Welcome to the Rose Mansion - Chapter 141
Bertrand was sealed off. All the vibrant social activities ceased in an instant.
The grand balls at Bertrand, which had been more magnificent than those at the royal palace, were no longer held. Artists who had been welcomed with open arms were all turned away at the door. They even ignored summons from the king.
The Otis family cited the head of the family’s health as the official reason, but it was hardly a convincing explanation for such an extreme isolation.
Everyone was puzzled, and rumors ran wild. Some even found satisfaction in speculating that Otis, which had risen so quickly, would fall just as fast. But while the family had cut off social activities, their wealth only grew stronger, and suspicions soon subsided.
However, none of them could have imagined that what had once been called the most beautiful mansion in the kingdom, Bertrand, had become a literal living hell.
Roses bloomed throughout Bertrand. The scent of roses flooded and engulfed the estate. The roses took over the bodies of the servants, rampaging like wild beasts to fulfill their desires.
I won’t go into the details of that day’s events. Let it suffice to say it was a horrific period that defies description. Even a place that burned sinners alive might have been more merciful.
Unable to withstand the terrifying changes, the Otis matriarch of the time soon took her own life. Neil Otis, meanwhile, crawled around the estate, howling.
He appeared to have lost his mind, but he was fully conscious. Rose did not allow him the relief of madness. With a clear mind, Neil Otis had to witness the hellscape that Bertrand had become.
In such circumstances, there was no way Neil Otis’s son—my father, Damon Otis—could have grown up properly.
In fact, I never met my father, not even once. He was always confined to a small room. I understand that Rose kept him alive only because the Otis line had to continue… But not even Neil Otis knew what state he was in.
Time passed, and Bertrand reopened after Damon Otis came of age. Of course, Damon, who hadn’t grown up properly, could not participate in social activities himself. Instead, Rose took on Damon’s appearance and attended events outside.
Rose announced the false death of Neil Otis and, during a brief social season, found a bride for Damon. Bertrand then shut its doors once more.
< This is the new Lady Otis, Neil Otis. She is your daughter-in-law. >
Damon Otis’s bride was the daughter of an impoverished noble family, now known only by name. She had sold herself to Otis to pay off her family’s debts.
Naturally, there was no wedding. She was immediately brought before the door to Damon Otis’s room.
< Lady Otis, you know what you must do, don’t you? >
「 …Yes. 」
She must have steeled herself when she crossed Bertrand’s gates. But what did she think when she was thrust into that small room and faced the ‘real’ Damon Otis?
In front of the tightly sealed bridal chamber of his son and daughter-in-law, Neil Otis clung to Rose’s leg and begged.
「 I-I was wrong. It was all my fault. I was blinded by greed! So please, just stop. Release Otis. Let the Otis line end with Damon… 」
< So you do care about your child, after all. >
There was not a trace of emotion on Rose’s face as he looked down at the sobbing Neil Otis. He kicked Neil away and coldly turned his back.
In any case, Lady Otis paid the price for the vast support the Otis family had provided.
Damon Otis’s child, the new heir to Otis—that is, I—was born.
It is said that when Rose first saw me, he remarked,
< What pretty eyes you have. >
He gave me the name ‘Charlotte’. When I later asked why, he said that if Edgar Otis had been born a girl, he would have been named ‘Charlotte’.
Lady Otis… my mother, did her best to endure life at Bertrand. But the human mind is both resilient and fragile, and in the face of overwhelming despair, it inevitably wore down.
By the time I reached my fifth birthday, she, too, followed in the footsteps of the previous Otis matriarch and took her own life.
Thus, at just five years old, I was left alone in the hell that was Bertrand.
