"If I am to be judged for the crimes I have committed, it should be done by a court, not by Lynn reading my diary to Bernadette."
- "The Last Words of Emperor Roselle 1.0"
Alright, the above quote was just a joke, but at this moment, Roselle indeed had the urge to simply die and be done with it.
Should he just go find the Mother Goddess of Depravity and perish together?
Roselle began to seriously consider the feasibility of this idea.
If he was going to die sooner or later, he wanted to die with dignity.
Just as Roselle was internally screaming and feeling utterly defeated in front of his daughter, dreading her "Bone-Breaking Hand" technique, he heard Lynn from across the room say, "No matter if Bernadette actually kills you or not, I suggest you prepare in advance. Tonight, I will arrange for you to meet her in a dream. As your boss, I hope you can have a pleasant father-daughter meeting."
Lynn's attitude seemed sincere, as if he wasn't the one who had orchestrated everything to this point.
Roselle, however, was too shocked to complain about Lynn's "crocodile tears." He looked up at Lynn, stunned, and stammered, "M-meet? Tonight?"
"Don't you want to?" Lynn smiled at him, as if he would abandon the meeting if Roselle said no.
"Of course, I... want to." Roselle's voice started loud but then deflated, looking conflicted. "I just wasn't ready. It's too sudden..."
"And..." Roselle's expression turned grim as he glared at Lynn. "You did this on purpose, didn't you?"
If he had known they could meet, he would never have allowed Lynn to read the diary to Bernadette.
This guy definitely wanted to see him embarrassed and even hoped for a father-daughter fallout... Roselle couldn't help but accuse, "Lynn, you're so malicious!"
"Thank you, Angel of Secrets! I'm so grateful you let me meet my precious daughter" Lynn said jokingly while making a voice like roselle and maintained his gentle smile, even straightening his clothes leisurely before saying, "Roselle, we're all adults. When adults make mistakes, they must learn to bear the consequences."
"If you had been a bit more restrained in your youth or hadn't written your diary so enthusiastically, you wouldn't be in this situation today."
'Fuck you!' Hearing Lynn's deflection, Roselle had a thousand curses in his heart but, considering he needed Lynn's help to meet Bernadette, he restrained himself and only swore in his mind.
Roselle then squatted on the ground, holding his head with a pained expression. Though he made no sound, it was clear he was internally screaming like a distressed groundhog.
In short, he was thinking: Why? Why did things turn out this way? He had finally shaken off corruption, regained his sanity, and was about to meet his beloved daughter. It should have been double the happiness, so why did it turn out like this?
"Bad writers should be taken out and beaten." Lynn suddenly remarked.
Roselle glared at him and said, "Sometimes I really think you're on the Spectator pathway and using telepathy on me."
"Hmm, to read your mind, I don't think I need Beyonder abilities. After all, everything you feel is written on your face." Lynn thoughtfully rubbed his chin, looking serious.
'Fuck You!'
Roselle cursed inwardly again. After cursing for a while, his expression gradually calmed, and he stood up.
"Finally calmed down?" Lynn glanced at him, smiling, already planning his final move.
"What else can I do? Things have come to this point. I can't really die over it. Besides..." Roselle's tone turned low as he continued, "In this matter, I truly have no excuse. I wronged her mother, my wife..."
Though Roselle was quite a playboy, he was self-aware enough to know he was a scumbag in some respects.
He felt some guilt but not much.
After all, until Bernadette was born, Roselle never truly saw himself as part of this world. He lived like a player, never fully integrating.
In this sense, Roselle wasn't a good person. He brought significant technological advancements to this world, indirectly helping many people, and he chose to protect this world with his life upon discovering it was his world. Otherwise, he wouldn't have told Klein in the original work to completely kill him if he ever endangered the world.
Roselle wasn't a perfect character; far from it. He had a questionable personal life and hurt many people in his madness. Yet, he contributed enormously to the world, indirectly aiding countless individuals, and chose to protect this world with his life.
Despite his flaws, Roselle was at least a good father.
So, even knowing the meeting with Bernadette wouldn't be a warm family reunion, Roselle chose to face it.
Lynn raised an eyebrow, seeming to smile before saying, "By the way, Bernadette asked me to tell you something."
The holographic message he showed Roselle earlier didn't include this part. It only showed Bernadette reading the diary to build up to the climax.
Roselle: ...
Just as he resolved to admit his mistakes and make amends to his dear daughter, Roselle stiffened and nervously swallowed.
He turned his head stiffly to look at Lynn, his tone cautious: "What did Bernadette asked you to say?"
(End of Chapter)
If you want, support me on Patreon and get access to 40 translated chapters in advance:
p@treon.com/IHaveNoNamingSense