Chapter 1: The Angel and the Marauder (1)

Why do you walk that path, my love?

Do not be seduced by the shiny crown,

For the crown is full of thorns.

Why do you choose that path, my love?

Do not sit on the throne and exalt yourself.

The throne is cold and lonesome.

My love and my sun, please do not forsake me.

You cannot love me after you become King.

My joy and my moon, please do not become King.

Do not toss me away and leave me.

Before the crown, we went our separate ways. I beseeched you to stay and held on, but you let go and left at last. You, the abandoner, became King and committed countless sins, while I, the abandoned, became a prophet and cried out to the heavens above. And after what seemed like forever and a day, on the brink of death, you came back to me.

My love, my sovereign, you sobbed with your face in your hands beneath the crumbling sky. You begged me to end your miserable life. Your cruel plea tore me apart. I leaned in and kissed your sweet lips. 

“Don’t cry, my dear. Your sins are great, but karma doesn’t last forever.”

Certain that this would be my last prophecy, I kissed the King’s lips again.

“You are the beginning and the end, the alpha and omega of this era. Your other self will emerge on this earth again to tie up loose ends.”

A kiss on every phrase of the prophecy.

“He will also swallow the thorns like you, but it’s okay. My other self will find him.”

Another kiss on the lips I loved.

“They resemble us so. They fall in love with each other, just as we did, but save for the mistakes we committed.”

Yet another kiss on the lips that hold the poison.

“And they...”

After taking a share of the King’s tears and poison, I whispered the last prophecy in his ear so no one else could hear. Our little secrets scattered into thin air, and I, having confessed all that I knew, pressed my lips against the King’s murky eyes.

“You can be at peace now, my King.”

With it he took his last breath, and that’s when I saw...

I saw the two of you, bearing our resemblances, meeting one another again.

Without a clue, without any yearning or longing for each other, you raise your guards against one another. But I, who understood the meaning of your encounter, cried alone in agony on a distant point of our timeline.  

My loves, for you I lock away my last prophecy in time. Even when this old prophecy hangs over you, the future is wholly in your hands. I bit my tongue and resigned myself to becoming an apparition of the past. But I pray, don’t lose yourselves in the face of the splendor from the crown of thorns.

When the jewels on the crown scatter, from the thorns shall come a beast. The beast, the devourer of thorns, shall be the final prince and the destruction of the kingdom.

On the day that their most promising prince committed a mortal sin, the people of Elaion recalled this prophecy. 

The beloved prince, Leo Elaion, lost grasp of his sanity and had slaughtered all his brothers. The prince, forever branded a beast, ran away to the thorny wasteland. When the people heard this news, they murmured to themselves that the devourer of thorns had finally shown itself. But none of it mattered to a certain lazy someone who was still sleeping in...

“Rise and shine, Sister Philia. It’s almost noon already!” A lady clapped her hands and shouted with a stern look on her face. The mass of blankets on top of the bed began to squirm.

“Just a while longer, please.” A young girl’s voice moaned through the pile of blankets. But the uptight Mother Superior, Noe, returned the blanket’s plea with a scolding. 

“That’s what you said an hour ago. Now quit your mumbling and get up.”

Still, the blanket had a lot of nerves to continue its debate.

“Why must humans get up on two legs...?”

“I don’t care if you get up on all fours, just as long as you get out of bed.”

“In my head, I’m already up... but my body won’t listen. Why did God have to make us spend so much time awake? I’m still so tired...”

“Well, you’re so tired because all you do is eat and sleep! I said, get up!”

Unable to tolerate any further rebellions from the blanket, Mother Noe lifted the covers to reveal the owner of this sleepy voice. Underneath the thick bedding was a young girl of about ten years old. Clearly, she was far from awake. 

“No! It’s so cold!” The girl squealed as the blanket was pulled off her. The sight of her crouched up was quite pitiful, but Mother Noe did not bat an eye.

“Stop whining and get dressed. The high priest is here.”

“Huh? Father Airo?” Philia opened her eyes wide with surprise at the mention of the high priest. “But why?” she asked again anxiously. Instead of an answer, Mother Noe looked down at Philia.

One, two, three.

As Noe counted to three in her head, Philia scowled as if she had taken a bite of something sour. The curt Mother Superior smiled discreetly.

