CHAPTER 60: ROSES DO NOT BLOOM FOR MONSTER

Chapter 60: Roses Do Not Bloom for Monsters

"What the fuck..."

Felix had expected for Theo to get arrested and eventually killed by the president, but seeing Theo calmly talking and standing-he knew his plan actually failed.

But he had to keep a calm reaction as if he didn’t plan anything like this.

So, standing in the hallway as the door shut behind Elias and Theo his went stiff with confusion and embarrassment.

He really was expecting that praise. Felix really expected recognition...but instead, he was ignored like air.

He clenched his fists and followed them, frustration started boiling under his skin like an old lava.

Theo and Elias were deep in discussion over classified orders near the end of the hall. Felix stepped closer with confidence and fake authority.

"So," Felix cleared his throat, "I hope this proves my loyalty. I made sure Danielle came back. She is safe because of me."

Theo finally looked at him. His eyes looked icy... That look alone made Felix step back inside his own skin.

"You did nothing," Theo said in a flat voice. "I knew you were following me. That was the point."

Felix blinked. "What are you talking about?"

Theo continued. "You think you caught something useful. You think you protected Danielle..." His bruised lips curled slightly. "But you only moved exactly where I wanted you to."

Felix felt his face heat up with anger. "You are lying. This was my decision."

"No," Theo said with a smile. "This was my design."

Elias watched the exchange with interest. Felix, however, was shaking with humiliation. Theo had turned his great victory into a joke.

Felix stepped closer. "You are nothing but a violent soldier. Danielle deserves better than a tool."

Theo leaned in just enough for Felix to feel a threat crawl up his spine.

"And you think she deserves you?" Theo asked. "A coward who uses her fear to feel important?"

Felix’s breathing was paused in his throat just for shortly, and Theo looked ready to break him in half.

Elias lifted a single hand. That simple gesture was enough to stop both men.

"That is enough," the president called it off.

Theo stepped back instantly.

Felix looked furious... but he wasn’t going to challenge the leader of the nation just yet.

Not when the room was full of eyes.

And then, dinner felt also like a random battlefield.

Elias tried to talk to Danielle and was trying his best to smile. He tried to pretend everything was normal. But Danielle was cold as winter rain. She didn’t look at him or answer more than a few broken words.

Theo waited behind Elias like a loyal knight. His hands behind his back and gaze locked somewhere on the wall. He did not look at her or wanted to call her name.

It was torture...

Every plate clink sounded louder than thunder...Every second that passed felt like a lifetime of hurt.

When it was finally over, Danielle stood up first.

"I am going to get some air," she said quietly.

She did not wait for permission or look back.

Theo did not move from his spot as well.

Felix watched her go and smiled to himself. He thought he still had a chance.

Elias sighed and rubbed his temples. He was out of ideas on how to reach the girl who had his eyes and her mother’s heart.

Danielle walked into the palace garden. Cold wind brushed against her skin like the touch of ghosts. She hugged herself tighter, staring at the rows of roses stretching under the fading light.

Her mother’s roses...

The only beauty she left behind.

They were still growing even in autumn. Soft red petals bloomed stubbornly against the cold.

Danielle knelt down beside them, breathing in the scent she remembered from childhood.

"Mom," she whispered in a quite shaky voice. "You would say these roses are proof we can survive anything."

She laughed bitterly.

"I think you were wrong."

She touched one soft petal and felt her heart bleed inside her chest.

"I miss you," she confessed. "I miss how you told me that love was magic. That love could save us."

Daniell swallowed hard. "He told me the truth," Danielle whispered to the flowers. "Dad said you fell in love with someone else. That is why you died."

Her voice cracked...

"He made you disappear because he could not stand losing control."

Her eyes filled with tears that she refused to let fall.

"You trusted love... and look where it got you."

She stood up slowly, staring at the sky that refused to give her hope.

"I hate love," she muttered. "It destroys and breaks us. It kills the people who believe in it."

A gust of wind rustled through the garden, like her mother was answering.

Danielle pressed a hand to her heart, trying to stop the pain from spreading.

"I hate men," she continued. "All of them. They ruin everything. They lie and they hurt. They make you feel safe and then they throw you away."

Theo’s face flashed through her mind...that cold stare and awkward silence...His choice.

She wiped her eyes aggressively.

"Love is disgusting," Danielle muttered. "And I will never fall for it again."

Silence embraced her. But it didn’t comfort her. It only reminded her that she was alone.

Danielle looked up toward the palace windows.

Inside that palace was a father who murdered her mother’s happiness.

Inside that palace was a soldier who murdered her heart.

Danielle turned back to the roses and whispered one last plea.

"I wish you were here...Because without you... I am lost."

The roses remained silent and the night grew darker.

And Danielle never noticed someone standing in the shadows behind the trees... watching her with eyes full of sorrow and a heart full of war.

Theo was there...He heard every word.

"You know, I hate the idea of loving him now...I feel like I will never know him...did he lie about wanting to kill dad?" She asked herself louder.

"If he didn’t, why was he here then, working for him?"

"Because I want to protect you, bunny."