Chapter 662: Light 3

They said a person’s existence was shaped by the connections they made.

That the more you spoke with someone, understood them, and shared time together, the more real they became to you.

In that sense, it was true.

Because the more you learned about someone, the heavier their presence grew in your heart.

In Rose’s once mundane, monochrome world, words like special and love had long belonged to a single person—Riley.

It was because of him that warmth first took root inside her.

Because of him, the faint light she had begun to see no longer stopped at herself, but slowly reached others she cared for as well.

That was why—

She found it strange.

Strange that as she stood before Dorothy’s grave, emotions she couldn’t fully name tugged at her chest.

Happiness, sorrow, warmth, regret—all of them mixed together, refusing to settle.

She knew they were sisters by blood, yet their lives could not have been more distant.

Dorothy Gale was, in truth, almost a stranger to her.

And yet… Rose couldn’t deny the weight of her tragic end. It felt unfair. Quietly cruel. The kind of sadness that didn’t scream, but lingered.

“Oz…” Rose spoke softly, her gaze still fixed on the gravestone.

“What was she like back then?”

Oz hovered beside her, his expression unreadable as he took a moment to think.

“She was bright,” he said at last. “Bubbly. Always smiling. One could even say she was much like Alice Holloway… though perhaps a little more mature.”

“I see…”

Rose let the words settle.

She had never truly met Dorothy, yet the image forming in her mind felt oddly clear. Someone cheerful.

Someone dependable.

Someone who likely carried far more weight than she ever showed.

For a girl who once stood at the top as the perfect student council president, Rose couldn’t help but shake her head slightly.

How much darkness did you have to face alone…?

The wind brushed past her, lifting her hair gently as her golden eyes lingered on the name carved into stone

Dorothy Gale…

Even her name wasn’t allowed to be hers in the end.

Rose found that strangely cruel.

A person’s name was supposed to be proof they existed, proof that they mattered.

Yet even that had been taken away, buried under lies and convenience.

Who would have thought the world she once ignored could be this complicated when you truly looked at it?

They said the brighter the light, the darker the shadows.

Rose let out a slow breath.

“Looks like your entire existence was meant to brighten mine,” she said softly. “And you did… dear sister. Even if I don’t know you that well… allow me to make things right, at least.”

“It seems you’re truly resolved about this…”

Oz’s voice was calm, but there was weight behind it.

Rose nodded and slowly stood up. The wind tugged gently at her hair.

“My family—no, my father—chose this fate for himself,” she said. “And…”

Her golden eyes drifted back to the gravestone.

“I’m just trying to fix what I can. She deserves that much recognition, at the very least.”

“What you’re about to do will complicate many things.”

“That’s true,” Rose replied without hesitation. “But wouldn’t you rather see him live in shame… instead of having a peaceful end?”

“…”

Oz fell silent.

After a moment, he nodded.

“And the world has been calling too many innocents monsters lately,” Rose continued. “My sister doesn’t deserve that.”

Her hand clenched slightly at her side.

“She’s the brightest starlight I can see now.”

A faint warmth stirred in her chest. She silently thanked Riley—for giving her the chance to see this side of the world, for teaching her that even a monochrome life could hold color.

“My sister is no monster. Nor a villain,” Rose said firmly. “She was, and always will be, a light of the Brilliance household.”

Oz listened quietly, saying nothing as her words settled into the air.

In that moment, his resolve solidified alongside hers.

….

In a dimly lit room, a man let out a long, heavy sigh as he slumped deeper into his chair.

“Ugh… tsk, damn it…”

An empty bottle rolled across the floor as his hand loosened.

“Milord,” a calm voice spoke from nearby, “I believe it would be best if you eased down on the alcohol.”

“Haaah?”

Duke Raymond Brilliance lifted his head sluggishly, eyes unfocused, irritation clear even through the haze of drunkenness.

In this state, he barely resembled the dignified noble he was known to be.

The grace and prestige that once defined him were gone. His hair was unkempt, his shirt loosened and wrinkled, his posture sloppy—he looked less like a duke and more like a tired man drowning in regret.

Roberto, his personal butler, quietly moved around the room, picking up shattered glass and empty bottles. He worked in silence, but his expression was strained.

This behavior—so unbecoming of a Brilliance duke—had been going on for days now.

Ever since Raymond arrived at the academy, he had locked himself away, refusing visitors, refusing responsibility.

Roberto should have known better.

He should have stopped his lord from coming here in the first place.

He knew all too well how broken the relationship within the Brilliance family had become, especially where their “star” was concerned.

But even then, he never expected Duke Raymond to fall into something as crude as alcohol.

“Just… leave me alone for now, Roberto,” Raymond muttered. “I need something to take the edge off.”

