Episode 92
"How strange... Why is it activating..."
"Do you know? Canary flowers glow golden when you flow sun mana through them."
Ignoring Frey who was muttering with an absurd expression, Rosewin began to slowly channel sun mana through her hand holding the canary flower.
Though as a collateral branch of the imperial family rather than a direct line, she didn't possess as much power as Klana, but having trained whenever she had free time, her sun mana was sufficient to dye the canary flower golden.
- Shaah...
"...Ha."
As Rosewin continued to channel sun mana, very faint black smoke began to rise from the flower, and seeing this, Frey started to make a hollow expression.
"Hmm... It doesn't shine as brilliantly as the rumors say? It seems to have gotten slightly brighter though."
Ignoring Frey and continuing to gaze only at the flower, Rosewin gently set it down beside her.
"..You, did you like canary flowers?"
"Yes, I like them tremendously. By any chance, would you like to know the reason?"
"Hmm... I wonder?"
Frey frowned as if this situation was rather awkward, but Rosewin paid it no mind and continued speaking.
"Just as the setting sunset seems to envy the rising sun, I also prefer yellow colors over red ones."
"...You?"
"Yes, so honestly, I was quite sad every time you gave me red roses."
As Rosewin smiled after saying that, Frey nodded with an awkward expression.
"Well... then, I'll give you yellow flowers next time..."
"You've already given me one, haven't you?"
"What?"
"This yellow canary flower."
As Rosewin tapped the yellow flower beside her and raised the corner of her mouth, Frey began to quietly stare at her.
"...How strange, it's definitely Rosewin."
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Ah, it's nothing."
When Rosewin tilted her head, Frey waved his hand as if it were nothing, then began to smile awkwardly.
"Did you really... prepare this as a gift for me?"
Meanwhile, Klana, who had been watching the entire situation through Canary's eyes as she sat on Frey's shoulder, began to mutter with a trembling voice.
.
"But... but I definitely felt black magic power...?"
I firmly believed that the box Frey prepared was a trap.
But Rosewin who opened the box was completely fine, and what came out of the box was a 'canary flower.'
Considering who it was that gave me my childhood nickname 'Canary,' that could not be a coincidence.
'R-right. Just now, black smoke was rising, wasn't it?'
Thanks to that, I, who had been continuously falling into confusion, recalled the point that black smoke had risen from the flower when Rosewin channeled sun mana.
Soon, considering that point, I tried to conclude that this canary flower was, after all, a malicious trap Frey had created by exploiting my memories.
'Wait, but if that was a trap... why wasn't Rosewin affected?'
Soon, as a new question arose in my mind, I fell into confusion again.
Rosewin definitely grabbed the canary flower with her bare hands. Despite that, the fact that nothing happened was quite strange.
'Wait, could it be...'
Thanks to that, as I traced my memory once more, I recalled what Frey had said earlier and began to break out in cold sweat.
'...He really said it was a trace left while getting the Cania flower?'
Before entering Frey's room earlier, I had seen Cania, who for some reason was brimming with black magic power and glaring at where he was.
The aura she was emitting at that time was, for some unknown reason, dozens of times stronger than the black magic power I had felt from her in the previous cycle.
Then... if Cania's black magic power, which had strengthened for some reason, had merely gotten slightly on the canary flower.
'That flower is, truly a reconciliation gift...'
"Frey, would you pin this flower in my hair?"
While I was thinking such thoughts, Rosewin's words laced with laughter pierced through me.
"Hehe, thank you."
As Frey frowned slightly and pinned the canary flower in her hair, Rosewin smiled seductively, thanked him, and then asked another question.
"So, why did you use the vow on that person?"
"...Rosewin, are you doing business with me right now?"
"That couldn't be. I'm simply asking out of pure curiosity."
At the mention of the vow, I unknowingly caught my breath, and as Frey, who had been wearing an indifferent expression, opened his mouth, I unconsciously began to listen intently.
"To play with and then discard."
"...Really?"
"Yeah, I didn't like the sight of him thinking he's so great and acting arrogant since long ago."
Soon, as Frey spoke in a cold voice, I began to nod with an expression that said I knew it would be like that.
'S-see, Frey was planning to play with me after all. Right, I knew it would be...'
"I see... then the hypothesis I established was wrong?"
But before my thoughts could even finish, Rosewin began to whisper as she narrowed her eyes.
"Hypothesis?"
