Welcome to the Rose Mansion - Chapter 149
Even if her closest friend Meg suddenly stabbed her with a knife, it wouldn’t be as shocking as this.
Richelle pushed Rose’s shoulder back. Surprisingly, he yielded easily.
Struggling to keep some semblance of composure, Richelle barely managed to ask.
“Then, are… are you saying you’re not going to keep your promise?”
“You’re trembling, Richelle.”
“It was a wager you agreed to.”
“Yes, I did.”
Rose replied, narrowing his eyes with a shrug.
“But Richelle, you must know by now. We called it a ‘wager’ as a formality, but it was a hollow agreement from the start. If I hadn’t allowed it, do you think you or Alan would have even gotten close even to the kitchen?”
“……”
As much as Richelle wanted to argue, she knew he was right. Without Rose’s permission, she and anyone else would have been kept far from discovering his true name. Bertrand was, after all, his personal playground, a tiny kingdom that existed entirely in his control.
Rose placed his hands behind his back, tilting his chin up arrogantly.
“Otis and I are not on equal footing, Richelle. That ‘promise’ I made to Charlotte is, to me, as insignificant as changing my dinner from cream stew to beef stew.”
It was that trivial. It depended solely on his whims, with no need to consider anyone’s will.
“I know that very well.”
“…Charlotte knew it too. She was aware it was closer to a desperate wish than a true wager. She knew she had to rely on your goodwill and mercy. More than anyone else, she understood that.”
“But still, she believed you would honor your promise.”
“I’ve always been the type to keep my word once I say it. She knew that well.”
“No, that’s not why. She was sure that by the time someone learned your true name, you would have grown weary of Bertrand and Otis.”
A glint of interest appeared in Rose’s red eyes, and Richelle swallowed dryly.
“Rose, you told me yourself that you’re utterly tired of Otis and Bertrand.”
“I did.”
“I’m not trying to measure your feelings of betrayal or loss. But I believe Otis has nothing left to offer you.”
Since Edgar Otis’s death, too much time had passed—enough that even blaming today’s Otis for the sins of their ancestors seemed meaningless.
Rose, too, must have realized this by now. Emptiness and boredom had overtaken him, and he had begun to look elsewhere to quell his endless restlessness.
It was that very act that Richelle relied on to reach her conclusion. Rose had no reason left to cling to Otis in its current form.
So perhaps, just as Charlotte had hoped, this distant being could be nudged to finally leave Otis.
There might be a way to persuade him.
“Let’s end it here.”
“……”
“Please, keep your promise, Rose. No story exists without an ending. Every tale must have its conclusion eventually. And yours… it’s time for it to reach its end.”
“And when the story ends…”
His smiling voice was so light, almost cheerful.
“When the story ends, what do I gain from it?”
“You’ll find the intriguing stories you’ve always sought.”
“An intriguing story…”
His smile widened.
A sudden surge of unease swelled within her like a storm. Richelle spoke quickly.
“You know you won’t gain anything more from this story. You already know that.”
“Oh, Richelle.”
He furrowed his brows as if pitying a naive child chasing a rainbow.
“Yes, this story is dull. But I’m not looking for a new story—I’m looking for new characters.”
“Rose!”
“And I’ve found the perfect new character.”
He smiled.
“I don’t need any other story. I have no intention of letting go of this one.”
Rose turned leisurely, strolling around the room with a rhythm as if dancing a solo continuation of their interrupted waltz.
Then he stopped and turned back to Richelle.
“But you’re right, Richelle. I was testing you. I wanted you to go to the fourth floor and uncover everything. I wanted to ask you something, too.”
“…Ask me what?”
“Richelle.”
Rogéros spread his arms, as if bestowing a blessing.
And then, like a serpent holding the sweetest temptation, he whispered softly.
“If I could grant you one wish, just one… what would it be?”
Without realizing it, Richelle took a few steps back. Rose didn’t stop her. Like a hunter watching prey fall into its own trap, he simply waited.
“Anything you wish. Of course, no sly tricks like asking for two wishes.”
“……”
“Depending on your choice, I could set Alan free. Or grant you your own freedom.”
It was staggeringly contradictory. Richelle gritted her teeth.
“Didn’t you just say you had no intention of ending the story or letting me go?”
“Well, who knows? Perhaps your answer will make me step back willingly.”
He smiled, radiant like a fully bloomed rose basking in sunlight.
“I’ll give you until tomorrow morning. You may even discuss it with Alan.”
The rich scent of roses seemed to press around her, stifling.
“Well then, Richelle, I’ll be waiting for your answer.”
