daily routine, pretending to beg for his love, and then peek at his documents.
It was chilling to discover that he was not only making poison, but also conducting vivisections on prisoners.
Rose collected this evidence one by one. And she communicated with the Marquis of Bled using a fictional character in her place. The Marquis of Bled was a prominent noble who held the Counts of Wence in contempt. Although the Marquis of Bled and the Count of Wence were both part of the imperial faction, the Marquis of Bled was quite dissatisfied with the fact that the Count of Wence, who had been living off the streets, was threatening his position.
Rose plotted to arouse the Marquis of Bled's vigilance and bring down the Count of Wence.
She gradually gained Marquis Bled's trust by leaking information about the Wence family.
Three years into her marriage to Eric, while on a quest for revenge, she became pregnant with an unwanted child.
'I clearly... took birth control pills, but why...!'
The thought of being pregnant with her enemy's child was as horrifying as being thrown into hell. However, Rose did not break.
Instead of despairing over her situation, she moved quickly, spurring on her revenge.
Before the child was born, she hatched a grim plan to destroy this family.
One day, a banquet was held at Tercia's mansion.
Rose attended with Eric, but, naturally, she was barred from entering the banquet hall.
"Who are you to come in here?"
After being turned away at the entrance, Rose took advantage of the hustle and bustle to sneak into Cedric's office.
Cedric was extremely meticulous, so he didn't leave confidential documents on his desk like Eric did.
Rose held her breath and rummaged through Cedric's desk drawers.
However, they were all locked.
Just when she was about to give up, something caught her eye.
A black book on the shelf was unusually askew. Rose gently pulled it out, and something fell with a slap.
Rose carefully picked up the paper that had fallen to the floor.
"...What is this?"
[...Waving a red necklace in front of those who had bared their sharp teeth, they became as docile as a dog welcoming its owner. The black creature, said to be untameable, obeyed my commands, Cedric. Those who have ignored me will soon bow their heads before my greatness.]
Even at first glance, it seemed to be written with overwhelming emotion.
Oddly, a gem flashed through Rose's mind as she read.
'... Luna's Tears?'
Although Cedric didn't write it clearly, the 'red necklace' in the note had to be Luna's tears.
Nell, her best friend from childhood.
Nell was the second daughter of the ill-fated Berka family, purged when Rose's cousins died.
Suddenly, memories from her childhood, whispered by Nell, came flooding back.
'Hey, shall I tell you a secret?'
'Secret?'
'Yeah.'
'They say Nell will become a Princess someday.'
"You even betrayed your master, and now the treatment from the Count of Wence is so bad, huh? That's why you're working as a lowly knight."
Cedric was a truly wicked man.
He would use people, tempting them with the thought that he'd drain their liver and gall bladder, only to drain them of all their goodness and discard it.
Cedric had no intention of caring for Buttern, who had bitten his master.
"You...! Gulp, gulp!"
"Don't get excited. The faster your heart beats, the faster the poison will spread."
As soon as Rose finished speaking, Buttern vomited blood and collapsed.
"Oh... I told you too late."
Rose met Buttern's eyes on the ground and smiled brightly.
"Goodbye. Sir Buttern."
To think she could smile so brightly in the face of a dying man.
Buttern closed his eyes, unable to resist the venomous Rose, whom he had never seen before.
Rose stared blankly at the dying Buttern, then screamed for the mansion to leave.
“Gyaaaaah!! Help me! Sir Buttern... Sir Buttern has collapsed!”
Rose, who had been smiling coolly until just now, burst into sobs as if nothing had happened.
Shaking, covered in tears, Rose finally collapsed as if fainting.
Rose’s revenge did not end there.
She began preparing in earnest to destroy Count Wence’s family.
Even after entering Count Wence’s household, Rose remained a remarkably modest person.
However, there were times when even Rose would let her guard down.
When buying gifts for her husband, Eric.
“Give me everything from here to there.”
“Madam, how can you possibly buy all this?”
“This is how I show my heart to Eric. Since he doesn’t understand even when I tell him I love him, shouldn’t I show my sincerity like this?”
Rose smiled as if she didn’t know anything as she watched the servant expressing concern.
“If you spend a fortune of hundreds of millions on luxuries like this... I think the former Count will definitely be angry.”
“Oh my, Count Wence’s finances are so solid. This is no problem at all.”
Rose tilted her head as if she felt something was missing and continued speaking.
“The Count Wence are the wealthiest in the capital, aren’t they?”
“That’s true... but that’s a separate matter, madam. It’s not 100-200 million res, it’s 18.9 billion res.”
“It’s okay. This is what Eric wanted.”
