Despite her fierce resistance, my cool palm rested softly against her warm skin.

The heat of her abdomen seeped into my hand.

Contrary to the thorns she had brandished, the tender skin under the thin nightgown felt fragile.

It was like touching the delicate petals of a spring blossom.

Absentmindedly, I stroked her pale stomach.

“You... you... I’ll kill you!” Elise shouted, her voice sharp.

Her face was twisted in disbelief, glaring at me with venomous eyes.

She clung desperately to her defiance.

But—

“How dare you... do this...!”

Despite her efforts, her quivering eyes betrayed her fear.

Her green eyes wavered intensely, revealing a deep turmoil beneath.

As I watched her fearful response, my lips curled into a sinister smile.

An involuntary chuckle escaped me.

“Now, now... no need to be so scared, I won’t hurt you,” I said.

I lifted her top, now reaching just below her chest, leaving her in a state that exposed her modesty.

Elise lay on the bed, bound and half-exposed.

Perhaps because of this blatant exposure, the sweet scent of her skin spread subtly in the air.

“Ugh, no...!”

The scene built up to a breaking point.

Her frail figure, a result of her long illness, contrasted with the presence of her chest, which still held its shape.

Her disheveled attire clung to her, accentuating her alluring curves.

I teasingly ran my hand over her abdomen.

“You... bastard...!” Elise flinched at the intimate touch, her shoulders trembling.

She tried to lift her head, but her red hair merely cascaded around her face.

The rose moved like petals in the wind.

*Press.*

Applying slight pressure, her stomach yielded under my touch.

The sensation of soft flesh lingered at my fingertips.

“Ugh...”

At last, Elise’s lips clamped shut.

The fierce glare she had tried to maintain vanished as she succumbed to helplessness.

Her green eyes began to glisten with moisture.

They shattered, leaving only vulnerability behind.

“Is that so?”

Maybe I had pushed too far.

Annoyed by how she treated Charlotte, I wanted to mess with her a bit, but now it was time to focus on actual treatment.

I didn’t want to break her spirit on our first meeting.

Speaking gently, I offered some reassurance.

“Don’t make that scared face. This is just the beginning.”
*“No need to be afraid, we’re just starting the treatment now.”*

“Shut up... I’ll... kill you... one day!”

“Heh... You might say that now, but soon enough, you’ll come to appreciate this.”
*“It might feel unpleasant now, but in time, you’ll understand this was for the best.”*

“Stop talking... nonsense...!”

“It’ll be an experience unlike any you’ve had before.”
*“You’ll realize how wonderful it is to live without pain.”*

“Cough... Isn’t... there anyone... outside?”

With a dying voice, Elise called for help, her eyes darting to the closed door.

But, of course, no answer came from beyond.

The room had been sealed so that no noise could escape.

And with Charlotte standing guard outside, there was no chance of an unexpected entry.

I spoke with a relaxed smile.

“It’s no use.”

This was a perfect enclosure, with just the two of us.

And it would stay that way for at least two more hours.

“Accept it. All you need to do is spend this time peacefully.”
*“Just relax and let this time pass comfortably.”*

“You... despicable...!”

“As I mentioned, I won’t hurt you.”
*“I have no intention of causing you pain.”*

With calm words, I tried to ease her while focusing power at my fingertips.

A thin, dark aura coated my fingers.

It was subtle enough that Elise didn’t notice.

My hand moved gently over her stomach.

*Press.*

I pressed down lightly on her dantian.

Through her soft skin, I could sense the disrupted flow of mana within.

“Now then... let’s begin.”

I focused my mind.

Within her body, foreign currents were running rampant.

Tangled mana pathways, rough connections, and fragments of hardened mana that had crystallized and were cutting into her insides.

This condition was occurring throughout her body.

*‘The most severe area... is her abdomen, as expected.’*

Given that the abdominal region was where mana pathways converged, the petrification was more advanced there.

Shards as sharp as glass shredded her internally.

*‘How...’*

How had she been enduring this pain?

It must have felt as though her insides were being torn apart every moment, yet Elise had not shown outward signs of suffering.

As if enduring had become second nature.

“No matter how much you endure... pain doesn’t lessen,” I said.

“What... do you know!” she spat back.

“I know better than anyone.”

*Manastone Petrification.*

A rare, mysterious disease that turned the mana pathways in the body into stone, eventually causing the entire body to shatter into pieces.

The symptoms persisted until the victim’s life ended.

No treatment had been discovered, and the cause was unknown.