There was a small abbey deep within the Rosé Forest. In the place so sequestered that no one ever visited, Philia lived alone with Noe, the Mother Superior. 

Philia, the lazy novitiate, loved the idle life of the abbey. She didn’t care for cumbersome or complicated things. All she ever wanted to do all day was to take naps until it was time for her to be tucked in for the night. She preferred to breeze through life just as she had been doing, so Philia was less than happy to hear about the high priest’s sudden visit.

“Long time no see, Philia. I see you haven’t changed one bit.” The elderly man who must be at least one hundred years old greeted her gently. On the other hand, Philia, who was dragged out of bed against her will, replied rather unenthused.

“I see you have more wrinkles now, Father Airo.”

“Ah, and there’s that mouth on you, as always,” rebuked the old Father Airo. Dismissing his words, Philia sat on the sofa in the parlor. 

Dangling her legs from her seat, she asked, “Why are you here, Father?”

“Why don’t you take a guess?”

Philia narrowed her eyes to examine those of the old man’s. Then, one, two, three.

“You’re here to kill me, aren’t you?” Philia groaned after observing his eyes. She blurted out nonsense, but the priest did not contradict her.

“I have a favor to ask of you.”

“How about no...”

“Can you handle the consequences?”

“Father, that’s blackmail, not asking for a favor.”

“Well, well. I had no idea.”

Philia puffed her cheeks out even more. What does he want this time? She thought to herself as she tried to read Father Airo’s face. 

“Okay, let’s hear it, then.”

“Please make a visitation to Sinapi.”

“What?”

“Apparently a certain wealthy man is having a hard time because of his naughty daughter.”

“No way. Please!” Philia yelled as soon as he finished. “Why do you keep bringing me these tasks? And what do you mean, a visitation? I’m not even an official nun yet!”

“You’ve lived in an abbey for eight whole years. It’s time you start doing your share. They need you desperately in Sinapi. They’re aware of your work in Libanos.”

“Ugh, why?” Philia writhed with rage. Puffs of dust came off her loose-fitting priest’s robes as she flailed her limbs.

Three months ago, Father Airo threatened Philia into visiting Libanos. There, she met the despot, a formidable leader, who turned out to be an ordinary mother troubled by her 12-year-old devil of a son. Her son was a diabolical little brat who thought he deserved everything in this world because he was, after all, the despot’s son. Philia trembled at the recollection of all the troubles she had gone through because of that balky kid.

“Since your visit, the despot has been saying only great things about you. She’s been calling you the Angel of Rosé...”

“Gaah!” Philia covered her ears and screamed when she heard those words. Mother Noe who was listening beside them also gasped in horror.

“The Angel of Rosé...” she whispered.

“Don’t repeat what he said. Please, it’s killing me...!” Philia, who was apparently an angel now, cried out with her face as red as an apple. But Father Airo went on calmly, ignoring his pupil’s embarrassment.

“The rumors about you must have reached Sinapi. A man of great wealth there requested a visitation regarding his daughter. He asked for you, the Angel of Rosé.”

Philia writhed again at the uncomfortable title. She shook her head desperately.

“Father, it’s not my job to babysit. You have governesses for that.”

“Well obviously, a governess simply wasn’t enough for the job. That’s why they’ve asked for you.”

“But you said it was a one-time thing! Besides, is it even okay for me to be out in the public like this? You don’t care if word gets out?” Philia pleaded, but Father Airo responded gravely.

“Sister Philia...”

“Yes, Father...”

“You’ll end up going anyway, so stop putting up a fight.”

“Oh, Lord! Have mercy and strike this old man!” Philia couldn’t take it anymore and shouted melodramatically.

But the high priest just scoffed at her. Even more desperate now, Philia turned to Mother Noe.

“Please tell Father Airo that he can’t do this!”

“Sister Philia, a sister ought to hold out her hand when help is needed.”

“You ought to practice what you preach, Mother Noe. I am in dire need of your help right now.”

“Quit your jibber-jabber and get packing.”

“But...!”

Unfortunately, she was not on Philia’s side either.

Mother Noe and Father Airo were both adamant.

With these two on either side of her, Philia had to admit that today was just not her day. 

As the name suggests, there were many roses in the province of Rosé. Wild roses were in full bloom around the abbey, but Philia walked past such gorgeous flowers indifferently.

