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Chapter 65 Part 4 – A rose that blooms on a snowy day. An unattainable first love.

Teddy saw through Rona’s lies.
He was crying not because he felt betrayed by Rona.
It was because Rona had sacrificed herself in order to protect her younger brothers.
And because he realized that she lied to her younger brothers in order to make them forget about herself.
He cried because of her kindness.
Even if god had taken no notice of Rona, her younger brothers understood her.

Staggering back to her feet, Rona started walking again.

With this broken body, those men will no longer take her.
The only outcome left for her was becoming a burden.
Even so, her younger brothers would not abandon her.
They will certainly protect her with their lives.
Then what awaits them is the death of all three of them.
That is the one thing she must avoid at all costs.

That is the reason why Rona tried to throw herself from the bridge into the river.

When her mother was still alive, she used to take the young Rona and her younger brothers by the hand and take them to the small bridge.
The surface of the river was covered with floating matter and the stone steps of the boat harbor were worn out.
There was a large number of small boats moored to the harbor. Those boats creaked as if they were about to sink.
Even so, the men loading and unloading the barrels and sacks were cheerful and the women in worn out skirts stood around and chatted with each other. Children energetically ran around among them. The white breath visible in cold air. The sound of laughter.

The scene was ordinary, but for Rona, it was an important place.
Her mother, younger brothers, and herself used to be a part of that scene.
But now …… she can no longer go back to that time.

Snow began to fall.

「…… Mother, I’m sorry. I couldn’t watch over Ronny and Teddy until the end. I’m on my way to the other side now, so you can scold me as much as you want ……」

The sound of horse’s hooves and the wheels of a carriage rang behind her and drowned out Rona’s last words.

Rona leaned over the guardrail.
Her body was emaciated.
The temperature of the winter river would mercifully end her life.
The soles of Rona’s feet lifted off the ground.

But her fall was stopped.
The only thing that fell into the surface of the river was her tears that fluttered about in the air.

「…… You can’t!! No matter how hard it is, you mustn’t do this!!」

A noble child jumped out from the carriage that had come to a sudden stop and held Rona’s hand after she jumped off the bridge.

That was the first encounter between Wendell, who would later be known as the heroic Crimson Duke, and Rona, who would go on to climb to the top and become known as Countess Rosenthal.

At that time, Wendell was a very slender and petite boy.
He was dragged along by the light Rona and almost fell off the bridge himself.
But Wendell did not let go of her hand.

「…… Hold on …… tight ……!! I’m going …… to pull you up now ……!!」

Not understanding what had just happened, Rona was stunned.

At a glance, the boy was beautifully dressed.
She immediately realized that he was a noble.
Why would a noble child, a complete stranger, risk his life to help her, a pauper?

「Old man Brian!! Old man Bill!! Old man Bobby!!」

Wendell shouted.

「…… Yeah!!」

The three old warriors responded.
The white-bearded Brian, the brown-bearded Bill, and the black-bearded Bobby jumped in at lightning speed.
They easily pulled Rona and Wendell up onto the bridge.

「…… Thank goodness. Are you hurt?」

Wendell let out a sigh of relief as he held Rona in his arms.

After going through such terrible sexual experiences, Rona had a feeling of rejection towards men.
Even during the act, she desperately struggled to curb her nausea.
She had great difficulty in overcoming it.
And yet, at this moment, she felt nothing but warmth, even when their cheeks were close enough to touch, even when their breath brushed against each other’s neck.

With red hair and red eyes, Wendell was a very beautiful boy despite his unusual appearance.
Above all, his gaze was kind.
Rona could tell that he was sincerely concerned about herself.

It was the prince that the young Rona had always dreamed of.

‘…… God, you are cruel. How could you make my dreams come true after all this?’

Said Rona inside her heart as she cursed god.

The innocent Rona of the past would be in high spirits and rejoiced in that happiness.
But she could never go back to those days of innocence.

「Someone as dirty as I am has no qualifications to continue living ……!! I want to die!! Please, let me die.」

Rona’s body writhed as she cried and shouted.
The sense of shame she thought had long since worn out and disappeared was brought back.

The snow was getting heavier and heavier, covering the town in white.
But nothing could erase the filth on her own body.

As she struggled to escape from Wendell’s arms, Rona found herself face to face with him.
She reflexively gasped at the distressed look on his face when she saw him up close.
What kind and sad eyes, she thought.
She felt as if time had stopped.
Looking straight at Rona, Wendell smiled.

「You’re not dirty at all. After all, your eyes are so beautiful.」

Those words were like a miracle for Rona’s exhausted heart.

Rona’s hazel eyes are the same color as her beloved mother’s eyes.
It was Rona’s secret pride.

「You chose to be hurt in order to protect the people you care about. Your eyes are filled with such gentle courage. Don’t ever call them dirty.」

She felt like her mother who had protected them until her last moments had been praised.

Losing the strength in her knees, Rona sat down on the ground.
Wendell knelt down in front of Rona and met her gaze.
Then he extended his hand and placed a small rose hair ornament in Rona’s hair.

「…… The season for roses is spring. But there are rare roses that endure and bloom nobly in the snow. They heal the hearts of those who see them in the frozen landscape. I think those roses suits you well.」

Tears fell from Rona’s eyes as she listened to his words.
She could tell that Wendell saw her as a human being.
Before she knew it, she had already returned to the behavior of a girl appropriate for her age and cried.

「…… They made fun of me saying that I’m a slut ……!! They did all kinds of terrible things to me …… and said that I’m happy to be treated like that ……!! Even though I really hated it ……!! I hated it to death ……!! I’m so dirty ……!! I hate myself ……!! I want to just disappear ……」

Seeing the red color gradually spreading from under Rona’s skirt as she sobbed, the black-bearded Bobby immediately realized what was going on and grunted.

「…… How cruel ……!!」

The brown-bearded Bill said as his beard and hair stood on end.

「…… Damn those brutes …… I’m going to turn them into rust on my blade.」

He tightly gripped the handle of the one-handed sickle hidden under his cloak.

「…… Calm down. You short-tempered old men. Although, I do agree with you.」

The white-bearded Brian sighed in remonstration, but there was no less fury in his eyes.

「…… Don’t cry. You are not dirty at all. If it’s okay with you, we can help you.」

Wendell brushed off the snow from Rona’s hair and stroked her head gently to soothe her.
Again and again.
As if he’s trying to prove that Rona is not dirty by touching her.

It was strangely comforting and Rona felt like she had become a puppy who loves to be petted.
Feeling embarrassed, she wished she could attribute the reddening of her ears to the cold.

…… That day, for the first time in Rona’s life, a helping hand was extended from other people.

And that was the moment when Rona, who would later be known as Countess Rosenthal, fell in love with her unattainable first love.