Rose was shocked when she arrived at the garden of the Raphillen Palace.

Looking at the lush garden that would have been bustling with people, she gripped her dress to hide her trembling hands.

However, she had to make every effort not to reveal her emotions.

Although the garden was eerily quiet contrary to her expectations, there were still some nobles remaining.

Just as Rose was about to turn around after staring blankly at the Raphillen Palace for a while, conscious of the gazes:

“Oh my, Lady Asila?”

Hearing a voice from not too far away, Rose forced her stiff face to soften as she replied.

“Lady Modim.”

A woman with dark blue hair approached Rose.

The woman who came closer with sparkling navy eyes was Ideli Modim, the only daughter of the Modim baronial family.

Ideli, who quickly approached Rose, greeted her with a bright smile.

“My goodness, I thought you wouldn’t be able to make it since you weren’t seen until the banquet started, but you’re here!”

Though the words were spoken without malice, Rose, with her twisted mood, found them irritating.

“But what can we do? His Majesty has dismissed the banquet.”

Rose didn’t want to face her any longer, but she had to hear about the banquet, so she asked Ideli:

“The banquet?”

“Well, they say Lady Iolce has become the owner of the mana stone mine. But when she was talking about how she acquired the mana stone mine, oh my, they say Lord Iolce brought his mistress to the mansion!”

Rose couldn’t respond to Ideli’s words.

It seemed that neither Peiron nor Erina had mentioned who the mistress was at the banquet.

If the rumors had already spread, this naive and oblivious woman wouldn’t be relaying the news like this.

“His Majesty seemed to be angry and openly snubbed them at the banquet hall, saying he would personally oversee the divorce of the Iolce family. Isn’t it surprising?”

“I… see.”

Thanks to Ideli’s detailed account, Rose was able to learn exactly how the banquet had proceeded.

In fact, Rose wasn’t sure if she should consider this fortunate or not.

As Ideli paused for breath after talking for a while, Rose intentionally looked around the garden and said:

“It’s a shame. I spent so long getting ready despite not feeling well.”

“His Majesty must have been really angry with Lord Iolce. After declaring about the mana stone mine, he immediately dismissed the banquet, so everyone is leaving. I’m waiting for my carriage too.”

Ideli’s eyes scanned Rose’s appearance.

Rose’s claim of not feeling well didn’t seem to be a lie.

Unlike her soft, sweet-looking pink hair, her pale white face looked visibly ill at a glance.

Moreover, her white dress made her pale face stand out even more.

“Oh my, you really do look unwell.”

Ideli’s words, full of concern, greatly irritated Rose.

Ideli, still inexperienced in social language, had a reputation for being pure and foolish, which had already put her out of favor with the high nobility.

Her childlike innocence, unable to speak indirectly, further upset Rose’s already turbulent state.

“Yes, I’ll be going first.”

Although a surprised Ideli called after Rose, Rose got back into her carriage without looking back.

“Where shall we go, miss?”

“The Iolce mansion.”

As the carriage started moving, Rose’s face, which had been maintaining composure, crumpled.

Thinking about why the prophecy had gone so wrong, Rose recalled the painful past few days.

Ever since discovering the secret of the necklace inherited from Alisa, Rose had gone to great lengths to learn more details while avoiding Peiron’s watchful eyes.

The necklace would make Rose’s hazy memories clearer when it absorbed her blood.

However, in exchange for returning memories, it inflicted tremendous pain.

The more blood it absorbed, the more memories it brought back, but the pain was proportionally greater.

At first, not knowing any better, Rose poured a lot of blood into the necklace, but she lost consciousness from unbearable pain before she could even process the returning memories.

Of course, when she came to her senses and reflected, the memories came back, but the brain-searing pain made daily life difficult.

Moreover, due to Peiron’s constant and devoted care, she couldn’t absorb many memories.

Fortunately, thanks to Peiron being busy with the Founding Day celebrations, she was able to try little by little and recall the memories she needed right now.

The location of the mana stone mine, how to obtain it, and what to do after acquiring it were among those memories.

Knowing that both Peiron and Erina would be away from the mansion due to the Founding Day celebrations, Rose moved after confirming their departure.

It was very difficult to find a carriage and coachman because of the celebrations, but she was able to secure one by paying a considerable amount.

Urging the coachman in her haste, she arrived at a place different from her memories.

The quiet village with only a few houses was now under construction with dozens of buildings, and the sparsely populated rocky mountain was now noisy with various and numerous people staying there.

What shocked Rose even more was the name engraved largely on the rocky mountain, visible even from afar.

