Chapter 3 - Rose

Growing up with parents like Michael and Elisabeth, learning to be patient and mask her emotions was not only a necessity for Rose, but also a way to survive, mostly. Which didn't mean, of course, that she had simply become immune to negative feelings and that, from time to time, her temper didn't threaten to get the best of her. Like at that moment.

“So, what are you saying…” she took a deep breath before continuing to talk to Jullian, knowing that he wasn't to blame for the situation, as he had even tried to inform her in a gentle way “It's just that your boss won't allow me to leave the mansion because he's afraid I'm working as a spy for my parents, but he won't walk around freely either, because my presence disturbs him?"

“Uh…” Jullian looked away, as if he was embarrassed “Those wouldn't be the words I would choose. But, yes, in short, Mr. Vamcap thinks it would be wiser if you could avoid going out too far and avoid certain specific wings of the mansion, as I mentioned yesterday. This will make living together much more... Bearable. But, that doesn't mean you're forced to stay in that room 24 hours a day.” he gave a friendly smile and, even if the situation wasn't the best, Rose was grateful that at least one person was trying to be

nice to her in that place “I will personally be responsible for letting you know which places to go and at what times. So everything will go as expected.”

"There really isn't anything I can do about it, is there?" she sighed, making that lament more for herself than for anyone else, as she stared at the view of the huge garden outside the window, feeling the longing she felt for her sister hurt more than ever, even though she had been there for less than 24 hours.

“Unfortunately, while your family's agreement with Mr. Vamcap lasts, these will be the rules you will need to follow.” Jullian answered her and, as she had been feeling a lot happen since the moment he had come to wake her up and had already found her on her feet, he ran his eyes over the way she had organized her things around the room, especially the way she made her bed and organized the books on the shelf, almost as if his were looking for something and not finding it “If I may be so bold, I know that

for a young woman like you, a year must seem like a long time, but I'm sure I'm sure this will all go finish before you know it. Especially if you also strive to make everything happen as peacefully as possible.”

As he said that, Jullian strangely tensed up, almost as if he was expecting her to scold him or something like that, as her parents' staff often used to do, when they had to deliver news they knew would piss off Michael and Elisabeth. However, totally confused as to why he was acting that way around her, since they didn't even know each other and there was no reason for him to think that she would behave that badly, Rose just nodded slowly and smiled, hoping that would do it. calm down and let your guard down a bit

around her. After all, by all indications, Jullian seemed to be the only person she could have a sensible conversation with in that house, for the year to come.

“I appreciate it, Julian. I also hope this ends as soon as possible.” still crestfallen, she felt her stomach begin to tighten due to the prolonged hunger that had been caused by the diet that her mother had forced her to follow, to make sure that she would be “presentable” for her fiancé, when the time came “So , that means I’m going to have my meals in the room, right?”

“Uh…” Jullian blinked for a moment, looking incredulous as he stared at her, before finally clearing his throat, reverting to his usual neutral and elegant expression, “I believe this will be necessary on some occasions indeed, but not all. Today, for example, I would say that the garden area would be a great choice if you wanted to spend some time in some other wing of the house. And I'm sure it would also be very pleasant, for a moment like breakfast.” he offered, but Rose had the strangest impression that he was testing her, almost like a trainer checking whether a dog was going to attack him or not.

“It looks very nice indeed.” she smiled again, relieved to be able to breathe some fresh air away from those four walls "I'd like to eat in the garden today, if that's really an option, thank you."

"I'll see to it that your print is delivered there, then." Jullian nodded, opening the door for her right away. “What do you say about accompanying me to the garden right now? We have a couple of lounge tables near the greenhouse that are shaded by the trees. I'm sure it will find a very lovely and comfortable place to have a meal...”

"Your boss is nearby and you don't want to risk me bumping into him, do you?" she guessed, with a sour smile, which had the butler immediately averting his eyes away from her in embarrassment “I appreciate you going out of your way to sweeten the pill for me, Jullian, I really do. But, it is not necessary.” Rose sighed, turning to pick up a book and some papers from the shelf, hoping she could be minimally distracted by them "I am fully aware of the situation I'm in and the more realistic you can be with me about what's going on, the better it will be for everyone, especially for me.”

“That…” he hesitated for a moment, before speaking again, asking the last thing Rose expected, “Excuse me, Ms. Springs, but... Are you really the eldest daughter of your parents?”

“Uh… As far as I know, yes.” she stated, confused "Why the question?"

