In a situation where it seemed he really needed to bring the Saintess, Puti felt suffocated. Puti hurriedly conveyed the story he had just heard to Rosetta.
“But Your Majesty. Recently, the servants have been daring to impiously link the Saintess and Your Majesty together.”
After Puti entered the room today, Rosetta for the first time took his gaze off the mirror and turned his head toward Puti.
“What are you talking about?”
“They’re asking if Your Majesty and the Saintess are in a romantic relationship. If they’re asking me about it, it’s already a rumor that’s spread as far as it can go….”
“So what did you say?”
Puti exclaimed as if it were obvious.
“I said absolutely not!”
“That’s all?”
He had thought he would receive praise, but Rosetta’s reaction was cold. Puti asked back restlessly.
“Pardon?”
“Shouldn’t you have informed them that I have someone who is more beautiful, cooler, lovelier, and even cuter?”
“Pardon?”
As Puti blinked blankly, Rosetta clicked his tongue.
“Truly useless. Get out.”
Puti was greatly shocked. Useless?
“Useless….”
Puti froze stiffly right there.
* * *
Angel stopped in her tracks while entering the dining room at Rosetta, who greeted her with a face tinged with amusement. When Angel stiffened, Rosetta looked at her and asked.
“What’s wrong?”
At that question, goosebumps rose on Angel’s body again.
Clearly, their last meeting had been the worst. That’s why she had deliberately not requested a meeting recently. But contact came from Rosetta first.
This was the first time Rosetta had summoned Angel first.
Since Rosetta, who had never lacked anything, would only have a reason to call Angel because of the existence in the mirror, she naturally guessed it was related to the mirror.
‘But to have such a bright face….’
She had thought he would glare at her as if to kill her, pressure her using the power of dawn, interrogate her about information regarding the mirror, and threaten her asking when he could meet the person in the mirror.
‘I came fully prepared mentally.’
Angel wanted Rosetta to be more anxious and to suffer. She hoped he would hurt and grieve from his one-sided love and understand her feelings toward the Father.
No matter how much he threatened her and tormented her with the power of dawn, she had resolved to absolutely not reveal any more information than this—but what was with Rosetta’s face right now?
‘He looks like he’s gained the whole world.’
Though he wasn’t smiling brightly, the atmosphere flowing from him was like what people commonly called a gently blowing spring breeze.
‘What is this? Has he gone crazy?’
As Angel was struggling to grasp the situation, Rosetta spoke to Angel once more.
“Don’t stand there, sit in front of me. Do I have to explain even things like this one by one?”
At the tone no different from usual that always made Angel angry, Angel was instead relieved. Though she was annoyed at herself for being relieved by such an unpleasant way of speaking, she at least thought the Emperor hadn’t completely lost his mind.
As Angel sat down, Rosetta immediately began speaking.
“Did I call you too suddenly?”
“No, Your Majesty.”
It was a courteous answer. But as expected, Rosetta’s reaction exceeded imagination.
“Really? Then why are you so late?”
The voice was bright, but the tone was still unpleasant. Angel was about to shout that she had a schedule too, then bowed her head.
“…I apologize.”
“I’ve been in a very good mood lately.”
Angel raised her head again and looked at Rosetta.
“Pardon?”
She wondered if he was being sarcastic, but Rosetta really did seem to be in a good mood. As Angel was pondering what answer she should give, Rosetta spoke as if boasting.
“I can finally see all of his daily life now.”
Angel was truly surprised.
“Really?”
Rosetta nodded proudly.
“Yes. To be able to watch his entire day, I’m truly happy.”
Angel’s face, who hadn’t particularly hoped for his happiness, crumpled completely.
“…I see.”
Even at Angel’s ambiguous answer, Rosetta asked with a face full of leisure.
“So, about that. How much longer do you think is left now?”
She didn’t want to answer, but as the calmly sinking gaze grew more so the longer the answer was delayed, Angel estimated the date.
“As I told you before, if it’s long, it will probably take about another month.”
“That much is still left?”
“…Yes. But since the connection continues, you’ll be able to feel each other more and more clearly.”
“That side too?”
“Yes.”
“I see.”
