.jpg)
That loyalty was so sincere that it even gave them the courage to subtly defy their master's orders.
Whenever Rose was alone, they would "accidentally" drop a newspaper on the floor and pick it up slowly, ensuring she saw the articles. Most of the headlines were condemnations of her and Ray.
<Avery and Conservative Party Elders Demand Minister Crawford's Resignation>
<Grizburn Development Project Delayed Due to Minister Crawford Controversy>
<Elliot Davis: Doubts Arise Over the Source of His Wealth>
<Women in History Who Ruined Nations with Their Beauty>
Trapped inside the mansion for days, staring at headlines that felt like mockery, Rose felt as though she were slowly losing her mind.
Rose was not oblivious to the meaning behind the servants' subtle actions.
They were telling her to look at the harm she was causing their master.
They expressed their intentions through small sighs and expressions filled with worry.
Even the old gardener, who claimed to have worked at the mansion for three generations, approached her while she was sitting on a bench and offered "sincere advice," fully prepared to be fired for doing so.
Kneeling on his frail knees, he pleaded with her not to ruin his master.
It was harder to deal with because he didn't demand any specific action—he didn't tell her to get a divorce or leave the mansion.
It would have been ridiculous to get seriously angry at him, and she didn't think reporting it to the butler or Agatha would serve any purpose, so Rose simply nodded in silence.
The fact that they harbored no malice made Rose feel even more powerless.
Like other Orturans, they were simply genuinely worried that the reputation of their proud master was being dragged through the mud.
And they weren't the only ones who felt that way.
<Why did such a hero become the coward of the era in an instant?>
The phrasing of the article haunted her, surfacing at all hours and weighing heavily on her chest.
Because of her, Ray was enduring such absurd insults. How dare they say such things about him.
Spending all day trapped in the mansion with these thoughts, Rose began to hate herself.
Struggling to ignore the sudden surges of self-loathing, Rose sat on the balcony and read a letter from Ben.
<Rose. Are you okay? Miss Beth sent me a letter. She says she's worried about you.
But why did she tell me to address the letter to Miss Beth instead of your name?
And she told me not to write my name as the sender. Are you not allowed to receive letters?>
In truth, this letter should never have reached her.
Ray had intercepted a letter her father sent her and ordered that no more mail be delivered to her.
It had been a letter in which her father, consumed by panic, poured out everything—both the things he should and shouldn't have said to his daughter.
Rose could still remember the look on Ray's face as he read the part where her father urged her to use whatever means necessary—whether her body or anything else—to coax Ray into rescuing him.
It was then that Rose first realized one could feel a murderous intent even through a blank expression.
Since her father was a man who treated his daughter not as a child but as an object to be sold in times of need, Rose wasn't surprised by the letter, but Ray seemed to think differently.
Then again, considering he was suffering through this chaos because of a father-in-law with such a personality, it was only natural he would be enraged.
This letter from Ben had been delivered because Beth felt pity for Rose, who was spending her days merely breathing like a plant.
Beth had also been trapped in the house for a long time, having failed to earn Agatha's trust, but it seemed she was at least allowed to send and receive letters. Rose felt a pang of guilt toward Beth.
<I'm taking a break from school and staying at Mom's old house. They haven't disposed of it yet. I heard Father's house might be seized soon.
Father says it's unfair. I believe him to some extent. He's such a greedy man; why would he risk going to prison for a scam now that he has a Minister for a son-in-law?
I think he thought he could build connections with the nobility through that bank. How foolish.>
Her father's desperate attempt to integrate into Orturan aristocratic society had finally resulted in disaster.
The fact that even Ben couldn't attend school meant the situation was undoubtedly more serious than she thought. Had he been bullied at school? Her chest tightened with worry again.
<Public opinion is poor because one of Ladan's accomplices was murdered while trying to flee to Planto.
It might actually be safer for Father to be detained. People are starting to question Father's business methods. They find it suspicious that a Boltonian earned that much money in the first place.>
Personally, Rose loathed her father and didn't even consider him a parent, but this time, she felt a flicker of pity for him.
