The Emperor Is My Brother's Best Friend
Ch. 94

Ilya was just as Rose remembered.

However, something feels different.

Rose scrutinized Ilya from head to toe, trying to pinpoint the source of the déjà vu sensation lurking deep within her gut.

The answer soon became clear.

"Ilya, why are you...? You're wearing a priestess' uniform...?"

Ilya's attire mirrored Rose's own, the pure white garments designated for those residing at the Temple of Gloria.

She was donning the same outfit, even though she had never become a candidate.

Ilya tilted her head briefly before breaking into a bright smile.

"Hahah, dear innocent Rose. Should I say you have no doubts or should I admit that you're a bit dense?"

"What?" 

Rose was baffled.

"Why would I be wearing the same clothes as you, you ask? Naturally, it's because I was there too."

Rose felt her brain freeze for a moment. 

She opened her mouth, contemplating why Ilya was dressed like her and where exactly she had been in the temple.

"I've never seen you. The temple wouldn't have protected you when you were a wanted person. None of them would have harbored a wanted person."

"I can't believe you've never noticed. Think carefully, Rose Honeywell. Think. I was always close to you."

Ilya took a step closer, causing Rose to instinctively want to retreat. 

However, her body refused to comply, leaving her no choice but to watch Ilya draw nearer.

Ilya kneeled in front of Rose, their eyes locking. A majestic clash of ruby red against stained emerald green.

Ilya's green eyes bore into Rose's like a murky swamp. 

Rose's eyes widened as she gazed into them.

"No way... You're Nina West!"

"Now that I've let the cat out of the bag, I'm a little disappointed."

Ilya sighed, shook her head, and then stood up, walking away from Rose. 

Tears welled up in Rose's eyes as she watched Ilya's retreating figure.

"Why... Why are you doing this to me? What do you want from me, from the Honeywell family?"

Rose struggled and shouted out her doubts and accusations. 

Ilya, who had halted and stood still, turned back around quickly. She closed the distance, grabbed Rose by the hair, and spoke with a forceful tone.

"What do I want from you? Simple! It's so simple, Rose! As expected, you were neither pure nor smart. What do I desire? This!"

Ilya lightly prodded Rose's chest with her finger. 

The gesture seemed harmless, but the instant Ilya's fingers made contact, Rose felt her heart plummet.

"Ahhh!"

It was as if something inside her had been ripped away in an instant. 

Rose gasped for breath, clutching her chest.

"W-what... What did you do?"

"What's the matter? I just wanted to retrieve what's rightfully mine."

"Rightfully yours? It's yours...? This...?"

Rose stood there, utterly speechless, and as Ilya released her hand, her blonde hair cascaded down, obscuring her face. 

She hadn't even had a chance to brush the hair aside before her fearful eyes locked onto Ilya. 

She secretly prayed for a different outcome.

"How did you know that?" 

Rose managed to utter through trembling teeth.

Ilya let out a sigh. 

"Haa, haven't our conversations been sufficient so far? Do you still see me as Ilya Titonsser?"

Ilya's voice took on an eerie shift. 

As the dreaded realization dawned on Rose, despair etched across her face. 

"...Abaddon..."

The name of the monster that haunted her dream escaped her lips, and with it, Rose's heart began to race irregularly. 

"Haa... haa..."

Her heart pounded relentlessly, threatening to burst from her chest at any moment.

Rose writhed in pain, her hands clutching her left breast as she struggled to draw breath amidst the agony.

Above her, Ilya's voice rang out.

"Rose Honeywell, do you know what this is?"

Ilya raised a small mirror before her eyes.

The ornate mirror, neither too large nor too small, fit comfortably in a man's palm, but it bore signs of wear and tear. Signs of time left their mark, with cracks and damage scattered across its surface.

Rose squinted at it, sensing something amiss within the mirror.

Upon closer examination, the truth began to emerge.

Rose narrowed her eyes, and at that very moment, the grand entrance to the banquet hall burst open, revealing a startled knight.

"Are you all playing around here? I'd like to see who dares!"

The knight was on a routine patrol of the building housing the banquet hall.

His surprise grew as he noticed the absence of the usual palace servants who tended to its upkeep.

Upon entering the banquet hall, he found it in disarray and quickly surmised that the servants were taking an unusually long collective break.

However, he was rendered speechless when he laid eyes on the unexpected scene before him.

"Who, who... No. Lady Rose Honeywell?! What in the world is going on...?"

It seemed that only now did he notice the lifeless bodies and Rose's unconscious form scattered across the hall.

Rose gasped, directing her words at the knight.

"Go, run. Brother... Get help. Call for my brother!"

Rose realized that, as a mere member of the Imperial Knights, this knight before her stood no chance against Ilya.

She hoped he would flee and summon Wells and the other knights to her aid.

However, her plea seemed to fall short, as the valiant knight displayed no intention of abandoning the scene to seek assistance.

Perhaps, considering the delicate appearance of the assailant, he didn't perceive the threat with the gravity it deserved.

"Young lady! It's wiser to surrender without resistance. Until our leader arrives...!"

The knight advanced toward the banquet hall, all the while addressing Ilya. 

As he gazed upon her face, a look of astonishment overcame him.

"Wait! I know you. You're Ilya Titonsser!"

There was no way a knight of the Imperial Knights would fail to recognize Ilya, who was a wanted fugitive.

The knight, having now realized Ilya's identity, drew a sword from his waist.

"Ilya Titonsser! By order of the Imperial Family, I'm placing you under arrest here!" 

