Special Side Story 2

‘What exactly are you?’  

Felix tilted Rozeanes’s chin higher, forcing her to meet his gaze.  

He couldn’t take his eyes off the crimson flesh visible between her slightly parted lips, as if startled.  

‘Why doesn’t she disgust me?’  

Was she truly a witch? Had she cast some sort of spell on me?  

Even the slightest touch from a woman used to make him feel repulsed, yet now, holding her with one hand didn’t bother him at all.  

‘If it’s this woman…’  

Would it matter whether she was a witch or not?  

If she could cure my unspeakable illness, allowing me to continue the family line, would anything else matter?  

Rozeanes instinctively closed her eyes when she felt Felix’s fingers brushing against her lips.  

A breath, almost like a sigh, escaped through her slightly parted lips.  

‘Get a hold of yourself! What are you doing with a descendant?!’  

It was then that she snapped back to her senses. Just as she tried to turn her head to the side, the fingers that had been carefully brushing against her lower lip slipped between her slightly parted teeth.  

‘What… What is this?!’  

She shut her eyes tightly and grabbed his arm with both hands.  

The fingers that had cautiously touched the tip of her tongue began to explore her mouth boldly, swirling her tongue and gently grazing the inner lining of her cheeks.  

When the fingers finally withdrew, as if reluctant to leave, Rozeanes opened her eyes at last.  

What she saw was Felix, looking even more bewildered than she was, his confusion mirrored in his eyes.  

“Who exactly are you?”  

“Rozeanes.”  

“Fine. If that’s the name you prefer, so be it. Rose. I’ll call you that—Queen Red Rose.”  

Felix’s words carried a faint hint of mockery, causing tears to well up in Rozeanes’s eyes.  

Queen Red Rose. It was a nickname Stephan had only ever used when they were alone. A name reserved solely for him.  

“Why?”  

Caught off guard, Felix wiped her tears away with the back of his hand.  

Many women had cried in front of him before, but none had ever shed tears with such a forlorn smile.  

A smile that seemed all the more sorrowful, as if it was tugging at his very heart.  

“That nickname… I’ll allow only you to use it.”  

Felix raised an eyebrow, nodding as if humoring the red-haired witch’s pretense of being a real queen.  

+++

“If you help me, I’ll give you whatever you want—a mirror, jewels, anything.”  

Felix and Rozeanes sat on the sofa, finally beginning what could be called a proper conversation.  

Of course, this was after Felix had locked the mirror away in a safe and thrown on a shirt, just in case.  

– I’ll sit here.  

– Rose, that’s my seat.  

It took a subtle tug-of-war to get Rozeanes to sit on the right-hand sofa instead of the head seat, where she had naturally tried to settle.  

But since Felix was a Duke of this empire and the master of this household, he claimed the head seat himself.  

“A mirror, an estate attached to the duchy, and a barony title I can grant as a Duke.”  

“Ha! Do you even realize how valuable those things are?”  

Felix looked at her incredulously, feeling utterly ridiculous for having been moved by her sorrowful demeanor just moments ago.  

“You need me, don’t you? Isn’t that why you lured me out of the mirror? If you’ve dragged me out of my peaceful life, this much is the least you can offer.”  

Rozeanes crossed her arms haughtily, her expression smug.  

‘Hey, I used to be a queen. Do you think this is my first negotiation?’  

When starting a negotiation, one had to come in strong. Pretending to know what you didn’t and claiming to have what you didn’t were basic tactics.  

“Your life didn’t seem all that peaceful. Weren’t you… frustrated?”  

Felix crossed his arms and legs, refusing to back down.  

“What makes you think that?”  

“You touched a sleeping man’s cheek. That desperate, weren’t you? I think I even heard a sigh.”  

Felix stared at her with a triumphant look.  

Most women would turn red and become flustered when spoken to so bluntly, whether they were commoners or nobles. Normally, that is…  

“Weren’t you the desperate one?”  

But Rozeanes, unfazed, looked him up and down, causing Felix to sit up even straighter.  

“Ha. You’re quite full of yourself.”  

Rozeanes chuckled softly, tapping her lips with her index finger.  

When she slightly parted her lips and licked her fingertip, Felix’s Adam’s apple bobbed audibly.  

With a sultry smile, she pointed her finger at his chest.  

As Felix’s gaze followed her finger from her lips to her hand, she slowly lowered it.  

“You’re standing at attention, aren’t you?”  

“Time out.”  

Felix abruptly stood up. He hurriedly covered himself and rushed to the bathroom, as if trying to escape her gaze.  

“1:0, descendant. I win.”  

Rozeanes leaned back against the sofa, swinging her feet.  

It felt wonderful to finally have a conversation with someone after a hundred years.  

+++

Shortly after, Felix returned and effortlessly lifted Rozeanes from the head seat, placing her back on the right-hand sofa.  

Though she glared daggers at him, he ignored her and placed a blank sheet of paper on the table, initiating their second round of negotiations.  

“A mirror, a barony title, and the attached barony lands. I’ll give them to you.”  

“Excellent. So, what do you need me to do?”  

Rozeanes felt a newfound sense of ease.  

‘I can finally live the rest of my life as a human! The gods must have taken pity on me and given me another chance to live!’  

Of course, she didn’t particularly like her red hair, but being able to breathe again was a blessing in itself!  

‘I’ll fall in love! Meet a man, kiss him, do that with him, get married, and have at least ten children!’  