Since it appeared only once or twice a century, people on the continent viewed it more as a “curse” than an illness.

With so few answers, it was seen as a manifestation of divine wrath.

*‘Divine wrath... That’s how horrifying this disease is.’*

Hence, Petrification was considered an omen of misfortune.

Even the Imperial Family was no exception.

Elise’s confinement in this isolated annex was proof of that.

The 2nd Princess, once beloved, had been diagnosed with a disease so ominous that it was deemed an ill omen for the Empire, leading to her seclusion.

An excuse of poor health was used to withdraw her from all social activities.

*‘The secret of the Rose.’*

It was a tightly kept secret, but I knew it from the original story’s background notes.

How lonely her struggle was.

Why her once-bright personality had become so erratic and broken.

With a moment of sympathy, I muttered softly.

“Even if only for a moment... this will be salvation for you.”

I consumed the output of my lie.

The fragments of mana embedded in her body gradually disintegrated under precise manipulation.

As the blockages cleared, her blood flow began to circulate again.

*‘This is a temporary measure.’*

It would provide relief for about a day.

I planned to treat her slowly, step by step, over time.

Although there was a way to cure her all at once, this method was better for the future.

Trust, after all, needed time to be built.

To save the Little Prince, I had to open the heart of the Rose she cherished.

Thus, I treated this moment as an opportunity.

*Cough, cough...!*

Blood continued to seep from her pale lips.

With a whispered chant, I let the lie I held at my fingertips seep into her.

A subtle shadow slipped into her abdomen.

“Rest.”

Suddenly.

Elise’s world, once filled with countless screams, grew silent.

“...”

The sudden peace.

Perhaps because she had been in pain for so long.

Elise, feeling true rest for the first time in ten years, stared blankly.

The sensation was dazzling.

“A... Ah...?”

A question escaped her lips.

Her green eyes, now devoid of malice, glistened faintly.

I smiled.

*‘It worked.’*

What enveloped her was an overwhelming sense of comfort.

After years of living in pain, even a moment’s reprieve came as bliss.

Elise shuddered at the unexpected relief.

“H-how...?”

Her breathing, which had grown rapid, stuttered as she asked.

A question that defined her life filled with despair.

“How... is it... I’m not in pain... why, all of a sudden, am I...?”

She was confused.

I placed my finger over her weary lips.

With my other hand, I covered her green eyes gently.

“Shh.”

What she needed now was rest.

For years, she must have been unable to sleep properly due to pain, so I hoped she could close her eyes and truly rest.

Conversations about today could wait until tomorrow.

“Ah...”

Slowly.

Her eyes closed peacefully.

Her arms, which had resisted so much, fell weakly onto the bed.

I whispered to her fading consciousness.

“Sleep well.”

A word that delivered peace to the fragile Rose.

In the calm that followed, I stroked Elise’s stomach for a while.

It was still warm to the touch.

---

Hours later.

The door to the room opened, and two young women stepped inside.

Charlotte and the maid who had been waiting outside.

Their faces were laced with anxiety.

Were they worried about Elise?

Though they had come in after hearing that her condition had improved, they didn’t seem hopeful.

After all, they’d been let down by many renowned doctors before.

It was something they had learned over time.

Hope only made disappointment that much worse.

It was a learned helplessness.

“Where... is Elise?” 

They were the only ones who had stayed by her side throughout her grueling illness, sharing in her suffering.

They had wept, listening to her moan in pain every dawn.

*But.*

Today was different.

I had been by her side.

“She’s here.”

I pointed to the bed.

Elise, who had lost consciousness some time ago, was still asleep.

Her long red hair fanned out over the sheets.

*Soft, steady breaths.*

Her face, now free of torment, showed no signs of discomfort, no cold sweat beading on her skin.

Seeing her serene expression for the first time, the anxious eyes of the two women filled with astonishment.

It was as if they were witnessing an unbelievable miracle.

“My goodness.”

“Elise...?”

“It’s the first time I’ve ever seen Her Highness look so peaceful. She doesn’t seem to be in pain, and there’s not a drop of sweat on her!”

“I can’t believe... it’s really possible.”

“It’s such a relief! Your Highness...!”

Tears welled up in the maid’s eyes as she rejoiced.

Charlotte, similarly overwhelmed, was speechless for a moment. Finally, she steadied herself and managed to ask:

“How... did you do it...?”

Through her transparent eyes, only my figure was reflected.

I met her gaze, and in response to the unspoken question, I offered a playful answer.

“Heh.”

And with that, I replied:

“It’s a secret.”

Just as always.