"For example, that actually at that time you were protecting Klana?"
At those words, I stiffened, while Frey frowned and asked.
"What do you mean by that? Rosewin?"
"People who were present at that time said that the moment a wretched and lecherous prospective fiancé was about to become Klana's fiancé, you proposed, right?"
"That's right, that way I wouldn't receive suspicion from others."
"I see... But where is that prospective fiancé now?"
As Rosewin tilted her head while speaking, Frey sighed and answered.
"Why are you asking me that?"
"Well, someone who was a client of our information guild suddenly disappeared. Isn't that surprising?"
"Well, he probably went into the mountains out of resentment for losing Klana to me, or maybe got revenge from the women he tormented."
"Is that so? Was it something like that?"
Rosewin, who had been agreeing with Frey's answer, smiled and said.
"But you see... the fact that even our information guild cannot find his whereabouts is quite surprising."
"Why is that surprising? Your information guild is..."
"You know what kind of place our guild is."
Rosewin, who said that, began to speak with a serious expression.
"There are only four places in the empire with enough power and authority to hide information from our guild."
"Where are they?"
"The Imperial Family, the Order, the Moonlight family, and..."
As Rosewin trailed off there, Frey, who had been wearing a stiff expression, quickly changed his expression to a smooth one and said.
"My goodness... I really can't fool Rosewin."
"My, so the gossip circulating among noble ladies was true?"
"No, that's not it. It's true that I dealt with him... but I just did it because a guy who tried to touch a toy I had marked was repulsive."
"...Well, if you say so."
Seeing that Frey wasn't falling for the leading question, Rosewin ended with a smirk.
".........Ah?"
And I, who had been continuously listening to their conversation, finally made a blank sound and muttered.
'What... what did I just hear?'
My head isn't working properly. The conversation the two just had keeps circling in my mind.
'Frey actually used the vow to protect me? No, that can't be. He has always, even now, definitely been trying to play with me as a toy...'
"Still, anyway, you were rejected by Klana now, right?"
I tried to think rationally somehow, but Rosewin's words stopped my thoughts again.
"...That is true."
"Shall I pour you a drink? Alcohol is the best for forgetting the pain of heartbreak."
As Rosewin picked up a bottle from the desk, Frey nodded with an interested expression.
"Shall I make it as a cocktail?"
"...Sure."
As Frey readily permitted, Rosewin, who wore a smile of conviction, began to gather the bottles lined up on the desk and pour them while adjusting the ratio.
'...Medicine?'
As I stared menacingly at Rosewin who had been mixing cocktails for a while through Canary's eyes, I discovered her secretly taking out medicine from her sleeve.
- Srk
"Ah..."
And seeing Rosewin naturally slipping the medicine into the cocktail, I unknowingly muttered.
"...No."
After saying those words, I stared blankly for a moment, then pressed my trembling hand against the balcony railing and began to mutter.
"What do you mean no..."
Now I had gained some power, and had also seized the Imperial Family's weakness, so even if Frey's vow were broken, I wouldn't be forced into an engagement like before.
So, I need to separate from that hateful Frey quickly...
If I don't somehow break the engagement, I don't know what he might do with the authority he has over me... That's why I asked Rosewin on my own will...
Why is my heart screaming that I should jump into the room right now and stop this?
"Shall we toast?"
"Sure."
But making my heart meaningless, Frey was already lifting the cocktail Rosewin had drugged.
"Hmm... the taste is unique?"
And before I could do anything, Frey downed that cocktail in one go.
"Frey, so how do you feel now?"
"...Hmm."
Soon, as Rosewin looked with expectant eyes, Frey began to mutter with a dazed expression.
"My chest is... hot."
"Is that so?"
"R-Rosewin...?"
Then Rosewin approached Frey's side and began to hold and pat him.
"It's okay, next time you'll be able to find someone better."
"No, that's not the kind of relationship, really as a toy..."
"Yes, yes. I'm sure that's it."
Rosewin, who said that, brought her face right up to Frey's nose and whispered with a smile in her eyes.
"...But, how about me?"
"What?"
"If you want, I could comfort you today."
"What do you... no, I... really?"
At those words, Frey, who had a serious expression for a fleeting moment, began to speak with a dazed expression again after a while.
"Really...?"
"Hehe, not now, next time... mmph?"
Rosewin, who had been caressing his chest and was about to step back, began to try to push him away with surprised eyes as Frey suddenly kissed her.
