“Episode 13”
Yuliana, dressed flamboyantly as if flaunting her radiance even under the gloomy sky, nodded somberly.
“I can hear everything you’re saying.”
But without any intention to engage, Yuliana headed towards the highest seats in the distance.
The coveted seats, difficult to obtain for months, had easily fallen into her hands with a sprinkle of money yesterday.
Guided by an attendant, Yuliana took her seat gloomily. Despite the drizzle mixing with snowflakes, the arena was ablaze with the fervor of the commoners who had occupied the lowest section.
In contrast, the dignified nobles pretended tranquility, exchanging nods and whispers while masking their true intentions.
“It’s all just a facade.”
Yuliana looked down coolly at the nobles, unfolding her fan to conceal her uneasy expression.
She couldn’t help but feel disdain for the nobles, who engaged in strategic marriages while secretly indulging in affairs.
“Sigh. Yes. It was my world until I recalled my past life.”
Yuliana sighed, now acutely aware of the difference between her past and present. She understood the need to maintain her dignity and be cautious, knowing she could end up as an expendable extra before her grand finale. Therefore, it was inevitable for her to feel a sense of desolation.
Yuliana gazed up at the sky with melancholic eyes. The thick clouds, with their ominous hue, seemed ready to unleash a torrential downpour at any moment.
It was a very ominous color.
***
The tented waiting room offered no insulation, leaving it filled with chilly air that seeped through. Evan, clad only in a thin leather armor, sat slumped in the cold room, crumpling a piece of paper in his hand.
It was a list of participants for the tournament preliminaries. Evan casually tossed the crumpled paper aside and leaned back in his chair with a sigh.
“Phew….”
As he exhaled into the void, wisps of white vapor floated up. It was cold, but his hunger had abated. It was just right for a fight.
Evan preferred leather armor over cumbersome iron. It was lighter and made mounting a horse easier.
His combat style closely resembled that of ancient ancestors: swift, lethally blunt strikes.
However, the raw combat techniques of his forebears had gradually faded as their descendants settled into the land.
The Ariacne Empire, once considered “barbaric” from the northern regions, had now forgotten its roots, but this savage combat served as their last revival of instinctual play.
Yet, as mediocre knights donned heavy iron armor, Evan couldn’t even find them worthy of ridicule, fearing they might shiver at the thought of a spear piercing their neck through the helmet’s gap.
Ironically, the protagonist of this barbaric spear-fighting tournament, where blood was carelessly spilled, bore the title of Blue Rose: Yuliana Oben.
Yuliana had been renowned for her beauty since childhood. Her fair skin, fiery red hair, and bronze-colored eyes, sparkling like a pair of jewels, captivated the hearts of all who beheld her.
Even from a young age, her innate magical abilities were awe-inspiring. When flames erupted from her fingertips, her unblemished, smooth skin stood out even more. Yuliana’s talent and beauty were unparalleled.
She, mysteriously beautiful to an astonishing degree, surprisingly enjoyed socializing with people.
Those drawn to her sighs and smiles were not limited by gender. People sighed with relief at her kindness, shedding tears at her empathy.
And conversely, many felt betrayed and lamented her capriciousness. Evan Hilchen’s opponent in this tournament fell into the latter category.
“Hmm. The son of Lord Rosen?”
The Rosen family, holding territory at the northern border, had many offspring. It was no surprise that a few knights emerged from such a prestigious lineage.
What bothered Evan was the fact that this particular knight, once afflicted with lovesickness, had miraculously recovered and was now consumed by thoughts of revenge.
Evan rolled his eyes, polishing his armor, ensuring the blade of his lance remained sharp, while listening to the knight’s agitated voice.
The voice beyond the thin tent sounded urgent but lacked any real threat.
“I’ve heard worse insults than that,” Evan chuckled.
Fortunately, Lord Rosen had many children. A couple of them became knights, and their deaths would be of little consequence.
Evan felt no twinge of conscience. He reclined leisurely in his chair, legs crossed, humming to himself.
At the same time, he mimicked the sound of a spear piercing through the air, as if piercing a delicate and fragile throat.
—
Aiden Rosen was the third of ten siblings.
Due to his father’s constant philandering and his mother’s constant replacements, they were practically raised by different mothers.
Among so many siblings, he failed to stand out.
The same was true in social circles.
Living a colorless and unremarkable life, one day, Aiden Rosen met Yuliana.
It was at a party she hosted. Amidst the throngs of people eager to catch even a glimpse of her touch, Aiden felt alienated.
