Chapter 34
The kidnappers lay in a heap in front of Rosedale, like trash swept into a corner with a broom.
Lined up flat on their stomachs, all dressed in black, they looked like cockroaches at a glance.
As Rosedale’s irises gleamed sharply while looking at them, the gravity in the air shifted in an instant.
“Ugh, khurk!”
Under the immense gravity pressing down on their heads, the kidnappers couldn’t lift their foreheads from the ground.
“You’re truly strange creatures,” Rosedale said coldly, her crimson eyes icy as she gazed down at the man bowing his head before her.
Dark clouds gathered overhead, blotting out the sun, and the chill in the air became sharp enough to cut skin.
“Humans are inherently precious and lovable beings, just by existing. So why are you so desperate to possess more?”
“……”
“Why do you torment and oppress others just as precious as yourselves, simply because you crave more?”
“……”
“I just can’t understand.”
Despite their short lives, which should be filled only with love, why—
Why can’t they cast off greed and desire? Why do they torment others of their own kind?
What makes this any different from how demons live?
Rosedale recalled the moment when she and Lucas had been kidnapped.
“With a face like that, he’d fetch a good price at a slave auction.”
“Why’s this one crying now? Shut up already, you’re so loud.”
She remembered how they had treated people not as living beings but as objects, how they silenced pleas with violence.
Her blood-red eyes darkened further, turning blackish-red.
“Ghk!”
As her gaze sank low, the kidnappers were crushed even harder under the weight of the intensifying gravity.
Their breaths became ragged, blood gurgled in their throats, and a metallic scent filled the air.
“Lady Rosedale.”
At that moment, Brillia, who had been watching, reached out with trembling hands and grabbed Rosedale’s wrist.
The warmth of the touch jolted Rosedale back to herself, and she turned around.
The hostages—humans who had been abducted—were huddled together, trembling. Even the little children, whom she hadn’t wanted to frighten, were shaking.
The blade-like atmosphere she had created growled as though threatening even the innocent. The air itself had responded to her mood—she was the daughter of Elphis, king of the fae and father of nature.
Startled by her own aura, Rosedale exhaled deeply. She turned her gaze to Lucas to steady her mind.
Most of the kidnappers had already been subdued and were sprawled on the floor—defeated by Lucas.
‘He really did keep his promise to handle things himself.’
“Then I should finish what I originally set out to do.”
With a gentle lift of her lips, Rosedale released the gravity pressing down on the kidnappers.
“Huff…”
They gasped for breath, lying flat on the ground. Her gaze toward them remained as cold as ever.
She no longer radiated the killing intent she had moments ago—just a chilling smirk tugged at one corner of her mouth.
It made her look almost devilish.
“Children need fairy tales, after all.”
“Pardon?”
When Brillia asked, Rosedale pointed to the kidnappers with her index finger.
“You know how fairy tales often have wicked witches punishing bad children?”
A golden thread of light unwound from her finger.
Then—poof!—thick smoke billowed from the kidnappers’ bodies, filling the area and obscuring the view.
Startled, Brillia and the others flinched at what they thought was an explosion, but Rosedale only smiled brightly.
“In fairy tales, bad children always turn into frogs, don’t they?”
When the smoke cleared, the men who had threatened the children and kicked at people were nowhere to be seen.
All that remained were a group of large, bright-green bullfrogs croaking loudly.
“Pfft.”
Brillia snorted, covering her mouth as she laughed at the sight of the ugly frogs.
“…Ribbit?”
The frogs blinked at their own stumpy fingers in dazed confusion, then began hopping around in a frenzy. The sudden movement of twenty-some frogs made Brillia jump and hide behind Rosedale.
One particularly loud frog let out a long croak and showed off its impressive leap—only to be caught mid-air by Rosedale, who snatched it by the scruff of its neck.
She confidently walked over to the children and held the frog out.
“Here, a gift—”
“Waaah! Gross!”
A child who made eye contact with the frog, its mouth wide open and shrieking, burst into tears.
“Mommy!” The whole area became a sea of crying again, and Rosedale’s eyes widened in shock.
Her large blinking eyes darted about nervously.
“…Do humans not like frogs?”
“It’s not that we dislike them… We’re just not really used to them,” Brillia replied awkwardly, now standing beside her.
“They’re cute though. What a shame.”
Well, maybe that’s why fairy tales used frogs instead of hamsters or something cuter.
With no hesitation, Rosedale tossed the frog away. She had already created a barrier so they wouldn’t escape, so it didn’t matter which way they hopped.
“The fear of being unheard no matter how loudly you cry. The helplessness of not being able to run even when you try. Now it’s your turn to feel it.”
Her cold voice rang out toward the frogs.
Some fainted, while others foolishly tried to escape.
Rosedale only sneered at them.
‘Lucas seems to enjoy locking bad kids up in cages. I can’t let them run away.’
