I Became the Mastermind Who Betrays the Heroines-Chapter 97 - The Rose (9)

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]

Chapter 97 - The Rose (9)

"I greet the most exalted Sun of the Empire."

A gesture of respect, meticulously performed.

The words I enunciated, one by one, carried a description of the man before me.

Familiar-colored hair danced lightly in the breeze.

Eyes as green as leaves gazed down at me in silence.

‘Valcaros Lantana von Staufen.’

Did he need many words to define him?

The Emperor.

The sole Sun of the Staufen Empire.

The father of the ill-fated princesses and the one who had locked away the cursed Rose in a distant star.

I stood before a cold heart.

'Why is he here?'

His sudden appearance.

Even as I wrestled with the question hanging at the end of my thoughts, I awaited his response to my greeting.

The Emperor soon parted his lips, his voice a gentle yet resonant murmur.

"Are you the one? The physician newly assigned to the second princess?"

A voice devoid of even the faintest hint of warmth.

Only a cold wind seemed to brush past his tone.

Perhaps it was the meaningful weight of his words.

Even though we had barely exchanged a few lines, I could sense that he knew everything.

For how else could he be so composed?

'From the very beginning... he’s known.'

I swallowed hard, silently.

After all, I was someone who should not have been here.

The Rose was a secret the Emperor himself had sealed, and no outsider was permitted to set foot in this place.

Access to the annex had been strictly controlled all along.

Though Charlotte’s help had allowed me entry, even that had felt like sneaking in rather than following proper procedures.

'In other words.'

If caught, it would spell trouble for me in more ways than one.

Despite my efforts to remain discreet, it seemed I had failed to elude the Sun’s gaze.

Valcaros had already taken note of my presence.

As I silently contemplated, the middle-aged man’s voice rang out again.

"You may rise now."

Permission to stand.

I bowed once more, then slowly straightened myself.

Our gazes briefly met.

"Lord Snakes."

"Your Majesty."

"This is our first time meeting face-to-face, is it not?"

"I never imagined Your Majesty would recognize me. It is an honor my family will remember for generations."

"When a guest visits the house, it is only proper for the host to greet them. Even if that guest is an uninvited one."

"...So you knew."

"Indeed. I’ve known from the start."

As expected.

The Emperor had already grasped the situation.

Even though I had accompanied the princess, technically, I had trespassed into a forbidden space. Thus, I offered my belated apology, my tone devoid of any excuses.

"I have no excuse, Your Majesty."

"There is no need for such humility. You were merely answering the first princess’s request, were you not? She often sought out physicians to care for the second princess."

‘The princess,’ or ‘her.’

Even while speaking of his daughters, his tone was cold and rigid.

His excessively detached words seemed to deepen the winter chill in the air.

As I absorbed the icy atmosphere, a memory from the original story briefly surfaced.

'Well.'

The Emperor had not been a particularly detailed character.

Most of what was known about him came from episodes involving the princesses, which allowed readers to infer his nature.

At one time, these fragments had been the centerpiece of speculation.

Valcaros.

A cold-blooded man who showed no affection for anything in this world.

In his mind, there existed only the scales of practicality. He abhorred being swayed by personal emotions.

No wonder his nickname in the original work was "The Cold Heart."

[Category: Freeboard]

[Title: The Emperor is the Root of All Evil in the Rose Arc]

This guy has no redeeming qualities.

He neglected his only daughters since childhood.

Barely showed his face to them.

And when the second princess fell ill, he confined an 8-year-old to isolation without a second thought.

The family fell apart.

The once-loving relationship between the sisters was ruined.

Elise spent over a decade battling illness in loneliness, spiraling into mental illness and self-harm before ultimately dying by her own hand, long before her time.

Charlotte was left with lasting trauma and severe social difficulties.

In the story:

If the Dean was the pinnacle of incompetence,

The Emperor was the pinnacle of apathy.

[An absolute bastard, no question.]

-> Even animals care for their offspring, they say

-> Reading the side stories makes you hate him even more

[No wonder Judas destroyed the Empire.]

