Life as a Tower Maid: Locked up with the Prince - Chapter 271
Chapter 271
Translator: Yonnee
—
On the morning I was to meet Rosé Artius, I finished preparing and exchanged greetings with Leona, who had come to meet me.
“It’s an honor to serve you.”
“Thank you for thinking so.”
In my absence, Leona had transitioned from acting knight commander to a true knight commander, taking on the actual duties of the position.
She had admirably filled the role left by the commander of the Eagle Knights who had died during the rebellion under Rosteratu.
“Let’s go then.”
Albert, who had finished preparing as well, extended his hand to me.
As I took his hand, Leona stood behind us, keeping an appropriate distance.
Upon arriving at the dungeon, I found Mercy, adorned with the jewels we bought yesterday, and Rosé Artius sprawled on the floor.
Next to the cell with bars, there was a door.
“This is as far as I allow.”
Nodding at Albert’s words, I stood in front of the iron bars.
Inside the cell next to Rosé was Mercy, who had her elbow propped up on her knee, chin on her palm. She waved a hand at us.
“Sister, you’re here?”
The look she had on yesterday was ‘death by overwork’, but that appearance was nowhere to be seen now. Retail therapy proved to be truly effective as her source of energy.
It’s a relief she’s perked up like this.
At first glance, there seemed to be nothing physically wrong with Rosé. She looked the same as the last time I saw her.
Her light brown hair just passed her shoulders, with matching light brown eyes.
Though her eyes lacked focus, her peaceful appearance also overlapped with the Rosé I remembered from her childhood.
I was surprised. After hearing she had become a body no longer needed by me, I expected her to have been tortured, but she looked too well.
“No reason to stain your vision unnecessarily, right? You hate blood.”
Catching on to my confusion astutely, Albert answered my silent question.
Indeed, talking to a blood-covered Rosé would have been difficult.
“Shall I then proceed with the meal I mentioned earlier?”
From an attendant, Mercy received the soup I had requested from Seo Ina.
This dish, akin to porridge, was easy to feed to the mentally absent Rosé.
It also provided an opportunity for Rosé and me to have a proper conversation.
Rosé’s mind might have been lost in delusions, but her body gulped down the soup that entered her mouth.
Thanks to that, feeding her was not difficult.
After finishing the soup, Mercy exhaled and muttered to her.
“Artius, it’s time to wake up from the delusion.”
The moment Mercy’s fingers clicked together, Rosé’s eyes regained life.
Rosé Artius reflexively stood up and looked around.
Soon, she realized she was in jail and laughed.
“Haha… Still haven’t found it?”
Her eyes first went to Albert.
She glanced at me for a moment but quickly turned her attention away from me.
In her world, only Albert existed.
She couldn’t see my soul, so she didn’t know what I looked like.
How could she laugh after attempting murder? I clenched my fist and laughed.
“You’re the fool who can’t recognize what’s right in front of her.”
“…What?”
At my sharp tone, Rosé finally looked at me. I raised my hand, pointing at myself with informal speech.
“Rosé Artius, the soul you tried to kill is me.”
“…Don’t lie. I definitely drew the magic circle, and the dark magic circle always fulfills its purpose.”
“Well, your spell failed.”
“…The dark magic failed?”
Rosé asked in disbelief. Clutching the iron bars, she observed me with sharp eyes.
Seeing the body I once possessed fallen to such a state was not a pleasant feeling.
I took a deep breath inwardly and composed myself.
“Don’t lie. Bringing someone else to fabricate reality is easy. So, Prince, you’ve finally begun to deny reality—”
I cut off Rosé, irritated by her still seemingly trapped in a delusion.
“It’s you who wants to deny reality. Because you tried to kill me.”
I raised my hand to show the back of my hand, engraved with a symbol.
The symbol, representing the contract only I, Yoo Jung-in, had with Blanc, connected by soul.
Meaning Rosé had no choice but to acknowledge me as myself upon seeing it.
The smile that had been on her face while looking at Albert slowly faded and twisted.
She began to accept reality.
Of course, this was when rubbing salt in the wound worked best. I pretended to be deep in thought, eyes wide.
“Maybe I should thank you, Rosé. It’s all because of you that I met Albert, and that I could save him.”
“…What are you talking about?”
“It was your curse that linked me and Albert.”
She hates me because Albert loves me.
Rosé wanted Albert to be unhappy if she couldn’t be loved.
But if she realized that her actions, wishing for Albert’s unhappiness, actually led him to happiness…
“It also means you made Albert happy.”
…it would only be inevitable for her to fall into complete and utter madness.
“And he will continue to be happy.”
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