Similar to the sense of alienation he felt among his siblings, he sought to escape the party. Unbeknownst to him, his fleeing figure caught Yuliana’s attention just before the party began to liven up.
That night, Aiden was chosen by Yuliana.
They danced together, shared drinks, and earned the title of “friends” from each other.
When her plump, crimson lips beckoned him playfully, and she giggled with a slight bend of her waist, his colorless and unremarkable life vanished in an instant. From that day forward, Aiden became one of the countless men chasing after news of Yuliana.
Ah, how could he ever forget that night? Her gestures, her playful tone, her laughter as she leaned forward.
But it was only later that he realized something. The men present that night all shared the same thought.
She was stealing their hopes. Without a trace of guilt, she was now treating those hopes as if they were all worthless.
“It won’t be like that anymore, Yuliana. I won’t let it happen.”
Excitedly, Aidan straightened his posture atop the white horse, exhaling a breath that steamed the air. The iron helm that obscured his vision was oddly comforting, as it allowed him to focus solely ahead.
Riding upon the black horse, the offspring of Yuliana Ovan, the shackles of her freedom, the bastard of the Duke, was now mounted.
Aidan glanced briefly at the noble seats, specifically at Yuliana Ovan seated at the highest place.
Ah, she was still beautiful. Like a beautiful demon, devouring wishes and hopes to fill her belly.
“I will make you look back at me again. I will—definitely—do what others cannot!”
The ancient horn, said to have been sounded on the plains long ago, echoed through the tournament grounds.
In that moment, the barrier between commoners and nobles shattered, and everyone rose to their feet, rolling their feet and shouting.
“And now, Evan…!”
The two knights ran parallel to each other.
Aidan firmly grasped his lance. His vision narrowed, everything turned red. In that crimson view, the Duke appeared with intimidating momentum, even from a distance, his face shone brightly, not even wearing a helmet.
The Duke was smiling.
Just lifting the corners of his mouth, squinting his eyes, gripping the massive lance tightly.
Aidan Rosen once again positioned the tip of his lance forward.
It was almost time. The moment they entered each other’s jurisdiction, Aidan Rosen aimed his lance first.
“Ahhhh!”
Aidan was confident of his victory. The Duke, who had ventured out without even proper protective gear, was an easy target. Just the thought of piercing the Duke so effortlessly kept his excitement alive. Excitement would lead him to victory.
“Yuliana!”
For a brief moment, Aidan Rosen thought his lance had pierced the Duke’s throat.
However, the dull thud sensation, as if something had been pierced, was just a misconception. The lance, slicing through the heavy air, narrowly grazed Evan Hillen’s head.
“Gasp!”
Aidan, startled, pulled his lance back.
Clearly, unmistakably―!
The Duke, effortlessly dodging the attack, suddenly appeared from under his gaze. His sharp eyes were aimed faintly between the solid helm towards the neck.
“Oh no!” Aidan exclaimed as he tried to pull back the reins to lower his posture but lost his balance.
“Hee-haw!”
The white horse, tamed for this match, pulled the reins fiercely, letting out a startled whinny.
The sound of hooves echoed.
As Aidan’s posture faltered, the blow was instantaneous.
Thunk!
“Argh!”
Even as his throat was pierced, Aidan Rosen clenched his throat with eyes that did not register the pain.
As the sound of foaming blood filled the air, the audience in the stands was engulfed in a thrilling silence, rather than excitement. Once, they roamed the fields and mountains, seizing what was stolen and stealing what was possessed. The thrill of silence surrounding the audience soon came to an end.
“Wow!”
The spectators in the stands clapped and cheered as if they had seen a great performance, whistling and stomping their feet.
Thud―.
Aidan Rosen’s body fell from the white horse.
Meanwhile, on the opposite side, Evan leaped down from the black horse and approached Aidan Rosen’s lifeless body. Without hesitation, he pulled out the embedded lance.
Swish―.
Turning the lance around to inspect his condition, he briefly glanced at the dragged-out corpse of Aidan Rosen.
Then, with an indifferent expression, as if completely unrelated to the crazed noise of the audience, he wiped his bloodied hands.
Next, with one side of his face stained with blood, making his expression difficult to discern, Evan scanned the audience seats.
Juliana no longer pretended not to notice. Evan was looking at her. Since the day he opened the window to see him return until now. All along.
—
The tournament lasted for two days.
Unlike the first day, where only the bravest knights participated, it had evolved into a game by the later rounds.
The fallen nobles, mediocre knights, and descendants of newly titled local nobility clumsily aimed their lances at each other’s shoulders in a game famous for fighting over the essence of blue roses, all because of Juliana Oben.