-> So now we’re even getting people defending Kyaru, huh

-> Destroyed ? More like 'normalized,' thank you

-> Judas the Goat

-> JOAT… yeah, I don’t miss it one bit

[Dean vs. Emperor]

-> An unmatched showdown of unlikable characters

-> Incompetent Prophet vs. Scheming Tyrant 🤷‍♂️

-> At least incompetence isn’t as bad, right?

-> Nah, the Emperor’s better. He actually sends reinforcements and helps out later on

-> Meanwhile, our Prophet-king does... absolutely nothing

[The Emperor got cute after meeting Judas]

-> Genius, this guy

-> Why am I catching strays here?

-> Damn it... why does this feel so cool, though? 😂

-> Here we go again with the weird memes.

Even among players, his reputation was poor.

While not a traditional villain, his utter indifference to his daughters—neglecting them and even confining Elise to the annex—made him a catalyst for much of the tragedy.

During a popularity poll, he had infamously landed in the lowest ranks.

'I didn’t like him either.'

Even I had no fondness for him.

When making video adaptations of the Rose arc, I’d added curses directed at him more than once.

'The hateful Emperor.'

But now…

'What is this…?'

I couldn’t hide my confusion.

From the beginning, something had felt off. Now I was finally putting my finger on it.

I glanced at Valcaros, who stood opposite me.

"I’ve heard. Remarkable signs of recovery, they say?"

"Yes… that’s correct."

"I stopped by to see for myself."

"...…"

No.

This man wouldn’t do that.

The version of him I knew wouldn’t have shown any interest in such matters.

In the original story, Valcaros was utterly indifferent to his daughters.

Not out of hatred or even lack of interest, just pure disregard, as if they didn’t exist in his life.

He had been a man whose daughters might as well have been forgotten entirely.

'What’s brought on this change?'

Questions filled my mind as his voice continued, unchanging and frostbitten.

"There’s no need to be so tense. This is merely an aimless visit."

"I apologize, Your Majesty. I was simply startled."

What startled me so?

The thought behind his visit. The mention of the second princess—a wound the imperial family wished to keep buried.

For now, I swallowed my suspicions in silence.

Perhaps sensing this, Valcaros turned his head slightly.

A brief silence followed.

Only the night wind filled the void.

Eventually, the Emperor spoke again, his words sharp as a needle.

"Recovery, you say… Yet I heard that curse is incurable."

"By conventional methods, yes."

"Then unconventional methods are the answer?"

"It’s difficult to say with certainty. But I can tell you we’re trying."

"A bold statement. To use an imperial princess as a test subject."

"...…"

Well, that was true, but…

Of all people, shouldn’t ‘he’ refrain from saying such things?

Was he deliberately testing me? It seemed odd that he’d mention the Rose so directly.

Suppressing the furrow in my brow, I responded.

"My apologies, Your Majesty."

"It doesn’t matter."

He was a hard man to read.

If one were to compare him to someone, perhaps Charlotte would be the closest.

He exuded an uncanny sense of belonging to another world entirely.

"And so,"

Green eyes swept toward me.

Eyes like those of the Rose, yet dulled and withered.

"Do you really believe it can be done? The treatment?"

A question.

The answer I would give was already decided.

"I believe there’s a strong possibility, yes."

"...Such confidence."

"An incurable illness is not one that cannot be healed. It is merely one for which the solution has yet to be found."

"You speak as if the solution rests in your hands."

"Interpret it as you wish. Time alone will tell the results."

"An intriguing proposal."

Valcaros nodded.

It seemed my audacity had piqued his interest, a flicker of light sparking in his otherwise hollow gaze.

Eyes frozen, shattered, and lifeless.

"How absurdly optimistic."

Was he still doubtful?

Under normal circumstances, he would have dismissed my words outright. Yet the news of Elise’s recovery seemed to unsettle him.

He appeared uncertain about how much of what I said to take seriously.

"...I hope that arrogance proves true."

"Excuse me?"

"If it does, I might even entrust this empire to you."

"A grand jest, Your Majesty."

"Do you think so?"

"...…"

I had no choice but to fall silent.

