Within the silence of her personal bed room, Rose stared out into the space by her home windows and out onto the countless seas.

Due to the Finaflor’s mansion’s location on the cliffside which neglected the docklands, Rose was naturally additionally given a positive view of the ocean that laid past stated docklands.

The Drussians and the Breetish had already lengthy since left Jardim metropolis and pushed on to ‘liberate’ the remainder of Portegol, abandoning solely a single military battalion to garrison town.

Sometimes, resupply convoys would disembark on the port metropolis earlier than making their technique to meet with the remainder of the Accomplice military.

Whereas Rose did notice that there was one thing ‘off’ in regards to the Confederates just lately, she by no means actually bothered to look an excessive amount of into it.

By her personal admission, she not cared.

In actuality, she did not care about many issues anymore, as an alternative her thoughts simply drifted elsewhere as she actually did nothing.

Ever since Orchid’s suicide, Rose discovered {that a} small, metaphorical piece of her ‘died’ alongside Orchid.

Rose not involved herself with the home issues of her personal metropolis or international affairs the may resolve the destiny of her folks.

She not tried to instate new reforms now that the Portegeese have been not underneath the Panish Empire or attempt to stabilise her struggle weary metropolis.

She not saved updated with the present struggle scenario within the jap entrance or the present state of worldwide politics.

She even left the entire administration of town to the surviving vassal noble homes underneath the Finaflor household, solely giving them her ‘seal of approval’ however by no means taking an in-depth take a look at any of their experiences.

She not did… something anymore.

Nothing that mattered anyway.

After all, she would nonetheless exit to eat and generally, she would even play together with her youthful sister; Lily.

However moments like these have been sparse and once they did happen, they did not actually final for lengthy.

“Tch”

Rose could not assist clicking her tongue as she as soon as once more misplaced herself in ideas that in all honesty she’d somewhat keep away from in any respect prices.

However even her personal thoughts was working in opposition to her.

It was at moments like these that she will be able to’t assist however ask herself;

‘Why am I like this?’

Earlier than the Accomplice invasion, Rose may bear in mind herself as somebody who was as soon as decided to take motion but solely lacked the sources and manpower to take action.

And now, right here she is, with all of the sources of the whole Jardim metropolis at her disposal. In actuality she actually was not ready to request for extra sources.

And but right here she was, standing idly, alone in her bed room with the doorways locked and looking onto the seas, as an alternative solely guaranteeing that her abdomen was crammed and permitting her subordinates see to the administration and stability of the port metropolis.

The place was that keen ‘Rose’ that after sought to rid all of Portegol of any and all Panish affect?

Since when did she disappear?

Since when did she get changed?

That query persistently nagged at Rose each time her ideas lead her astray, invading into her thoughts each time doable.

However deep down inside, she already knew the reply.

Maybe it was time to lastly admit it.

It was in the mean time that she met with Sicilia for the second time.

The second that she betrayed every thing, simply to see her personal desires develop into a actuality.

At that second, she had develop into the form of person who she at all times detested.

She had develop into a sycophant.

She had develop into a canine.

She had develop into identical to her older sister.

However as an alternative of being a canine for the Paniards like Orchid was, she had develop into a canine for the Confederates.

What an ironic accident certainly.

Though it was by no means formally or formally acknowledged, it was plain and apparent.

Jardim metropolis and possibly the remainder of Portegol have been most certainly to be seen as vassal puppet states by the Confederates.

It was simply that the Confederates for some motive weren’t very ‘open’ about it so to talk.

However Rose not let such ideas hassle her.

She might be a dull puppet for all she cared.

She had develop into the very factor she hated with a view to ‘win.’

And that was one thing that Rose struggled to reside with.

“Guahahahahaha”

Rose did not know why however she broke out right into a laughter out of nowhere.

Maybe it was as a result of she discovered the entire ordeal to be fairly hilarious or maybe it was as a result of she was having a psychological breakdown, both means, they have been each ‘the identical’ to her.

As she continued to quietly chuckle to herself, a very ‘darkish thought’ pervaded in her thoughts.

When Rose contemplated on stated ‘darkish thought,’ she remembered Orchid’s remaining phrases earlier than she threw herself off the cliff.

‘Goodbye Rose. Till we meet once more.’

On the considered this reminiscence, Rose could not assist chuckling to herself yet one more time earlier than she spoke to seemingly nobody.

“Nicely Orchid… I believe we is perhaps assembly ahead of it’s possible you’ll suppose.”

