Welcome to the Rose Mansion - Chapter 154
“Alan…”
“So, what do you think? Go ahead and leave first. Trust me, and wait for me.”
Richelle tightened her lips. It was like she had been through this before—no, she had been through this before.
Just like that early morning in the kitchen, facing down the head cook.
That day, too, Alan had tried to take all the danger upon himself. He’d been willing to risk his life to protect her.
Richelle clenched her hand around her skirt. This time, she wouldn’t stay silent like before.
She leaned toward Alan.
“Alan, did you know something?”
“Know what?”
“I already have every plan in place for what we’ll do once we escape Bertrand.”
“What?”
“I plan to go to Sylvester first. There’s a lovely inn there with duck b****t that’s really delicious. Last time, I was too nervous to enjoy it, but… it would taste even better with you.”
“Oh…”
“Then I’ll get a full night’s rest and write to my dearest friend. Have you heard of the Chester family, Alan?”
“Yes, they’ve been close to Otis for ages.”
“The young head of Chester is actually my friend’s husband. When I last spoke to her, she said she still remembers you.”
“Remembers me?”
“Yes. I’m sure he’d be more than willing to help you as you step into the world. And then…”
Richelle went on to list more plans—buying a cake from a famous patisserie, visiting her old mentor…
Then, she looked intently at Alan’s bewildered face.
“I really hate it when my plans fall apart.”
“Oh, you do…?”
“Yes. So, Alan, for my plan to work, you absolutely must escape the mansion with me.”
Alan’s eyes widened. He straightened, abandoning his hesitation.
“You…”
“No separations. We have to leave this mansion together, and you have to enjoy that freedom by my side.”
It wasn’t hard for him to understand her intent in laying out those plans so suddenly. Alan’s eyebrows furrowed sharply.
“Richelle, I’m not joking.”
“Neither am I.”
“I want you to live safely, happily, and for a long, long time. So…”
“Why don’t you understand, Alan?”
A faintly sad, yet determined smile bloomed on her face.
“I want the same for you, Alan. I want you to live safely, happily, and for a long, long time.”
“……”
“We promised, didn’t we? That I’d share my story, and you’d share yours.”
A gentle wave crossed Alan’s gaze, wandering as though searching for the right words.
To be the object of someone’s concern, someone’s worry… it still felt so strange.
“Really…”
His lips trembled, and he bit down, sighing.
“Why is it that you always have to take the longest way around?”
“Maybe it’s time for you to give up, Alan. I’m far more stubborn than you think.”
“I know that—better than anyone.”
Alan muttered in mock irritation, but soon broke into a short laugh.
Richelle followed his lead, allowing a smile to form before she sank back onto the sofa. She caught a faint scent of Alan’s clean, antiseptic-like fragrance from the fabric.
As she found the scent surprisingly comforting, she began speaking softly.
“And, Alan, I have no intention of pleading with Rose.”
She felt his gaze on her. Keeping her eyes fixed on the elaborate ceiling painting above, she continued.
“After all, he’s the one who killed my mother in my name and murdered that poor girl in the most horrifying way. He’s made innocent people suffer simply for being born into Otis or for stepping into Bertrand.”
“……”
“I will never bow to him, and I will never act as he wishes.”
Richelle turned to look at him, a mischievous smirk playing on her lips like a child who’d laid a banana peel in the hallway.
“Instead, let’s hit Rose with something he’ll never forget.”
After a brief pause, Alan’s face mirrored her smile, and they exchanged a light laugh.
The tension, once taut, eased just enough. Richelle rose from the sofa.
“And, Alan, I trust Neil Otis.”
“You trust him?”
“To be exact, I trust his hatred of Rose.”
Neil Otis, trapped in the Fifth Garden, unable to die or go mad, living on through countless years—if anything, his hatred would have grown over time, not diminished.
“Remember this, Alan. It’s not that he’s helping us, it’s that we’re supporting his goal.”
“We’re supporting him…”
“Yes. Remember, with Rose’s broken promise, his very foundation has begun to crumble. We’ll never get another chance like this. Right now, we have to give it everything we’ve got.”
Alan stared at her for a moment before speaking softly.
“To have no regrets?”
Words she’d once said to him. Richelle nodded.
“To have no regrets.”
“All right.”
Alan stood and extended a hand toward her.
“I don’t want to regret anything anymore, either.”
So, let’s go.
With hands firmly clasped, together, all the way to the end.
