"They say love conquers all, but no amount of love can bring back everything I've lost."
-Rosanna Castus; Secret Route
***
BAM!
Leonardo Cassius had slammed his hand against the wall, in a perfect kabedon.
Rosanna tried to move away, but the boy had already boxed her in, leaving no room for escape. Thankfully, there were no students or any faculty around the area. She would die if anyone saw them in such a compromising position, and in a secluded place at that.
It was only her first day, and already she triggered a love scenario. Now this was more like the game!
"What the fuck did you say to my lady?" Leo sneered.
In another life, perhaps the dialogue options offered a blushing Rosanna that was unable to look at a potential suitor in the eye, or gazed back at him with the same heated fervor. She would have viewed Leo through rose-tinted glasses, with petals falling over his head as added effects.
But there were no dialogue options available, and the only filter going through Rosanna's vision was a vicious shade of red.
This Leo was nothing like the soft-spoken butler she knew in-game!
She crossed her arms in retaliation. "What did you mean, my lady? She's not yours."
This seemed to strike a nerve within the shady butler. He staggered back as though he were dealt with a physical blow. "You-you dare—!"
Rosanna used it as an opportunity to step forward, grabbing Leo by the collar and immediately reversing their positions. The sound of someone's back hitting the wall was louder — it seemed that Felicia Maure's spartan household had done its duty, granting Rosanna Castus steel for bones.
"I dare," she whispered, simply because she didn't claim the title Viola's Hand Holder for nothing. This stupid brat who took away her screentime with the villainess…how dare he?
"You're not even supposed to be here," Leo spat back, despite his burning cheeks. Whether it was the shame of being outed as a Viola simp or the shame of being manhandled, Rosanna would never know. "I saw you turn in my paper. There's no way you could have passed!"
Rosanna grinned. "What can I say. I'm a miracle worker!"
"You cheated!"
"So do you. Congratulations for acing the exam, by the way."
The boy narrowed his eyes. "You're ridiculously confident for someone who flunked the examinations and still managed to get in. You must have a powerful backer, don't you, Rosanna Castus?"
Rosanna's throat suddenly went dry.
It was in written in the laws of nature for similar forces to repel each other. The two of them may not know it yet, but in that moment, a moment of understanding passed between them.
This person is dangerous.
That brief moment was all Leo needed to swat Rosanna's hands away, straightening his uniform like nothing happened. He fixed Rosanna with the iciest glare known to man. "I'll cut to the chase, Miss Castus. I'm not here to cause any trouble. I'm only here to look after my lady, as her servant. If you think that being the highest scorer means anything to me, think again."
"Likewise," Rosanna shot back with gritted teeth. "May I remind you that you're the one who dragged me in here?"
"You were picking a fight with my lady!"
"I was congratulating her!"
"For taking second place? Are you crazy?"
"Why? What's wrong with second place?"
"Coming from the last placer? Everything!" Leo threw his hands in exasperation. "Be honest. You were about to tell her about the test papers too, weren't you?"
Rosanna stared at him. She wasn't exactly sure what she expected from the famed butler in Tales from The Black Rose, but this wasn't it. Where did Viola's silent shadow go? Where was the cool beauty she'd seen in several cameos? The Leo who snuck into the Academy with an unexpected bag of pastries, the Leo who once tried to take the blame for Viola's wrongdoings, and even the Leo who tried to divert the MC from her chosen route was nowhere to be found.
Instead, an ill-tempered boy stood in his place, who once shoved her down the walkway, ratted her out to the proctor, and now, accused her of being a snitch.
Sure, he didn't ask for help, but a thank you would have been nice!
"So?" She shot back. "Let's say she knows what we did. What are you going to do about it?"
"I—we didn't—" He choked out. His eyes were trained on something behind her.
But Rosanna was on a roll, "Are you ashamed? Is that it? Even though you were basically crying—"
"What's going on here?" A familiar voice intervened. All the words died in Rosanna's throat as she came face-to-face with the Headmaster, flanked by two other adults that may have been faculty members.
So much for leaving Rosanna on her own.
***
News of two students sneaking out on the first day of classes spread around the Academy like wildfire.
According to one student who witnessed the fiasco, the Headmaster had been looking for the highest scorer of the examinations to ask them if they can deliver a speech for the incoming freshman students. Students reported that said student was last seen dragging a girl away from the Humilitas Hall, heading to heaven-knows-where. The Headmaster, unwilling to delegate the responsibility to the second placer, set out to find them.
Little did he know, said top scorer was hiding by the rose gardens together with a girl, Rosanna Castus, who unfortunately placed last. The two were caught in the middle a heated debate, until their squabble escalated into something else. Backs were pushed against the wall and faces were hovering inches away from each other.
At once glance, they appeared to be rivals. But everyone else thought differently.
"It's them," a student whispered.
"I heard the headmaster caught them on a tryst."
"Ah. The PDA freshmen."
Rosanna and Leo walked out of the Headmaster's office with their heads bowed in shame, unable to do anything about the whispers in the hallway. Both of them were ordered to walk back into their classrooms, and reprimanded for already being late to their first class.
Both of you are here in the academia to study, not to fool around. The Headmaster scolded. True to his word, he had acted as if he completely didn't know Rosanna, going as far as pretending to check her profile in the register.
"As the current top student, I expected better from you, Mister Cassius." He prattled on. "However, I am thoroughly disappointed at Miss Castus. The behavior you exhibited back there was in no way befitting of a lady."
Rosanna couldn't bear to meet his gaze. She might be a grown woman deep inside, but the rule-abiding part of her remained the same. First she flunked a test, and now she had a record in the disciplinary office.
"This is all your fault," Leo murmured, voicing her thoughts out loud. He walked a few steps behind Rosanna, stubbornly refusing to walk in the same pace even though both of them were in a rush. "If you hadn't said those words—"
"Again, you're the one who dragged me away."
"You didn't even bother to correct the Headmaster," the boy spat. "Now even his grace thinks that we're—we're—" Even his footsteps stopped, as if saying the word was going to make him puke his guts out.
Rosanna sighed. "What, lovers?"
The entire hallway went silent at those two words, Leo included. This time, Rosanna turned to face him.
"What in the world is wrong with you?"
"Nothing's wrong," Rosanna assured. "I mean, was it not easier to believe that you have a thing for me instead of what actually happened? We're lucky to get away with a verbal warning, other schools aren't so lenient."
From Rosanna's experience in her old life, prestigious universities suspended their students for less. They really had to thank their lucky stars that the Headmaster didn't issue any punishment — that, and Rosanna's protagonist halo.
"You…think I have a 'thing'. For you." Leo said, making air quotes with his fingers.
His expression was blank.
"Well, you might not have any now, but you will. Eventually." Rosanna said honestly, because loyal as this butler might be, he still hadn't met the full force of an visual-novel heroine. "Everyone does."
It was the truth of this world. In Tales of The Black Rose, Rosanna Castus had the ability to charm delinquents, obstinate officials, and even her little brother's kidnappers. No one was immune to the main character's charisma.
But Leo's face only darkened at her words, and when he looked up, there was a glint in his eyes that shone far older than his age. He stepped forward, and in her haste, Rosanna backed away, afraid that the boy might actually pull out a knife this time.
Instead, he only stopped next to her ear and whispered:
"Make no mistake. I will never, ever fall in love with you, Rosanna Castus. Never in a thousand lifetimes."