HOWSH~06

~Chapter 6~

“Rose!”

From afar, Isid waved at me.

He came running in a rush, filling the empty space beside me.

His hair, which had been neatly in place before, was now a tangled mess of golden strands.

“Huff… huff…”

“You’re out of breath. Drink this.”

I handed him a non-alcoholic cocktail, and he drank it down in a single gulp before turning to me.

“Rose, where on earth have you been?”

“You… really think you get to ask me that?”

“Ugh!”

“Isid Fernando, I should be asking you that!”

I pressed down on the shin of the traitor as a warning, and a weak whine escaped from him.

Isid looked utterly clueless.

“R-Rose?”

Seeing the helpless look in his eyes only made my frustration boil higher.

Who had made me go through hell all this time?!

“No matter how patient I am, I’m not going to let this slide. The one who told me to be ready on time, and yet—where were you, standing there like you owned the place?”

“What? Standing there? You were the one who told me not to worry about you and just go. I was only concerned because you were late…”

“When did I ever say that to you?”

“Huh?”

A sudden silence fell between us.

“…….”

We both shut our mouths and stared at each other.

Something about this didn’t make sense.

Did I really tell Isid not to worry about me and go on ahead? I had never said such a thing. Who, when, how?

A bad feeling stabbed through my mind. And in an instant, one person came vividly to mind.

‘…Carlos.’

Could this “curse of memory” he had mentioned be what this was?

In short, it was supposedly a curse that could easily erase memories—his so-called unique ability.

So, he must have manipulated Isid’s memory. Presumably, he’d wiped mine clean so he could spill all he wanted without a care.

I let out a hollow laugh, though a twinge of unease settled in.

‘Hey, writer guy.’

Why did the person with an S-rank protagonist-level power fail to affect me…?

Carlos had indeed wiped my memory and vanished completely.

And yet… nothing happened.

∞ ∞ ∞

Any direct descendant of the royal family could be granted a rare ability.

It was a special privilege, a mark of their noble blood, a will of heaven separating them from others.

Typically, these abilities manifested after the age of ten. Carlos had kept his hidden, only revealing it to his beloved Elchevita years later.

Excerpt from “The Princess with the Power” Epilogue

∞ ∞ ∞

‘Reflect, Rose Lutiens.’

Only after pulling at my hair in exasperation did I admit it. I had forgotten.

The memory-related curse Carlos spoke of was, in fact, his inherent ability.

Unlike the ordinary powers a police officer might wield, this was a unique, royal family inheritance.

‘But none of this was ever clearly explained.’

Even after reading all the side stories and epilogues, I was left with nothing but open-ended conclusions.

How could I have noticed this? I comforted myself with that rationalization, though it did little to ease my unsettled feelings.

And the person who had deflected Carlos’ ability? None other than me.

The true identity of “Rose Lutiens” could sometimes feel frightening, even to herself.

“Hrm…”

I ignored Isid’s relentless chatter, slowly opening and closing my hands.

For a test, I stayed still for a long time. Nothing happened.

Before me was only a fragile, delicate hand that seemed incapable of any power.

I shifted my gaze to the woman reflected in the cocktail glass I held.

Even if she wasn’t dazzlingly beautiful, Rose Lutiens’ appearance stood out enough.

A calm air hinted at by her clear, refined features.

Milk-chocolate hair cascading naturally over her shoulders.

Innocent green eyes that, at first glance, seemed the type to be easily deceived.

She was just a slightly cute, ordinary noblewoman.

And yet… she possessed a defensive ability capable of standing against an S-rank.

Was that Rose? If she hadn’t died of the fever, could she have become one of history’s great figures?

Clinking the cocktail down with a sharp tap, I shook my head violently to regain my senses.

‘…This could be disastrous.’

If the kingdom ever learned, I could easily end up as an experimental guinea pig.

But I didn’t want that life. Never. Absolutely not. I was already exhausted from such a life.

I could still vividly recall the days I had been assigned, against my will, to the Belos Territory Security Team, grinding my teeth and carefully planning every move to reach a dreamlike life.

“Truly, it was horrible.”

So I couldn’t allow those miserable days to continue.

I frowned and reached for another cocktail. Not that I was in the mood to drink, but staying sober would only worsen my mood.

Yes, pretending to enjoy the party until the king arrived didn’t seem so bad.

I carefully scanned the drinks, eventually picking out a blue one with a slice of yellow lemon.

By that point, Isid’s complaints had stopped.

“What’s wrong, Rose? What was so terrible?”

“Nothing.”

Since our earlier conversation had gotten tangled, he was still trying to figure out why he had received that particular response from me.

But he wouldn’t find an answer easily. Likely, Isid would never understand until the day Carlos died.

If it were an ordinary memory, Carlos’ rare ability would have been useless in the first place.

Fortunately, it seemed he had perfectly erased Isid’s memory using a special ability granted by the royal family.

“My head feels… clogged with something. Rose, don’t you have anything to say to me?”

“Nothing.”

I couldn’t possibly tell him what Carlos had done. Ignorance is bliss, after all. I sipped my drink while leaning against the wall.

“Phew… okay.”

“Focus on the party, Fernando?”

“Don’t tease me.”

I narrowed my eyes mischievously at Isid’s sigh.

“Don’t worry too much. Even if you were a bit late, I managed to enter safely with my partner.”

“Who escorted you?”

“Someone I never want to meet again.”

“Hmm?”

Ending the conversation with Isid, I pushed off the wall.

I couldn’t even remember exactly how I entered, but less than thirty minutes after arriving, the banquet hall was alive with activity.

Soon, the king himself would arrive, and we would all raise our glasses together.

I prayed that today would pass without incident.

‘…I feel uneasy.’

I had inadvertently learned Carlos’ intentions.

What had he said again? That he would reveal to everyone the life he had lived and the queen’s actions from ten years ago?

But how… would he reveal it?

“Rose, I’m going to check on the team for a moment.”

As I stared blankly, Isid touched my shoulder and spoke.

The security team stood there, each holding a glass, chatting softly.

Perhaps sensing Isid’s gaze, Maichel blushed and waved energetically toward me.

Oh. For some reason, my desire to go completely vanished.

I lightly averted my gaze.

“Alright. Do as you wish.”

“No, do you want to come too? You promised to say goodbye before the banquet ended.”

“Later. For now… I want to rest a little.”

“Okay. Once you feel better, come over. We’ll wait with the team.”

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome. Enjoy this last time, Rose.”

Isid smiled warmly and melted back into the crowd.

I swallowed hard as I watched his retreating figure.

My stomach churned.

Was it because fragments of memories kept overlapping in my mind?

The ominous sense of misfortune began to envelop me.

The symptoms of instability in Carlos’ body, which I had carefully monitored… he had shown anger despite knowing, apparently bearing deep resentment from being confined.

If his condition continued, the worst possible consequence…

Could threaten every life in this hall.

If a bloody catastrophe occurred here, what could I even do?

The easiest option—running—was tempting, but my conscience wouldn’t allow it.

I bit my lips, lost in thought, when someone grabbed my shoulder.

“…Z.”

“……”

“…Rose!”

“Huh?”

My vision cleared from the fog as Isid returned, gripping my shoulder and shouting.

What was happening?

Confused, I furrowed my brow—but quickly covered my mouth in horror.