“Father,” she called the high priest walking beside her as she trudged along. She sounded quite depressed.

“Hm?”

“What is it that you’re up to?”

“What do you mean?”

“Why are you suddenly so eager to send me out into the outside world?”

“It’s not sudden at all, but it’s rather that your time has come. You should go out into the world and do your share.”

“But I really don’t want to go out there...”

“Who in this world was born because they wanted to be born? We live because we are born, constantly on the search for a purpose,” Father Airo spoke gently, but to Philia, it was nothing more than another boring lecture for her to easily ignore.

“Sure, sure, I get it.”

With a sigh, Philia decided that if she couldn’t avoid it, she might as well finish the task as quickly as possible.

“So, what’s the name of this young lady I’ll be meeting?” she asked.

“Klero. She’s the daughter of Zizanon.”

“How old is she?”

“I think she’s about seventeen.”

“What’s wrong with her?”

“She used to be very docile until one day she started going on a rampage.”

The very idea of a lady from a rich family who has suddenly gone wild was simply draining. Philia spoke with concern in her voice as she shook her head.

“Father, all I can do is look into her eyes.”

“If that’s what you did in Libanos, then that’s what you’ll do in Sinapi,” Father Airo answered nonchalantly. 

Philia glared at the high priest because something about him just didn’t sit right with her. However, she saw nothing but serenity in his eyes. Trying to read his face, Philia carefully posed another question.

“Father, then can I take off my necklace there?”

“If it’s necessary. But remember to be discreet,” he responded with ease. Philia frowned, perplexed. She couldn’t figure out what Father Airo had in mind. 

Meanwhile, they had come to the edge of the forest and out onto the main road. On that road, a lavish carriage from Sinapi was waiting for Philia. Having lost her chance to interrogate Father Airo further, she obediently climbed onto the carriage bound for Sinapi.

When trouble found its way into one’s life, people came to priests and requested visitations. Then, a priest visited the troubled family to see what the problem was and consoled them.

This was what the high priest was asking of her. She was asked to make a visit to the home of a person named Zizanon. Of course, Philia’s visitation was quite different from an ordinary visitation, but they were all in the same vein.

After half a day’s carriage ride, Philia saw a golden hill outside. When she saw the plain full of wild yellow mustard plants, she knew she had reached Sinapi. Like any other metropolis of this scale, Sinapi was bustling with people from right outside the entrance gates. Looking at all the people made Philia feel a bit queasy.

There are just way too many people, she thought.

When the carriage entered the city gates, she became completely overwhelmed. She was surrounded by people on all sides, and all the hustle-and-bustle noises made her head spin. She was so used to the solitude of the forest that she felt nauseated being in the city. She shut her eyes closed and clasped her hands to calm herself.

Relax. Let’s just get this done and go home. I’ll just cut the corners and get it over with. Then people won’t look for me anymore, right? Yes, that’s it. Oh, Lord, please help me to disappoint everyone!

As she prayed for such a despicable wish, the carriage passed the city square and headed toward a large manor.

Is this the place?

Philia anxiously looked out the window at the extravagant manor. With its wide gardens and multitudes of structures, the manor was by far the most eye-catching attraction in the big city.

When the carriage arrived in front of the manor located across the garden, butlers, maids, and an extravagantly dressed elderly man were already waiting for them. Philia recognized the older man right away.

He must be Zizanon. Why are there so many people waiting to greet us...? Looking out the window, Philia took a big gulp. Zizanon and his people dressed up all in fancy clothes from head to toe while Philia was dressed poorly to say the least. In her raggedy old robe with her hair carelessly tied up, she looked worse than the maids working at the manor.

Her appearance did not live up to expectations, because after all, they were waiting for the Angel of Rosé. Naturally, their first encounter was more than a little awkward. When the coachman opened the carriage door, a lumpy sack appeared. No, with a closer look, they discovered that it was a girl in a lumpy sack.

A little girl? When Philia got out of the carriage, Zizanon and the servants all froze, which in turn made Philia freeze up as well.

Just look at them. They’re obviously disappointed already. Clearly, the Lord had granted her reprehensible wish a little too well. Philia couldn’t breathe under the suspense of the suspicious gazes on her. In that awful moment, Philia decided to use the situation to her advantage and clenched her fists tight. Then, in the most adorable voice she can muster up, she proclaimed, “Hello, everyone! My name is Lili. It’s a pleasure to meet you all!” Her overwhelming cuteness resulted in unbearable silence, and everyone’s face grew more frigid. Satisfied, Philia continued with a feigned child-like lisp.

