n

n

n“Rose.”

n“…”

n“Rosenia.”

nLlewellyn kissed the back of her tender neck while slowly calling out her name. There were traces like petals left behind here and there on her white skin. He looked at it with satisfaction.

nIn an embarrassed tone, Rosenia muttered.

n“…Stop staring.”

n“No.”

n“And why do you keep leaving these marks?”

nRetorted Rosenia.

nLlewellyn smiled at her.

n

n

nAs of those traces meant she was his.

nLlewellyn finally had his Rosenia by his side, and he didn’t intend to ever lose her again. One way or another, he wanted her body, her mind, her soul, and her everything to himself.

nThinking to himself that he’d gladly face Adrian if he had to. He wasn’t afraid of the crazy Mage Tower master at all.

nWhat scared him was losing Rosenia and being away from her.

nSeeing her again after four years, she was so beautiful that he could completely understand why Adrian had kept her hidden so tightly.

nCoincidently, Llewellyn had the very same thought as his hated rival, Adrian. He wanted to hide Rosenia somewhere, somewhere no one knows.

nAs an adult, Rosenia was no longer the girl she used to be, and anyone anywhere would easily be charmed by her.

nLlewellyn felt uneasy. If someone was to approach her with the intention of stealing her heart, he thought he’d kill that person.

nBecause of that, Llewellyn wanted her all to himself. He wanted to make those eyes see only him. In order to do so, he’d even give his life.

n“Rosenia.”

n“…I’m hungry.”

n“Well, let’s go eat.”

nWith a smile on his face, he held her up from the window sill.

nAs Llewellyn held her in his arms and slowly went down the stairs, she mumbled to herself that she could do it herself.

nHer small body was tightly in his arms as her soft skin gave off warmth. Every sensation he felt was so blissful that his heart was overwhelmed with emotion when she breathed next to him.

nThat had always been the case, even when Llewellyn pretended to smile leisurely.

nHis heart will stir whenever he sees her, for the rest of his life and all of eternity.

nNonetheless, Llewellyn dared not call it love, because what he felt and what he thought might be entirely different than the sweet word called ‘love.’

nHis heart fluttered like a boy in love, but underneath that was a very dark and damp place.

nThe feelings that had accumulated over the years were tightly locked up in the recess of his mind. So much that it’d be too painful for Rosenia to bear. For that reason, he wanted to take it slow.

n“And Rose…”

n“…?”

nLooking at Llewellyn, who suddenly smiled, Rosenia tilted her head.

nThen, in a calm manner with the image of an honest and upright Duke of Rasiane, Llewellyn straightened her hair.

nNext, he adjusted the front of her gown.

nPlacing a fork in her hand and pouring water,

nLlewellyn smiled,

nWith an expression that didn’t have the slightest bit of desire.

n“Please eat.”

n“Ah…yes, thank you.”

nIn a dazed state, Rosenia gave him a puzzled look.

nRosenia, who had a puzzled look on her face, was so cute that Llewellyn couldn’t stop smiling.

n‘Rosenia, my Rosenia. Continue to be oblivious. Simply think of me as the honest and virtuous Duke of Rasiane. You might leave me if you really knew who I am.’

nSipping cold lemon water, Rosenia glanced at Llewellyn who was beside her.

nThey were currently strolling through the rose garden of the villa. The roses, which were in full bloom, was a spectacular sight to behold. It was a dreamlike scenery as if it had come straight out of a dream.

nThe figure of Llewellyn slowly walking in this beautiful landscape made it even more magnificent. White and smooth skin like jade, full eyebrows, a straight nose, and pale lips with a slight smile…

n“…He’s handsome.”

nBut the pinnacle of that beauty was the green eyes that shined like emeralds. Those transparent eyes were as clear as day. Those honest eyes added another layer of depth to him.

nRosenia wondered if maybe she was staring at him too much. He glanced her way and gently smiled.

nWhen Rosenia saw his smile, for some reason, she felt hot inside. As she was pretending to drink the lemon water, he asked in a friendly manner.

n“The lemon water, do you like it?”

n“Pardon? Ah, yes. It’s good.”

nAnswered Rosenia, unable to meet his eyes because her inside still felt hot. He smiled joyfully.

nThis lemon water was made by Llewellyn himself. He kept making things for her. Dessert after her meal, snacks to eat after taking her bath, and this lemon water to drink while they stroll through the garden.

nAt this point, Rosenia thought his hobby was cooking. The Duke of Rasiane being a cook was a really unbecoming combination, but his cooking was quite wonderful.

nRosenia didn’t know how many people had seen his cooking. However, she was certain it wasn’t many. She felt strangely good thinking that she was one of those people.

n“Are you not going to plant any other flowers in this garden?”

n“Uh…I don’t know? This place was decorated according to my mother’s taste.”

nThat’s right. The reason why this garden is full of roses was because of her mother’s preference.

nHer mother, who had given birth to Adrian and her, was a bit unusual but kind person. She suddenly disappeared when Rosenia was five years old.

nSince then, her father has been searching crazily for her mother, but she still hasn’t heard any news of her mother.

nFeeling depressed at the thought of her mother, she fiddled with the surface of the glass where droplets had formed. She felt the cold water against her fingertips.