“For no specific reason.” Jullian brushed it off, although that clearly wasn't true "It's just... You're very different from what I imagined."

“You can call me Rose if you like.” she commented, even though she knew she had already told him that the day before "And, what did you imagine I would look like?"

"Don't worry about it, it was just a useless daydream of mine." the butler tried to dodge, as he took a step out of the room and extended his hand towards the corridor, indicating the way for her “Now, please, follow me. I'll make sure the kitchen prepares an excellent breakfast for you. Do you have any menu preferences or allergies we should know about?”

Fortunately, from the moment she started to follow Jullian until the moment the two reached a very cozy and beautiful part of the garden, surrounded by several flower beds, leafy trees and a well-trimmed lawn, Rose didn't have a single glimpse of Aaron Vamcap.

Which was a big relief, since the whole situation of knowing that she would now be practically a prisoner in that mansion was already unhealthy enough, without her having to deal with that rude man once again. However, when Jullian was sure she was settled and left her alone to head towards the kitchen, Rose couldn't help but feel her heart sink, knowing that, at that hour, she and Grace could be cooking breakfast together or watching a new series, as they always did... But instead, she was sitting in the middle of that

immensity of green that looked more like a meadow, without a soul around that she could call a friend.

Trying to control her melancholy with one more thought that this year would pass quickly, Rose opened one of the cookbooks she had brought with her and began to scribble down some modifications to the recipes she wanted to make, silently wondering if her husband and jailer would allow the unless she visited a bookstore once a month, to have something to distract herself with, when she

had finished rereading everything she had brought from home...

The soft sound of someone walking on the bed behind her alarmed her and, turning quickly to see who might be sneaking up on her, Rose was surprised to find not Jullian, Aaron or any other staff who might be working in the huge place. In fact, standing a few feet away from her, looking almost paralyzed with fear, was a little boy who couldn't have been more than six or seven years old. He was absolutely adorable, with round, rosy cheeks, thick black hair, and sailor-style clothes that made him look like he'd stepped

straight out of a baby-supply magazine. However, what made Rose even more incredulous was that, although he had blond hair, his eyes were so dark it made it almost look as if his pupils and irises were one and the same. Exactly like Aaron's.

Had her parents purposefully hidden that he had a son?

“Hey, little buddy.” she smiled at the little boy, making a move to get up from the chair to approach him “Hello. My name is Rose. And you, what is your name…?”

However, before she could even finish that sentence, the little boy let out an almost desperate gasp and ran to hide behind the nearest tree, almost as if he had just come across the boogeyman himself. Worried about what could have happened to make the poor thing react that way, Rose got up and started trying to approach him.

"Are you okay?" she tried to ask again, but the instant she appeared before him, the boy looked even more desperate and, after looking around quickly, huddled as he was between the roots of the tree, he covered his eyes with his hands, becoming fully in the fetal position, as if he was protecting himself from a monster “Did something happen? You need of help?"

"Do not touch me!" he asked, his voice trembling and scared “I know you're mean! If you do anything bad to me, I'll tell my brother and he'll be even meaner to you!"

"What?" Rose blinked, not understanding what was happening "I don't want to hurt you, little friend, don't worry..."

"Go away!" he sobbed, still covering his eyes, and, even though she was worried about what could be happening for that child to be in that state, she decided that the best thing would be to put some distance between the two, so that he could calm down.

"All right... You do not have to be afraid. I'm moving away, you hear?" she went back closer to the tables, but still making sure to stand at an angle where she could see him, as she still had no idea who that boy was and why he was in the Vamcap mansion, which could cause a big fuss. problem, as someone as disgusting as Aaron Vamcap certainly didn't like anyone, especially children “I'm sorry if I scared you, but I can't leave because I'm waiting for Jullian to bring my breakfast. Do you know him?” she tried to ask, but

despite opening a crack between her fingers to look at her, upon hearing the butler's name, he still seemed totally averse to the idea of talking to her, much less approaching her.

Wondering what she could do to resolve the situation, Rose even considered just leaving him there and going back to the table, to ask Jullian for help as soon as he returned. However, still afraid that he could be the son of some job and get into trouble for being there, since Mr. Vamcap seemed to handpick who could stay close to him and attend his house. Biting her lip, Rose ran her eyes between the little boy and the empty garden around them, until her attention stopped on the papers she had brought and that were

still on the table, causing an idea to light up her mind.

And, who knows, she might be lucky enough to have found someone she could spend some time with, in that gloomy mansion.