The Emperor Is My Brother’s Best Friend

The baron's daughter couldn't draw her eyes away from the mirror... or more precisely, the image reflected in the mirror.

With a frown on her face, Ilya brought her face and took a look in the mirror.

Ilya's eyes narrowed.

"This...? What...?"

She was certain that the mirror that had just been reflecting her face back at her had now changed and revealed something else.

The glass of the mirror instantly turned hazy, as if steam had formed on it, and it slowly dissipated shortly thereafter.

As the fog lifted, a black figure appeared beyond it.

Ilya didn't blink an eye, as if blinking would disrupt her eyes' efforts to see the image.

"Is it a beast?"

She could vaguely make out a pitch-black figure resembling a crouching beast.

It was hard to tell what kind of beast it was because its face was hidden, but it must be some sort of animal.

She wiped the mirror surface again with her sleeve.

"But why does the mirror that used to reflect me show this?"

It was then that the beast, which had been crouched down as if sleeping, slowly raised its head.

The beast raised its head, and the silhouette of its face took on the shape of a man.

Strange and bizarre as it may have appeared, it made eye contact with Ilya and began to laugh, its mouth spread wide in a smile.

As if in slow motion, it moved its limbs.

The body revealed itself in the form of a horse, rolled its legs a couple of times, then rushed toward the mirror surface without hesitation.

The wings on his back spread out as the sound of something being pierced rang out.

"Ahhh!!!"

Ilya grabbed her chest, where her heart was beating violently in pain.

Battling through the fading pain, Ilya's legs lost their strength, and she slumped listlessly on the bedroom floor, breathing laboriously.

"Haa... Haa..."

After sitting and regaining her breath, Ilya slowly stood up.

Her face that was contorted with pain just a moment ago had now calmed.

Ilya staggered towards the bed and lay down.

With her back facing the mirror and left alone, it shone once more before finally falling silent.

Rose couldn't fall asleep.

After falling into a light sleep, she was shocked awake. This pattern repeated until Rose eventually got out of bed and sat down at her desk.

As the candles on the table were prelit, a dark shadow covered her face, displaying features dripping with fatigue.

"I can't sleep. It's all because of what Stanley said about Ilya."

Pressing down on her throbbing temples, Rose stared blankly at the candle.

She sat there idly until the candle wax dripped and the tall candle was drastically shortened.

It was only after the candles had run out and the lights faded into darkness that she came to her senses.

Smoke rose from the burnt wick, and when she smelled it, Rose realized that she had been up all night.

Perhaps because the winter solstice had passed and the nights had become shorter than before, dawn was already breaking through the uncurtained windows.

Rose struggled to rise from her chair.

"It's early, but I should go to Ilya's room. I'll sort my words that I'm going to say on my way, and I'll go in when she wants to wake up."

Rose muttered and headed straight for the door.

She twisted the doorknob and opened the door, and was surprised to find another person waiting in front of the door.

"Ilya?!"

The person Rose was hoping to see was standing outside her room.

Standing in front of the door with her hands together, Ilya looked very surprised when the door suddenly opened and Rose appeared.

"Rose! Are you awake already?"

"Ah... Rather, I was..."

As she brushed the nape of her neck, Rose, who was speechless, noticed that both of Ilya's cheeks were red. It was not a flush, but a cheek that was frozen due to spending long periods in a less than ideal atmosphere.

Rose frowned.

"How long have you been here?"

"Not for long. I came here a little while ago."

Ilya's cheeks were frozen. She didn't look like someone who had just arrived.

In Honeywell Manor, in the winter, warmth circulated in the corridors for the servants who worked.

But at dawn, there was no one working, so no fire was lit.

If Ilya had been in front of Rose's room all morning, her cheeks would definitely have frozen like that.

In front of my room all morning...

In this situation, where her trust in Ilya was failing, Rose was not happy with her behavior.

However, since it was something she would have done in front of Ilya's room, Rose tried to hide her expression.

"Did you come here with something to say?"

"Yes. Yesterday, I fell asleep early, so I didn't know, but you said before that you were in trouble..."

Rose studied Ilya's face carefully.

Shameless. Should I admire her acting skills more? Or should I relinquish the distrust that I've held toward her?

The look on Ilya's face now made it hard to believe that she had encouraged Stanley to harm her.

Rose decided not to ask what Stanley Gardner had said to her in the first place.

"It was a small accident. Are you here to check on me?"

"It's not like that. I want to give this to you first."

Ilya held out the shopping bag she was holding.

On receiving it, Rose checked the items in the shopping bag.

There was a box made of luxurious material with a ribbon wrapped around it.

When Rose hinted at elaborateness with her eyes without saying anything, Ilya, who understood her meaning, jumped to reply.

"I went out to the plaza yesterday and thought of you, so I bought it. I was going to give it to you yesterday, but I was too tired, so I'm giving it to you now."

Rose looked around the hallway.

The hallway was quiet, perhaps because the servants of the manor had not woken up yet.

Why have you chosen to come at this early hour?

"Thank you, I don't know what... I will use it well."

...Did you really stand in front of my room at dawn to deliver this?

Rose started inspecting Ilya.