Rose spent it as if she didn’t mind spending even a penny for Eric.
Count Wence's annual salary was approximately 1.5 billion won at the time, but she had squandered twelve times that amount in a single day.
The Wence family's finances were teetering on the brink.
Cedric, upon learning of this, was furious, but he couldn't bring himself to demand a refund.
Because of Rose's actions, rumors of the Wence family's immense wealth had spread throughout the empire.
Refunding everything here would likely make him a laughingstock.
"What 18.9 billion res is a swindler, Count? One daughter-in-law's fault, and the family is in shambles."
Cedric never wanted to be the laughingstock of the other nobles again.
He had started from the bottom, gradually trampling on the other nobles who ignored him, and had worked his way up to where he was.
Therefore, he had absolutely no desire to return to the way things were.
He acted casually in front of them, pretending it was okay, while behind their backs, he called Rose aside and scolded her harshly.
Of course, Rose didn't stop there.
While ruining the finances of the Count Wence family, she also slowly embezzled her personal funds.
There was a huge hidden danger in this, and that person was not Cedric, Tercia, or Eric, but his butler, Gwen.
Rose glared at Gwen's back as he chuckled with a kind smile.
'Gwen... He's much more capable than the world knows, isn't he?'
She had clearly intended to spend money like crazy to damage the Count Wence family, but Gwen quickly cleaned up after Rose's mistake.
'My plans are going awry because of Gwen.'
As Rose glared at him fiercely, Gwen turned around. Rose hid her sharp gaze and smiled brightly.
"Madam, you're here."
Gwen approached Rose in a gentle tone.
"I heard that Lord Cedric was very angry this time, too."
He continued, looking at Rose with worried eyes.
“The funds will be restored soon, so you don’t have to worry about the future. I’ll make sure to speak to Lord Cedric.”
“Thank you, Gwen. You always give me peace of mind.”
...Damn.
Don’t be so useless, and just be so talented.
“Thank you. This is what I should be doing. I’m always rooting for you, madam.”
Gwen didn’t stop Rose from spending money lavishly. Instead, he wholeheartedly supported her.
Everyone knew the relationship between Rose, who pitifully begged for love, and Eric, who turned a blind eye to it.
Rose, who had married at a young age, was being neglected to a degree that made the Count’s employees feel embarrassed.
Gwen felt sorry for Rose, who desperately sought Eric’s attention.
“If you can win the Count’s heart by doing this, madam, I will support you.”
So, spend as much as you want.
I will help you out to the best of my ability.
Rose could tell what Gwen thought of her just by looking at his eyes.
'No, don’t root for me. Don't mess with it!'
Buttern closed his eyes, unable to resist the venomous Rose, whom he had never seen before.
Rose stared blankly at the dying Buttern, then screamed for the mansion to leave.
“Gyaaaaah!! Help me! Sir Buttern... Sir Buttern has collapsed!”
Rose, who had been smiling coolly until just now, burst into sobs as if nothing had happened.
Shaking, covered in tears, Rose finally collapsed as if fainting.
Rose’s revenge did not end there.
She began preparing in earnest to destroy Count Wence’s family.
***
Even after entering Count Wence’s household, Rose remained a remarkably modest person.
However, there were times when even Rose would let her guard down.
When buying gifts for her husband, Eric.
“Give me everything from here to there.”
“Madam, how can you possibly buy all this?”
“This is how I show my heart to Eric. Since he doesn’t understand even when I tell him I love him, shouldn’t I show my sincerity like this?”
Rose smiled as if she didn’t know anything as she watched the servant expressing concern.
“If you spend a fortune of hundreds of millions on luxuries like this... I think the former Count will definitely be angry.”
“Oh my, Count Wence’s finances are so solid. This is no problem at all.”
Rose tilted her head as if she felt something was missing and continued speaking.
“The Count Wence are the wealthiest in the capital, aren’t they?”
“That’s true... but that’s a separate matter, madam. It’s not 100-200 million res, it’s 18.9 billion res.”
“It’s okay. This is what Eric wanted.”
Rose spent it as if she didn’t mind spending even a penny for Eric.
Count Wence's annual salary was approximately 1.5 billion won at the time, but she had squandered twelve times that amount in a single day.
The Wence family's finances were teetering on the brink.
Cedric, upon learning of this, was furious, but he couldn't bring himself to demand a refund.
Because of Rose's actions, rumors of the Wence family's immense wealth had spread throughout the empire.
Refunding everything here would likely make him a laughingstock.
"What 18.9 billion res is a swindler, Count? One daughter-in-law's fault, and the family is in shambles."
Cedric never wanted to be the laughingstock of the other nobles again.
