A Rose Wrapped Around A Broken Blade

The extended Alfred family performed the funeral in Adora’s stead. It was a funeral that was not only for the Alfreds, but also for those who were close to them.

The funeral was filled with mourning cries. Everyone felt sorry about this terrible tragedy as they looked sadly at Adora, who had lost everything. Among the grown-ups who shed tears, Adora stood blankly.

One member of Alfred blood survived, but they were rumored to have lost their memory, so she was quickly forgotten. Adora quickly regained her life, though it was overshadowed by the fear that the man who had massacred her family would come for her next.

Adora hadn’t had a comfortable day since that night. Her nightmares, like her headaches, kept her from forgetting, and her unresolved fears continued to haunt her. Adora survived by pretending not to remember, but she had never escaped that day. And as time went by, what remained was not the fear of death nor the sadness of losing her family, but hatred.

And when Adora was 13, she found out who had hurt her precious family.

Those who took away her gentle father, loving mother, and sweet younger brother were spies from a neighboring country.

The fact that relations with neighboring countries began to deteriorate was a well known fact. At one time, fears of a possible war were widespread, but last year, an envoy was sent, which dismissed the rumors. When the delegation came home, they said that not much was going on. 

But this was far from the truth. The envoy secretly reported that the king of a neighboring country had no intention of maintaining relations with them. There was speculation that there might be a war someday.

The neighboring country sent a spy meticulously to check on their country’s movements. It was her father, Ilian Alfred, who noticed this. A spy was then sent after Alfred, after they noticed that he was secretly watching their movements.

Adora learned all this by chance, after eavesdropping outside her father’s office in the middle of the night. Through whispering voices, Adora learned the truth of her tragedy. And that nothing could be revealed.

It was the spies of a neighboring country who had nearly brought her family down. However, there was nothing that could be done by announcing this. She couldn’t ask for punishment of the spy, nor could she get angry by charging into their country. She couldn’t start a war.

War was painful. Moreover, this was the problem of one family. War would likely break out one day, but it was better to postpone such tragedy as much as possible. That said, the Alfreds weren’t even a high-ranking family in the first place.

The truth that plunged a family into destitution was buried that way. Without a moment to express one’s grief, it had to disappear.

And Adora decided that day. Against her mothers wishes, she decided to hold a sword instead of flowers.

***

People said that the longing for the dead should be buried in the hearts of the living, but Adora could not accept that. Her memory of that day was still so clear, and the pain imprinted into her soul tightened around her heart. How could she forget about it?

She had to pay them back what she had suffered tenfold. Only then could she quench this anger.

It was the year that Adora turned 14 that she cut her red hair short and applied as an apprentice knight. An aristocratic young lady with a beautiful face, short hair, and baggy trousers like a man presented an application with pride and enthusiasm.

It was the first time since the founding of Glorious that a woman applied to be a knight. There was no restriction on gender, but it was an unspoken condition. Even a one-legged man would be more easily accepted than a woman, no matter her status. It was something no one could have imagined.

The opposition, of course, was enormous. People laughed and criticized Adora. However, she proudly passed the exam and became a royal knight. And much later, she participated in the war and cut off the head of the enemy commander.

Thus, Adora obtained her revenge, as well as death.

[T/N: I guess something must have happened to her when she was fighting. ‘Death’ implies something here.]

* * *

The chef, who was now well past middle age, put his heart into cooking for the first time in a long time. Adora’s favorite foods were served for dinner. Adora, who had finished a satisfying meal ignoring the bloating in her stomach, wiped her lips and informed the servants of the decision she had made before coming here.

“…What did you say?”

“I want to get married. So please find me a suitable partner.”

Suddenly, there was a loud crash.

Adora turned around in shock and saw John, stiffened with his hands in the air. At his feet, plates, the source of the sound, were broken.

John started at Adora at length, and finally opened his mouth.

“What, what, marriage? Unless my ears are going bad, you said you want to get married?”

“That’s right.”

“Why… Why did you suddenly decide to get married?”

She didn’t expect them to be so surprised, but she expected to receive such a question. She was able to answer quickly.

“I think it’s okay to relax now. I’ve been fighting for too long.”

At her answer, John’s hands began to shake. She wondered if marriage was shocking enough to make one tremble. On the other hand, Adora looked at him anxiously, wondering if he had gotten sick while she was not home.

John muttered ‘marriage’ over and over like a madman, and then, with trembling hands, he pulled something out of his pocket.

It was a white handkerchief.

“Our young lady is finally grown up!”

He buried his face in the handkerchief and burst into tears.

John cried loudly. It was a harsh reaction that was hard to think of as John’s, who was careful and strict in everything. It was loud enough that the cook came out of the kitchen to comfort him. Adora was lost in thought until she saw John clutching his chest. She had been told that there was little time left for him to live, and she feared that it would become true if she said anything more.

“Calm down, John.”

“It’s okay! With this much, this, this old man’s heart can be at peace, oh, oh! Ugh! I can’t believe my little girl is getting married!”

“…”

Adora, who had just found out about her butler’s sensitive side, was perplexed. He expressed both joy and sorrow at the same time. 

John spoke with a determined look when he had recovered his emotions to a certain extent.

“Don’t worry, miss! No, my Lord! I will find someone who is not lacking in anything!”

“Oh, yes, yes. Please.”

Adora answered awkwardly and turned around. All of the utensils were removed from the table, and a cup of hot tea was placed in front of her. Adora regretted saying anything as she grabbed the handle of the teacup. She thought she must have been away from the mansion for too long.

* * *

News spread across the kingdom that Adora Alfred was looking for a marriage partner. The news aroused interest, even among aristocrats.

Alfred’s name had long since disappeared, but the value of ‘Adora Alfred’, who was recognized for her skills as the head of the Green Knights, was different. She was not only praised as a hero during the war, but she even gained the king’s trust.

Although she stepped down as a knight, it was very likely that her husband would make a lot of money just by marrying her.

After completing the calculations, nobles began to send proposals in a rush. As if it was a competition, proposals flew towards Alfred. Rumors spread across the country, igniting the topic of ‘Adora Alfred’s marriage’, leading to their interest in ‘whom she would marry’.

And that interest flowed deep until it reached a certain man, walking in a palace surrounded by red roses. 

Inside the garden, the man glanced at the red landscape with a well-groomed, smooth face. His white hair, shining in the sun, was foreignly beautiful, like snow falling on a spring day.

As he adjusted his newly tailored clothes, the man noticed how well the flowers in his garden were managed. Then he began to pick out flowers himself. 

A gardener approached him to assist, and cut the stems and trimmed the thorns of the roses he had chosen. The blossoms that still held the moisture of dawn maintained their fresh cleanliness. The man buried his nose into a blossom and inhaled. The thick scent paralyzed his nostrils.

The man smiled softly. An exhilarating excitement piled up, as abundant as the roses in his arms.