«Mark's POV»
Mercelle:"Hello! It's nice to finally meet you Mister Mark!"
I reeled back instantly.
'WHAT THE HELL!?'
'What does she mean!? How does she even know my name'
As soon as I approached her to talk, without even a word coming out of my mouth,she herself greeted me.
She continued to speak as I cursed inside my head.
Mercelle:"I have heard a lot about Mr. Mark, the bar owner and every one here always talk so greatly about you! I was very happy when they told me you are a fan of mine!".
What the hell does she mean!?
I didn't understand why they would even talk so greatly about me, especially to someone as actually great
as Mercelle.
But what made me more mad was not that,it was actually the fact that they revealed my secret!
I glared at the bar owner at the back.
'I will definitely get you back for this Joan!'.
Making such a promise I turned to Mercelle herself with a nervous expression only to be more horrified as I saw her blushing,she was flustered.
Mercelle:".....Although I never knew you until coming here.... I'm still grateful that you think of me as.... your daughter."
Saying so she looked away,embarrassed.
I snapped my look towards the bar owner and spoke in a serious tone.
Arthur:"You're dead Joan,if you want to gain mercy then tell me the names of everyone who is involved in this ASAP! "
Saying so i took a seat next to Mercelle.
I looked at her once more to see her chuckling at mine and Joan's antics who was cursing at me from the back.
I felt dead inside and my brain was Short-circuting.
Her eyes turned to me with a slight hint of mischief as her hand moved forward.
I looked on as her hand neared mine and then soon held it softly.
Her hands..... Were not smooth, it felt weird to the touch, bumpy and in even.
'what the hell?'
Wondering so I looked at the back of her hand to see her mark, but what I saw made choke on my own saliva,leading to Mercelle stopping from doing what ever she planned to do and checking on my state.
Mercelle:"Are you Okay? What happened."
I could Joan looking at me from the other side,a devious grin plastered on his face.
But I couldn't care less of it as I spoke in a shocked tone.
Mark:"Y-Your mark! Where is your mark!?".
I exclaimed,although tamed in volume it was still enough to be heard by Joan at the least.
Mercelle:".....W-what?"
Asking so she looked at her right hand and her expressions became warry for but a moment before she had her bright smile, it didn't feel fake for some reason.
She turned towards me as she hid her hand cleverly with her clothes.
With her other hand she raised an index finger to her lips and spoke silently.
Mercelle:"Shhh... It's a secret."
I heard her words and registered them into my mind, flabbergasted still.
Yet.....
I sighed.
Mercelle sat back on her seat,her hand reached for a black glove laid on the table before taking it and putting on to cover her hand.
I was slightly confused at the sight of her glove being completely un-adorned and bland.
Seeing my confusion she momentarily gave a wink.
I opened my mouth with unease but closed it once more.
I was about to ask her of the marklesss nature of her's but decided to hold it in for now and ask her later, there were too many prying eyes and ears.
Instead I asked something else,something more tame.
Mark:"I'm sorry, but can I ask what you were about to do? You were reaching for my hand....."
After I said so she thought for a moment, her hand to her chin before she widened her eyes and got flustered.
confusion ran through my mind before turning to nervousness.
'it's not what I think it is right....? I mean, I'm to hold for her.'
She was also avoiding eye contact,choosing to look at the glass of juice on the table glistening slightly.
Mercelle:"I-i was..... OK! Iwasabouttotease youbycallingyoufatherbutnowIonlygot
myselfembarrassedinsteadI'msorry!"
Her words flew by as bullets, too fast to catch.but well I got the gist of it.
Mark:"...*sigh* thank god."
Thankfully it was just her trying to tease me by calling me father. I was worried it might be more romantic,especially since I do not feel that way about her
Unfortunately my words of relief were caught by her ears as she asked me,surprised.
Mercelle:"Why are you relieved? Wait..... Is it because I got embarrassed instead!"
