Episode #189. When to apologize.
* * *
Rose was feeling tired.
It was because the meeting with Carol yesterday was making her mentally exhausted.
‘The magic lord is really persistent.’
With a smile on his face, Carol had asked for cooperation in eliminating the ‘dark hour’.
His actions, which even offered practical benefits by attracting the Crown Prince and Duke Robert in the name of serving the citizens of London, were no longer a request.
It was close to coercion to cut off the retreat and push.
It’s fortunate that Prince Edward, who has a weak personality, hesitated until the end and kept neutrality.
If even the royal family had raised Carol’s hand, it would have been harder for Rose to endure.
Of course, Rose was already exhausted just by enduring the long six-hour discussion with Carol.
‘I’m really tired.’
Rose sighed.
Because she had already gone through that torture-like discussion without having slept for over two days, her fatigue had already reached its limit in just a few days.
So it was.
That is why she casually looked out the window.
But it was just an unconscious act. Soon, Rose shook her head and looked away from the window.
‘No matter how tired I am, I have to work.’
Resolving her shaking heart, Rose forcibly relieved the fatigue accumulated in her body with psionics and worked through the reports piled up on her desk one after another.
The truth was a little harsh, but all of this was familiar to her anyway.
Making time by saving sleep and working while suppressing fatigue with psionics.
Whether as Count Sea Serpent.
Whether as the Blue Dragon Princess of the Seven Dragons.
Whether as the chairman of Jormungand.
Rose’s work was always piled up.
And she had no choice but to get used to insomnia in order to use her time, which was only 24 hours a day, efficiently.
From the time he woke up from the egg and remembered the minimum amount of knowledge and culture until now, all his life.
…Although there was a feeling that I had gotten used to sleeping too much these days.
‘Oh no.’
Rose put on a troubled expression.
I tried to concentrate on my work, but while I was thinking about something else for a while, I realized that my eyes were on the window again.
Now I won’t be able to hear any more noise from the garden, so why can’t I close that window?
Once, he sighed at a phenomenon he could not understand.
Eventually, Rose got up from her seat and grabbed her sword.
‘It would be nice to go on patrol for a while to relieve fatigue.’
I ignored the fact that going out on patrol while there was still a lot of paperwork to deal with was tantamount to running away from the office.
Patrol is also her duty anyway.
And it was also true that patrols would help to change the mood, as I hadn’t been out the last few days.
Phaging.
Rose raised the psionic and jumped through the space.
From the office to the roof of the building.
From a secluded alley to a plaza.
From the factory chimney to the bridge.
They move in and out of space as naturally as breathing, inspecting and checking dozens of places in a matter of minutes.
It was a miracle that was possible only because she was the only one who could not imitate even the world’s best space player.
Rose was able to accomplish a lot thanks to him.
Rescue a child from a building on fire, move an injured person from a car accident, subdue an escaped pet monster, and more.
More than a dozen problems dealt with in less than an hour.
It was a big success that even the hero in the movie could admire.
“thank you!”
“Thanks to your help, I survived.”
“It’s the Count! Count Rose is here!”
Thanks to that, Rose received cheers and thanks from people wherever she appeared, and she politely returned with a smile and left.
If you stop, you can rest for a while, but Rose was never lazy.
It is her duty to protect the citizens of London.
Most of all, when I received such hospitality or greetings, I felt a sense of energy that I didn’t have at that time.
‘…Why?’
So it was.
The more she continued patrolling, the more complicated Rose couldn’t help but say.
‘Why do I feel so inadequate?’
Of course, receiving thanks from people is still a pleasure, and the more you do good, the more your energy rises.
Even so, the fact that she didn’t feel the same satisfaction as before was exhausting her.
So thought Rose.
It’s not like this is what you want.
Rather than invigorating, he wanted a comfortable and cozy mood change that would calm his spirits down rather calmly.
Yes, if I had to give an example…
“What are you doing here at the count’s house?”
“ah?”
Rose looked back.
Then, seeing the other person looking at him with a strange expression, he opened his eyes wide.
“Why are you here…?”
“I’m just here because I have something to do.”
“Are you on tour?”
“That’s how it is.”
Seeing the dark-haired musician shrugging his shoulders, Rose was convinced.
Come to think of it, it wouldn’t be strange for him, as a foreigner, to visit London in his free time.
Especially in a place like this clock tower.
“Rather than that, I don’t think you’ve heard the answer to my question yet.”
“I was on patrol for a while.”
“patrol?”
“As I said before, the Countess of the Sea Serpent is in charge of public security in London.”
“Hmm…”
‘Is it just a coincidence?’
For a moment, look suspiciously at Rose, who politely says that it is her duty as the owner of the Countess to patrol London.
Limon glanced at the location of the clock face and mirror and nodded.
At least it didn’t seem like he was following himself or visiting the magician.
“Well then, do your best patrol. I will go and see.”
“yes?”
Limon asked Rose, who was flustered as if she had heard something she couldn’t hear.
“Why are you looking like that? Do you have anything for me?”
