It all still felt like a blur.
That day… the day she left… it still felt like a blur.
Rose really forgot about everything that came after that. Life just seemed to move faster and faster, leaving her behind.
That day, she lost everything.
Her sisters, her parents, and her niece.
By the time stopped for her once again, a decade had passed.
In that decade, she rotted in a cell, wasting her days mindlessly staring at the passing of time.
That was until…
She appeared again.
‘Maste-No, Rose.’
She was the spitting image of her.
From her eyes to her hair.
But she too was flawed. It was just that, unlike her, she showed her flaws. She wasn’t afraid of flaunting them.
Perhaps it was a good thing Kiera learned to hate her.
That way, she wouldn’t have to go as far as hating herself like her mother did.
This way…
She’d learn to move on and finally move forward.
“Ukh…!”
Rose suddenly flinched.
The pain from the severed arm started to grow more prominent. She had lost a lot of blood. Her vision was blurry, and she was struggling to keep her breath in check.
Crackle~
The flames around them crackled, and in the distance, Rose could feel that something was happening.
‘More reinforcements?’
Rose bitterly smiled.
‘This looks like the end for me…’
She had lost a lot of blood. Even if the ‘reinforcements’ came fast enough to stop her blood loss, she would still be facing the death penalty.
The crime of escaping prison was as such.
And not only that, but she knew that the higher-ups within ‘that’ place wanted her dead.
This was…
The end for her, and Rose knew it.
Lifting her head quietly, she stared at the distant flames.
Crackle~
They crackled fiercely in the surroundings.
They were bright.
Very bright.
But even the fiercest of fires eventually died down.
That was how Rose felt about herself.
A dying flame.
…Or at least, that was what she believed. Just as she lay down, gazing up at the sky, a shadow fell over her.
“Hm?
Looking up, she saw a pair of hazel eyes staring down at her.
Rose frowned, but just as she was about to speak, she saw Julien retrieve a small device from his pocket.
“I found this a while back.”
It was a small rectangular cube.
“It was hidden quite well, but I managed to find it.”
“I…”
“I take it that this is yours?”
The sight of the cube left her completely speechless.
She, of course, knew exactly what the cube was. It was the very device she had been searching for from the beginning—the one thing that could have granted her escape and made her life easier.
‘He found it?’
Rose secretly swallowed her saliva.
Although the sight of the cube made her a little excited, she recalled her current position, and her heart settled.
But that was until he tossed it to her.
“Here.”
“Uh…?”
Dropping onto her chest, Rose blinked her eyes a couple of times, unsure of how to react to Julien’s unexpected actions.
Was he really…?
“I don’t really know what’s going on between you and them, but given that they’ve been chasing you, going back probably isn’t a good idea. You should take some time to heal… and stay hidden. Perhaps once enough time passes, things will settle. Maybe they’ll forgive you.”
Rose swallowed quietly.
Though he was speaking ambiguously, Rose seemed to understand exactly what he was trying to say.
‘Go and hide. I’ll try to settle things and have you return.’
In other words, he wanted her to join his side.
Rose opened her mouth, but as she did, she suddenly felt a pair of crimson eyes settle on her.
Her mouth opened, but soon closed as she grabbed the cube.
“…Alright.”
Without sparing a glance in Kiera’s direction, Rose forced herself up and staggered away from the spot.
Every part of her ached with every movement, but she pushed forward regardless.
This wasn’t the best place for her to use the cube.
Just as she staggered toward a nearby tree, a faint voice called out from behind her.
“Aunt.”
Rose stopped for a brief moment, her back turned against the voice.
Crackle~
Beyond the fierce crackling of the fire, an eerie silence settled over the space as Rose waited quietly for Kiera to speak.
She bit her lips as she waited.
…For some reason, she was a little nervous.
Was she going to get berated for running away again? For running away from the empire and responsibilities?
Whatever the case was, Rose was ready to take it.
Because she was indeed running away.
“I’ll see you.”
But the words that she expected to come out of her niece never game out.
Instead, she received a simple ‘I’ll see you’.
Rose’s back trembled faintly. But soon, a smile marred her features.
Without looking back, she quietly left the premises.
Her cold heart felt a little warmer.
‘It’s strangely comforting how such simple words can turn me like this. Is it because I’ve always wished you’d say them to me? That way… I would know you wouldn’t disappear.’
“How bitter.”
Rose finally stopped, her breathing rougher than before.
She was almost completely spent.
Leaning down against one of the trees, she slowly slid back down.
“…I think this is far enough.”
She looked at the cube in her hand and channeled the little mana she had in it.
A faint glow manifested over it shortly after, and Rose’s face winced in pain. Even so, she held on.
She was close.
‘Leaving so soon?’
Amidst the pain, a faint voice reached her ears.
When she raised her head, a familiar figure stood before her.
She smiled at her.
‘I’m saddened by the fact that you’re leaving so soon. I would’ve loved to see my daughter for a little longer.’
