Translator: Nox

67 - The Time of the Blind Beast (15+ Revised Edition)

Chapter 67

"Gasp!"

It came back to him. It was him. The unidentified intruder who had snuck into the garden and screamed when hit by a stone thrown by Ezekiel, whose hearing was sharp.

"Rose, tell me if you see anyone around."

"I, I think he's gone. I don't see anything around."

Even though there had been no further signs of disturbance, he had found it suspicious that the intruder had disappeared in the meantime. However, it was night, and Rose was not a professionally trained soldier, and the unkempt garden must have been in such disarray that it would be difficult for anyone with ordinary eyesight to discern their surroundings. He had simply not added anything further.

Now he understood why Rose had been so insistent.

It was someone she knew.

Even after witnessing the messenger who had come to threaten her, Rose had helped the man escape safely, out of concern for the Valdemara family's reputation.

Ezekiel lowered his long, narrow eyes and tilted his chin.

"We've met before."

The messenger flinched, his shoulders trembling.

"Do you know that Rose is the one who saved your life?"

The messenger, who had been summoned without understanding why and was now unexpectedly confronted by Ezekiel, hesitated before admitting it readily.

"...Yes, I do."

"Rose showed unnecessary compassion. She shouldn't have helped you."

"..."

"She's a woman so kind that I worry about how she'll survive in this world if she only suffers losses. She even returns malice with kindness. Sometimes, I think it goes too far. Judging by the fact that she never mentioned a word of this to me."

The messenger's gaze drifted to the Rifle leaning against the wall. The man, clearly tense, unsure when Ezekiel, famous for his marksmanship, might aim his gun, cautiously opened his mouth.

"You might think I was rude to the young lady, mentioning the Valdemara family... and of course, you could easily misunderstand, but that never happened. The person who said her role was up to that point and that she would withdraw was the young lady herself. In fact, I was surprised and asked her twice, three times. It's true. I only received the written pledge for her to leave because the young lady insisted on writing it first."

Even with just a few words of explanation, the messenger seemed to be losing his nerve, sweat dripping down his face. But amidst this, a new word caught Ezekiel's ear.

"A pledge? Rose wrote a pledge?"

"Ah, yes... I believe it should be somewhere here..."

After calling a servant to tidy the study and thoroughly searching the bookshelves, Ezekiel finally received the pledge that Rose had personally written and signed. He even found it carelessly left among a pile of documents, a testament to how little she valued it.

The moment he confirmed Rose's name clearly written on the pledge, Ezekiel crumpled the corner in his hand.

He was dumbfounded and furious. A family that was the foremost noble house in Astria had engaged in such petty schemes against a young, vulnerable woman.

While she struggled against the storms that engulfed him, the Valdemara family had merely watched from afar. Then, as soon as Rose saved him, they had slyly approached and obtained this paltry pledge. Ungrateful and shameless, how dare they.

The more he replayed the absurd treatment she had endured, the more his blood boiled and then cooled again.

Rose, why didn't you demand more?

Why didn't you get angry, argue, and feel wronged that Valdemara didn't acknowledge your contributions, after I sacrificed so much for you?

If you had, I wouldn't have lost you so emptily.

I would have proven myself what right you had to demand anything from me.

"...Father. Do you know how Rose saved me?"

At the moment his anger reached its peak, his mind grew calm.

"Even now, I don't know exactly what those phenomena I experienced were. Even I, who indiscriminately downed opium and alcohol and ruined my own body, was confused, not knowing what was happening to me. Rose, who watched the entire process, must have felt even more lost. Yet, instead of running away or giving up on me, Rose locked the door and stayed by my side, never leaving."

It was a choice that even blood relatives would find difficult to make. In fact, his father had tried to expel him from the family under the guise of saving him. It was Rose who stopped him and persuaded him. Even now, he couldn't fully comprehend how much courage Rose had shown, nor her feelings.

"When I self-harmed by smashing my body against the wall due to the excruciating pain of my muscles contracting, Rose, she shielded me with her own body. Without a doubt, she must have been covered in bruises all over. She was a very delicate woman, and I was a robust soldier. Yet, Rose never showed any fear or pain."

Was that all?

As the various ailments gnawed at him, Rose found ways to overcome them, no matter what it took.

"Some days it was terribly cold, and other days my body felt like it was burning with fever. I couldn't distinguish reality due to the onslaught of hallucinations. Each time, Rose was there."

Whenever he was cold or hot, he would embrace the naked Rose, transferring his chills and fever to her. Thinking back now, he had committed a truly shameful act. He had lived day by day by drawing on Rose's high fever. To Rose, he was a terribly selfish man.

"In my life, I have never received such devotion from anyone. And I probably never will again. Because now I no longer need Rose's sacrifice."

Ezekiel declared, staring directly at his father.

"You must accept Rose. I have no intention of marrying or planning for an heir with any woman other than Rose."

Ezekiel still had the ring in his pocket, which he hadn't been able to give to Rose. He kept it on him at all times, intending to place it on her finger the moment he met her.

"Ezekiel!"

Leaving his father's roar behind him, Ezekiel strode across the mansion. Even though his return was only partial, it was too soon to be disappointed. This was just the beginning.

Valdemara would pay the price for losing its moral compass. He would surely find Rose and make Valdemara kneel before her.

---

From where should he begin searching for Rose's trace?

Ezekiel studied the military map of Astria.

It was a hopelessly vague endeavor. But like a dragnet scraping the bottom of a river to catch fish, if he meticulously scoured Astria, he would eventually catch Rose's trace.

Ezekiel sent the messengers employed by the Valdemara family down to the north. He instructed them to visit all the girls' schools and inquire about students named Rose, with red hair and green eyes, and if they weren't certain, to confirm with Madam Serva in Derosa.

Madam Serva had refused Ezekiel's offer to return to Claris with him and remained in Derosa.

"This old body is too old for long-distance travel. I don't have the stamina to keep up with my master's pace on horseback, and even if my master were to slow down for my convenience, carriage travel itself is a great burden. And I like this mansion. It's a quiet and secluded place to spend my old age."

Of course, there was also the possibility that Rose had already left the north long ago. She wasn't a fool; she would have guessed that Ezekiel would search the north first. Rose, who had a tendency to be overly diligent, would likely do her best to uphold the pledge she had written herself, even if the Valdemara family treated it as mere scrap paper. Therefore, she might be hiding in an unexpected place, trying to throw him off.

So, after completing his military training, Ezekiel briefed his subordinates, who had dispersed throughout the country, on Rose's description. He ordered them to bring him any women who bore a resemblance, even if not an exact match, using any means necessary.

He didn't know her face, but he was confident he would recognize Rose by her voice, or even by the soft sound of her approaching footsteps.

Rose, wait for me.

If you don't appear, I will find you.

Winter always began by shedding its white cloak from the north. And so, on a day when Derosa, having already welcomed the early chill, still lingered in late autumn, Claris finally entered the full embrace of winter.

Before the dawn light had even fully receded, on a bluish morning, Moncam rushed through the gates of the Valdemara mansion.

"Major, we found her!"