Swan Grave - Chapter 11

Yet, while still alive, Rose’s teacher had once sent her letters, passing on fragments of the knowledge he had obtained. Although it had been the secret theft of the Lohengrin family’s secrets, for Rothbart it turned out to be a stroke of fortune. Once he learned of this, Rothbart immediately sought out Rose.

A suddenly appearing handsome man. The dangerous magic power he exuded.

Rose had seen many popular, handsome gentlemen in society, but when faced with Rothbart, her mind went blank. Instead of the passionate vigor or the freshness born of clumsiness that young gentlemen often carried, he bore seasoned maturity and refinement.

But what made him more attractive was the twisted nature within. The betrayal by his wife had driven him into distrust.

They say wounds heal with time, but if you keep picking at the scab, it is meaningless. Possessing a temperament that ruminated again and again, he repeatedly revisited the matter of his wife, wounding himself over and over. As if he wished never to forget the pain of that wound.

What remained of him was arrogance, distrust, and malice bound tightly with persistence, and those emotions became a flame that burned him from within.

From the moment Rose first saw Rothbart, she fell for him, and instinctively knew that the information she held was a rope to keep herself by his side. Rose begged Rothbart to take her with him.

“It’s only the method I need to know, so why exactly must I take you along?’”

“Of course, as a demon, you could perform black magic if you only had the method. But the swan summoning spell my teacher told me about was incomplete information, and it must be filled in where it lacks. Moreover, what you desire is the re-summoning of a specific person, so the ritual must be adjusted. And that process cannot be done with magic power alone…”

“……”

“So please, take me with you. It may sound arrogant to say this myself, but in this matter, you will find no black magician more suited than me.”

Rothbart accepted her proposal.

Though black magic was subtly shunned, it was not a target of discrimination or punishment. However, large-scale summoning that offered countless sacrifices, such as the summoning of swans, or the offering of humans as sacrifice, was forbidden by the kingdom’s law. For this reason, Rose concealed herself as a governess and remained at the Lohengrin estate.

For no less than five years afterward, Rose continued her black magic experiments to bring back the Marchioness.

The hundreds of swan carcasses discovered each year near the Lohengrin estate were also the aftermath of black magic to summon the Marchioness.

“Well, the timing is good. I was about to call for you anyway.”

At Rothbart’s calmly spoken words, Rose’s heart pounded. He was a man who didn’t give anyone room by his side, yet he allowed her as much convenience as possible. She was the only one he treated so. Unlike with other women with whom he wouldn’t even exchange words, Rothbart often spent private time with Rose like this. Of course, it was only to discuss summoning, but Rose was undeniably the woman closest to Rothbart, and the sweetness of that fact intoxicated her.

But ever since his return from the capital, their private meetings had always made her uneasy.

She was confident in her skills as a black magician. She had no doubt she would complete the summoning soon. In fact, she had already succeeded in restoring the swan summoning spell itself.

But the re-summoning of a specific person was another matter.

As failures piled up for years, Rose’s certainty gradually eroded.

But Rothbart’s resolve never wavered. Without hesitation, he ordered the experiments to continue. Watching him, Rose found herself increasingly satisfied with the ongoing failure.

‘Yes. This is better. If the experiment succeeds, I will eventually be discarded. I may even be killed, like my teacher, to preserve the secret. But if the experiments keep failing… then perhaps I can stay by his side for life. He will never give up on this experiment.’

Rose also knew that Rothbart didn’t like her as a woman. But it didn’t matter. If the swan woman with the eastern face did not return, then at the very least, she might be able to have Rothbart’s shell.

Holding such a secret hope, Rose was struck by Rothbart’s thunderous words.

“Starting this year, the experiments…… are suspended?”

“Yes. You may leave the estate, or if you wish to continue as a governess, you may. But the experiments are over. I will make sure your governess salary is properly paid.”

Rothbart’s attitude was dry and plain, unlike someone letting go of an obsession he had clung to for years.

Rose couldn’t believe it. That Rothbart would give up on the experiments, on the Marchioness? She had always secretly hoped he would let go of the Marchioness, but this was not the result she had wished for. Desperately, she clung to Rothbart.

“Is it because I failed again and again, master? But please, give me just a little more time. The magical reactions to the experiments are growing stronger, so soon, very soon, there will be results.”

“No. There is no need.”

At his resolute attitude, Rose cried out before she realized.

“Why on earth…!”

“Must I trouble myself to explain my intentions to you?”

Rothbart’s red eyes looked down on her chillingly. She had made a mistake. Fearing she had provoked Rothbart’s displeasure, Rose trembled and quickly lowered her head.

“B-but I am your loyal servant, am I not… Please don’t cast me aside like this…”

“I told you, you may continue as a governess. But it seems that alone is not enough for you. Why? Is the education of the Marquess’s heir too insignificant a task for you?”

“N-no.”

With Rothbart speaking that way, she couldn’t dare add more. If she annoyed him further, she would surely be cast out, unable even to keep her governess position. Rose had no choice but to bite her lip tightly and leave his office, nearly thrown out.

She tried to understand the sudden situation. Had the Marquess truly given up on the Marchioness?

Or had he found a replacement for Rose?

Rose knew well that Rothbart spent most of the year in the capital to gain more knowledge of black magic. The black magician society was closed off, and even for one black magician, it wasn’t easy to gain information, but that did not apply to Rothbart as a demon.

Of course, unlike ordinary people, black magicians had some resistance to magic, so demonic brainwashing didn’t work easily. But the very existence of a demon fascinated those with magic, and they tried to please Rothbart by dragging out all the information they knew.

Thanks to the knowledge Rothbart obtained this way, Rose’s black magic skills had also greatly improved, but looking at it the other way, he could have raised another black magician by the same method. Especially now that the swan summoning method had been restored…

Perhaps on this last trip to the capital he had found someone more talented than her. Thinking so, Rose burned with fury.

‘How much I’ve built up to come this far. Even if another black magician comes to replace me, I am the one who knows this magic best. There’s still a chance!’

With such spite, Rose bit her lips until they bled as she returned to her room. On the way, she happened to run into a servant from the eastern continent. It was Sehyun.

Even in the shabby stable boy’s clothes, his neat looks and easy smile were enough to attract the opposite sex, but the lecherous glances he kept sneaking, his face flushed, canceled it all out. Rose showed her disgust openly on her face as she passed him.

‘Filthy stable boy… They say he’s that maid’s brother, and he acts just the same. Vulgar, worthless.’

Rose loathed those from the eastern continent. They had never harmed her, but the thought of the Marchioness, who had the same face as them, made her seethe.

She especially hated the maids.