“So why did you call Lili here?” Philia tilted her head left and right, acting all innocent. Watching everyone fidget in their confusion, she smiled gingerly.

“Lili’s here because Father Airo told me to come,” she explained while hiding her satisfaction.

Zizanon, who was quite flustered to see Philia, came to his senses and inquired, “A-are you really the novitiate who helped the despot of Libanos?”

“Yes, Lili has been to Libanos!” Philia answered as cheerfully as she could to Zizanon’s dubious question. Hearing Philia’s answer, the elderly gentleman’s face became contorted.

“If I may ask, how old are you...?”

“Oh, you want to know how old I am? Lili’s ten this year!! Yay!!!” Zizanon cringed, as if he’d swallowed a bug when Philia shrieked with joy. The Angel of Rosé he’d imagined was a benevolent and holy woman who cured the needy in Libanos, not some obnoxious little girl who squealed at the end of every sentence. The gentleman suppressed his instinct to spout curses at the little girl, this supposed Angel of Rosé, with all his strength and continued.

“Welcome to my home, Sister Lili. My name is Zizanon.”

“I see...”

“I’ve asked you here because something has gone terribly wrong with my daughter. If you can fix her by the end of the week, I’m willing to donate any amount you ask for. Better yet, I’d be willing to donate an entire building for you,” said Zizanon through his clenched teeth. He, too, must have felt ridiculous offering such things to a mere child of ten.

Zizanon, being a man of great wealth, presented Philia with an incredible offer, but Philia wasn’t the least bit interested in money. But something else did pique her interest.

“By the end of this week, you say? How come?” asked Philia wide-eyed. Zizanon hesitated for a moment, but after some contemplation, he answered her honestly.

“A marriage proposal. Someone has asked her hand in marriage. If I want to marry her off, I must make sure she regains her sanity in a week’s time.”

Philia pretended not to understand what he was saying and smiled. But she sighed internally in despair.

Marry her off in time? What kind of father says that...? Philia clicked her tongue and groaned under her breath. Ugh, forget it. It’s none of my business. All I need to do is do what I came here to do and leave. She tried to not give a damn about these people, but her piqued curiosity just wouldn’t settle. How bad is she that her father would offer to build us a new building? Clearly, he’s no spendthrift, she wondered but shook head to dismiss her thoughts. Oh well, who cares. Let’s not repeat what happened in Libanos and mind my own business, she thought to herself when suddenly, she remembered what Mother Noe said.

“Sister Philia, a sister ought to hold out her hand when help is needed.” It wasn’t really Mother Noe saying it this time, but rather Philia’s conscience. It was a strong blow, but Philia scoffed in response.

Sure, I can get on board with that. But Mother Noe, it is Father Airo who’s turned me into a devil. His coercion and incessant requests have corrupted me. Just you wait and watch what a ruthless beast I can be! Rebelling internally, Philia grinned cynically as the servants turned a blind eye to her bizarre behavior.

While Philia was having a serious internal struggle, the servants led her to a certain room. The room belonged to Lady Klero. Standing in front of the door, she promised herself once again that no matter what she witnessed, she would not interfere. She couldn’t get involved with people, become famous, and be forced to make these awful visitations any longer. After she was done swearing to mind her own business, she carefully opened the door.

“Oh...” Instantly, she knew she couldn’t keep that promise.

Lady Klero was sitting in front of the window, bathing in sunlight. She was wearing a gorgeous gown, but her hair was short like that of a young boy’s. She had a beautiful smile that lit up the room, but her makeup was horribly smeared. She seemed so fragile that Philia couldn’t help but look into her eyes.

One, two, three.

And just like that, she understood everything. Without a second thought, Philia spoke up.

“Hello, my lady.” She greeted the vulnerable creature sitting under the sun. Klero smiled gently and waved at Philia.

“Come a little closer, would you?”

“I can’t do that, my lady.” Philia declined casually and looked straight into Klero’s eyes. Then she added, “You’re thinking about yanking my hair out.”

As soon as Philia spoke, a vase flew straight toward her.