He had started from the bottom, gradually trampling on the other nobles who ignored him, and had worked his way up to where he was.
Therefore, he had absolutely no desire to return to the way things were.
He acted casually in front of them, pretending it was okay, while behind their backs, he called Rose aside and scolded her harshly.
Of course, Rose didn't stop there.
While ruining the finances of the Count Wence family, she also slowly embezzled her personal funds.
There was a huge hidden danger in this, and that person was not Cedric, Tercia, or Eric, but his butler, Gwen.
Rose glared at Gwen's back as he chuckled with a kind smile.
'Gwen... He's much more capable than the world knows, isn't he?'
She had clearly intended to spend money like crazy to damage the Count Wence family, but Gwen quickly cleaned up after Rose's mistake.
'My plans are going awry because of Gwen.'
As Rose glared at him fiercely, Gwen turned around. Rose hid her sharp gaze and smiled brightly.
"Madam, you're here."
Gwen approached Rose in a gentle tone.
"I heard that Lord Cedric was very angry this time, too."
He continued, looking at Rose with worried eyes.
“The funds will be restored soon, so you don’t have to worry about the future. I’ll make sure to speak to Lord Cedric.”
“Thank you, Gwen. You always give me peace of mind.”
...Damn.
Don’t be so useless, and just be so talented.
“Thank you. This is what I should be doing. I’m always rooting for you, madam.”
Gwen didn’t stop Rose from spending money lavishly. Instead, he wholeheartedly supported her.
Everyone knew the relationship between Rose, who pitifully begged for love, and Eric, who turned a blind eye to it.
Rose, who had married at a young age, was being neglected to a degree that made the Count’s employees feel embarrassed.
Gwen felt sorry for Rose, who desperately sought Eric’s attention.
“If you can win the Count’s heart by doing this, madam, I will support you.”
So, spend as much as you want.
I will help you out to the best of my ability.
Rose could tell what Gwen thought of her just by looking at his eyes.
'No, don’t root for me. Don't mess with it!'
Rose let out a silent scream, then blurted out kind words that didn't quite register in her mind.
"Gwen is the best, after all."
***
Rose acted as a woman who couldn't get away from Eric while watching Eric and Cedric's actions from behind.
Eric and Cedric didn't seem particularly wary of her, so it was easy to peek at their documents.
She would visit Eric as if it were a daily routine, pretending to beg for his love, and then peek at his documents.
It was chilling to discover that he was not only making poison, but also conducting vivisections on prisoners.
Rose collected this evidence one by one. And she communicated with the Marquis of Bled using a fictional character in her place. The Marquis of Bled was a prominent noble who held the Counts of Wence in contempt. Although the Marquis of Bled and the Count of Wence were both part of the imperial faction, the Marquis of Bled was quite dissatisfied with the fact that the Count of Wence, who had been living off the streets, was threatening his position.
Rose plotted to arouse the Marquis of Bled's vigilance and bring down the Count of Wence.
She gradually gained Marquis Bled's trust by leaking information about the Wence family.
Three years into her marriage to Eric, while on a quest for revenge, she became pregnant with an unwanted child.
'I clearly... took birth control pills, but why...!'
The thought of being pregnant with her enemy's child was as horrifying as being thrown into hell. However, Rose did not break.
Instead of despairing over her situation, she moved quickly, spurring on her revenge.
Before the child was born, she hatched a grim plan to destroy this family.
One day, a banquet was held at Tercia's mansion.
Rose attended with Eric, but, naturally, she was barred from entering the banquet hall.
"Who are you to come in here?"
After being turned away at the entrance, Rose took advantage of the hustle and bustle to sneak into Cedric's office.
Cedric was extremely meticulous, so he didn't leave confidential documents on his desk like Eric did.
Rose held her breath and rummaged through Cedric's desk drawers.
However, they were all locked.
Just when she was about to give up, something caught her eye.
A black book on the shelf was unusually askew. Rose gently pulled it out, and something fell with a slap.
Rose carefully picked up the paper that had fallen to the floor.
"...What is this?"
[...Waving a red necklace in front of those who had bared their sharp teeth, they became as docile as a dog welcoming its owner. The black creature, said to be untameable, obeyed my commands, Cedric. Those who have ignored me will soon bow their heads before my greatness.]
Even at first glance, it seemed to be written with overwhelming emotion.
Oddly, a gem flashed through Rose's mind as she read.
'... Luna's Tears?'
Although Cedric didn't write it clearly, the 'red necklace' in the note had to be Luna's tears.
Nell, her best friend from childhood.
Nell was the second daughter of the ill-fated Berka family, purged when Rose's cousins died.