Thinking that her father must have endured the same contempt and disdain she had suffered for the past few months throughout his entire life here, she felt a sense of kinship, or perhaps a tiny bit of sympathy.
In the first place, a man as excessively greedy as her father should never have come to Orturan. The environment here twisted an already bloated greed and desire for recognition in the worst possible direction.
Rose caressed the letter for a moment and then burned it. She was afraid that if Ray found it, he might target innocent people.
After burning the letter on the balcony and returning to the bedroom, Rose thought.
No matter how she looked at it, there was only one way. If she had a conscience, the right thing was for her to leave.
The Orturans didn't hate Ray; they pitied the "broken" Ray who had resulted from his marriage to her. If they divorced, they would love him without hesitation once again.
She had once thought that even if she discovered her husband was considering divorce on his own, she would pretend not to know and stay by his side.
To remain with him, she had tried to erase her homeland from her heart and refused to deny the words of those who insulted Bolton and her.
But the moment she saw with her own eyes that Ray—not her, but Ray—was the one suffering such insults, Rose decided on divorce.
It was too painful to watch Ray run around day and night to resolve everything while she, the root of the problem, remained bound and unable to do anything.
Guilt weighed down her entire body like a boulder, making it difficult to even breathe at times.
Above all, the problem was that even if this were resolved, it wouldn't be the end.
This would repeat forever. As long as Ray was a politician and she was a Boltonian.
She could no longer endure it.
As she leaned against the bed and closed her eyes, she sensed someone's presence.
"Why are you lying like that?"
Opening her eyes, she saw Ray looking at her, still in his clothes. Seeing his face for the first time in two days, she noticed his features had grown sharper.
Looking at him, her heart ached.
As she watched Ray carelessly loosen his tie, Rose spoke.
"Come here, I'll do it for you."
Ray approached in silence and sat on the edge of the bed.
"You must be tired."
Carefully grasping the tie and sliding it from Ray's neck, Rose looked up at him.
"You don't need to worry about that."
Following his low reply, silence fell between them.
Since the incident, the conversation between them had drastically decreased. They had no time to speak properly, but even when facing each other like this, words did not come easily.
After placing the tie on the nightstand, Rose pulled his arm toward her, and he complied readily.
As she unfastened his cufflinks one by one, Rose glanced at Ray and spoke.
"I heard Avery is demanding that you leave the party?"
"Where did you hear that?"
Though Rose had asked cautiously, his reaction was sharp.
"I asked where you heard that."
Ray's expression turned cold in an instant.
"...There are countless people who worry about your well-being," Rose murmured, fiddling with the buttons. "They are only worried about you; how can you fault them for that?"
"Tell me who it is."
She had brought it up because she wanted to understand the situation, but he was completely unreceptive to conversation.
Since the incident, Ray had become somewhat obsessive and compulsive, and Rose guessed it was because the situation was causing him so much stress.
"Solving it doesn't work that way, so please don't try to hunt them down for nothing."
"Do you not realize that such an attitude makes me look pathetic?"
His tone was agonizingly slow, yet it was enough to leave a scratch on her heart.
What would happen if he did something to those people? What would change? Whether he hunted them down or showed mercy, Ray would not become pathetic. He could do whatever he wished.
However, regardless of the method he chose, only the hatred toward Rose would grow.
"Please... don't target those people. The more you do, the more I—"
Suddenly short of breath, she struggled to finish her sentence.
As Rose gasped for air while still holding his arm, a startled Ray held her.
"All right."
Holding her in his arms and stroking her back, the man murmured soothingly. He waited in silence until Rose's breathing steadied.
"I get it, so..."
His heavily sunken voice made Rose's heart ache once more.
"Can't you trust me and just wait?"
Ray did not realize that this was not a matter of trust.
Of course she trusted his abilities. He would resolve this matter one way or another.
But how much longer could they live like this?
.jpg)