Authorās note: Nothing strong enough to warrant the story receiving an R-rating, but there are a few peculiar scenes here and there.
Please avoid if youāre squeamish.
[Yes, she means it. You have been warned!]
After the chance meeting, a few days later.
Iāve been diligently attending to my studies, day in and out. Now that Iāve met my beloved Commander, itās time to throw all of my energy into self-improvement again. That whole flag destroying matter can wait. Until the other love interests start gathering at the palace, business has been closed for the foreseeable future.
I want to believe that I can live in peace for a few years until the Wizard and the Priest make their appearances.
Johan is getting training from Chris, and itās easy to see how heās changing. He stands a little taller, and above all, he looks different now. The spoiled crybaby who clung to me until recently has become more princely.
As for Georg, sometimes Iāll visit Lady Emma, and itās great fun listening to her gossip about his progress. The boy who used to look exactly like his mother was starting to become more manly these days.
Georgās father and uncle are both taking a hand in training him for his future. Not only was he receiving a gentlemanās education, he was also devoting himself to learning the fundamentals of trade from Master Julius.
Were the Eicher House to fall into ruin, Georg would still be able to support his wife and children, or so Lady Emma boasted, laughing.
āRuin,ā she says. Itās really not as impossible as sheās lightheartedly making it out to be.
Anyway! Leaving aside the topic of Lady Emmaās natural airhead self, if those two turn Georg into a decent man, the flags affecting Rosemarie can be struck down by two.
If the unknown Priestess chooses Johan or Georg, either I wonāt be put under house arrest for the rest of my life by one, or I wonāt end up in a loveless marriage with the other.
All right. So far, so good!
āā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā
Once upon a time, I truly did believe that.
Iām currently cooped up in my room, reading a history book that had been assigned to me by the person teaching me history. There were a lot of archaic phrases, and I was struggling through it while trying to hold a dictionary open in one hand, butā¦good grief, it was impossible to concentrate. I canāt do it!
Someone has been staring at me with a gaze so strong, it seemed like a hole might burn into the fabric of my clothes.
āā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā
No, Iām not being too self-conscious. I can feel itāthat dreadful stareāand if I look over my books, for a split second, our eyes will meet.
Could you get lost!!
Iām so worked up thereās a stabbing pain in my stomach. It feels like I have an ulcer.
The criminal guilty of aggravating me these past few days is my guard knight, Klaus von Belmar.*
To tell you the truth, there is one guy I could have left alone in this worldāthe masochist Guard Knight.
With love interests lurking around every corner, it seems strange that there would be someone who doesnāt need to have his flags destroyedābut of course, there was a reason for that.
In the game, when it came to Klaus, he was āunable to act once he left Rosemarieās side,ā and destroying this flagāhis inability to act aloneābecomes an important premise in his story.
In the current world, Klaus is 18 years old.
He has short-cropped dark brown hair, a deeply chiseled faceāstrong eyebrows over beautiful deep greenĀ , and a youthful smile that is popular with the young ladies. His smile really suits him, it freshens up his athletic look. Too bad itās going to waste.
The story of how Klaus came to be entrusted with Rosemarieās protection happened a little before a year ago. It was too late to do anything for him by that pointāhe had already started showing masochistic tendencies.
Klaus was the second son to an earl. His free-spirited older brother, who had played without a care of his surroundings, proved taxing to their more reserved parents. This in turn influenced their choices in Klausās upbringing, not necessarily for the better.
So that they wouldnāt repeat the same mistake with their younger son, Klaus had an extreme upbringingāhe became someone who could perform everything flawlessly.
But, no matter how perfect he was, there were just some things he things he failed at. He was only human, after all. It was natural.
Unable to see things so optimistically, he blamed himself more than necessary. He tortured himself with criticismsā¦and before you knew it, his self-loathing had become a desire for self-punishment.
I donāt really understand what clicks in the mentality of a masochist, but in his case it was probably his perfectionism tearing him apart. I do wonder if it was his anguish that did him in.
As the years went by, his older brother began to settle down. Once their parents realized this and started focusing on him, Klaus enrolled to join the kingdomās chivalric order and left home. Several years later, he became Rosemarieās guard knight.
In other words, no matter what I do, Klausās masochism is something I canāt destroy myself. Unfortunately, when I think of the Priestess who could do something about it, Iām reminded that her whereabouts are still unknown. And thereās an age gap between the two. I guess it was impossible from the start, so I have no choice but to give up for now.
There was another important reason why I need his flag to get destroyed, and thatās because ofā¦the twisted Master and Servant bond between Rosemarie and Klaus.
You see, Rosemarie von Werfard loved Klaus.