This man standing before me seemed slightly misaligned with the image I had carried from my previous life.

Though the overall impression was the same, his reactions, demeanor, and gaze were subtly different.

'I hope that arrogance proves true.'

It sounded almost as if he truly wished for a miracle.

That the Rose’s curse might be lifted.

But the Valcaros I knew wouldn’t harbor such hopes.

As I wrestled with these conflicting thoughts, the Emperor turned away.

It seemed he was ready to leave.

"I should be going."

"Did you not come to see Her Highness?"

"I’ve changed my mind."

"Then I shall see you again, Your Majesty."

"Let’s hope that doesn’t happen."

"Excuse me?"

"I’m leaving."

Before our conversation could conclude, the Emperor left.

Watching his retreating figure, a flood of scattered thoughts filled my mind.

I muttered to myself, as if releasing the tangled threads.

'I didn’t expect this.'

Was there a backstory I didn’t know?

A part of the Emperor’s life hidden beyond the pages of the original story?

Unconsciously, I smiled.

"Ha."

This world truly was fascinating.

Even when I thought I understood everything, something entirely unexpected awaited around the corner.

In this vibrancy of the unknown, how could I ever dismiss this world as a lie?

Every scent brushing against my nose felt genuine.

'But.'

It was for this reason.

That I could not treat this world lightly.

The moment of departure would inevitably come, and I had to ensure no scars were left on the things I cherished.

All that would remain were the marks of thorns on my fingertips.

After a brief moment of reflection, I began walking again.

Toward my chambers.

'Before sleeping… I should check her condition.'

Elise had been unwell in recent days.

Recalling her worsening pain during the nights, I made my way quietly to the room where the Rose resided.

Cutting through the cool air, I soon reached the door at the end of the hallway.

"...…"

A slight crack.

Through it, a faint light spilled out.

Just enough to be cast by two or three candles.

Even though it was past midnight, the Rose within the greenhouse seemed unable to rest.

I gently pushed the door open and stepped inside.

"Haah, haah…"

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As my feet met the soft carpet, the sound of labored breathing reached my ears.

Painful, anguished breaths mingled with faint groans.

"...Ugh, ngh…"

The Rose was not in bed.

She was collapsed in the middle of the room, curled up tightly.

Her shoulders shuddered with each heavy breath.

The crimson-haired girl seemed entirely engrossed in something.

'This…'

My expression hardened.

A sharp, metallic scent tickled my nose.

Red stains dotted the floor, entering my vision.

The faint aroma filling the room was unmistakably that of blood.

"...Hic."

Tears fell, drop by transparent drop.

Following the trail of tears, crimson blotches spread across the carpet, stemming from her wrist.

Her wounds bloomed like countless roses, petals of blood staining everything.

Even with the mess already made, the girl’s hand moved as if unsatisfied.

A pocketknife, slick with crimson, dangled from her trembling fingers.

Swish.

The bandages, once pristine white, now trailed in tatters on the floor.

What had once symbolized healing was soaked and ruined, a casualty of violence.

Only the thirst for self-destruction remained.

"...Ugh… Ngh."

Scratch, scratch.

The Rose, hollow-eyed, carved wound after wound into herself.

Oblivious to the presence of another, she continued shedding blood and tears in silence.

Her green eyes, like wilted leaves, darkened further, bereft of life.

"Your Highness."

I softly called out to her.

Yet the Rose, lost in her agony, did not hear me.

She continued crying and hurting herself, utterly unaware.

I stepped closer to her.

And then…

Whoosh!

I wrapped my arms around her slender frame from behind.

At the same time, I firmly grasped her wrist, halting her destructive movements.

"Ugh…! Ngh!"

The sudden restraint startled her. She struggled briefly, but my hold remained unwavering.

Cradling her delicate body in my arms, I whispered words of comfort.

Bringing my lips close to her ear, I murmured softly, and gently stroked her hair.

"Shh… It’s okay."

"Hic, ngh."

"Everything is okay. I’m here with you…"

And so…

Until the turbulent emotions subsided, we stayed there, two figures melting into a shared warmth.

In that tepid embrace, the storm gradually calmed.

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]