ROSES HAVE THORNS

"Hurry! Hurry! Hurry! He’s in critical condition and may need the assistance of the Saintess! Get the diagnostic array ready right this instant!"

Frantic screams of the healing priests echoed through the stunned atmosphere of the coliseum. A team of three white-robed clerics scrambled over the fractured stone and carefully lifted the unconscious, bloodied body Everett Herst onto a stretcher.

Near the center of the arena, Kurt lifted and looked at his right hand where he held his blade. There, still clinging along the edge of the blade were a few lingering particles of sparkling blue stardust.

The moment he tried one of these dancing glitters, they all faded into nothingness.

Up in the stands, Ayako slowly pulled her comically big sunglasses down from her face. A fascinated smile stretched across her lips and her heart raced against her ribs with an unprecedented adrenaline rush as she stared at the confused Kurt.

"Did you sense that, Ms. Herst?" Ayako whispered with a breathless thrill chilling her voice.

"Yeah. I sensed it."

"Truly... this man never ceases to amaze me. To think he only learned of the very existence of his natural elemental affinity not but a single hour ago... yet he has already grasped the surface of Mana Infusion. Rossana-sama, just what kind of a monster are you?"

.

..

...

"""YEEEAAAHHHH!!!"""

"Master Rossana did it!"

"Hahaha! Take that, you stinky noble!"

Inside the living room of the Rossana-Valentine estate, the servants and maids began cheering at the top of their lungs as Commentator Ken confirmed Kurt’s victory. Celebrating with them, Julianne let out a joyous laugh of relief and embraced her daughter.

However, Diana didn’t so much as move. She stood stiff in front of the couch as her crimson eyes stared wide-eyed at the projection. Her mind desperately was trying to comprehend what she had just witnessed.

"What... on earth just happened to Everett? There was no warning sign. He simply... broke."

On the screen, the visual feed zoomed in closely on Kurt’s face. He casually shook his right hand, rolling his shoulders and began to search the open air around him, looking for something specific.

Finally, his gaze locked directly onto the floating recording tag that was broadcasting the live feed.

"Diana! Diana, are you watching this? I need to see you right now. Please, come here."

Diana flinched and blushed at him calling her out directly.

Julianne let out a delighted giggle and reached forward to playfully nudge her daughter’s waist. "Diana, didn’t you hear him? Your man is calling for you! Go on, sweetie, don’t keep him waiting!"

"O-Okay," she nodded at her mother before turning around and teleporting away.

SHWOOSH

A second later, she reappeared at the edge of the VIP’s lower seats.

"Rosie!" she called out in a vulnerable pitch that blended in with the coliseum noise.

Despite the noise, however, Kurt immediately picked up her voice and spun around.

The moment he caught the sight of her, his worried expression melted away, replaced by an incredibly happy and warm smile. He stretched out both his arms, gesturing for her to come to him.

Diana vanished from the VIP section and reappeared once again inside the ruined arena. As she stepped closer to speak to him, her voice sounded with a mixture of awe and panic. "Rosie... What just happened out there? What did you do to Everett–"

Before she could finish her sentence, Kurt reached and wrapped his arms securely around her slender waist, pulling her against his chest to hold her in a protective hug.

"R-Rosie... Not in front of everyone..." Diana froze at his unexpected public display of affection.

But with her being weak to him, the lingering tension in her soul evaporated. She let out a soft, trembling breath, gently closed her eyes and slid her arms around his neck, sinking into his embrace.

Kurt slowly pulled back just enough to look down into her eyes, his lazy smile widening before he leaned down and pressed his lips firmly against hers.

Diana tightened her grip around his neck, pulling him closer to her as she passionately returned the kiss right in the center of the coliseum. In front of everyone.

"Oh, my..." Ayako’s eyes sparkled with amusement.

Beside her, Emelie practically rolled her eyes to the back of her head, although she too could not help but smile for them. "I swear... this idiot couple. Can they please not do this while my brother is being carried out on a body bag? Yeesh."

Back at the estate, Sadie was shaking Yuna’s shoulders as she gushed with romantic excitement. "Ahhh! Look at them! They are so goddamn cute! Go Bossman! Go Bosslady!"

*Tsk* "Sadie, stop shaking me. You’re annoying me. Let go."

Sitting on the couch, Julianne watched the giant holographic screen with a deeply affectionate maternal smile. A few tears of pure happiness welled up in her eyes as she watched her daughter display such loving passion.

