In the Place where the Golden Rose Was Broken - Chapter 12
A woman clinging to him and a half-brother who loves that woman to death…
Arcturus, who had been staring down at Caetro’s face, anxious about losing what was his, burst into laughter.
“Stop pretending to be family.”
It was a soft whisper, like he was secretly confessing love to a lover.
“Grandfather won’t wake up, so don’t worry.”
However, the words coming out of Arcturus’s mouth were nothing but sharp.
“Sierra is mine. Don’t covet her.”
Finally, Caetro took off the mask of being an obedient grandson in front of Jude Cullen and Arcturus’s good little brother. The servants turned their heads or lowered them, pretending not to see this familiar scene.
“Don’t you think the order has been reversed?”
Arcturus asked in a gentle voice, tilting his head sideways.
“It’s always been you who coveted what’s mine.”
“What… What are you talking about, when did I ever…!”
“My father, mother, grandfather, the ‘Cloen’ name and fortune, and even Sierra Miller who likes me.”
“……”
“Ah, of course, Miss Miller was never mine to begin with.”
Nor do I want her.
Caetro’s face was instantly engulfed in shame and humiliation.
“You know that woman steals glances at me.”
“…No.”
“Isn’t that why you love her even more?”
“I said no.”
“You wanted to make the woman who loves me yours, didn’t you?”
“How many times do I have to say no, you bastard!”
Caetro tried to grab Arcturus’s collar in one swift motion.
“Ugh!”
But trying to engage in hand-to-hand combat with a former soldier who had been on the battlefield for over 10 years since his teens was a miscalculation from the start.
With his arm twisted and subdued, Caetro was instantly kicked in the back of his knee and rolled down the stairs.
“You should be quiet, little brother.”
“Urgh…”
“What if grandfather wakes up?”
The servants were in a panic when Caetro got hurt. A simple war of nerves was one thing, but physical injury was another matter. Although he was an illegitimate child, Caetro also inherited the ‘Cloen’ name. He even spent more time with Jude Cullen than Arcturus, the legitimate grandson.
But everyone hesitated and couldn’t easily approach Caetro.
Because it was none other than Arcturus who had hurt him.
“Take care of that, will you?”
Arcturus, pointing at Caetro as if he were an object, put a cigarette in his mouth and walked out the door.
“Our grandfather will be heartbroken.”
A grinding sound of teeth could be heard from behind, but Arcturus didn’t look back.
Now that things had escalated because of Sierra Miller, he could no longer tolerate and ignore her.
It was time to find a way to end this tiresome and irritating situation.
***
The stage successfully came to an end.
The dancers who had finished the performance were busy removing their makeup or changing into casual clothes.
Mark thought that Karen would wash her face and change into practice clothes today as well, then head straight to the practice room.
“I’ll be going now too.”
But contrary to expectations, Karen was wearing casual clothes, not practice clothes.
No matter how much of a practice bug she was, how could she live such a repetitive daily life?
Karen’s pursuit of perfection was commendable as a dancer, but as an individual, it must be difficult. That’s why Mark hoped she would let go of some of her strictness towards herself.
So, Karen leaving early now wasn’t a problem.
“…You’re leaving?”
“Yes. I’m tired today.”
“You’re going home to rest, right?”
Karen stared at Mark quietly, as though there was some problem.
Her gaze was gentle, but Mark turned away first. Karen always had a gentle look, but when looking into her eyes for a long time, it often felt like one’s thoughts were being read clearly.
Mark knew he had said something strange. It felt like he was controlling her like a lover.
But the words came out before reason could stop them.
Karen wasn’t dressed to go straight home now.
She had let down her bright blonde hair that was always neatly tied up, and was wearing a flowy dress hidden under a brown coat.
Her face was clean and white without makeup, but her lips…
“If you have nothing to do, let’s have dinner together.”
“I’m sorry. I want to go home and sleep early.”
Director Mark’s gaze, which had been fixed on her red-painted lips, moved back to Karen’s eyes.
He could tell it was a lie.
If she was planning to go home and rest, why would she remove her stage makeup and reapply lipstick?
Moreover, the clothes she was wearing now were far from her usual casual wear. He could tell she had dressed up somewhat.
“Karen, that girl…”
Suddenly, Alice’s words came to mind.
“She was removing her stage makeup and applying new makeup. Like she was going to meet someone.”
“Karen, you… Perhaps…”
Are you seeing someone these days?