There were rooms in the imperial palace annex used to detain vile individuals—cold iron-barred cells guarded by soldiers.
Lucas clearly had a hobby of observing those kinds of people. Even when he didn’t need to, he would still lock them up.
‘So I can’t let these frogs get away either.’
She’d let them hop around for now—let them suffer the reality of being frogs.
It would be good for them to know how it feels to be dodging giants to avoid getting squashed.
Rosedale turned from the frogs to look at the humans huddled before her.
None of them could look her in the eye. They only peeked at her nervously, especially the children.
“Eek!”
Each time they made eye contact with Rosedale, the kids flinched and quickly looked away.
It must’ve been because of the frogs.
Grinning awkwardly, Rosedale tried to brighten the mood by raising the corners of her lips as much as she could. Her red lips stretched unnaturally across her pale face.
“Eeeek!”
The children screamed and covered their eyes.
Why…?
‘I just want to hug a little human, that’s all.’
Back at the imperial palace, it was rare to see such tiny humans.
She wanted to hug their round little heads and poke their squishy cheeks, but the way they looked at her made it hard to approach.
Probably still because of the frogs.
After a moment’s thought, Rosedale raised her hand toward the nearby river.
“Alright then. I’ll give you something nicer instead of those creepy things.”
As her palm faced the river, the waters stirred. Though there was no wind, the surface swelled and formed a giant whirlpool.
“Woooow!”
The children’s mouths fell open like blooming flowers.
The sunlight gleamed on the rising water as it splashed.
Rosedale moved her finger, and the river flowed toward them in neat lines like a marching band.
The large ship the kidnappers had prepared was now toy-sized, surfing the waves like a board, gliding and swirling among the children.
“Kyaahaha!”
One by one, the little ones burst into joyful laughter.
The water skimmed their cheeks like a puppy asking for attention, and the tiny boats bumped into them as if begging to be noticed before darting away.
The large men who had dragged them here with threats and blades had become frogs underfoot, and the nightmare of being trafficked to who-knows-where seemed truly over now.
The gloomy haze was finally lifting.
“Um, Lady Rosedale.”
“Yes?”
Rosedale was smiling warmly, watching the children laugh, when Brillia pointed to something.
At Rosedale’s thigh, a very tiny child was clutching her pant leg.
The child sucked on their fingers as they stared at the flying boats, holding onto Rosedale tightly with small, chubby hands.
“…!”
It felt like a stray kitten—one she had fed—was finally approaching her.
Tears welled up in Rosedale’s eyes as she covered her mouth.
I need to do something too.
Looking around, Rosedale knelt and picked up a small stone. With a shimmer of gold, the rough stone transformed into a yellow wildflower in her hand.
“Here. This is your real gift.”
She gently placed the flower in the child’s hand.
“……”
The child stared up at Rosedale, smiling like sunshine.
“Are you a princess?”
“Hm? No, I’m just a mage.”
“What’s a mage?”
“Hmm… someone who goes on adventures to rescue princesses?”
“Woooow!”
“And besides, the princess is right here.”
Rosedale tucked the flower behind the child’s ear.
“So pretty.”
The child’s round lips opened in a bashful smile, and their chubby cheeks turned a soft peachy pink.
Seeing the adorable expression, Brillia smiled too—until Rosedale turned and handed her a flower as well.
“Here.”
“…Am I a princess too?”
Brillia blinked in surprise, then smiled and accepted the flower.
Rosedale said calmly:
“That depends on you. If you want to be a princess, that flower is a gift for the princess. But if you want to be a prince, then it’s a gift for the prince.”
“….”
Brillia stared at her, wide-eyed. The events of the past few days flashed through her mind.
She had left her castle-like home, not wanting to be treated like a delicate princess, knowing it would be hard—and yet ended up kidnapped like a helpless flower in a greenhouse.
She had realized how naïve she’d been. And in that moment of despair, Rosedale had appeared.
She had told her it was okay not to be a princess—what mattered was her heart.
Something about that simple, indifferent reassurance stirred her deeply.
Was it childish to feel choked up over such words?
As Brillia blinked back tears, Rosedale’s eyes curled into crescents, warm as the sun.
“Can I ask your name?”
“Ah, I’m Brillia Puglish, Lady Rosedale.”
Having swallowed her tears, Brillia gave a graceful curtsy, pinching the hem of her skirt.
“I’ve applied to the Mage Research Department, and—ah!”
Startled by a frog that leapt nearby, Brillia slipped.
Just as she was about to fall backward as if she’d stepped on a banana peel, Rosedale caught her by the waist.
Her arms, trained from wielding a giant bow, didn’t waver as she held Brillia.
Looking down at her with a radiant smile, Rosedale said:
“Then we’ll be seeing each other again soon.”
“…! Yes!”
To Brillia, Rosedale looked more dazzling than the rising morning sun.
And just as she was lifting Brillia up—
“Rozy.”