"Rosewin..."
"Mmm..."
And the next moment, Frey and Rosewin fell to the floor together and began to intertwine.
"Hah... haaah..."
I, who had been watching blankly, soon severed the connection with Canary and collapsed to the floor.
"Ahh... ugh..."
It definitely went according to plan, and it shouldn't matter who that hateful Frey mixes his body with.
Why are tears flowing from my eyes?
.
"Mmph... mmph!"
Even after Klana severed the connection with Canary, Rosewin remained beneath Frey for a while, intertwining tongues with him.
"Hah, w-wait a moment..."
Rosewin, who used all her strength to push Frey away, tried to urgently mutter something, but.
- Swish...
As Frey's hand headed beneath her, she stopped speaking and quietly began to put her hand into her bosom.
"...Ha."
After a fleeting moment, when Frey's hand reached her lower region, she began to make a satisfied expression, but.
- Fzzzt...
At that moment, the black dot marked on her hand began to shine.
"Ugh!"
"R-Rosewin?"
Then, Rosewin suddenly began to dry heave.
"M-move away."
Soon, Rosewin, who frowned deeply and forcefully pushed Frey to the side, stood up unsteadily and hurriedly headed for the door.
"So disgusting... ugh..."
Rosewin, who had hurriedly rushed out of the room Frey was in, ran to a nearby balcony and began to vomit.
"Ugh...! Uuuugh..."
Rosewin, who was vomiting with tears welling up in her eyes, noticed Klana standing beside her with a dazed expression and sighed.
"I'm sorry, it was just so disgusting."
"W-what..."
"I had a go with Frey. But in the middle of it, nausea suddenly surged up, you see? So I rushed out for a moment."
At those words, Klana's expression turned pale, while Rosewin began to look at the room where Frey was with disgusted eyes.
"As expected... no matter the request, Frey is hard to endure."
At those words, Klana unknowingly bit her lip, and Rosewin clapped her hands and took something out of her bosom.
"Ah, I forgot I was supposed to give this. Here."
"T-this is?"
"It's a small magic tool that captured Frey assaulting me. You should use it when exposing him later."
At Rosewin's nonchalant words, Klana's hand, which had unconsciously received the magic tool, began to tremble again.
"Ugh..."
Meanwhile, Rosewin, whose stomach was still churning, plucked the canary flower from her hair with her fingertips as if it were a foreign object.
"...Makes my skin crawl."
And threw it on the floor.
"Ah, no!"
Soon, as Rosewin tried to stomp on the flower with cold eyes, Klana shouted at her with a greatly flustered expression.
"Hmm? Why are you doing that?"
"W-well, that's..."
But when Rosewin tilted her head and asked why, Klana could only trail off with a trembling voice.
"...Are you going to throw that away?"
After hesitating for a while, Klana barely managed to get the words out, and Rosewin finally came to her senses and sighed as she picked up the flower again.
"I almost ruined the request by being swayed by useless emotions. Thank you for waking me up."
"T-that's not it..."
"Honestly, just having it makes my skin crawl, but what can I do. Think of the profit I'll gain from this."
As Rosewin pinned the canary flower back in her hair, Klana began to stare blankly at her head.
"Then, I'll return to Frey's room."
"I-isn't it dangerous? Frey might be angry, so I'll go instead..."
Klana, who had been looking at the canary flower quietly placed in Rosewin's hair for a while, started speaking urgently at Rosewin's words, but.
"There's no need to worry."
Rosewin smiled at her and opened her mouth.
"That bastard likes me enough to keep clinging even after being rejected."
"T-then don't you need that flower?"
When Rosewin spoke with a confident voice, Klana asked while trying to maintain a calm expression.
"Did that flower please you that much?"
At that, Rosewin, who was looking at Klana while raising the corner of her mouth, reached out to the canary flower in her hair.
"Yes, yess. Not that much but..."
Klana, who was watching that sight, reached out her trembling hand and spoke in the calmest voice possible, but.
- Snap!
"...Huh?"
When Rosewin, instead of removing the flower, plucked the smallest petal and placed it in Klana's palm, she began to make a blank expression.
"Be content with that, Princess."
Rosewin, who patted Klana's shoulder and said that, left the balcony before Klana could say anything.
"Ah........"
After standing there blankly for a while, Klana lowered her head weakly and muttered.
"W-with this... with this it's... ugh."
It didn't take long for that muttering to turn into sobbing.