Suddenly, memories from her childhood, whispered by Nell, came flooding back.
'Hey, shall I tell you a secret?'
'Secret?'
'Yeah.'
'They say Nell will become a Princess someday.'
'Wow, Princess! What's Nell like?'
'Nell will become the Princess who protects Luna's necklace. And she'll defeat the evil land.'
Nell always told Rose.
Nell had promised herself she'd become a Princess. She'd hidden the heirloom she'd taken without her father's knowledge in her stomach, shrugging at Rose.
Why...?
Was that memory, so nearly forgotten, surfacing again?
Suddenly, she had a feeling Luna's tears might be here. A strange intuition, unknown to her, surged through Rose's mind.
Rose immediately left the mansion. Then, as if possessed, she moved to the basement.
She'd seen Eric coming and going from the basement. The basement, which had always been locked, was somehow unlocked today.
Without a second thought, Rose entered the basement and grabbed the blunt object next to her.
She looked around in the dark basement.
Rose fumbled through the desk drawers, then paused. Just like Cedric's office, the chest of drawers had a lock.
Like someone possessed, Rose swung the blunt object and broke the lock. She opened each and every drawer, grabbing any documents she could find.
Cedric had many enemies. On a day like today, when there were so many people coming and going, it wouldn't be easy to find who had ransacked the basement.
She broke all the locks.
But the red necklace Rose was looking for wasn't there.
"Why isn't it there?"
Rose muttered in bewilderment and began rummaging through the drawers again.
Moving around, Rose suddenly looked down at the floor.
"This carpet. It's the same one in the Count's house."
It was the same one.
Besides, there's an important safe hidden under the carpet in the Count's house. So... what about this carpet?
Rose lifted the carpet with a half-doubtful expression.
"Found it."
Rose muttered, noticing the oddly warped pattern on the bare floorboards.
She tapped the floorboards three times with a confident expression. Then, a massive safe popped out from the previously empty wall.
Rose put down the blunt object in her hand and walked towards the safe. She put her ear to the safe and turned the key without hesitation.
With a click, the safe door opened.
Opening the door wasn't difficult.
Rose had already raided all the safes of the Count Wence family.
Inside the massive safe, which seemed to contain all manner of treasures, was a single, sparkling jewel.
It was Luna's tear.
"Finally... I found it."
Rose reached deep into the safe and snatched the necklace. Then she quickly left the basement.
Luna's tears, reflecting in the moonlight, shimmered with a crimson glow.
'Nell will become the Princess who protects Luna's necklace. And she'll defeat the evil land.'
Nell always told Rose.
Nell had promised herself she'd become a Princess. She'd hidden the heirloom she'd taken without her father's knowledge in her stomach, shrugging at Rose.
Why...?
Was that memory, so nearly forgotten, surfacing again?
Suddenly, she had a feeling Luna's tears might be here. A strange intuition, unknown to her, surged through Rose's mind.
Rose immediately left the mansion. Then, as if possessed, she moved to the basement.
She'd seen Eric coming and going from the basement. The basement, which had always been locked, was somehow unlocked today.
Without a second thought, Rose entered the basement and grabbed the blunt object next to her.
She looked around in the dark basement.
Rose fumbled through the desk drawers, then paused. Just like Cedric's office, the chest of drawers had a lock.
Like someone possessed, Rose swung the blunt object and broke the lock. She opened each and every drawer, grabbing any documents she could find.
Cedric had many enemies. On a day like today, when there were so many people coming and going, it wouldn't be easy to find who had ransacked the basement.
She broke all the locks.
But the red necklace Rose was looking for wasn't there.
"Why isn't it there?"
Rose muttered in bewilderment and began rummaging through the drawers again.
Moving around, Rose suddenly looked down at the floor.
"This carpet. It's the same one in the Count's house."
It was the same one.
Besides, there's an important safe hidden under the carpet in the Count's house. So... what about this carpet?
Rose lifted the carpet with a half-doubtful expression.
"Found it."
Rose muttered, noticing the oddly warped pattern on the bare floorboards.
She tapped the floorboards three times with a confident expression. Then, a massive safe popped out from the previously empty wall.
Rose put down the blunt object in her hand and walked towards the safe. She put her ear to the safe and turned the key without hesitation.
With a click, the safe door opened.
Opening the door wasn't difficult.
Rose had already raided all the safes of the Count Wence family.
Inside the massive safe, which seemed to contain all manner of treasures, was a single, sparkling jewel.
It was Luna's tear.
"Finally... I found it."
Rose reached deep into the safe and snatched the necklace. Then she quickly left the basement.
Luna's tears, reflecting in the moonlight, shimmered with a crimson glow.
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