As Rose stated this, she circled to test that nobody else was in her bed room.

Though she knew that since nobody needs to be in her non-public room particularly because it was locked, she nonetheless needed to test ‘simply in case.’

It was solely as soon as she was certain that she was utterly alone that she made her means for one in all her drawer compartments subsequent to her mattress.

A comparatively small drawer compartment that stood at a peak shorter than her mattress.

The drawer by which she saved her musket pistol.

Choosing the pistol up and holding it in her palms, Rose felt the corners of her mouth twitch as she inspected the weapon.

The tracings on the musket pulsed a dim blue gentle as she poured a few of her arcane magic into the weapon.

After analyzing the gun for a couple of brief momente, she turned her artentiok again to the identical drawer the place she saved the weapon.

Inside have been a couple of bullet rounds as properly, all of whom have been neatly packaged right into a small field contained in the drawer.

Rose felt her coronary heart tremble as she opened the small field, took a small spherical and loaded it into the pistol, the sunshine on the pistol rising barely brighter than earlier than as she did so.

This was the weapon that she was imagined to have used to kill Orchid of their final encounter on that cliffside.

The weapon the in the end by no means fired when the chance introduced itself.

Rose by no means actually forgave herself for her actions however maybe she may now discover solace in ‘redemption.’

If she failed in killing Orchid, then she may merely simply kill somebody who was identical to Orchid.

After taking a deep breath, Rose felt her grip tighten across the pistol as she lifted the weapon upwards in the direction of her goal.

Her finger laid agency onto the set off whereas the barrel of the gun planted itself firmly onto Rose’s proper temple.

This was it.

All she needed to do was pull the set off.

If she pulled the set off then it might all be over.

If she simply pulled the rattling set off, then she would ‘succeed.’

It was identical to earlier than when she confronted Orchid.

Besides this time, she could not presumably permit herself to fail for a second time.

And but, the pistol nonetheless is not going to hearth.

“Rattling it!”

Inexplicably, Rose instinctively and shortly threw the gun away from herself as she shouted, making a loud thumping sound because it hit in opposition to the wall.

Fully mortified, Rose fell onto her knees and palms as she felt her eyes beginning to develop into watery.

Her voice stuttered as she as soon as once more spoke to herself.

“D-damn it… W-why?.. Why?..”

Quickly, the tears that fashioned in her eyes started to softly stream down her face as she spoke.

“W-why am I like this? Why did this need to occur to me? J-just… Simply why?”

Rose felt her head ache as she pressured herself to search out the reply.

A reply.

Any reply.

So long as it was a solution.

Then she can be content material with it.

However a lot to her dismay, she simply couldn’t discover the reply.

After a couple of moments of attempting in useless to search out the reply, Rose would solely be met with failure after failure.

Quickly, Rose pressured herself to face up as she continued trying to find the reply, hoping, praying that she may discover it.

Her eyes darted round her room as she desperately sought the reply, as unpractical as which will sound.

Despite the fact that she knew that she could not presumably discover the reply in her bed room, she nonetheless did so anyway.

One thing, something that would move off as a ‘resolution.’

Quickly, her eyes rested onto a single, strange ornamental object in her bed room.

A lily pot.

And that was when a sudden thought flashed by Rose’s thoughts.

A revelation that was such an apparent reply that Rose couldn’t consider that she did not consider it earlier than.

“Lily…”

Rose felt as if all of her ideas left her as she absentmindedly stared on the lily pot, not saying a single phrase as she did so.

As she stared on the lily pot, Rose felt her thoughts barely settle down. Her sense of unease pale away and was changed with a way of serenity.

The reply was standing in her bed room the entire time and but Rose was too blinded by her personal self hate to really see it.

The explanation that she could not finish it was really actually easy and simple.

She nonetheless had one thing to reside for.

Lily Phlor Finaflor.

Rose’s youthful sister.

Rose’s youthful sister who can be left on their lonesome if Rose took her personal life.

If Rose ended all of it now, then who will look out for Lily now that Orchid was lifeless?

What sort of sin would Rose have dedicated if she took not only one however each of Lily’s older sisters away from her?

No, Rose could not presumably carry herself to do such a factor.

Quickly, Rose felt an actual, real smile develop on her face as she mentally strengthened her resolve.

Even when she did nothing to contribute to the world or her folks.

Even when she hated herself.

Even when she wished to finish herself.

She would carry on residing.

For Lily’s sake, she would carry on residing.