The reaction from the coliseum stands was a deafening mixture of sounds. Hundreds of high-society nobles were letting out cries of utter heartbreak and aristocratic fury, while thousands of commoners, students, and adventurers were cheering themselves hoarse, stamping their feet against the stone benches in absolute approval.

When Kurt finally parted his lips from her, his single eye drifted past her shoulder, catching sight of a figure slowly turning away near the back of the upper VIP seats.

Reuben Valentine stood quietly in the shadows, his face completely blank. He then turned his back to the arena, his cape fluttering behind him as he began his apathetic retreat toward the exit tunnel.

"Hey! Valentine!" Kurt’s voice boomed across the coliseum, instantly halting a large portion of the crowd’s cheers.

Reuben paused at the tunnel’s threshold, though he didn’t turn around.

"Where the hell do you think you’re going?!" Kurt mocked as he pointed his blade toward him.

"In case your old brain forgot... you and I still have some business to settle with each other. I just spent the last hour beating the ever-loving hell out of your favorite little puppy, as well as every other single stray dog who thought they could break Diana and I apart!

"Listen to me very carefully, Valentine. If you walk away from this right now... you aren’t just walking away from a fight. You are permanently walking away from your control over Diana’s life.

"If you step away now, she is mine. Unequivocally mine, and there is not a single damn thing you, your future plans, or your pride can ever say or do about it. So make your choice!"

The aerial recording tag focused its display directly onto the unmoving back of the Duke of Valentine.

The people held their breath in terrifying anticipation, waiting for his response. Will he turn back and continue this charade, or will he walk away?

Julianne’s hands flew to her chest, her fingers interlocking as she stared at her husband’s unmoving image on the screen. "Please... Reuben... I’m begging you... please..."

The stadium microphones picked up the deep sound of Reuben taking a long, slow breath. Finally, without turning his head to look at the ring, his voice echoed through the arena.

"Do whatever you want."

With those definitive words, Reuben stepped into the shadows, his heavy boots clicking against the stone as he walked out of sight.

["HE– HE HAS CONCEDED, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!"] Commentator Ken’s voice exploded into his microphone. ["DUKE REUBEN VALENTINE HAS OFFICIALLY STEPPED AWAY! KURT ROSSANA HAS SUCCESSFULLY WON OVER THE MOST BEAUTIFUL WOMAN IN THE LAND!"]

"""YEEEAAAHHHHHH!!!!""""

The coliseum erupted into another frenzy of wild cheering.

Inside the living room, Julianne held her trembling hands over her mouth as she let out a choked sob of pure relief. She fell back against the cushions of the couch, crying tears of absolute joy.

Wendy immediately ran forward and began to gently soothe Julianne’s back with a soft smile gracing the head maid’s lips.

Deep within the stone exit tunnels, the footsteps of the Herst parents hurried to catch up to Reuben’s retreating frame.

"Lord Reuben! Please, wait!" The Earl of the Herst family called out. "Is this truly what you want?! To simply discard our alliance like this? We had already formulated so many future plans–!"

The countess stepped forward and locked her eyes onto the profile of Reuben’s face. She caught sight of the weariness hidden behind his cold eyes, a look that told her that any further argument would be useless.

She quickly reached out, grabbing her husband’s arm and pulling him back hard. "Stop. Let him be..."

"But my love–!"

The countess firmly shook her head. "I said stop.

Reuben didn’t look back at them. He simply continued his steady march through the dimly lit stone corridor.

....

Diana let out a beautiful laugh of overwhelming happiness. It was a sound so rich and unburdened that it caused Kurt’s heart to swell.

She leaned her head against his chest, her eyes shimmering with tears of joy as she realised the suffocating walls of her father’s control had finally crumbled into dust.

"Ahahaha~! You did it... Rosie... you actually did it..."

"Of course I did." Kurt boasted, pointing his nose to the sky. "I’d do anything to make you happy..... I’d even die for you if I had to."

Diana’s breath hitched slightly at the phrase. She looked down as a deeply emotional flush of happiness and desire warmed her cheeks.

Suddenly, Kurt caught onto a very specific sound. He could hear her shallow, and incredibly sensational, breathing passing quickly through her parted lips.

"... Diana?"

Slowly looked up at him. Her crimson eyes were burning with an intense desire that locked onto his own.

Kurt knew that face. And he knew damn well what it meant.

SHWOOSH

Before a single spectator or recording tag could track their movements, they instantly vanished from the arena, leaving the thousands of cheering fans staring at an entirely empty stone ring.

...

SHWOOSH

Thud!

They crashed heavily on the mattress of their king-sized bed, ready to begin a completely different, far more private battle.

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