Turning back to glance at the still-busy maids, Stella's lips quietly curved into a subtle, meaningful smile. Then she lifted her steps and quickly caught up with Rosse.
The little thoughts of those maids were a bit too obvious.
Their wish was destined never to come true.
Still, even though the master would never truly hold them in his heart, those beautiful new girls, carefully chosen from all over the world, were not something he would easily waste either.
As for how many of them would be "enjoyed" at the same time when that moment truly came. Well, that was something no one could say for sure.
"Rosse, hug me!", Rosse had just stepped into the palace when he heard Reiju's sweet, childish voice.
Excited, the pink-dressed princess came running, and just as she was about to reach him, she suddenly leapt into the air.
"Haha!"
Rosse laughed and caught Reiju, holding her small body gently in his arms.
The speed Reiju ran at just now wasn't any slower than an average grown man's. But she was only four years old, tiny and delicate, her entire body not even as big as Rosse's arm.
"Missed you!", Reiju buried herself in Rosse's chest, giggling as she greedily breathed in his scent.
Even before, Reiju had always liked Rosse. Often clinging to him and refusing to leave his arms.
"I missed you too, Reiju."
Rosse smiled in reply. He really did like Reiju, and even let her call him whatever she wanted.
After all, they weren't related by blood. Whatever the future held would depend on fate.
After playing with Reiju for a while, Rosse finally looked toward the inside of the palace.
By now, the maids had already been silently dismissed by Stella's gaze. The only ones left inside were Rouge, holding Sanji in her arms, and Ace, who was rolling and crawling on the floor, occasionally taking a few wobbly steps.
Eventually, Rosse's gaze settled on Rouge.
There's a saying that's not wrong: a woman who has been nourished, whether in spirit or in body, undergoes a complete transformation.
There are many kinds of "nourishment": the affection of a beloved, the ease of a fulfilled heart, the care of material comfort.
No matter which kind it is, Rouge was now enjoying the best of all of them.
Today, Rouge wore a simple, pure-white dress perfectly fitted to her form, outlining her elegant, curvaceous figure and accentuating her tall, graceful posture.
When he had first met her, Rouge had long, golden hair, but that faded gold had only been the result of long years of endurance and lack of nutrition.
Now, her beautiful wavy pink hair was as smooth as fine silk, flowing lightly down to her slender waist. Each movement made it shimmer and sway, catching the light with a soft glow. Every gesture carried the mature elegance of a noblewoman, dignified and irresistibly charming.
Rosse had an excellent memory, and just from observing her, he could see all the subtle changes in her.
Compared to when they first met, Rouge's looks and figure had improved by more than just a little.
Before Rosse had left the Holy Land last time, Rouge had been in the midst of her transformation, still incomplete.
But after some time to settle and mature, she had fully emerged from her cocoon. And the beauty she now radiated even made Rosse's eyes brighten in surprise.
Even among all those exquisitely selected, beautiful maids, Rouge stood apart. Like a dazzling jewel shining brighter than all the rest.
What satisfied Rosse the most was knowing that this perfect beauty of hers bloomed because of him.
"Lord Rosse!"
Seeing Rosse's gaze upon her, Rouge showed him her warmest, most radiant smile.
That smile was far more vivid, far more graceful than when she had once been a naïve young girl.
Her feelings for Rosse were no different from Stella's or Otohime's, she had always regarded him as the noble savior of her life.
At the moment when her life had been about to end, when she was about to pay with her life for the mistakes of her past, it was Rosse who appeared before her. Not only saving her life, but also redeeming her soul.
It was then that she finally realized, she had only ever been a doll lost in a dream woven by someone else.
Other than Rosse, no one had ever truly seen her as a person. To everyone else, she was only a tool, tagged and used.
A woman for bloodline inheritance.
The mother of Roger's child.
A vessel for an "evil" lineage.
Whichever label it was, it always seemed as though her entire existence revolved around that man.
If that man had truly loved her, that might have been fine. She would have willingly carried all of it until her last breath.
But sadly, that had only ever been her wishful thinking. Or perhaps, that man's love had simply been too thin, so pale and frail that, compared to his ambition and dreams, his love for her meant almost nothing.
Only now did Rouge truly understand, Love, and being loved, those are feelings that can be felt.
Looking back, when Roger had been with her, all he ever talked about were his own adventures, his own legendary stories, his crewmates and rivals.
There was never a place for her in those tales, not even at the ending.
But being with Rosse was a completely different experience.
Rosse never talked to her about things from the outside world. It wasn't that he couldn't, it was because he knew she didn't like to hear them.
She liked imagining the future with just the two of them.
She liked hearing Rosse compliment the flower crowns she made.
She liked gossiping with him about the people who used to live on Baterilla Island.
Trivial little things, but to Rouge, they were everything in her simple, quiet life.
Roger had never wanted to hear such things, he would only scoff. But Rosse always listened quietly, holding her after their moments together, hearing her out with calm patience.
And what surprised Rouge most of all was that Rosse always remembered everything she said.
Even though he only responded from time to time, that alone was more than enough for Rouge.
She had never asked for much.
She never cared what kind of man he was in the outside world, whether a villainous pirate drenched in blood, or a tyrannical Celestial Dragon ruling over others, it didn't matter to her at all.
All she wanted… was that the person she loved would love her back, too.
But unfortunately, she had given her heart to the wrong person.
Roger's love for her was not even a fraction of what Rosse gave her.
Even being Rosse's toy was a thousand times happier than being Roger's wife.
Of course, Rouge didn't like comparing the two, and she normally never would.
But what should never have happened… did. Roger had used both her and the child in her womb as tools for boasting, until their enemies found out, leading to the tragedy that nearly killed them both.
Now, the events of those days could finally be put to rest.
It was because Roger, during his surrender, had bragged to Garp that he had left behind a child of his own blood. That act of arrogance had driven the World Government mad, and nearly led to her death.
If Rosse hadn't appeared, she might have died ignorant and alone.
Such a Roger… could never again stir even a trace of affection in Rouge's heart.
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