“I can tolerate this once,” Roberto replied calmly. “Twice, I might even understand. But locking yourself in your room for nearly three days and nights is something I cannot ignore, milord.”

Raymond scoffed.

“What are you, my nanny now?” he snapped. “Just get out. I need more bottles.”

Roberto paused, watching him for a moment before letting out a quiet sigh.

He understood the cause.

The duke’s brief and tense interaction with Lady Rose had already left him shaken—but that alone wasn’t enough to break a man like Raymond.

What truly pushed him over the edge was the private conversation he had with the emperor.

After that sudden luncheon, once the guests had departed, the emperor had ordered Raymond to stay behind.

No witnesses.

No attendants.

Just the two of them.

Whatever was said in that room never reached Roberto’s ears.

But the result was obvious.

Whatever words the emperor spoke had carved deeply into the duke’s heart—and now, Duke Raymond Brilliance was paying the price for it, one bottle at a time.

If this sort of behavior was what helped his master calm down, Roberto would normally let it be.

He knew Duke Raymond wasn’t the type to completely crumble under his own thoughts.

But this time felt different.

“…Everything was perfect…”

The quiet mumble slipped out of the duke’s mouth, barely louder than a breath.

This can’t go on.

Roberto paused his movements, his hands tightening slightly around the cloth he was holding.

He had heard those words more than once over the past few days.

Every time, they sounded more hollow.

After a brief moment of thought, he spoke.

“By the way, milord.”

“Hm? You aren’t out yet?”

Raymond didn’t even bother turning his head.

“Today, a match involving the young lady is scheduled for this afternoon,” Roberto said carefully. “Would you perhaps be interested in watching it?”

For a moment, there was silence.

“…What’s the point?” Raymond scoffed, leaning back in his chair. “That would just end with Rose cutting the family off entirely. Seriously… that selfish child. Threatening me with abandoning the family if I dare show my face in front of her again.” He let out a bitter laugh. “How laughable, don’t you think?”

Roberto hesitated, then shook his head lightly.

“I believe that isn’t entirely the case, milord. Perhaps a display of care—of affection—might change the young lady’s mind.”

“That’s because you know nothing, Roberto.”

Raymond’s voice sharpened.

“Pardon me, milord,” Roberto replied calmly, “but I believe I understand the young lady better than you do—at least at this moment. I understand your concern, truly. But if you wish to fix what is broken, taking a few difficult steps forward would be better than ignoring it altogether.”

Raymond fell silent.

For a brief moment, it looked as if his words had reached him.

Then the duke clicked his tongue and waved him off.

“Just go get my bottles,” Raymond muttered. “I’ve had enough stress as it is. Don’t add more.”

Roberto’s expression tightened slightly.

“…Very well, milord.”

He turned away, unsatisfied, but said nothing more.

At the end of the day, there was a limit to how much a servant could do.

And some choices… had to be made by the master himself.

The duke slowly turned his chair and looked out the window.

Beyond the glass, the academy grounds were quiet, bathed in dull afternoon light.

Students passed by in the distance, laughing, unaware of the storm sitting in that room.

And then—

An image of a young girl surfaced in his mind.

Back then, the sun had shone so brightly the day he became aware of that child.

Raymond pressed a hand to his face, fingers digging into his brow.

“…Is this your curse on me, Dorothy?”

Everything had been perfect.

His plans were precise.

Calculated.

He had taken care of that filthy bastard child in a way befitting her position—or so he believed.

He knew her existence should never have been hidden, yet wasn’t this outcome still ideal?

He had given her a place, a role, a purpose.

A clean end befitting the pillar she had always wished to be for the family.

He had even ensured the woman who bore her was “taken care of.”

It wasn’t his fault the whore died without his knowledge.

Every promise he made to the child had been fulfilled.

And yet—

Why was he being punished like this?

Why was everything beginning to fall apart now?

His chest tightened.

“Raymond… it would be wise of you to openly face your sins now…”

The emperor’s words echoed in his mind.

They had been spoken calmly, almost gently, yet they shook him more than any threat ever could.

A brief piece of advice—but one that pierced straight through the lies he had buried himself in.

A sin he had ignored for years was clawing its way back to the surface.

And he knew it.

He should have acted sooner.

He should have crushed it before it had the chance to spread.

But now…

It was too late.

All he could do was prepare for the inevitable.

Raymond reached toward the small cabinet beside him and pulled something out.

A small, dark stone rested in his palm.

Smooth. Cold.

[This will grant you the wishes you truly desire…]

He remembered the voice clearly.

That strange woman who had approached him during his travels between the duchy and the academy.

It had been a brief encounter—odd, unsettling—but somehow… unforgettable.

Fateful, in a way he still couldn’t explain.

Raymond stared at the stone in silence.

And slowly—

A dark shine crept into his eyes.

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