The most beautiful woman in the world.
An arrogant sorceress.
A lady who danced engulfed in flames.
She was also known as the Blue Rose.
Unfortunately, Juliana liked blue roses. She even pretended not to notice the blue rose garden given to her by her disliked husband. So it was natural that many men aimed for her favor by lifting their lances and targeting each other’s hearts.
“Crazy!”
And currently, Juliana was tormented, tearing her hair out in agony.
Unlike those reveling and enjoying themselves, she wanted to bolt away several times.
However, she couldn’t move for fear that Evan might get hurt, worrying that even if it was just a scratch from a spear thrown by a blind man, it might cause him injury.
The girl, who had grown pale with worry and regret over the past two days of constant tension, finally rose wearily towards the end.
Her confidence stemmed from the certainty that her husband, who resembled a fiendish specter piercing through people’s hearts and minds with his ferocity, would not fail.
Originally destined to sit among the commoners and watch, Ana rose with eager eyes at Juliana’s movement.
“Lady Countess, where are you going?”
“I just want to rest somewhere quieter.”
“But it’s the finals, and all the places to rest are occupied. Let me bring you something to drink!”
With excitement sparkling in her eyes, Ana looked at Juliana with a pleading gaze, but Juliana waved the fan, indifferent.
“Haven’t you seen enough of the tournament for two days?”
“Oh, my. Your husband’s final match is about to begin. Where will he aim for this time? The newspapers were in a frenzy about the fierce battle for the blue rose.”
Ana subtly sent a meaningful glance while fluttering the newspaper she had brought with her. Surely, she wasn’t referring to me?
“Stop with the useless metaphors.”
Juliana snorted.
In the past, she might have behaved as if reveling in the words of others, claiming to be the most beautiful woman in the world, but now it was different.
Thanks to Evan, the number of conspicuously fawning followers had decreased (probably because they were dead), but the male protagonist, who was responsible for the main plot of this novel, was entwined with her. Because of this, she couldn’t even guess how the future would unfold.
“I won’t forget… those spoilers…”
In the original novel that ended with episode 250, she left at episode 134. She remembered exactly seeing a spoiler comment on episode 133. It was so long and shocking that it was unforgettable.
[It’s going this far. It’s obvious that the writer doesn’t think about it and just writes. Honestly, if they had a conscience, they should release the previous chapter for free. The title of the novel is ‘The Strings of Fate,’ but the fate of the female lead is not visible. It means that the female lead has no merit. The male lead only mentions the name of his mistress he confessed to and killed, and then hastily transitions to the emperor, adding a few unnecessary narratives. When did the female lead become so pretty? The emperor falls for the female lead at first sight, and the male lead also seems to fall for her, but in the end, he only shouts the name of his killed wife. Who wouldn’t know what’s going on in this episode? The emperor saves the female lead, and in the end, the female lead… [cut off]]
She pretended to waver in her heart but ended up going to the male lead, a typical plot twist. Honestly, I’m not sure if this kind of thing is enjoyable, but I want to mess up my fingers that have been running on inertia to this point. The writer seems to be just piecing together a story they’ve seen somewhere and sticking it together roughly…
At that time, she angrily wrote a reply in the comments section.
“[User]… I didn’t know the emperor would become a supporting male character… You’ve been promoting the previous chapters alone, and now you’re doing this?”
After that, fans flocked to leave comments like, “[User], this is really malicious to leave such a review for just 100 won. Have you improved your living standards with that 100 won?” and “[User], this comment is just ridiculous… I didn’t know the emperor would become a supporting character. Anyone can see he’s not a supporting character or an antagonist, right?”
It was understandable, as the post consistently ranked high with a rating of 4.4.
However, at that time, reincarnated as Lucien in her previous life and currently as Juliana Oban, she decided to stop reading after just one more chapter, as she had a rough idea of how the ending would turn out. She couldn’t even dream of being reincarnated into a novel she abandoned due to spoilers…
“I should have treated it like the college entrance exam and just looked at it.”
As Juliana sank into melancholy and maintained her silence, Ana, who kept asking, “What would you like to have?” persistently from the side, looked frustrated.
“This is really just venting my frustrations.”
Juliana, whose head was throbbing with worries, glanced at Ana as if she was annoyed.
“Lady Countess?”
“I don’t know. Just bring me something.”
Ana nodded enthusiastically in response to Juliana’s curt reply.
“Would you like some fig juice?”
“I can’t stand anything sweet—”
Before she could finish her sentence, Ana said with a sulky expression, “Oh. Really? I thought you’d like cake or cookies as well.”