She placed both her arms infront of her,bent towards her chest, almost like a stance taken before fighting.
Recognizing it I waved my hands infront of me and tried to soothe her.
Mark:"N-No! It's nothing like that! We-well anyway can you tell me about that time in the monster hunting camp 5 years ago?"
I swiftly and methodically changed the subject and carried it forwards with grace.
I definitely did not fumble at the middle by overly praising her or fanboying.
Overall with all the things cleared I was able to figure out her character,to an extent at least.
When I first asked her about the monster hunting camp incident,instead of saying anything haughty,she immediately started praising and talking about the soldiers there,she spoke with a grateful smile,even more so she knew most of their names.
I don't know what's called being a caring and nice person if that wasn't it.
She herself almost died and did more work—several times more work than she was supposed to and it was only because of her that there were no casualties regarding that incident.
Yet she didn't even talk about herself at all when speaking of such incident and when asked she didn't deny it but she didn't stay with the topic long, changing almost in seconds.
What surprised me the most was actually how real of a person she is.
Her expressions and the way she spoke was mostly real and nothing fake could be found.
Except for the times she talks about herself.
She seems to actively avoid talking about herself...
Days passed as we grew closer,she was quite childish,more so than i thought,although that did make her cuter.
She was still slightly reluctant to relay why she didn't seem to like talking about herself.
It was bothersome for me as I cared for her.
Some might say that caring for some one you had only met Days ago is quite deranged and slightly insane.
After all, it isn't that I think of her romantically either, I think of her as a daughter,in a way it sounds insane.
But for me, it was more so kinship that bonded me to her maybe it was Because of a rough patch that I was in when I first heard of her tale but none the less I grew attached.
And as such I couldn't ignore what was happening to her.
Lucas had become more frequent and intense in his approaches even after she had softly told him not to do so,so much so that Mercelle had to voice out that she wasn't interested in him and to leave,it seemed to have worked as he didn't come back for a few days.
Mercelle had become worried and guilty,she was a sweet heart after all,but she didn't do anything wrong and I had to make sure she knew.
So I approached her one day and spoke to her.
She was in shambles thinking that she was too harsh and freted over the possibility of lucas commiting suicide.
I wanted to chuckle a little, but it died down in my throat as I knew what people can do, and how idiotic they can be.
I decided to tell her she wasn't too harsh,telling him to leave was the only thing that was a bit far but wasn't wrong,if she felt uncomfortable with him around then it is more right to tell him straight then leading him on, it was bad for both parties.
On that day I truly felt as if I was her father,she had cried on my shoulder about what she felt about the situation and asked me to check on lucas.
I stayed silent for a moment before nodding.
Lucas's home is quite distant from where we are and it would at least take a whole day to get there and come back but it was still okay.
As I was leaving,Mercelle Said something,something that made me feel warm and shook at the same time.
Mercelle:"....Be safe dad."
I smiled happily,very happily. Too ecstatic and joyous.
Mark:"I will be,Mercelle."
I could feel her shuffling around embarrassed and flustered at what she had said.
'so she said it in-voluntarily...that's even better!'
it looks like I got a daughter first before a wife, I just have to get her a mom next.
I then headed out to meet lucas....
Night had befallen by the time I came back, the moon above was shining brightly as it was accompanied by the distant stars.
I did not find lucas.
I asked his parents but they said that they didn't know,before also asking help from me in order to find him.
Although I disliked him for his lecherous nature and how he annoyed Mercelle,I accepted.
He was still just a kid,almost an adult yes but after living as long as I did, even if it's not alot,i can tell for a fact that teenagers,especially the ones that are near adulthood at 15-19 are in need of greater guidance than a child,the guidance itself was more so correction.
I looked for him where I could but I still couldn't find him and so I returned to where Mercelle lived.
As I entered through the door I could hear chaotic shuffling and muffled sounds.