Rosetta, who had been nodding satisfactorily, suddenly stood up from his seat. The meal was just being brought in.
Angel asked Rosetta, bewildered.
“Why are you getting up?”
“I’m going.”
“Where are you going?”
Then Rosetta answered as if it were obvious.
“I have to go see him. You finish your meal.”
Rosetta hurriedly left the dining room without even listening to Angel’s response. The servants who were setting down the food glanced at Angel.
Angel shook her head at those servants and stood up. She wasn’t in the mood to eat. She had gone all the way to the imperial palace at the Emperor’s invitation, only to be left alone in this vast dining room.
‘Ha.’
Meetings with the Emperor generally always ended with the Emperor leaving his seat first like this, but she had never felt as strange as she did today.
‘Why do I feel so bad?’
Though Rosetta had gotten up earlier than usual, he was always such a rude person anyway.
Today wasn’t particularly more rude or less rude than usual, so why did she feel so bad?
Angel, who had been about to board a carriage to leave the imperial palace after the short meeting, stopped in her tracks.
‘Ah. That’s why….’
The Emperor had been in a good mood throughout his entire conversation with Angel today. Angel felt this bad because the Emperor was in a good mood today.
Originally, after Rosetta and Angel conversed, both sides felt bad.
They made each other’s moods shitty. Of course, Angel usually lost most of the arguments, but still, it was just a matter of degrees of how much worse their moods got—both of them always ended up feeling bad.
But today, the Emperor was happy throughout the conversation. Only Angel’s mood was hurt. Realizing that, her teeth ground unconsciously.
In the first place, Angel had given Rosetta the mirror to tame the Emperor’s unpleasant personality and prevent him from being a disgrace to the Father’s reputation.
‘No, that’s all an excuse.’
Angel had intended to enjoy watching the Emperor fret anxiously and suffer.
But the Emperor was too happy. No, more than happy—happiness was overflowing.
‘It feels like I did something good for the Emperor.’
But Angel consoled herself. The good mood was temporary. Hadn’t she seen the records of the past?
‘The records of the past I didn’t tell the Emperor about.’
The endings of the strangers who came over to this side through the mirror were always unhappy.
They always longed for their original world, recalled those they had left behind there, and could never feel complete happiness.
And because of such partners, the other side was always hurt. Those who used the mirror to bring their partner to this world had a strong obsession with fate.
Because their obsession was strong, they could use the mirror to trap their partner in this place, but for that very reason, they couldn’t be satisfied with not completely possessing their fate.
Even if the partner adapted well to this world, it didn’t solve all the problems either.
‘Yes, let him enjoy the present.’
What Angel wanted wasn’t short-term pain. What she wanted was persistent, long-lasting pain.
Pain so precious you hold it in your hands only to cause suffering, yet you can’t let it go either—pain you can only watch.
Angel smiled with satisfaction, thinking of such a future.
* * *
These days, Seoho was regaining his vitality by occasionally exchanging messages with Oh Yuri.
‘Human relationships are fascinating.’
He found it amazing that a person could brighten up this much over something that would have been nothing in the past. When Oh Yuri, with whom he had been exchanging messages, informed him that class was starting, Seoho put down his phone.
Then he turned his head and looked at the wall. After shedding tears last time, the eye on the wall had gradually begun to change to seem more real.
So now it seemed to be glaring at Seoho with resentment.
“Why do you resent me?”
He wondered if it was a misconception, but strangely, that’s how it felt to Seoho.
“Well, it seems you’re waiting to kill me, so it would be strange to have good feelings.”
Seoho moved a bit closer to the wall and asked.
“Who are you?”
As his mind became a bit more at ease, it seemed he had the leisure to do such nonsensical things too. Seoho knew his current behavior was very strange, but he continued throwing questions at the eye.
“How long have you been here?”
Knowing that no answer would come made the questions come out even more easily.
“Why are you looking at me?”
If a ghost could influence reality to this extent, he thought there must be something tremendous going on.
“What are you doing right now?”
Rather than accusing, he was literally just asking what he was curious about.
“Why do you cry every day? Why are you so sad?”
He found it amazing that it could cry so ceaselessly like that. Did ghosts not sleep either?
“Will you not be sad anymore after you take me away?”
