Rosenta waited for Aphra until night.
But Aphra was busy and didn’t return to the duke's castle.
In the end, Rosenta stayed up all night with his eyes wide open.
As soon as the day dawned, he was planning to go see Aphra.
This was because he had all sorts of thoughts running through his head about how Vivian would have spent her day.
However…….
"Young Lady Marigold is here."
“……What?"
At first, he doubted his ears.
But the moment he saw Enoch's left eye, he knew it was true.
It was a mixture of light green and black, and it was shifting into a strange color.
"My lord, I haven't finished tying your tie yet."
As Rosenta kept squirming, Enoch gently stroked his neck.
After a while, Enoch's left eye had returned to its original color.
He bent over slightly.
Then he made eye contact with Rosenta as the corners of his mouth gently rose.
Soon he spoke to Rosenta in a languid but joyous voice.
"I envy her. Will you welcome me like this when I come back...….”
Enoch's long fingertips finally finished the tie.
Yet Rosenta was still unable to look away from his gaze.
“……Yes, I suppose so."
‘Did you like my answer?’
Enoch's bright red lips joyously curved in the most beautiful way.
The black eyelashes that framed Enoch's light green eyes fluttered.
"That's a relief. If that's the case, that means my value has risen to the level of your friends’."
Enoch's waist gradually relaxed.
He looked down at Rosenta and swept his hair back away from the sides of his face.
"I will continue to endure."
The subject of his endurance was omitted, but it was a perfect declaration of war.
Rosenta licked his dry lips.
Then Enoch's light green eyes, which were focused on Rosenta’s lips, widened and gleamed darkly.
His bright red lips opened slowly.
"These strange feelings are boiling and churning my stomach...….”
Enoch’s hands, which had been stroking the ends of Rosenta’s hair, gradually moved slower.
Finally, he let go of him.
Then, he took a step back and gradually distanced himself from him.
"I'll hold it in, so you don't get scared."
For the average person, "patience" was a natural quality.
But not for Enoch.
Whether or not his motives were impure, Enoch, who was like a wild beast, was learning to be patient.
It was a huge step forward.
Knowing that, Rosenta had no choice but to praise him.
"Yes...….”
However, Enoch disappeared like smoke before he could finish.
Rosenta said what he hadn’t been able to aloud to himself.
"You're doing great, Enoch."
***
Rosenta still couldn't believe it even though he’d heard it from Enoch in advance.
Even though he felt better after talking with Aphra, that didn’t mean he’d forgiven himself.
Vivian's feelings of betrayal towards him must be especially strong.
Because Vivian...….
"My lord?"
The maid looked at him strangely because he couldn't easily open the door to the drawing room.
He said, waving his hands,
"It's all right; you can leave now."
"Oh...… Yes."
She kept looking at him anxiously, but the maid left because of his firm attitude.
Only then did he sigh deeply.
"Sigh."
Taking a deep breath didn't make him feel any better.
But he couldn't walk away.
‘How do I face Vivian? How should I treat her? What do I say...….’
Again and again, worry bubbled like a spring.
‘If I keep this up, I’ll never go inside...….’
Rattle.
At that moment the door opened as if by magic.
"Huh? Rosen?"
Pink hair popped out.
Vivian treated him as usual, sticking her face out while looking at him calmly.
"What are you doing instead of coming in?"
"Huh? Uh...… I was about to come in."
On the contrary, he ended up feeling embarrassed.
He nodded awkwardly and quickly followed Vivian's lead.
Click, the door closed behind him.
Vivian was already sitting in her seat, calmly waiting for him.
It was a very feminine posture.
So, he cautiously sat across from Vivian, looking at her.
He couldn't bring it up easily.
He greeted Vivian very carefully.
"Vivian, thank you for coming. I never thought you'd come."
"Yes, actually, I never thought I'd come to see Rosen in a mere two days."
Vivian talked about it more calmly than he’d expected.
She even lightly smiled.
"But after meeting Aphra yesterday, I had a lot of thoughts, and I felt bad leaving things off the way I did."
"What?"
‘She’s feeling regret?’
Rosenta realized that Vivian's words were quite out of step with the topic he was trying to talk about.
However, Vivian didn't give him time to clarify.
"I like you."
“……Oh. Yes, I like you, too."
Vivian shook her head. Then she said very firmly.
"No, that's not what I mean."
That meant that her ‘I like you’ could only have one meaning.
Silence flowed.
He couldn't figure out what to say, and Vivian just looked at him.
The silence lasted a while.
Then, Vivian asked him a very direct question.
"Do you hate me?"
It was nonsense.
Unknowingly, Rosenta reacted strongly and raised his eyebrows.
"What are you talking about?! Why would I hate you, Vivian?"
At first, he shouted out loud as if to let her know that it was nonsense.
But the moment he responded, the volume of his voice gradually began to decrease.
"If Vivian has come to hate me...….”
"Why would I?"
At last, the main topic came out.
He swallowed so much that he felt like he couldn't spit anymore.
He managed to open his dry mouth and spit out the words he’d wanted to say to Vivian.
"Because I deceived you, Vivian. I know how much you must have felt betrayed...….”
Vivian quickly cut off his words, which he had been gradually building up to.
She shook her head.
As if it wasn't important, Vivian brought up another topic.
"No. I was upset that I’d been dumped before I could even confess. But now it's okay."
Vivian laughed heartily.
It was Rosenta whose secret was revealed. However, contrary to expectations, Vivian seemed to be the one freed from a burden.
"I just confessed...…. I'm done! I want to go back to having my best friend in the world, Rosen."
Funnily enough, Rosenta felt that Vivian was more like an adult at this moment than him.
