Chapter 1 — The Proposal from the Demon
Rose was a four-year-old girl who lived in an orphanage in rural Shikura, one of the three leading nations.
One day, the warden called her to his office.
As Rose entered, she saw the warden talking to a middle-aged man.
“Rose, come here.” The warden waved his hand.
“Yes, sir.”
The little girl innocently ran toward him.
The warden crouched down.
“Rose, this man wants to take you into his family.”
Rose looked at the man.
“So, you are Rose.”
“Yes.” She spoke in a quiet voice.
“Rose, go and pack your things.”
“Okay, sir.”
Rose left the office and ran toward her room.
The next day, Rose and the man left the orphanage for Shikura’s capital.
During the journey, they both tried to say something several times, but neither of them knew what to say.
Finally, Rose gathered the courage to speak.
“What is your name, sir?”
“Oh! I forgot to tell you. Sorry. I am Coline Longstone, and from today onward, you are my daughter, Rose Longstone.”
“Rose Longstone…”
She smiled.
“I like this name, Father.”
Coline smiled.
That night, they reached Coline’s house in the capital.
“From today onward, this is your house, Rose.”
“My house?”
Rose looked toward the house in amazement.
“Let’s go inside. Someone is waiting for us.”
They entered the house.
A woman was sitting near the entrance.
“Clara, I am home.”
“Oh, darling, you’re back.”
“See? I brought her.”
Clara looked at Rose, who was standing behind Coline.
“Are you Rose?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Oh, don’t call me ma’am. I am your mother.”
“Mother…”
Rose murmured the word softly.
“Clara, I am going to change. Can you take Rose to her room?”
“Okay, darling.”
Coline walked toward his room.
“Come here, Rose,” Clara called.
“Yes, Mother.”
Rose entered the room.
“Who did you call Mother?”
Clara closed the door.
“What?” Rose asked in confusion.
Clara grabbed Rose’s arm tightly.
“Mother! It hurts!”
“I am not your mother!” Clara shouted.
She released Rose’s arm.
“If you tell your father anything, I will kill you.”
Clara left the room.
Rose stood there, crying.
Some Days Later
The three of them were having dinner at the dining table.
“I am going to the next town tomorrow for some business. Do you two want anything?”
“Nothing, darling.”
Coline turned toward Rose.
“Do you want something, Rose?”
Rose looked at him and smiled.
“Nothing, Father. I just want you to return safely.”
“Oh, you are such a good girl, Rose.”
Coline patted her head.
The smile on Clara’s face disappeared.
The next day, Coline left for the next town.
“Rose!” Clara shouted angrily.
“Yes, ma’am.”
Clara slapped her.
“When are you going to do the dishes?”
“Sorry, I forgot, ma’am.”
Rose ran toward the sink and started washing the dishes as tears ran down her cheeks.
Clara’s cruel behavior toward Rose continued.
After some time, Clara gave birth to a daughter, and they named her Mary.
From that day onward, Clara’s cruelty toward Rose only increased.
Thirteen Years Later
One day, Coline was drinking with his old friend, Bhaskar, an ex-army officer.
They had already drunk a lot and were about to call it a night when Bhaskar spoke.
“Can I ask you for a little favor, Coline?”
Coline, who was pouring himself another drink, looked at him.
“Yes, of course!”
“Can you find a girl for Roy?” Bhaskar asked in a low voice.
Coline stopped pouring and looked at Bhaskar.
“You mean your son?”
“Yes.”
“But why?”
“Well, you know that Roy has reached the age of marriage, but…”
Bhaskar paused.
“…due to his reputation, every family rejects his marriage proposals.”
“But still, why do you want Roy to get married? If you are worried about who will carry your family name forward, then your second son can do that.”
“No, that’s not why I want Roy to get married. It’s for his own good.”
Bhaskar stood up and walked toward the window.
“As you know, after his mother died and I remarried, he never lived like a normal person. Therefore, I think he should marry and try to live like a normal person.”
“Oh, yes. I remember your family is a little complicated.”
“So, can you help me?”
Coline took a sip of his drink and thought for a few seconds.
“How about he marries my daughter?”
“Are you sure about that?”
Bhaskar looked at him in surprise.
“You know the rumors about Roy, right?”
“After your wife died, I became closer to him than you are now. Therefore, I know that those rumors are baseless.”
“Oh, thank you, Coline.”
“Hey, old friends don’t thank each other.”
The Next Morning
The next morning, Coline was having breakfast with his family.
“I have received a marriage proposal for Mary, and I have accepted it,” Coline said.
Everyone froze and looked at him.
“Darling, but so suddenly?” Clara asked in panic.
Rose and Mary remained silent.
“Why? Are you not happy with my decision?”
“No. It’s just that you announced it so suddenly.”
Clara turned toward Rose.
“Rose, can you pass me the bowl?”
“Yes, Mother.”
Rose picked up the bowl and handed it to her.
“Darling, may I ask the name of the man you have chosen for our daughter?”
“His name is Roy Garrison, the son of Bhaskar Garrison.”
Everyone in the room froze.
They looked toward Coline in horror.
Rose also suddenly stopped moving, and a few drops of soup fell onto Clara’s dress.
Clara ignored it.
“Darling, are you talking about General Roy Garrison?”
“Yes.”
“But why?”
Clara’s voice trembled.
“Why are you giving our daughter to that demon?”
“I know him, darling. He is not as the rumors say.”
Coline stood up.
“They are arriving the day after tomorrow to see Mary.”
He then left the room.
Clara turned toward Rose.
She slapped her so hard that Rose fell to the ground.
“Are you blind, or what!” she shouted.
Mary stood up and stepped toward Rose.
But Clara immediately shouted,
“Mary! Come with me.”
Mary stopped.
Clara took her away from the room.
Rose remained on the ground.
She stared blankly at the floor.
Why aren’t tears coming out of my eyes?
Rose slowly stood up and wiped the blood from her lips.
“Normally, I start crying when ma’am beats me…”
She looked at her bruised arm.
“But why not now?”
She touched the bruise.
“Is it because, this time, ma’am didn’t hit me as hard?”
Rose picked up the dishes from the table and carried them toward the sink.
“Roy Garrison, huh…”
She paused.
“I think I should also try to convince Father to rethink his decision.”
Suddenly, the kitchen door opened.
Something fell to the floor.
Rose turned around.
A bandage was lying near the doorway.
She walked toward it and picked it up.
Rose looked at the bandage.
Then she noticed something written on one side.
“Mary…”
A gentle smile appeared on her face.
Tears began running down her cheeks.
“You fool.”
On one side of the bandage, one word was written.
Sorry.