The knight shouted with great enthusiasm, his eagerness to carry out the orders from the emperor evident in the determination in his gaze.

Still writhing in pain, Rose noticed a figure silently approaching from behind the knight and screamed out a warning. 

"Run away!"

Rose's ear-piercing cry immediately grabbed the knight's attention. 

His face displayed genuine concern for Rose, but it was a fleeting expression.

A moment later...

The knight's face contorted in agony as a deep, ominous sound reverberated through his body. 

He glanced down at the sword that had pierced his abdomen before turning around, his voice trembling.

"S---Commander... Sir...?"

The knight stood in disbelief, staring at Elliot's cold, unyielding countenance.

It seemed he couldn't come to terms with the fact that his superior and commander, Duke Elliot Proud, had turned against him.

With a detached demeanor, Elliot gazed at the knight, who wasn't his direct subordinate but belonged to the Imperial Knights under his command.

He gave the knight a light push, causing the once-sturdy figure to crumple to the ground.

Rose, who had just witnessed a murder firsthand, couldn't even summon a scream.

Her chin quivered, and her entire body shook with fear.

Elliot stepped over the fallen knight and approached Ilya.

"The knights are growing suspicious due to the absence of the servants. Some have gone to report to Wells Honeywell. It won't be long before the knights arrive."

"The more witnesses, the more entertaining the performance. If possible, I'd like to delay the show until the emperor's arrival."

"Are you prepared to break the seal?"

"All the necessary arrangements have been made, now that you've brought the sword. Just shatter the mirror and extract my soul from that vessel."

Elliot and Ilya discussed Abaddon's resurrection casually, their conversation sending shivers down Rose's spine.

Her trembling body was now fueled even more by anger than fear.

Indeed, she had suspected that things wouldn't proceed smoothly ever since she learned the truth about Abaddon's involvement with the Imperial Family and the two households.

Regardless of the outcome, it seems I was fated to meet the same end as in the past.

Rose twisted her body, her heart constricting, and her breath growing labored.

Nevertheless, she fought to get back on her feet.

She couldn't allow Abaddon's soul to fall into their hands.

It was this determination that drove her onward.

Crawling with every ounce of strength she could muster, Rose desperately sought an escape. However, her weakened body couldn't hold out for long.

"Elliot Proud, the time has come."

Ilya's voice rang out as she peered out of the banquet hall window, announcing the arrival of the emperor.

Rose, whose movements had been paralyzed by Ilya's words, lifted her head as she saw a pair of shoes approaching her line of sight.

Elliot stood above her, clutching a rusty, ancient sword in one hand.

"Rose, it's time."

Bending one knee, Elliot gently cupped Rose's cheek as she lay face down on the floor. Complex emotions, a mixture of fear, anger, and despair, flickered in her eyes. 

Elliot, studying her red eyes with appreciation, let out a short breath.

"If all of this had been mine from the beginning... If so, you..."

Elliot muttered something unintelligible so quickly that Rose couldn't grasp its meaning. 

Ilya approached and extended her hand, helping Rose to her feet.

Rose staggered but managed to stand on her own, brushing off Ilya's hand.

"Let me go!"

Rose demanded as her guard held firm as she glared at Ilya and Elliot, like cornered prey.

Ilya extended both hands and stepped back, yielding to Rose's assertiveness.

Then she took a step closer, raising the hand that held the mirror high.

At that very moment, the banquet hall's door swung open forcefully.

"Rose!"

It was Wells.

But he wasn't the only one who had arrived. Russell and the Imperial Knights, who had rushed non-stop from the Gloria Temple, had also joined the fray.

"Brother...!" 

Rose couldn't hide her relief upon seeing her brother for the first time in nearly a week.

The atmosphere in the banquet hall, where the Imperial Knights and Elliot faced off, grew so fervently tense that it was hard to breathe.

It was evident that any sudden movement could lead to a violent clash.

Unexpectedly, it was Ilya, not the Imperial Knights or Russell, who signaled the impending confrontation.

Clang---!

Ilya forcefully slammed the mirror onto the floor, shattering it with a sharp sound.

For a brief moment, Rose, who had been poised to run towards Wells, averted her gaze when she heard the glass shattering.

"No! Rose!"

Wells' anguished cry rang out behind Rose.

She wanted to look and see if something had happened to Wells, but her body refused to move, and she lowered her head.

The ancient sword in Elliot's hand had pierced directly through her heart. 

"Huu... Huh. Ugh..."

Rose raised her trembling hand, attempting to grasp the sword lodged in her heart, but her hands seemed to have a mind of their own.

Her knees gave way, and she stumbled.

"Rose!"

Wells' desperate plea echoed once again.

Rose followed the sound and lifted her head.

Wells was charging through the ranks of knights from afar, while Russell engaged Elliot in combat, swords clashing.

Ilya stood atop the shattered mirror shards, laughing maniacally.

A dark fog began to rise from the fragments, gradually expanding in size.

Ilya's laughter filled the banquet hall.

"Hahahah! At last! I can finally free my body and soul!"

It was difficult for Rose to discern precisely what she was witnessing or thinking at that moment.

What she did know was that Wells had come to her side, tears streaming down his face.

"Ungh!... No... Rose... Rose! Please..."

Rose leaned into Wells' embrace, his arms offering warmth and solace. Just what she needed.

Slowly, she closed her eyes in the arms that had held and comforted her so many times when she was still a child. 

...Just like it did just a moment ago.

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