Welcome to the Rose Mansion - Chapter 71
Going Home
The tears wouldn’t stop.
It felt as though something in her brain had broken. Her mind was adrift, floating aimlessly. Richelle stared endlessly at the telegram in her hand.
[Your mother is dead. Return home immediately.]
Her mother had died.
Her mother had left her forever. She could never see her again. She couldn’t look into her eyes, feel her warmth, or share a conversation.
They had fought every day lately. She hadn’t said a single kind word to her.
She should have just endured it. She should have stayed by her mother’s side a little longer. Why did she run away? What was so difficult that she had to leave?
It was all her fault.
Tears welled up and spilled over. Her heart felt as if it had been slashed by a knife. Regret and remorse pierced her heart, driving her to madness.
She hadn’t had the chance to speak with her mother. She hadn’t told her she loved her one last time.
But now, her mother was gone too. Like her father, she had gone to a place where Richelle could never see her again.
Oh, now I am truly alone.
“Richelle, you’ll collapse if you go on like this.”
Something cold and smooth touched her lips. It was a glass of water. Richelle weakly accepted the water and swallowed.
Only then did a bit of her sanity return. Rogéros, holding the glass, was looking at her with eyes full of concern.
Richelle finally took in her surroundings. A small, cozy room with only a sofa and a table.
He must have brought her here out of worry, seeing how she couldn’t compose herself. She vaguely remembered being in Rogéros’s arms.
Rogéros took out a handkerchief and wiped Richelle’s tear-streaked cheeks.
“You need to gather your strength. You have to go send your mother off.”
“Mother…”
Yes, Rogéros was right. There was no time to just cry. She had to return home as quickly as possible to hold her mother’s funeral.
But wasn’t she unable to leave the mansion right now?
Seeing the despair on Richelle’s face, Rogéros pressed the handkerchief into her hand.
“Don’t worry about getting home. I will take care of it.”
“How…”
“It’s not easy, but it’s possible. So sit here and calm yourself. Drink some more water.”
Rogéros stood up. A gentle smile spread across his lips.
“I told you, I will make everything you desire come true.”
***
Rogéros kept his promise. Shortly after he left, word came that Mrs. Otis had granted Richelle a leave of absence.
Richelle immediately went to her room and changed into the darkest dress she owned. Then she retrieved the suitcase she had tucked away and began packing. As when she first arrived at Bertrand, she didn’t have much to take with her.
Once she was ready to leave, she went to find the twins. They clung to her, on the verge of tears.
“Teacher, you’ll come back, right?”
“You’ll come to see Penny and Nero, right?”
“You won’t leave forever, right?”
“We don’t want you to go…”
Her heart ached. She had known the twins for less than a year, yet she had grown very attached to them. Richelle hugged them tightly.
“I’ll definitely come back. I won’t leave you two behind.”
“Okay!”
Surprisingly, the twins didn’t come to see her off at the mansion’s entrance. They only followed her to the nursery door, waved goodbye, and then went back to their drawing. Richelle watched their small figures with concern.
‘Will they be okay without me…’
She worried about their meals first. Surely no one would take care of them.
With a heavy heart, Richelle descended the stairs. When she reached the entrance hall, Rogéros was waiting for her.
“I’ve prepared the carriage. We should depart soon. We need to get through the Black Forest before sunset.”
“The Black Forest, you mean the one surrounding the mansion?”
“Yes. It’s a densely wooded area that doesn’t get much sunlight, so it becomes particularly dangerous at night.”
Richelle recalled the forest, which appeared especially dark compared to the white mansion. The ominous forest with pitch-black trees so dense that it felt as if unseen eyes were watching her.
The thought of experiencing that feeling again made her fingertips go cold. Richelle forced a calm nod.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Don’t worry. Nothing will happen.”
“What?”
Rogéros didn’t answer and led the way. Was it just to comfort her?
There was no time to ask. As she followed him out the front door, a carriage was waiting just as Rogéros had said. Before getting in, Richelle stood before Rogéros with her hands clasped together.
“Thank you so much for your consideration, Rogéros.”
“Oh, Richelle.”
Rogéros held her shoulders as she tried to bow. His eyebrows furrowed in distress.
“I didn’t help you to receive thanks. Helping you is my joy, Richelle.”
“Rogéros.”
“Just go safely. If it eases your mind and you can someday smile at me again, that will be enough.”
His words were sweet enough to make her tongue tingle. His gentle tone and demeanor brought warmth to her frozen body.
Rogéros Walter. Such a kind and beautiful man that it would be strange not to be tempted by him.
How wonderful it would be if she could simply trust him completely.
