Chapter 108: White Rose

The emperor opened his eyes, breathing shallowly as though his life might slip away at any moment. Through his damp lashes, dull pupils slowly emerged.

His gaze, heavy with exhaustion and cynicism, gradually moved and settled on Edelweiss standing beside the bed. His eyes pierced through her.

“…What happened? I remember collapsing at the investiture ceremony…”

A strained voice barely slipped through the cracks of his dry lips.

Damian looked down at the emperor, his expression dry and unflinching.

“A servant, acting on Prince Adolf’s orders, poisoned Your Majesty.”

The emperor blinked slowly. Yet no surprise or anger flickered across his face.

Instead, a faint smirk appeared at the corners of his mouth—a twisted expression closer to mockery.

Ordinarily, a father would respond with outrage or sorrow upon hearing such news about his son. But the emperor’s reaction carried an unsettling air of amusement.

“Adolf hanged himself.”

He reacted as if it were merely an entertaining spectacle.

“Being stripped of the title of crown prince… he must have resented it deeply.”

The words came out of him with chilling ease. He showed no guilt or sense of responsibility.

The s*icide note had contained no mention of resentment toward Damian’s ascension. It had only been filled with hatred toward the emperor.

Edelweiss quietly steadied her breath. She had to suppress the wave of disgust rising in her chest.

At last, the long-waiting royal physician stepped forward and cautiously checked the emperor’s pulse.

His hand trembled slightly from the tension.

The air in the bedchamber grew thick with humidity, and Edelweiss held her breath in silence.

“Your Majesty…”

The royal physician hesitated, then finally spoke.

“The poison still lingers in great quantity.”

The emperor’s brow twitched. His cold gaze stabbed into the physician like a blade.

“In other words… you’re saying I could die at any moment?”

The royal physician flustered and bowed deeply at the waist.

“I beg your pardon……”

“Useless fool. Leave at once.”

With the sound of the door closing, the bedchamber grew even quieter. The emperor lifted his head and looked at Edelweiss with an expressionless face.

Slowly, he raised a hand and gestured toward her.

“……Come closer, Crown Princess.”

Suppressing her emotions, she approached. With each step, her stomach turned.

Forcing a smile, she stood before the emperor.

“If there is anything you resented me for until now, let it go, Crown Princess.”

When his fingers lightly brushed the back of her hand, she instinctively pulled away.

“I know it was out of concern for His Highness the Crown Prince and Gloria.”

A chill seeped into the spot where the emperor’s body heat had touched.

“They say the blue rose created by Blossomweaver has the power to share one’s lifespan. Give me the blue rose.”

“……”

“There’s no other way for me to survive.”

Edelweiss swallowed in bewilderment. As she kept her gaze lowered, unable to answer, Damian stepped in roughly, shielding her.

“Have you gone mad?”

His voice was filled with unbearable fury. Jaw clenched, brows deeply furrowed, Damian glared at the emperor.

The emperor smirked in mockery.

“……Can I not even ask that much of my daughter-in-law? Giving me the blue rose won’t immediately bring disaster, will it? You should be grateful for the opportunity to help your emperor.”

There was no sign of regret in his eyes. Only the desire to survive filled them.

Would anything good come from the emperor staying alive?

More likely, he’d continue to see Gloria as a replacement for Empress Anastasia.

In that case……

Edelweiss recalled what the Marquis of Blossomweaver had once told her about the “white rose.”

‘Does the white rose also share lifespan?’

‘No. Quite the opposite. The blue rose sustains fading life, but the white rose—it’s essentially poison.’

‘……’

‘Only you and I among Blossomweavers know of this white rose’s existence. It’s a lethal poison, but it dissolves immediately in the body. That’s why it’s undetectable. It’s often used in assassinations.’

Edelweiss slowly nodded.

“Your Majesty, the blue roses currently being cultivated have no effect. They’ve recovered but haven’t fully matured. I’ll bring you a previously bloomed blue rose instead. May I ask you to wait a little?”

“Oh… would you do that for me?”

The emperor’s eyes lit up. His pupils swelled with anticipation.

“It is out of gratitude for cherishing Gloria.”

Edelweiss bowed naturally. Offering it too readily would have aroused suspicion.

“……Then I shall rest now, so leave me.”

The emperor closed his eyes in satisfaction. At that moment, as Damian left the bedchamber, he grabbed Edelweiss’s shoulder.

“What are you thinking, saying you’ll give that to him?”

Edelweiss looked straight at him and spoke quietly. With listening ears possibly nearby, she couldn’t mention the white rose here.

“……Your Highness. Let’s go to the Marquisate of Blossomweaver right now. I’ll explain everything.”

Damian started to speak as if not understanding at first, but paused. After a long exhale, he released her shoulder.

***

Arriving at the Marquisate of Blossomweaver, Edelweiss went straight to the office. She moved slowly through the familiar space. Retracing her memory, she pulled out the book the marquis had once handled.

Then, the back wall of the drawer shifted, revealing a thin hidden door.

“…..What is this?”

Damian, who had followed behind, muttered in a low voice.

Edelweiss gestured for him to follow. Beyond that door, a narrow staircase led to a hidden greenhouse garden. At that moment, the heavy scent of roses spread through the air.

The fragrance rising from the dried petals was strangely strong.

Damian’s gaze soon turned to the white roses that filled the surroundings.

White roses thick with thorns tangled across the walls in vines.

“Aunt cultivated them before she passed. While Blossomweaver’s blue roses share vitality, these white roses are essentially poison that dissolves in the body. Undetectable—no trace left behind.”

Edelweiss carefully snipped a few white roses with scissors. Sharp thorns hid between the petals wrapped in a handkerchief.

“If we remove the thorns and dye them, they’ll look like blue roses.”

“……”

“Is it… really okay to end it with this?”

The moment the emperor consumed the white rose, he would die. Knowing that, Edelweiss asked cautiously.

After all, the emperor was still Damian’s father.

“……Damian!”

After a long silence, Damian picked up a white rose.

Even as the thorns pierced into his flesh, his expression remained unchanged.

His eyes were as calm as deep water.

“……Even if we get through this, he’ll keep demanding blue roses.”

“……”

“I was hoping he wouldn’t wake up.” His voice, filled with conflict, came out painfully.

“I’ll do it. I want to witness the end.”

Edelweiss hesitated, wondering if she could entrust him with this.

But upon seeing the deep, pensive blue of his eyes, she soon nodded.