Not, not me . Until the very end, the in-game princess did.
It was almost inevitable that the young girl was drawn into a romantic relationship with the handsome guard knight. Klaus had always stood beside Rosemarie since her childhood. Nurturing the longing resembling love in her heart, she never confided her secret feelings to anyone.
Klaus himself had always thought of Rosemarie as a little sister. He cared for her deeply and it showed in the the way he protected her, but he held no romantic feelings for her. What finally broke the status quo was something that happened when Rose was 13 years old.
By chance, she witnessed a portion of his tryst with an older maid.
Rose was trying to hide under the covers when she overheard a heated dispute, repeating again and again. The argument seemed to be over a divorce or something like that. She was about to get out and call for Klaus when a SMACK! resounded throughout room. Shocked by the sound, she froze.
Peeping in the direction it came from, Rose found Klaus together with the maid. His cheek was red, and the maid held him in a tight grip. Ready to fly out and protect her knight, she froze once again at the contents of their conversation.
āYou think you can live when Iām not here?! Is there anyone other than me who is capable of hurting you? Do you really believe you can be satisfied with a normal woman?!ā
The words coming from the maidās mouth left Rose in a daze.
She couldnāt understand what the maid was saying. Thereās no way a young child, must I point it out, would understand why someone would resort to violence.
However, far from refuting the maidās claims, Klaus remained silent in her abuse. He was shivering as if he were intoxicated, and even the untouched side of his cheek was flushed crimson. There was a thick look of enrapture in his eyes, and before long he vomited out āMoreā¦!ā in a heavy, panting voice.
I flipped out at the TV screen.**
āWhat the fuck are you bastards showing to the innocent princess!ā
Teeth grinding together, if I could have jumped into the screen, I wouldāve covered up Roseās eyes and ears, and taken her out of the room. After that was accomplished, I wouldāve exterminated those two pieces of shit without a hint of hesitation.
In the present world, thereās a possibility that things could still go this way, but since Iām Rose now, it would be pointless. Sadly, life doesnāt intend to go the way I want it to.
And so, by herself with no one to cover her eyes or protect her ears, an endless stream of thoughts ran through Roseās mind. The culmination of all her reasoning wasāif she could bring herself to inflict pain on Klaus, she would be able to make him hers.
Thatās amazing, princess. After a repulsive scene like that, to say nothing of you not hating it, going so far as matching his preferences is not something anyone can easily do.
Iām sure it mustāve taken a lot of courage for her to summon the nerve to hurt the person she has always loved. Despite her trembling, Rose struck him in the face, and Klaus fell to his knees in shock.
Looking down on him, she said, āKlaus, youāre a filthy dog.ā
Let me say it again. The princess is amazing.
Hauteur like that canāt be taught. She was born a queen. He had his breath taken away by the strength of her presence, not adoration.
āPr-Princess Rosemarie! Iā¦I wasāā
āSilence! I donāt recall permitting a dog to speak my name!ā
Once more, she struck Klaus, who was creating desperate excuses, with the palm of her hand. At this point in time, I could see a new nature emerge from Rose.
āIām your master, arenāt I, doggie?ā
It was the moment the princess became a sadist.
This is how Rose and Klaus threw away their affectionate siblingsā relationship, and became bounded by the twisted ties of a master and her servant.
I myself supported this new development. If anyone asks me why, Iād answer they match each other well. Like they say, for every man, thereās a woman. Or, āevery Jack has his Jill.ā
As long as they were both happy, I had no problems with it. However, Klaus always regretted warping the innocent princess he had protected for so long, and that regret left an opening for the Heroine to get into his heart.
When Klaus and the Priestess finally got together, the princess was so sad I couldnāt bear to look at her, butā¦now I encourage it!
Cāmon! Make my day! Have at him, Priestess!!!
I have no intention of becoming a sadistic princess! While Iām at it, Iāll even swear for all eternity I have no intention of falling in love with him.
All the more reason for the two of us to keep our harmless relationship.
Whatever fetishes Klaus may have, in or out of the bedroom, it doesnāt change the fact that heās a talented and excellent guard knight. Iām saying Iāll try my best not to step into the dark side of his personality, so it would be nice if we could build a relationship with good boundaries.
Klaus had wanted to conceal the fact that he was a masochist, so for it to go any further, Rose would have to expose it first. Letās stay like siblings forever, it would be better for the both of us!
Or, thatās what I thought.
So why has he been making funny eyes at me?!
Until just a few days ago, he was still that refreshingly fine young man, wasnāt he? Maintaining the perfect distanceānot too close, and not too far.
What in the world made him start throwing those smoldering looks my way?!