Welcome to the Rose Mansion - Chapter 31
Richelle woke up with a start, not feeling particularly refreshed.
As she peeked outside the heavy blanket, a bluish dawn light faintly seeped through the curtain cracks. She stared blankly at the window for a moment before wriggling out of the blanket.
It seemed she managed to catch a bit of restless sleep, despite thinking she wouldn’t be able to sleep at all. Stretching her arms above her head, she felt a bit grateful for even that small mercy.
“Uuugh.”
Instead of feeling stretched and refreshed, an old person’s groan escaped her lips. Richelle grimaced, rubbing her neck.
“Good grief…”
Every part of her body ached, probably from curling up all night. It wasn’t an unfamiliar sensation.
Checking the clock, it was only half past five. The mansion hadn’t woken up yet. At least the knocking had stopped.
‘Wonder when they left… I hope the door’s still intact.’
The urge to check the door was pounding in her brain, but she resisted and started her morning routine instead.
After changing clothes and fixing her hair, the clock hands pointed between 6 and 7. She usually woke the twins at seven, so there was still plenty of time before starting her duties.
“…”
Richelle toyed with the decorative tassel tied to the curtain while gazing outside. She wound the tassel around her finger, then unwound it, repeating the process about ten times before finally deciding. She straightened her chest dramatically and strode towards the door.
Feeling a bit claustrophobic, she thought an early morning walk might be a good change of scenery.
…And perhaps familiarize herself with the garden structure while she’s at it.
***
Although she hadn’t explored every garden in Bertrand, red roses always caught her eye wherever she looked.
Richelle wandered around the mansion, closely examining a rose almost as big as half her face. It was a particularly dark and large variety, unlike any she had seen in the vast rose greenhouse at Harriet Boarding School, suggesting Bertrand had developed this strain themselves.
“Come to think of it, it seems all the roses in this vast mansion are of the same variety.”
Puzzled, Richelle suddenly stopped. The scene before her was familiar. She didn’t need to ponder why; it was the very place she viewed daily from her window.
Tentatively circling a gas lamp, she recalled the shadows dancing here last night.
“It didn’t seem like people…”
“What?”
“Ahh!”
Startled, Richelle nearly fell backward, but a strong, firm hand caught her. Half-supported by a robust embrace, she blinked rapidly before recognizing the person.
“M-Mister Rogéros?”
“I didn’t mean to scare you. Are you alright?”
Rogéros Walter steadied her with a supportive hand, bringing his striking features alarmingly close. His appearance was devastatingly beautiful.
“Ah, th-thank you.”
Blushing, Richelle quickly put some distance between them. His appearance was awe-inspiringly beautiful every time she saw him.
Watching her, the man let out a sigh filled with a kind of sorrow, his elegant eyes brimming with concern, making him look all the more sorrowful.
“You still won’t call me ‘Rogéros’, huh? I wonder when you and I can become a bit closer, Miss Howard. It truly saddens and disappoints me…”
“What? Oh, um, it’s still, a bit, awkward for me!”
“Haha! I was just joking, Miss Howard. It’s alright. I can wait however long it takes.”
Rogéros’s gloomy expression quickly turned into a cheerful smile, as if to prove his statement was a joke, playfully winking with his left eye. The prominent beauty mark under his eye made him even more captivating, causing Richelle’s face to flush red once again.
Over the past month, Rogéros had been a significant reason Richelle could somewhat adjust to life at Bertrand. He was considerate, attentive, and most importantly, among the mansion’s odd inhabitants, he seemed like the only ‘real’ person.
He always came by to offer kindness, smiled warmly, made heart-fluttering jokes, and then left just as quickly. These seemingly insignificant actions provided a considerable amount of comfort to Richelle in this strange place.
‘But sometimes…’
“What did you mean by ‘it didn’t seem like people’?”