“Ah, well… I thought you might need a guide if you’re on tour. If you don’t mind, I’d like to guide you.”
“…Are you going to serve as a tour guide? The Count?”
“It would be a big deal if a guest from the main house gets into an accident while wandering around London alone.”
“Don’t you think London security is that shit?”
“There are many dangerous places in London too.”
Looking at Rose, who asserted with a sincere face, Limon made an even more confused expression.
After saying just a moment ago that he was in charge of London’s security, he wondered if he should accept this absurd confession that security was a piece of shit.
It’s because I couldn’t judge at all.
‘Are you trying to pry behind me after noticing that I’m suspicious?’
‘No, then it’s too blatant for the Blue Dragon Princess to approach her directly.’
‘Since it’s the blue dragon clan, it could just be a favor, but…’
“Okay then, let’s ask for guidance.”
Even after mobilizing all his experience for a long time, he suffered from a headache for a problem that did not come out with an answer.
Limon finally nodded.
Not only did he not need to raise suspicion by refusing Rose’s favor, he also saw this as an opportunity.
‘The Blue Dragon Princess isn’t bad as an informant.’
If Yuna-kyung had heard of it, she would have asked what kind of crazy idea that was, but Limon was sincere.
Because if Rose tried to approach him, there were many ways to use that gap.
I had something to check at this point.
However, after starting the tour with Rose’s guidance, Limon couldn’t help but ponder whether his judgment was right.
Wherever you go, you get attention saying, ‘What is that bastard, he goes around with our count?’
It was no more than a very minor matter.
The problem is that Rose had a very fatal flaw as a guide.
“Someone fell into the water!”
“Excuse me for a moment.”
“However much.”
5 minutes to rescue a drowning person.
Awesome!
“Sorry for suddenly disappearing. It’s an emergency…”
“Nothing to worry about. Accidents must be prevented.”
It takes about 10 minutes to appear in front of a car that was about to have a traffic accident, prevent the accident, and deal with it.
“Aaaaaang!”
“I…”
“Let’s go together.”
It takes about 20 minutes to get lost and get restless after seeing a crying child, then get Limon’s permission and find the child’s parents.
At this point, it’s to the point where you don’t know if they’re giving tour guides or going on patrols together.
Do you even know that yourself?
Eventually, after the same thing happened five times, Rose bowed her head in front of Limon.
“…I’m really sorry. If you wish, I will call another suitable person to guide you.”
Take a moment to look at the princess who honestly admits that she has no qualifications as a guide.
Limon asked casually.
“why?”
“yes?”
“What do you mean you’re sorry?”
“Didn’t I properly guide you even though I volunteered?”
“It’s all about helping people, isn’t it? It’s all something I’ve agreed to or allowed. But if you complain about that, I’m an asshole.”
“But…”
Rose can’t hide her embarrassment.
Limon cut her off.
“Let me ask you directly. Wouldn’t it happen if that happened again?”
“…no, probably again.”
“Then don’t apologize. An apology is something you do when you think you did something wrong, not something you do when you believe you were right.”
“…”
Rose was speechless.
I didn’t expect to hear something like this from Limon, who naturally thought he would be annoyed.
It would be understandable if, like any other Londoner, he would suppress his irritation and say something nice, keeping an eye on her.
But Rose knew.
Limon really has no complaints.
If he had felt even the slightest dissatisfaction with her, he would not have given this admonition now.
‘Admonition… yes. It was called admonition.’
Realizing that she had been disciplined, she put on a strange expression.
Rose has been respected by everyone since she was born and has perfected everything she has learned.
Even Lucas, who was close to him, as well as the elders, even listened to advice, but he never received admonition.
However, it was strange to receive such admonition from Limon, who seemed at most the same age as him or a little older.
It wasn’t that it felt unpleasant.
To put it bluntly…
“Hey Count. I’m asking for confirmation, but is the servant in your count’s house free to go out?”
“It is not free. However, servants with light crimes are sometimes permitted to go out depending on the circumstances.”
After answering sincerely, Rose belatedly asked, wondering.
“But why are you asking that?”
“The reason is because of that bastard.”
“…?”
Rose followed Limon’s glance and averted her gaze.
And saw.
It was the image of a man on the corner of the street where the two of them were passing by, making a fierce impression on someone.
A face you’ve only seen once or twice at most.
But Rose’s perfect brain brought back memories of the man.
“Max Powell?”
Rose hardened her face as she saw the thief running away after robbing the stall that had led her to meet Limon for the first time.
It wasn’t just because he remembered Lucas’ report that he had tried to assault Limon.
It was because of the strangely bloody yet friendly look of the person Max was talking to.
Of course, even a thief could have close friends, but that person had to be an exception.
Because…
“Hey! What are you going to do? He said he would be released from prison soon, but because of you, I was the only one who got caught and is a high school student!”
“That’s because you resisted when you were arrested. I’ve told you several times that you have to surrender right away and show your self-reflection.”
“If you knew that well, why didn’t you steal it yourself, you bastard!”
“Say something sensible. How can you steal from me?”
…Because the person Max was talking to was the street vendor he robbed.