Now that she was no longer a queen burdened with responsibilities, she vowed to enjoy her life as a woman to the fullest before she died.  

It was while she was dreaming of this carefree future that Felix spoke.  

“You’ll have to educate me.”  

‘Educate?’  

Rozeanes blinked, puzzled by Felix’s hurriedly uttered words.  

“What subject do you need tutoring in? Mathematics? Politics? History? Take your pick. I’m also well-versed in etiquette—from noble customs to imperial protocols, from the traditions of Ernst to those of Iberis.”  

Having quickly regained her composure, Rozeanes puffed out her chest confidently.  

There were occasional cases like this: noble children who had no talent for studying, or illegitimate children born to commoner mistresses who never had the opportunity to study and only received education after reaching adulthood.  

Felix assumed he was one of these two.  

“I am a Duke. I graduated second in my academy class and already know all noble and imperial etiquette.”  

Felix raised his chin haughtily. The way he lowered his eyebrows annoyed Rozeanes, but she held back.  

“Then… what kind of education?”  

“s*x education.”  

How could he utter such an embarrassing term so boldly?  

‘The world is doomed. Doomed. These days, people seem to have no shame.’  

She clicked her tongue. It seemed the empire’s cultural atmosphere had taken a strange turn over the past hundred years.  

Or perhaps this descendant, the so-called Duke, was just an oddball who looked good on the outside but was peculiar on the inside.  

More importantly…  

‘Hey! I may have had a wedding, but I’ve never experienced that either!’  

She had entered into a political marriage with the King of Iberis, who was old enough to be her father.  

Whether it was out of consideration for her youth or to avoid destabilizing Queen Sweeney’s succession, he had never shared a bed with her.  

Probably the latter. Still, she couldn’t entirely deny a sense of gratitude toward him for that.  

Rozeanes began jotting down the list of items she was to receive on the paper Felix handed her.  

“This is my area of expertise. Leave it to me.”  

Negotiation was always like this. Hadn’t she already said it? Pretend to know what you don’t.  

As she was about to sign her name at the bottom, she hesitated before writing just her first name instead of the surname “Ernst.” Then, she handed the paper back to him.  

“Rose. Why is there a diamond and ruby set in the list?”  

Felix paused in the middle of signing and pointed to the bottom of the list with his finger.  

Crafty.  

Her attempt to subtly sneak in jewelry amused him. It was both ridiculous and endearing.  

‘Endearing? This little thief?’  

Felix shook his head. If she was endearing, then petty embezzlers among his subordinates should also be considered endearing.  

“Given the circumstances, I added them. Read more closely. A kiss is for rubies. That’s for the diamond set.”  

“Ahem… There’s no need for me to go that far. Just a kiss will do.”  

Felix cleared his throat unnecessarily and wrote his name next to hers.  

‘Of course. A kiss and even that—if that’s all it takes, I should throw in sapphires and emeralds too.’  

He added the surname “Florin” as he thought this.  

“Who? You and me?”  

Rozeanes asked seriously, pointing her finger at his chest.  

‘Descendant! No matter how desperate I am, not this! Half the world is filled with men—why would I settle for my master’s descendant?!’  

There were rules to follow.  

Even if she was to educate him, she couldn’t possibly touch Stephan’s descendant, who was 100 years younger than her. Especially one who bore such a striking resemblance to her Master.  

Felix grabbed her finger abruptly. His mood seemed quite sour.  

“Then how were you planning to teach s*x education?”  

“Obviously, through theory.”  

“I already know all the theory.”  

Felix pulled her hand sharply, causing her to fall against his chest with a soft thud.  

‘Yes. It’s this woman.’  

When he held her hand, touched her lips, or embraced her, he didn’t feel repulsed.  

Rather, her sweet yet refreshing scent only heightened his pleasant excitement.  

“If you already know the theory…”  

Rozeanes pressed her hands against his chest, trying to create some distance. She could feel his chest muscles growing even firmer.  

The scent wafting from his shirt, with three buttons undone, made her head spin even more.  

“What I need is practice. You said it was your specialty?”  

Felix lightly grabbed the back of her neck and pulled her closer.  

As her face drew nearer, her intoxicating scent grew stronger.  

“Of course. But practice is a bit more expensive.”  

“That’s fine. Whatever it takes. Show me your skills now.”  

Felix smiled confidently and closed his eyes.  

He tightened his grip on the back of her neck to prevent her from escaping and pressed one hand firmly against her back.  

“Then, let’s start with the beginner level.”  

Chuook—. Her lips lingered on his forehead for a long moment before pulling away, and the corners of his lips gently curved upward.  

‘Bingo. Rose, you’ll have to stay by my side.’  

As expected, touching her didn’t bother him at all.  

“Isn’t that enough proof of my skills?”  

As Rozeanes subtly twisted her body to slip out of his arms, Felix opened his eyes and brushed her lips with his thumb.  

As her lips slid against his thumb, glimpses of the soft, pink flesh inside her mouth were revealed.  

“Now that we’ve passed the beginner level, let’s move on to intermediate.”  

“Intermediate?”  

“Yes, intermediate.”  

He grabbed her chin and pulled her closer, leaving her flustered.  

‘Look at this guy, trying to outdo me! I’m 100 years older than you!’  

Rozeanes’s eyes grew sultry as she brought her lips close to his ear.  

“Let’s move to intermediate.”  

Her sultry voice sent visible shivers down his spine.  

“Open your mouth.”  

“Hahaha.”  

As he burst into laughter, she pressed her lips against his, silencing him.