Episode-874
Chapter : 1747
"I... yes," Lloyd mumbled, looking at his boots. "I know I'm not a healer. I know I have no magic. But I read that silver-leaf can numb the nerves if you boil it right. I just... I wanted to do something."
Rosa stared at him. For years, she had looked at him and seen a failure. She had seen a husband who was weak, insecure, and useless to her family. But now, in the dim light of the sickroom, she saw something else.
She saw a man who had risked his reputation, and maybe his life, to ease her mother’s pain. She saw a man who had come in secret because he didn't want credit.
"Thank you," Rosa whispered.
The words hung in the air. The Original Lloyd looked up, shocked. It was the first time she had ever thanked him with genuine warmth.
"It's not a cure," Lloyd said quickly, feeling his face get hot. "It's just... a diluted miracle. It won't last long."
"It's enough," Rosa said. She took a step closer to him. The cold air that usually surrounded her seemed to fade. "Tonight, it is enough."
The scene fast-forwarded. The days and weeks that followed began to blur together, showing a montage of small moments.
The relationship between them began to shift. The ice was melting, drop by drop.
Lloyd saw Rosa leave a rare book on medicine on his desk. She didn't say anything about it; she just left it there.
He saw the Original Lloyd making sure Rosa’s tea was brewed exactly how she liked it—extra hot, with a slice of lemon.
He saw them walking in the garden. They weren't holding hands, and they weren't talking much, but the silence wasn't heavy anymore. It was comfortable.
"We were getting close," the Reflection said softly. "She was ready to open up. She was waiting for me to step forward. She was waiting for me to be the husband she needed."
"So what happened?" the current Lloyd asked, feeling a heavy knot in his stomach. "It looks like things were working out."
"Timing," the Reflection said with a bitter laugh. "Timing is the killer of all good things. Just as Rosa was starting to lower her walls... I found a door that was already open."
The scene shifted to a library. It was raining outside, creating a cozy atmosphere inside. The Original Lloyd was sitting by the fireplace. But he wasn't alone.
Sitting across from him was a woman with soft brown hair and a gentle smile. She was laughing at something Lloyd had said. Her laughter was warm and easy.
It was Mina. Rosa’s elder sister.
"Mina," Lloyd whispered.
"She was everything Rosa wasn't," the Reflection explained. "Rosa was intense. Rosa was brilliant. Rosa was a challenge. Being around Rosa made me feel like I had to prove myself constantly. But Mina... Mina was easy. She didn't care about politics. She didn't care about magic power. She just liked me."
Lloyd watched his past self lean in closer to Mina. He looked relaxed. He looked happy in a way he never was around Rosa.
"I took the path of least resistance," the Reflection said. "I was a coward. I didn't want to climb the mountain that was Rosa Siddik. I wanted to sit by the fire with Mina. And that... that was the mistake that Mammon used to destroy us."
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The perspective of the dream moved. It floated upwards, passing through the ceiling of the library and landing on the balcony outside on the second floor.
Rosa was standing there in the rain. She was protected by a thin shield of ice magic that kept the water off her dress, but she looked like she was freezing from the inside out.
She was looking through the window, down into the library. She could see everything. She saw the firelight dancing on the walls. She saw Lloyd smiling—a genuine, wide smile that she rarely saw. She saw Mina laughing and touching Lloyd’s arm gently.
Lloyd, the observer, stood next to Rosa on the balcony. He could see her face clearly. It wasn't angry. It was devastated.
She looked down at her own hands. They were glowing faintly with blue mana. They were cold, deadly, and powerful. Then she looked at Mina, who had no magic but had warmth.
"She thought she was the problem," the Reflection said. "She thought her power was a curse that drove people away. She saw Mina giving you the comfort that she didn't know how to give."
Chapter : 1748
Rosa griped the stone railing of the balcony. The stone cracked under her fingers with a loud snap, but the two people inside the library didn't hear it. They were in their own world.
"This," the Reflection said, his voice dropping an octave, "is where the poison started."
The shadows around Rosa began to darken. It wasn't just the night. The darkness seemed to move, to curl around her shoulders like a snake made of smoke.
Lloyd saw it now. The faint, oily shimmer of Mammon’s influence. The Devil of Greed wasn't physically there, but his power was. He was whispering into the cracks of her broken heart.
She is replacing you, the whisper said. It didn't sound like a demon. It sounded like Rosa’s own inner voice, but twisted. First, she took your mother’s affection. Now, she takes your husband. You are the Queen, Rosa. You are the genius. But she is the woman he wants.
Rosa flinched. She shook her head, trying to clear the thought. She loved Mina. Mina was her family. But the whisper was relentless.
He looks at her with love. He looks at you with fear. Do you see it? You are just a political asset to him. A bank account. A bodyguard. Mina is his wife in every way that matters.
Rosa’s expression hardened. The sadness began to turn into defense. She straightened her back. The ice shield around her grew thicker, colder. If she couldn't be loved, she would be respected. If she couldn't be the wife, she would be the ruler.
"She built the wall back up," Lloyd said, realizing the tragedy. "Because she was hurt."
"And Mammon didn't stop there," the Reflection said.
The scene shifted again. It was the dining hall of the Ferrum estate. A grand dinner was being served. The table was long and covered in silver platters, but the atmosphere was suffocating.
Rosa sat at the head of the table. She sat perfectly straight, eating with mechanical precision. She radiated a cold authority.
Lloyd and Mina sat on the side. The Original Lloyd was pointedly ignoring Rosa. He was talking only to Mina, joking with her, passing her food. It was rude. It was childish.
But Lloyd could hear the whispers circling his past self’s head, too.
Look at her, the whisper hissed in Lloyd’s ear. Look at how she watches you. She hates that you are happy. She wants to control you. She thinks you are embarrassing the family by being with Mina. She is jealous of your freedom.
The Original Lloyd glanced at Rosa. He didn't see a hurt wife. He saw a judgmental tyrant.
"The lie confirms the fear," the Reflection said. "I felt insecure, so Mammon told me she was judging me. She felt unlovable, so Mammon told her she was being replaced."
Rosa cleared her throat. The sound echoed in the silent hall.
"Lloyd," she said. Her voice was stiff. She was trying to start a conversation, but her nerves made her sound commanding. "The reports from the western mines. Have you reviewed them?"
It was the wrong thing to say. She wanted to include him in the family business. She wanted to treat him like a partner.
But the Original Lloyd slammed his fork down.
"Is that all you care about?" he snapped. "The mines? The money? Can't we just have dinner without you acting like my boss?"
Rosa froze. She looked hurt, but she quickly covered it with a scowl. "I am not acting like your boss. I am trying to ensure we have funds for the winter. Someone has to be responsible."
"And I suppose that's you?" Lloyd sneered. " The Great Rosa Siddik. Carrying the weight of the useless Ferrum family on her back."
He stood up, throwing his napkin on the table. He reached out and grabbed Mina’s hand.
"Come on, Mina," he said. "Let's go somewhere where the air isn't so cold."
Mina looked between them, her eyes wide with panic. She didn't want to hurt Rosa. She tried to pull her hand away. "Lloyd, please. Sit down. She didn't mean it."
"She means exactly what she says," Lloyd said. He glared at Rosa. "She always does."
He dragged Mina out of the room.
Lloyd, the observer, watched Rosa as she was left alone in the giant dining hall. The servants looked down, pretending not to see.
Rosa sat there for a long time. She didn't cry. She slowly picked up her fork and took another bite of her food. She chewed, but she didn't taste anything.