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Chapter 81 Part 3 – The rose blooming in the shadows. Countess Rosenthal is prepared to die a horrible death as a villain. Her heart-wrenching determination struck our hearts like moonlight.

「…… You bastard, how dare you ……!!」

Cornelia paled a little and tried to swallow the insult, but Arnold was enraged. He glared at Countess Rosenthal.

「You pretended to be friendly with my master, but in the end, you’re still an enemy!! I hate it the most when someone pretends to be nice and then betrays others ……!!」

「…… Stop it!! Arnold!! This person is probably ……」

Seraphi’s discreet restraint that made him used to acting as inconspicuous as possible backfired. Shaking off Seraphy’s outstretched hand, Arnold jumped out in front of Countess Rosenthal.

「Hah!! For a villain like this!! The more you hold back, the more they take advantage of you!! The right answer is to beat them up immediately!!」

Full of murderous intent, the tall Arnold looked like a black panther. He had the power to make even an adult man be unable to stand up due to fear. He was as terrifying as a primitive man encountered in the dark. Despite the distance, several of the red nobles turned pale and retreated.

But Countess Rosenthal was unperturbed.

「Heh, if you don’t like it, then use violence to make a woman do what you say. If you think that’s what a warrior is, no, if that’s what your master Cornelia taught you, then feel free to beat me until you’re satisfied.」

Arnold flinched as Countess Rosenthal thrusted her chin out.

Even though he may look rough, he is not a person who can hit a woman. He is a proud warrior. Even more so, when he heard the name of Cornelia, whom he respects, he could no longer make a move.

「What’s the matter? Come on, hurry up. Is it only your mouth that’s so cocky?」

「…… Ugh …… Nh ……!!」

After being provoked, Arnold solidified on the spot with an angry expression that seemed to have steam come out of his head.
Seeing that, Countess Rosenthal coldly glanced at Arnold.

「Fufufu, you narrowly escaped death huh. You almost caused your master Cornelia to get down on her knees. Acting out of one’s own anger is something even a child can do. You can only call yourself a real man when you can take into consideration the feelings of the people around you. You simple-minded brat.」

Countess Rosenthal puffed out her chest, stared at Arnold who was taller than her, and snorted mockingly.

‘…… Brian-san, Bill-san, and Bobby-san. I’m sure you guys would have had a good laugh about that.’

Arnold had no way of knowing that the now-deceased three old warriors had crossed her mind.

Arnold glanced at Cornelia while feeling frustrated.

「Arnold, I am flattered by your sentiments, but ……」, Cornelia shook her head slightly while looking apologetic. Whatever the reason is, threatening an unarmed noblewoman with force is out of the question. No matter how atrocious they may be, these people are nobles. It’s not the same as the bickering in a bar at the rundown districts. If you want to punish them, you have to do it within the rules approved by the nobility, otherwise only you will be treated as a scoundrel.

Arnold could not help but grit his teeth and remained silent after hearing what Seraphy whispered.

「A man can’t win against a woman with his mouth. For idiots like you who only think of violence, as long as you take away that option, then the only thing they can do is gnash their teeth. At the very least, you should prepare two or three more options. Although that’s probably impossible for you to do.」

As the countess ridiculed him in a high-handed manner, Arnold turned pale with his mouth opening and closing repeatedly. He barely managed to keep his voice down, but he must have wanted to stamp his feet on the ground, saying that women are cunning.

Countess Rosenthal smiled sarcastically at the sound of his teeth gnashing, then she apologized to Arnold inside her heart.

As the owner of the evil eye, she knows that Arnold is not really an adult, but just a child. She thought that he did great to endure it after being so viciously criticized. It was rather boyish and nice of him to flare up when his master was insulted.

Her heart ached. Before her father made him unable to walk, her younger brother Teddy was also such a passionate boy with a strong sense of justice. Teddy dreamed of one day joining the imperial guards and saving his older sister Rona and his brother from their unfortunate circumstances. In order to protect his precious family, he wanted to become a hero who could stand up against any opponent. And yet, he spent his days in tears and sorrow because he became a burden that caused Rona and Ronny to be unable to escape that hell. In the end, he believed the lies of the Inquisition officials and his four limbs were cut off and he died in a non-human form in order to protect Rona and Ronny. The countess couldn’t even see him in his final moments. Teddy died alone in the musty darkness while in great pain and despair.

‘…… Arnold. I’m sure you’ll grow up to be a good warrior. Teddy wanted to be a boy like you. It’s too bad he’s not around to see it ……’

She thought so with nostalgia, regret, and pain that made her heart constrict.

「……!!」

It was then that Countess Rosenthal was struck by terrible pain.

It was truly the breaking of a dam of pain. The shock stopped her breathing. It felt as if thousands of knives had been thrust into her spinal cord and gouged out all at once. It was as if all the nerves had been stirred with fire-hot tongs. The pain she had felt earlier was only an omen. This was the pain that Solomon had warned her about, the pain that would come as the cost of the evil eye. The trauma of being raped as a child and having her body ripped apart from the inside came back to her mind and she almost screamed. At that time, she asked her late mother to save her. But now she is no longer qualified to do so. She has to fight this alone. Cold sweat broke out all over her body, but the countess tried her best to not show it on her face.

When she came back to her senses, her body was wobbling and about to fall. The pain was so intense that she lost her sense of balance. Even if she tries to get back on her feet, she can’t put any strength into her legs. The evil eye had even plundered her physical strength.

‘Oh no’, the countess thought while biting her tongue. In order to make Cornelia shine, it was essential that she play the role of the shameless and stubborn villain. This would ruin the stage.

Probably …… once I fall down, I’ll never get up again.

Is my life not enough!? I can’t even be allowed to play the role of a villain!?

She let out a heart-rending scream inside her heart as her body was on the verge of falling like a rotten tree, but then she was gently supported by a hand. Bradd supported her so casually that those around her didn’t notice.

「…… Are you sure you don’t want to do this? Are you sure you will not regret this? Before it’s too late, you can still ……」

As soon as Bradd’s hand came in contact with her, she could feel the warmth and the pain disappeared like a lie. Her body suddenly felt better. Countess Rosenthal nearly cried at that moment.

‘…… Marielle …… -san ……!!’

There is no way she could have forgotten it. This was Marielle’s blood flow manipulation that once healed her dying self.

Rona-chan is a really nice girl.
You’re bright, kind, and very perceptive.
Your mother must have educated you well.

Marielle’s cheerful voice resounded in my ears as if it was only yesterday.

With magical hands, she washed Rona who was stained with blood and mud without showing a trace of disgust, then she arranged her hair, dressed her up, and proudly presented her to Wendell and the three old warriors, saying, 「What do you guys think? Rona-chan is so beautiful that she won’t lose to anyone else, right?」. After that, with Marielle playing the musical accompaniment, I danced the minuet with Wendell. The three old warriors watched over us with a gentle gaze.

「…… Aa ……! …… Aaah ……!」

It felt as if Marielle had come to help her through Bradd and Countess Rosenthal’s vision became clouded with tears. A small, uncontrollable sob rose from her throat. How I wish I could go back to that place again ……!!

「…… Stop it, Bradd. We must not interfere in this.」

Said Seraphy who was behind Bradd.

「Let’s see it through. Let’s not forget. That’s all we can do.」

After hearing Seraphy’s words, Bradd bit his lip and moved away from the countess.