Chapter 53
“No matter what you say, it’s useless without any evidence, Miss Lili Kikern.”
“……What? Evidence? Of course there’s evidence! If you check her citizen’s card right now—!”
“Lady Rosie is a guest of the Rose Room. That means she’s one of the most important guests for this hotel. Unlike you.”
Lili’s mouth fell open at the manager’s cold, cutting dismissal. She’d been compared to Rosie in appearance before, but never had she been treated as someone beneath her.
Around them, people had already grown bored and were whispering among themselves.
“Well, not just anyone can stay in the Rose Room. ……Honestly, I thought that woman seemed strange from the beginning. She suddenly came up to me one day just to badmouth someone else.”
A man who had once stayed up drinking and chatting with Lili murmured to his group.
His words spread quickly, and soon the entire atmosphere shifted.
Everyone looked at Lili oddly, while their attitude toward Rosie softened.
Grinding her teeth, Lili screamed at Rosie.
“Ha! So that’s it—you’ve been sleeping with the manager, huh, Rosie? No wonder things felt off!”
People stared at Lili as though she were something disgusting, watching her attack Rosie without tiring.
Feeling humiliated, Lili clenched her fists, trembling—until suddenly she jerked her head up sharply.
Then her hand shot out toward Rosie.
She figured she could expose Rosie’s identity another way.
Rosie reflexively stepped back from the sudden attack.
But she wasn’t fast enough. Lili managed to grab a fistful of her hair.
“Ugh!”
Rosie groaned as her scalp was yanked painfully.
Unbothered, Lili pulled harder as if she meant to rip all her hair out.
“Look! If she’s really a noble or not—you can see everything right here!”
All she had to do was reveal the thing on the back of Rosie’s neck—!
Lili flipped Rosie’s hair up violently, ready to expose her in front of everyone.
“I told you! I won’t! Take it! Anymore!”
Rosie grabbed a handful of Lili’s black hair with both hands and yanked with all her strength, shouting.
“Ah— AAAAAH!”
For the first time in her life, Lili felt the agonizing sensation of her hair being pulled out.
She screamed, flailing, and her grip on Rosie’s hair slipped away.
Then Rosie shoved her off, sending her stumbling backward. Lili lost her balance and fell.
Clutching her aching head and throbbing backside, Lili glared up at Rosie with a venomous expression.
“Are you insane? How dare you—!”
How dare someone like you touch me?!
Rosie didn’t need to hear the words to know what she meant.
Rosie blew the strands of black hair remaining between her fingers onto the floor and asked:
“Why? You were pulling hard enough to tear all my hair out, but I wasn’t supposed to do the same to you?”
Still staring in disbelief, Lili could only pant angrily.
Rosie didn’t even notice that the entire hallway had gone silent—everyone frozen, no one daring to make a sound.
“……Ro… sie?”
Ainar, especially, stared at her with his jaw practically unhinged.
He had often thought Rosie was different from other women, but never had he imagined her grabbing someone’s hair and yelling back without caring about who was watching.
And to think she did it to her former mistress…
The image of Rosie blowing Lili’s hair off her hand replayed in his head over and over.
But Rosie had no time to soothe the dumbstruck Ainar.
“If you ever think about doing anything to me again, be prepared to get the same treatment. I’m not going to just take things quietly anymore.”
“Hic—”
Lili, who had been glaring furiously a moment ago, hiccuped in shock.
Looking up from where she sat on the floor, she felt an unfamiliar fear toward Rosie.
“Hic— You—you dare to—!”
Humiliated, Lili tried to say something back, but the words came out as nonsensical rambling.
Rosie had no intention of patiently listening.
“If you’re done talking, then I’ll be going. I’m tired.”
“What? You—!”
Ignoring whatever Lili shouted, Rosie turned and strode toward her room.
No one dared stop her.
“……”
Rosie clasped her trembling hands together and walked straight ahead.
She tried to pretend otherwise, but her heart felt like it might explode.
I can’t believe I did that to my former mistress…
She had vowed not to live passively anymore, but she had never actually imagined herself fighting back against Lili.
Hitting back at the person she’d always feared felt… strange. A bit scary, but also incredibly refreshing.
It felt like Lili could chase her down and grab her hair again at any moment.
Her excitement made her steps quicken, and each fast step sent a jolt of pain into her ankle.
Only when she noticed the pain did she realize she had forgotten someone.
Rosie spun around quickly.
And there he was—Cliden—quietly following her without a sound.
Her face flushed instantly as she approached him.
“I’m sorry. You must’ve seen something ridiculous.”
“No. Are you all right?”
His concerned voice made Rosie hesitate before she spoke quietly.
“……If you don’t mind… would you like to come in for a moment?”
They had reached the entrance to the Rose Room corridor.
From Ainar’s angle, their position was hidden behind a corner—and his eyes burned with fury.
But Rosie couldn’t see him.
Inside the room, Cliden pulled back his hood and looked around.
It was a spacious, luxurious room, neatly arranged.
Of course it would be—hotel staff cleaned it daily. But still…
It doesn’t feel lived-in at all.
He realized the reason almost immediately.
“You don’t have many belongings.”
The only thing in sight was an old travel bag.
Rosie’s cheeks flushed as she answered.
“Right. I didn’t have much to begin with. Ah, but I did buy quite a few clothes.”
“I see.”
He nodded lightly.
The clothes were probably stored away, out of sight.
Still… this is far too little.
Sitting on the sofa Rosie indicated, Cliden thought to himself.
Even if she brought little with her, she should’ve accumulated something after arriving in Beydos.
Seeing his lingering gaze, Rosie sat across from him and spoke softly.
“It’s nothing special. I’m leaving soon anyway. If I buy a lot of things, someone else will have to deal with it after I’m gone.”
“……Someone else?”
“Yes. The hotel staff.”
A thin crack formed in Cliden’s expression.
He understood exactly what she meant.
“You’re talking about them sorting through your last belongings.”
“At the very least, I should avoid causing them extra trouble.”
Waiting to die in a place like this was already a burden to them.
Cliden clenched his teeth unconsciously.
She had a talent for talking about painful things as if they were nothing.
“How is your body?”
“I don’t really know. I didn’t go to the hospital often. There wasn’t a point.”
Her illness was said to be incurable.
She didn’t receive treatment, only painkillers.
Hearing that made Cliden’s brow furrow deeply.
Even earlier—when she ignored her injured ankle—it was obvious she paid almost no attention to her own well-being.
Even if her life was short, this was too much.
Cliden let out a quiet sigh.
