Chapter 5

In the center of the rose garden, Emilia stared intently at the man who had shielded her from the monster.

Few people knew the face of the high-ranking magician, "Mizukaze," who always kept it hidden.

He was one of the few who did.

They had met only once before, by chance.

They had a brief conversation... but neither of them had asked for the other's name.

She didn't know his name, or rather, she hadn't wanted to know it.

(Because, he is—)

(He is, probably—)

His jet-black hair and obsidian eyes, his long, lean body that clearly showed he was well-trained, and his sharp, cold eyes that gave an impression of aloofness, with a mouth that curved up in a mischievous smile. When they met by chance, he was wearing a disheveled knight's uniform without any insignia to indicate his rank. The place they met was one that required a certain level of status to enter, so she had been wary of him as a suspicious person, but quickly determined he was not dangerous.

During the brief time they spent together, drinking a cup of tea, a premonition had flashed through Emilia's mind.

(Are you—)

A chill ran down her spine.

And now, the man she thought she would never see again had reappeared before her, in the middle of the rose garden, surrounded by roses, in the middle of a story that seemed to have no end.

In front of Emilia, the man was smirking, and on his chest was a red emblem representing the kingdom's knight corps, and next to it, a badge indicating his rank as a captain.

Captain of the First Division of the Nebetia Kingdom's Knight Corps—

The First Division, a unit of elite fighters selected from among the many formidable warriors of the kingdom's knight corps, was the most combat-capable unit. At the young age of 25, he was a formidable leader, displaying overwhelming combat skills and the ability to command a group of formidable warriors, and was a central figure in the kingdom's national defense. His sword-wielding prowess was like that of a demon, and his bold and powerful blade showed no mercy to his enemies, while his overwhelming strength and deep compassion earned him the admiration of many of his subordinates.

He pledged his sword and loyalty to the Crown Prince, the next ruler of the kingdom.

A promising and important figure in the country, with a brave and handsome face.

Emilia was not so incompetent as to fail to understand the implications of this.

The man she didn't know had not betrayed her bad premonition—

"Why!? Why is Black Wolf-sama here!?"

The one who shouted loudly was the false princess, surrounded by her ex-fiancés.

Black Wolf-sama—his hair, eyes, and knight's uniform were all a deep black, like the night sky. Feeling a sense of familiarity from his coloring, Emilia found herself oddly accepting of his nickname. His sharp, refined aura, dignified presence, and brave, strong appearance were like those of a fierce wolf.

Ignoring Emilia, Stella trembled and raised her voice.

"I wasn't supposed to meet Black Wolf-sama until later!"

"Because he's supposed to be a character in the palace chapter!"

"He's not supposed to appear in the school chapter, so why is he here!?"

"Why! Why is this different from the game!"

Stella's repeated questions turned into a scream. When their eyes met, she glared fiercely at Emilia. A large figure stepped in front of Emilia, blocking Stella's gaze. The tall man in the black knight's uniform clicked his tongue. "First, I need to take care of that criminal woman over there..." he muttered irritably.

"Black Wolf-sama! Why are you protecting that woman! Help me!"

"Why do I have to do that?"

"Black Wolf-sama is on my side, right? Isn't that so?"

"Huh?"

"Black Wolf-sama, you like me, right?"

"This is our first meeting, isn't it?"

"But you like me, right?! So please help me!"

"You don't make any sense. I like you? There's no way that's true."

"Why! Because I'm the heroine!"

"To me, you're just a criminal."

His sharp eyes showed no hint of affection, and his cold, dismissive tone left no room for anything but rejection. Stella's face, which had been considered lovely, twisted in despair. Her ex-fiancés, who had been surrounding her, looked at her in shock.

Stella, who had been a sweet girl in front of her ex-fiancés, had acted suspiciously and given contradictory testimony in her attempt to frame Emilia. With the appearance of the knights and the Crown Prince's order, her frantic, incoherent words were no longer endearing.

"Why! I'm the heroine! Why isn't the story going according to the game! This isn't how it was supposed to be!"

In Stella's eyes, Emilia could see madness and a killing intent that made her shudder.

She was completely trapped. She believed that Emilia had to die for her desired story to progress.

Stella's gaze shifted from Emilia to her own feet. At her feet lay a single knife, the one she had prepared to frame Emilia, still on the ground.

Stella reached for the knife with her beautiful white hand—

The next moment, a shadow moved in Emilia's field of vision. The next thing Emilia saw was Stella with a sharp sword blade pressed to her throat.

"Don't move. Your head will fall off."

The sword, held at a hair's breadth from her throat, was sharp enough to cut her neck at the slightest touch. Given the man's skills, it was certainly possible. Despite his youth, he had not survived countless battles for nothing. His exceptional combat skills were more than capable of carrying out such a threat.

Stella could no longer move. The slightest movement would result in a bloody sword.

Stella groaned. It was unclear whether it was from anger, frustration, or regret. No, she wished it was from regret.

She had not hesitated to use any means to satisfy her desires.

She had wanted a guaranteed route. To achieve this, she had used her memories from her previous life to commit evil deeds. Although her father was the mastermind, she had tacitly accepted it... no, she had actively used her knowledge to create a monster, which she then provided to her father.

As a result, many people were involved.