The presumptuous question lingered on the tip of his tongue.
“Director, what’s wrong?”
“No, it’s nothing. Just make sure you eat properly.”
“Thank you for your concern.”
Get a grip. You don’t have the right to pry into Karen’s private life, do you?
Mark turned away, forcibly swallowing the question that was dangling on the tip of his tongue.
Karen was an excellent dancer, and he was the director of the Swan Ballet Company who should bring out her abilities to the fullest.
Nothing more, nothing less.
Even if Karen had a lover as Alice said, it had nothing to do with him.
But why?
Why did a part of his heart keep feeling prickly?
Click, click, the sound of neat shoe heels echoed through the dark street. Karen, wearing flat shoes with not too high heels, adjusted the bag on her shoulder and hurried her steps.
After moving some distance away from the ballet company building, there were fewer people on the street than before. Since the mansion where she stayed was a 40-minute walk away, she had no choice but to hurry unless she planned to hire a carriage.
But Karen’s steps gradually slowed down.
Sometimes, even when nothing is visible right in front of you, when no loud sounds are heard and there are no clear signs, you can get a strange feeling.
It’s a kind of intuition that something ominous might happen to you right now.
Just then, Karen caught a glimpse of a man with a deeply pulled-down hat coming out of the alley she had just passed.
‘That man, his build seems similar to Joseph Mallon…’
Joseph Mallon had followed Karen before. There’s no rule saying someone who had already followed her once wouldn’t do it again, but hadn’t he been thoroughly scolded at the hotel?
So the man walking in the same direction as her now shouldn’t be Joseph Mallon.
For the sake of her safe journey home, that is.
But for some reason, the man and Karen’s paths kept overlapping.
It was the same even when she intentionally headed in the opposite direction of her home.
She took out a hand mirror from her bag as naturally as possible. Karen closed her eyes tightly after checking behind her shoulder with the hand mirror without letting the man notice.
She almost found herself looking for a god she didn’t even believe in.
‘…Joseph Mallon.’
To see that detestable face again.
‘To shake him off now…’
Karen’s steps slowed down little by little.
One step, two steps.
The man’s steps, matching Karen’s, began to quicken very slightly.
For every step she took, Joseph Mallon took two steps closer. It was when the distance was gradually closing like this…
“Aah!”
With a clean motion without any unnecessary movement, Karen threw the bag she had been carrying on her shoulder towards Joseph Mallon.
“Karen!”
She didn’t stop walking even at the sound of him calling her name like a roaring beast after she threw her shoes.
If she could just get to a street with people, maybe a handsome gentleman would appear and help her.
Yes. Like that rude gentleman she met last time, for instance.
“Haa, haa…”
Karen’s two legs burst out onto a main street that wasn’t too far. Fortunately, there were some people passing by on the street. But just as she was about to reach out to someone, not knowing who to ask for help…
A long black vehicle was passing by, at a time when carriages were still more common.
“Help me─!”
Karen jumped in front of the car without hesitation.
***
“It has been revealed that the woman who was with Duke Arcturus Cloen at the hotel was not Sierra Miller. However, it is true that Duke Cloen secretly met another woman at the hotel where he was staying with his family. If not Sierra Miller, the Golden Rose of Gloretta who is his brother’s woman and desired by all, who was the woman with Duke Cloen?”
“Good heavens…”
Roches clicked his tongue.
To think they would write an article like this when pressured to publish a correction.
He carefully observed his friend’s reaction.
Even when he saw the article about the scandal with Sierra Miller, Arcturus handled everything as calmly and coolly as usual.
Arcturus didn’t say anything even after seeing this kind of content that was supposed to be a correction article.
But Roches was more scared because of that.
Because Arcturus was no different from usual.
Anger, sadness, frustration.
My friend becomes more tranquil the more intense emotions he feels.
“What do you plan to do about Sierra Miller?”
“……”
“Are you going to let it slide this time too?”
Roches often wished Arcturus would show his emotions.
He suppressed and endured everything too much.
“Arcturus, Sierra Miller has crossed the line! You need to do something about that woman. How she shamelessly flirted with you in front of your grandfather, and how your half-brother is overstepping his bounds…”
“Enough.”
A low voice, like a sigh, flowed from Arcturus’s mouth, who had been silent all along.
“Roches. I, I…”
Arcturus’s tired eyes, which had been looking out the window, turned to Roches.