Instead of getting angry or ignoring her like she usually did, Rose smiled.
“Same. She’s grown up quite well.’
‘Well, I guess…’
Evangeline placed her hand over her cheek and sighed. She didn’t really look satisfied.
“What? Don’t tell me you were actually jealous by the fact that she turned out to be like me?”
‘…No, not jealous.’
“At least look at me when you say you’re not jealous.”
Evangeline shrugged, and Rose laughed.
“Stupid bitch, I can totally see right through you.”
She was definitely jealous.
Rose had already thought this before, but it really was a funny thought.
But her smile didn’t linger for much longer as she shifted her attention back to the cube once more.
“Now that ‘that’ place is no longer safe, I’m kind of lost. What should I do now?”
‘What should you do? Isn’t it obvious?’
“What?”
‘…Live for yourself.’
“Uh?”
Rose blinked her eyes and looked at her sister.
“Live for myself? What sort of nonsense are you talking about?”
‘It’s not nonsense.’
“What—”
‘How much time have you wasted living in my own shadow? From the time you wasted in a jail cell to the time you wasted in the organization you never wanted to be a part of to begin with.’
“Never want to be in it? What made you—”
‘You knew all along that they were searching for the mirror. They sought you out because they believed you resented me—that you resented the entire family for neglecting you.’
“…..”
‘You joined to protect me. Us.’
Rose bit her lip.
‘You did it. You managed to protect us. But now, your job is over. It’s time to move on as well. It’s time you learned to love yourself.’
“That’s rich coming from you.”
‘Hehe.’
“What are you laughing like an idiot for?”
‘Just because.’
“Well, stop it. I don’t like it.”
‘Hey now, I’m still the older sister here. Why do you have to speak to me like that?’
“Because you’re a bitch.”
‘Ay, you really are a bad influence on Ki.’
“If you knew, then you shouldn’t have died.”
‘It’s too late for regrets now.’
“You’re right… it’s too late for regrets.”
Rose’s lips trembled, and her eyes started to sting as she lowered her head.
“But… even if it’s too late to regret, if you could turn back time, would you still do it?”
‘…Probably.’
“I-I see.”
Rose nodded her head in understanding.
“You must’ve been struggling a lot, huh? I-I was a fool for not seeing it, but… but… did you really have to give up on yourself like that? D-did you?”
Drip. Drip…!
Tears suddenly started to stream down Rose’s face.
“…When you gave up, it felt like you gave up on me too—on your daughter, on everyone who ever loved you. Like we weren’t enough to make you stay.”
Rose clenched her shirt.
“And that shit hurt. It… It… hurts so fucking much.”
Her vision was now blurred with tears as she bit her lips so hard they started to bleed.
“I hate you. More than you can ever imagine. You ruined my life. You’re everything that I don’t ever want to be. Fuck… shit. If I ever have to give up on myself, I still won’t do it knowing that I—”
Cutting Rose short, she suddenly felt something warm.
As she lifted her head, she saw her sister’s figure wrapped around her in a tight embrace. A shuddering breath escaped her, and for a moment, she felt completely breathless.
‘I know.’
Her sister’s gentle voice whispered in her ear.
‘…And I’m happy that you think that way.’
“Why wo—”
‘You’re very strong. A lot stronger than I ever was.”
“No, I…”
‘It’s okay, I know that I was weak. If I didn’t know, I wouldn’t have left. But you know… I was just tired. Really tired. I just wanted to rest.’
“…I know.”
‘As always, you understand me the best.’
Evangeline smiled.
‘That’s why I’ve always liked hanging out with you. In the brief moments we did stay together, I felt like I could breathe again.’
“….”
‘Not only that, but you also took care of protecting Ki for me.’
Evangeline suddenly leaned back to get a better look at Rose. Her half-hearted smile turned into a genuine and warm smile.
‘…Thank you. Thank you for taking on such a heavy burden for me.’
Staring at her warm smile, Rose didn’t know how to reply or react.
All she could do was stare.
She stared at her sister, wide-eyed, as a brilliant white glow suddenly erupted from the cube in her hand, spreading outward until it slowly began to consume her entirely.
The last words she heard were a simple,
‘See you.’
Before everything turned white and her body was transported away.
When Rose finally woke, she found herself lying on something soft.
Looking up, Rose hastily looked around for any trace of her sister, but she was no longer there.
She was gone.
“….Ah.”
The realization hit her rather quickly.
‘Gone. She’s gone…’
Her sister…
Rose chest trembled, but as it did, she felt something touch the tip of her nose.
Chirp~ Chirp~
It was a small brown bird.
It was also then that she finally took notice of her surroundings as she found herself lying on a soft bed of grass, surrounded by blooming flowers and towering trees.
The scenery was beautiful.
So much so that Rose found herself unconsciously opening her mouth.
But soon, she calmed down as she was suddenly reminded of something.
“Spring…”
She mumbled, her head rolling back onto the grass.
“It’s not so bad.”