Vivian, who was stubborn and a crybaby when she was young, was now...….
"Rosen."
"What?"
Vivian reached out to him.
Then she spoke to him in a calm voice.
"Rosen, will you be my friend?"
Just like the day he’d reached out to Vivian for the first time.
***
Vivian listened to the stories of his past.
Sometimes she trembled and, at other times, she clenched her fists as if she was holding back her anger.
Then, by the time his story was over, Vivian hugged him tightly.
"Vivian?"
"Rosen hugged me like this whenever I was having a hard time. Moreover, I don't have to hesitate anymore."
Maybe, now that she knew his gender, she was less reluctant than she was in the past.
It wasn't bad.
But it was very unfamiliar to be treated like a woman in this way.
Finally, unable to overcome the awkwardness, he carefully removed Vivian's arm from around his shoulder.
"Vivian, it's all right."
"Really?"
"Yes."
He smiled awkwardly and pushed Vivian away.
However, Vivian's bright eyes did not seem to be convinced.
She stared at him as if she knew everything, and suddenly clapped her hands loudly as if something had come to mind.
"Ah!"
The sudden sound shocked Rosenta.
He looked at Vivian.
Vivian moved to his side, smiling brightly.
"Vivian?"
Feeling anxious, he slowly distanced himself from Vivian.
But Vivian approached him as much as he moved back and kept narrowing the distance.
After a subtle game of chase, he was caught by Vivian.
"Show me!"
Vivian stared intently at his magic tools as her eyes glowed.
As expected from Vivian, who knew that he was weak to smiles, she put her hands together and looked at him with sparkles in her eyes.
Like puss in boots.
From the beginning, his answer was already decided.
He replied with a quick burst of laughter.
"Ok."
He was sure that Vivian saw everything through the goggles anyway.
Without hesitation, he immediately began to remove the magical devices one by one.
Through Vivian’s shifting expressions, he was able to confirm that he was changing effectively.
"Wow...….”
The last magic tool was removed.
She put all the tools on the table and straightened herself up.
As Vivian often did to her, she spun around and asked Vivian,
"How do I look?"
"Oh, I like it! Whoa!"
Rosa shuddered.
This was because Vivian's explosive response was surprising.
She grabbed Rosa’s hand quickly and Vivian questioned her with her burdensome burning eyes.
"Rosen, don't you need a dress?"
Vivian's eyes changed when she realized that there was a purple dress that didn't fit her.
Then she said,
"If you want perfect forgiveness, there is one condition!"
She wanted Rosa to make time for her before leaving with Theodore.
That was the condition.
Rosa thought that she could do that much for her. She was definitely going to take her shopping.
Even if shopping was difficult, how difficult could it be? Surely, it would be over in a day or so.
At least that’s what Rosa thought.
When she met with Vivian and started shopping, she quickly changed her mind.
"Um, give me from here to here. And this, too!"
"Oh my! Young Lady, is it okay to buy so many clothes?"
"Yes, please bring it to the lounge."
Vivian took Rosa into the lounge.
Then, after shoving a piece of clothing into her arms, she was pushed into the dressing room.
"You can take off your robe here as freely as you want, so try it on properly, okay?"
Vivian told her.
Like a little girl about to play with her dolls, Vivian kept thinking of how to decorate her.
Rosa had a gut feeling that if she had a good time, today may not be the end.
She was sure Vivian would act like she had become Rosa's dedicated coordinator.
Sigh.
The tiredness had already set in.
This was because shopping and trying on clothes was unfamiliar.
Of course, it's common to try on a lot of clothes when you go to a banquet, but there were too many different things to try.
Not only accessories, but also shoes, cosmetics, and dresses.
Vivian had made a schedule as if she was trying to cover every base.
"Rosa! Are you almost done?"
"I'm done."
‘She called me Rosa...….’
It wasn’t so bad to go out like normal young ladies.
With a faint smile on her mouth, she walked through the curtain and came out.
She faced Vivian.
"Oh, my God!"
Vivian jumped up and down with her hands pressed tightly on her cheeks.
She looked around Rosa and nodded with satisfaction.
Then she grabbed her hand and led her in front of the mirror.
"What do you think? Isn't it so pretty?"
Vivian had already bought cosmetics that suited her, so she had made up Rosa’s face herself.
Next, she went around looking for things that fit her image.
Was that why?
"Yeah. It's so pretty. I can't believe it's my face."
Rosa couldn't believe the woman in the mirror was her.
Even without her magic tools, her thin face felt unfamiliar.
However, in addition, black and red pigments were applied over such a face.
Cat-like eyes, a long, slender nose, red, alluring lips.
On top of that, a purple dress that accentuated her lines without any discomfort.
She was staring at her changed self in a daze, and Vivian came up behind her.
She put her hand on her shoulder and told her,
"Let's try it with the purple veil too."
“……Yes."
Rosa brought back the purple veil that she had put aside with the red robe.
She put the veil over her head.
Naturally, the magic only dimmed her face.
Then, Vivian came up to her and lifted the veil.
Rosa’s features, which had been dimmed by magic, began to manifest their presence again.
She met Vivian's eyes.
Clear ruby eyes stared at her and smiled brightly.
"Pretty. So pretty. It's such a pity that I can't show my pretty friend to others."
Watching Vivian made Rosa’s heart swell with happiness.
It wasn’t because of her decorated appearance.
Vivian, who came to see her as soon as her mind was organized, had accepted her fully.
‘You don't know how comforting it is for me to have a friend like this.’
She was filled with emotion.
But she didn't cry. Tears wouldn’t go well with the current situation.
Instead, she smiled in response.
"Vivian, you're so pretty."