n“Speaking of Rosenia’s mother…do you mean Dame Ilunia?”

n“Ah…Y-you know her?”

n“Of course I do. She was one of the best knights in the Empire even before she became a sorcerer.”

nHer eyes widened at the surprise that Llewellyn knew about her mother in detail.

nIlunia was an excellent knight, but it was a long time ago, so not many people remembered it now.

nAlso, after Ilunia got married to her father and learned magic, she became just as notorious as her father.

nAs far as Rosenia can remember, her mother wasn’t the kind of person who would commit evil…She believed that the facts were distorted.

n‘She was a little rough, but…’

nIlunia was always a kind mother to Adrian and Rosenia. The kind of mother who would play tricks on her kids.

nDress Adrian up as a girl and take him around.

nThinking about it, her mother’s pranks were mainly focused on Adrian. Her role was to watch Adrian’s funny face with a big smile in her mother’s arms.

n‘For some reason, I miss my mother. Is she still alive? If she’s alive, where and what is she doing now?’

nRosenia, my lovely daughter. Did Adrian bully you again today?

nAs Rosenia was immersed in the fuzzy memories, she heard Llewellyn’s low voice.

n“…In fact, my honorable master is Dame Ilunia’s older brother.”

n“…What?”

nAt the completely unexpected remark, Rosenia stared at Llewellyn with her eyes wide open.

nHer mother turned out to be an illegitimate child of noble birth. However, she never revealed her family’s background, so people could only speculate.

nThe sorcerers and her father in the Mage Tower didn’t care one bit about her mother’s origin. Thus, the relationship between their family and her mother’s family was nothing more than a blur.

nAnd now, Llewellyn had revealed that his master was her mother’s brother!

n‘Oh my god…How did this happen?’

nIt was a great coincidence that Llewellyn’s master was her mother’s brother, and Llewellyn was also the man she spent her first night with!

nWetting her lips, she carefully asked.

n“That, can I have his name? Your master’s name.”

n“My master’s name is…Henry Lovick.”

n“Huh, Lovick?!”

n“…Yes. Margrave Lovick is your mother’s brother.”

n‘Oh my god.’

nUpon hearing the surname Lovick, Rosenia could fully understand why her mother kept her background hidden.

nIn the empire, no, on the entire continent of Eidos, if the Hill family is renowned for their sorcerers, then the Lovick family is renowned for producing the greatest knights.

nOf the two families, the biggest difference was that the Lovicks were knighted and loyal to the royal family, while the Hills weren’t.

nThe head of the Hill family has refused the title of nobility for generations. They would be bound by their duties and obligations as nobles otherwise, and must be loyal to the royal family.

nNevertheless, the Hill family wasn’t loyal to anyone. That’s why they acted arrogantly whenever they wanted, since they were technically not nobles.

nHowever, the first of the Hill family was of royal birth, so noble blood naturally flowed through them. People who hated the Hill family easily turned a blind eye to such a fact.

n‘In any case, Lovick…That’s why my mother hid her background.’

nThe Lovick family’s customs were completely different from the Hill family’s. Lovicks always walked the right way, acted in the manner of righteousness, and was very obsessed with the dignity of nobility.

nRosenia couldn’t believe her mother was the Lovick family’s illegitimate child. It was a huge scandal. So that’s why her mother would have hidden it.

n‘My mother, a Lovick. I’ve never heard her talk about it. What kind of life had she lived?’

nIt’d have been impossible unless something extraordinary happened for the honest Lovick family to produce an illegitimate child.

n‘What the hell is the story behind my mother’s birth? I’m certain she spent her childhood in Lovick, but how was her life there…’

nRosenia had many questions. But her mother, who could give her the answers, wasn’t here.

n“…”

n“…Rose, are you okay?”

nAsked Llewellyn worryingly when he saw her melancholy expression.

n“What? Ah…I-I’m okay!”

nAnswered Rosenia with a smile on her face as if everything was okay.

nRosenia didn’t think they were close enough to share each other’s gloomy stories. She thought it’d be bothersome. Naturally, she didn’t mind, but she thought Llewellyn would find it uncomfortable.

n“I’m really okay. I just thought of my mother for a moment.”

n“…It has already been more than 15 years since Dame Ilunia went missing.”

n“Yes. My father is still looking for her, but…I’m not sure. I don’t know if we’ll ever find her.”

nRosenia wanted to change the subject at this point. So, she looked around, pretending not to be conscious of Llewellyn.

nThen, a white bench among the luxuriant rose trees came into view.

n

n

nIt was the bench that Rosenia would visit whenever she came to this villa. Llewellyn tried to say something, but she pretended not to hear him as she ran to the bench.

n“Rosenia?”

n“Over here, Duke!”

nRosenia quickly sat on the bench and waved. Making enough room for Llewellyn to sit, her glass of lemon water was placed on a nearby tea table.

nSoon after, Rosenia looked up and saw Llewellyn, who had arrived at some point, in front of her. She flinched in surprise.

n‘W-what, so fast?’

n“H-how did you get here so fast?”

n“I thought you were running away, so I wanted to go after you.”

n“…?”

nTranslator’s Note:

n1. Margrave is a title. Google it to see what it means.

n2. Her mother name is ilunia with an i. The font makes it look like double L.

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