I already thanked her, but she's still not leaving. Why is she still here?

The image of her standing there with her fingers laced together and the tips tapping her lips showed that she had more to say to Rose.

Rose stared at Ilya, who was standing in front of the door.

"Do you want to come inside? I also have something to say to you."

I was going to visit you anyway.

When Rose invited her into the room, Ilya nodded without hesitation and stepped in after her.

"It's early, so the tea isn't ready. Is water okay?"

As Ilya sat down on the couch in a corner of the room, Rose brought a kettle and a teacup filled with water.

"Yes, water is fine too. Thank you, Rose."

Ilya acted politely as usual.

Rose watched her expression and movements as she poured water into her teacup.

Same as always.

It was unbelievable to think that she had betrayed herself, just like before Rose's return.

Rose also took a seat across from Ilya. Neither of them speak.

It was Rose who invited her to the room, saying she had something to say, but she kept her mouth shut.

In the midst of the suffocating silence, the baron's daughter was the first to speak.

Ilya's lips parted, and a sigh escaped.

"Rose, if---didn't Stanley Gardner visit you?"

Rose's hand, which brought the teacup to her mouth, paused. Her red eyes widened.

It was a situation that she never expected Ilya to speak about. She chose to directly ask about Stanley Gardner first.

Rose put down the teacup and put on a calm expression.

"You mean Lord Stanley? He... wasn't his relationship going well with you? I don't know why he was looking for me."

The day Stanley Gardner came to the mansion and confessed to Rose.

Those who witnessed his atrocities did not say a word. Thus, they were still unknown to Wells, as they were ordered to withhold that incident.

Ilya's shoulders visibly drooped.

"Rose, actually... Stanley Gardner and I broke up. No, since we weren't dating in the first place, I'll cancel that statement."

"...Weren't you two still in a relationship with good feelings for each other?"

"Not long ago, Lord Stanley told me that there is someone he held in his heart. That's why he said that a relationship beyond friendship would be impossible for me."

"Stanley Gardner himself said that?!"

Rose asked, surprised involuntarily.

Ilya's expression was full of pain, as if she were a young girl suffering from a broken heart.

Stanley Gardner said that? If so, when? He came to me the day before the hunting festival.

Rose's eyes were full of confusion as she thought with her head propped up.

Who the hell is lying here? Stanley? Or Ilya?

Rose's suspicions leaned towards Ilya being deceptive.

Elliot's letter to Ilya before returning was still on Rose's mind.

"Rose."

Rose cautiously turned her head toward the voice calling her.

Ilya watched her with a worried expression, and Rose felt goose bumps all over her body.

"Your complexion is not good. Are you still recovering from the accident yesterday?"

Rose bit her lower lip and didn't answer. After a pause, she spoke.

"Ilya."

"Yes."

"That yesterday... I was kidnapped and was brought out of the capital and back."

"What?! Kidnapped? R---R---Ro--- Rose! Is your body okay? It's no small accident. This is horrifying!"

"The person who kidnapped me is Stanley Gardner."

"Oh my god."

Ilya's complexion turned visibly blue. She got up and moved over to the seat next to Rose.

"That man---Stanley Gardner---he did that to you? What should I do? Rose, you must have been very scared. Are there any injuries?"

There were no lies in Ilya's eyes, tone, or actions when she showed concern for Rose.

As if what Stanley Gardner said was a lie.

Rose shed tears as she watched Ilya look at her anxiously.

...Why must it be Ilya Titonsser? Why did she come to my family's manor? And why did she become friends with me? Why... Why does she want to hurt me?!

Rose struggled to open her mouth.

"Ilya, Stanley Gardner did---you... You sent Stanley Gardner after me. You were the one who told him where I was going."

Ilya's worried expression hardened in an instant.

"Did the man say that? Stanley! He said that even though he clearly knew how much I liked him, saying that he had another woman was not enough, so he framed me like this? What a funny person!"

Ilya was furious. 

It was the first time Rose had seen her since she'd come to Honeywell Manor and known her.

"Rose. You don't believe that man's words, do you? I didn't even know you was going out. You must have known that I'd been out since yesterday morning. I thought you'd rest at the manor."

"That's right, but---"

"How could I have known that you were going out? Didn't you also go out unexpectedly?"

"..."

"Or not---could there be a culprit among the people around you? For example, one who is always by your side."

"Ilya."

Rose firmly cut off Ilya's words before she could get carried away.

"If you were referring to Anne, you misunderstood. Anne has taken care of me for over ten years. There is no reason for her to harm me."

"It is---I'm sorry, because I was so worried about you."

Ilya's head sank as if she were trying to sink into the ground.

"Thank you from the bottom of my heart, but I don't want anyone else to doubt Anne."

"Yes, sorry."

"...No, I'm sorry for doubting Ilya."

Rose held Ilya's hand. When she tapped the back of her hand lightly, Ilya lifted her bowed head.

Ilya's green eyes and Rose's red eyes met.

The baron's daughter's eyes were green like midsummer's green emeralds.

The two gazes in question, as if searching for something that would relieve the tension, made them feel as if not everything was falling apart. 

[T/N: To show that there's still some trust between them for them to rely on and not break apart their friendship permanently.]