‘Rose, when you get that rocky mountain, that glorious mana stone mine, your name will be engraved. [Rose Iolce], that is.’

Alisa’s prophecy had gone awry.

Only she should have known the location of the mana stone mine.

Alisa had said that only people from the Risky family could prophesy.

She had said that Rose was now the only one left from the Risky family.

Rose couldn’t understand why there was now an owner in a place that no one else should have known about, when she alone was supposed to know the future.

And it was Erina, who in the future Rose knew, would be a villain causing havoc and severely interfering with her love with Peiron.

When the shocked Rose headed towards the mana stone mine, black and sharp iron fences surrounded the entire area.

Even before she could barely find the entrance, Rose was stopped by the knights guarding the place.

More than being stopped by those who knew nothing, Rose was dumbfounded by the words of the knight who blocked her at the entrance and hurriedly returned to the imperial palace.

‘The Marquis ordered us to control all access until the owner of the mana stone mine is announced at the Founding Day celebration.’

Rose couldn’t understand or believe that the announcement would be made without the rightful owner of the mana stone mine.

“Damn it…”

As the angry Rose bit her lips tightly, her red lips stood out against her pale white face.

It looked as if blood might drip at any moment.

It was a big blow that she had acted foolishly due to the holes in the prophecy from the time she met Peiron until she discovered the hidden secret of the necklace.

Everything went awry as she lost the mana stone mine.

For her mother’s prophecy to be perfectly fulfilled, [Rose Iolce] had to be engraved on the mine.

She had to have it in order to be loved by everyone and effortlessly win a destined love.

She had only managed to recover about a third of the prophecy that had disappeared from her mind.

‘If by any chance the prophecy goes wrong, which absolutely must not happen, if you don’t get the mana stone mine…’

It was almost the last part of Alisa’s prophecy.

But despite Rose shedding so much blood, the empty latter part remained unrecovered.

“How much more blood do I have to offer?”

The carriage, which had been running for a while, stopped as it had already arrived at the mansion.

“Miss, we’ve arrived.”

At the coachman’s words, Rose threw him a gold coin and got out of the carriage.

The coachman, who barely caught the thrown gold coin, hurriedly left his seat.

The entrance of the Iolce mansion, which Rose thought would be empty, had the carriage of the Count’s family, and Peiron was there as well.

“Ron!”

Rose hurriedly ran to Peiron.

Peiron, who had been standing blankly, was startled to hear Rose’s voice from behind, when she should have been in the mansion.

“Rose? Why are you here…”

“Ron.”

Rose carefully suppressed her irritated feelings at Peiron’s face, which was as pale as her own.

She was frustrated with him for acting so stupidly at the banquet hall and coming back.

‘Even if he’s crazy in love, he should have protected what needed to be protected.’

Hiding her true feelings and swallowing a sigh, Rose felt that the destined love with him that Alisa had prophesied was pathetic.

She couldn’t understand why he would throw away all the honor and wealth he had held for such a trivial love.

But even if Rose thought him pathetic, she couldn’t express it.

To reverse the distorted prophecy and broken futures, everything had to return to its place.

That’s why she had to believe that she loved this foolish man, and act accordingly.

Even if it meant deceiving her own feelings and feeling like she might go crazy from frustration.

Rose gently stroked Peiron’s cheek.

“Are you alright?”

At Rose’s gentle touch, Peiron’s racing anxious emotions calmed down.

Leaning into Rose’s cool hand, Peiron quietly closed his eyes.

Everything felt like a dream to Peiron.

The gazes full of respect turning into dark contempt, Erina leaving when it seemed she would beg for his love until death.

With Rose’s sweet and soft touch, it all felt like a dream.

It felt as if everything would return to how it was before, as if it were all a dream when he opened his eyes.

“Rose.”

Overwhelmed by his heart leaning entirely on her, Rose stretched out both arms and embraced him.

Peiron, with his eyes still closed, bent his waist to rest his head on Rose’s shoulder and hugged her back.

“It, it will be alright.”

Rose whispered, tightening her arms around him.

At Rose’s gentle whisper, Peiron felt as if everything really would be alright.

Peiron choked up at Rose’s sincere words, which he felt for the first time.

“Don’t leave.”

Peiron clung to Rose with words full of tantrum, as Erina’s cold gaze came to mind again.

Due to the heartless Erina, everything he had held in his hands disappeared one by one in just a day.

All that was left for Peiron was a love he couldn’t let go of even if he died.

“Rose, at least you.”

At his desperate clinging as if he was falling apart, Rose’s eyes shone strangely.

As the dark golden light in her pupils enveloped the green, Rose’s mouth twisted.