The monster that appeared in the rose garden. There were several students present. Fortunately, they managed to escape, but if they had been a step too late, the released monster could have threatened the lives of all the students in the rose garden, or even the entire school.

That was not all. Did she know?

Did she know that the monster she created was sold on the black market and wreaked havoc in several towns, hurting many people? The tragedies that suddenly struck the peaceful lives of the townspeople, the buildings that were destroyed, the lives that were lost, and the many people who were still suffering from the wounds inflicted by the monster's sharp fangs and claws?

She had to know the threat and tragedy of creating something that endangered human lives.

Emilia looked at Stella. She could no longer move with the sword pressed to her throat. As a signal, the knights of the First Division rushed to her and bound her arms with iron chains.

As Stella's three bracelets fell to the ground, the ex-fiancés near her suddenly realized something and started to move, trying to stop the knights. But they were stopped by a voice.

"Boys, if you don't want to lose your heads and your futures, don't move."

The captain of the First Division's words, filled with killing intent, left them powerless. No, they had made a choice. Between the girl they loved and their own future. They were recognized as excellent students at the school, and a bright future awaited them after graduation. They had weighed the two in their minds and made a choice.

They did not run to Stella, but simply watched as she was arrested. Emilia felt a sense of futility at the fact that one of her ex-fiancés was among them.

A childhood fiancé.

Just as he had not chosen her, she had not developed or nurtured feelings of love for him. However, she still had some affection for him. They had been engaged for a considerable amount of time.

She had never wished for his unhappiness.

She had known the reason for his search for the one true love when she regained her memories from her previous life.

His father was an excellent diplomat who was always traveling both domestically and internationally and was rarely home. His mother, taking advantage of her husband's absence, indulged in numerous affairs and had relationships with many men, right in front of the young boy. Although such arrangements were common among political marriages in the noble society, the young boy could not have understood the situation. He was shocked by the sexual affairs he witnessed and lost faith in women.

On the day they met as childhood fiancés, despite his polite smile, his eyes had shown a look of disdain, which she believed was because he despised her as a woman, even at a young age. That disdain had not changed over the years as they grew up.

On the other hand, while he was suspicious of women, he also believed in the one true love.

He continued to search for the one true love. Using his engagement to her as a cover, he whispered words of love to many people, seeking the one true love. Ironically, his actions were the same as those of his mother, whom he despised, but he did not realize it.

And he found it. The one true love, Stella Barak.

If it had been someone else...

If she had chosen him as the one and only...

If she had not been involved in crime...

She thought about these things many times.

If he had loved someone else...

Thinking about it, Emilia shook her head. Love cannot be controlled, especially when it is love. His feelings were his alone.

(Alouis-sama, were you happy?)

Despite his apparent womanizing, he had found the one true love in the short time he spent with Stella. Even if the ending of that love was sad, and even if he was tormented by regret for choosing his own future over her, it was something he had to bear because of his love.

Emilia watched as the false princess was led away by several knights. Her voice, filled with curses and resistance, echoed around, but no one stopped her—

When Stella Barak was out of sight, Emilia slowly exhaled and closed her eyes as if in meditation.

And so, the curtain fell—

The route of the target character, Alouis Warren, "Engagement Breakup with the Fiancée." The story of Emilia, who had not gone mad with love, finally came to an end. It ended with the arrest of Stella Barak, the protagonist's forced departure. It was a conclusion that inadvertently involved all the routes.

Her crimes were serious.

She had to pay for her crimes.

In a cold place far from here.

She could no longer step on the stage.

If she could not step on the stage, the story could not be told.

Stella's desired future would never come.

Now, finally—

"Hey, Mizukaze!"

Emilia, who had been lost in thought, snapped back to reality and turned her gaze to the voice calling her. There stood the captain of the First Division, looking irritated. He had not been among the knights who had taken Stella away. He walked up to Emilia again.

"Mizukaze, it's been a while."

"Y-Yes, it has been a long time."

"Well, let's fulfill the promise we made the last time we met."

Promise—

Emilia hesitated.

It was a small promise, but it was something she feared—

Just as she was hesitating, a voice called out, "Captain!" It was one of the knights who had stayed behind in the rose garden to handle the aftermath after Stella was taken away. The monster's body and head, still stained with blood, were still on the ground. The ex-fiancés would be questioned by the knights, and the students who had escaped the monster's appearance would need to be interviewed. The safety of the school needed to be confirmed, and the palace needed to be contacted. There were still many issues to be addressed.

The captain, who was responsible for the investigation, seemed to understand this, and he frowned and clicked his tongue.

"Stay here."

"Huh?"

"I'll be back. We haven't fulfilled our promise yet."

"..."

"Answer me!"

"Y-Yes."

"I'll be right back, so wait here."

He was called by another subordinate and muttered, "They're all in the way..." as he walked away. Emilia watched his back and let out a sigh of relief.

The promise—his promise was something trivial. It was not something that would normally make her hesitate.

But, for Emilia, it was a small promise she did not intend to keep—

She watched him give busy instructions to the knights, then clenched her hand in determination and turned around.

She walked away from them, leaving the busy knights behind.

"I'm sorry..."

She smiled quietly.

Feeling the regret of breaking a promise,

She whispered an apology to him—

Then, hiding behind the blooming roses, she quietly disappeared from the rose garden.