Hearing it,concerned I ran as fast I could towards the sounds.
As soon as I saw the source my heart dropped.
I saw lucas.... And Mercelle.
Mercelle's clothes were torn in several places as she was pinned to the wall by lucas,a hand...placed to her chest.
*SHING*
my blade flashed,un-hesitant.
My mind,body,senses and everything only reacted afterwards,my vision dyed red with rage, my body pulsing with blood lust and my mind narrowing to murder.
The next that happened was Lucas's hand being cut clean and blood flowing out with a speed of a geyser,painting the walls red as he fell.
I jolted to Mercelle,my hands flying first to cover her with my shirt before I even completely reached her.
My hands hugged her,her head beneath my chin pressed against my collar bones and neck, her tears wetting them.
I could feel my hands tightening to a vice grip on her skin even beneath the cloth.
Noticing it,i hugged her tighter,trying to spread my hands to cover her as much as i can, my eyes stuck to the wall dazed with the haze of thoughts flowing through my head.
I could hear Lucas's wails from the back but I didn't care.
Mercelle:"..."
Her silence was haunting.
Suddenly I felt a pressure on my shoulders.
I still didn't move,even after the pressure increased.
Mercelle:"...dad."
Only after that did I let go,still in a daze as she stepped back from my embrace.
She didn't say anything more, I couldn't see her face.
She started walking towards the flailing lucas before crouching near him,her knees wobbled as she bent, her shoulders shuddering at the sight.
Her hand reached for his blood leaking stump and rested it there, lucas himself looked at her bewildered before screaming out.
Lucas:"Heal me Mercelle!"
Those were the only words he could muster before he went back to his pathetic writhing.
Soon after a green glow emanated from her hand. What was she doing? I coul—
Mark:"ARE YOU FU*KING HEALING HIM!? "
she stayed silent for a moment before turning towards me.
Mercelle:".....I'm sorry dad."
Her eyes were filled to the brim with tears, her smile a broken and crooked one, her face uglied.
Mercelle:"I-I can't help it."
All of her body was trembling and her voice was breaking,i could tell easily that those words were harder to come through her mouth than most of anything else.
Mercelle:"Again.....I'm sorry dad."
It hurt disgustingly more to the soul when she called me dad.....
That day.....she cried,she cried a lot and she cried even more, for hours and hours.
Lucas was arrested and was about to be disowned by the Malives but was bailed out by Mercelle.
...disgusting.
Mercelle's tales had gotten another addition,her traumatic incident was turned to a rumour to be spread and was to be praised for Mercelle's forgiveness and kindness.
...grotesque.
And from then on she was given the title 'The Thornless Rose' a title that would be known by the entirety of lagandra.
...Abhorrent!
I seethed at the world with my existence.
For the world that title was something to praise and awe at, but for me it was something to scowl and frown at.
Because I knew what it meant.
Mercelle... My daughter.
My daughter was a kind and angelic girl? No, she was a good person yes but more than that....she was someone that didn't know what to make of herself besides the world made her,a healer.
Healing people that she shouldn't and didn't need to heal.
I won't leave my daughter.
from then I followed and travelled with her, whereever she goes,i go. I will have her release her burdens onto me and will protect her even after she get's someone else to do it.
Until I get her a mother, I will be her Father and Mother.....and she will be my daughter.
^^^~~^^^^^^~~^^^
....And roses were not without thorns,yes?
That is what everyone thought before such an incident took place.
Against the norm, Mercelle alone was the rose with no thorns.
Being throned with the titled 'The Thornless Rose'.
But that's a problem,for roses with no thorns are with no defence.
...And mark was the one to be that defence.
My name is ray alove, a friend of mark's.
I am deeply ashamed of writing this as this was a private matter of Mercelle's.
But I wanted this to persist even if lagandra had already perished.
I wanted the world to know only Mercelle's true self.
I... Won't be there to explain anything to you, I would be already gone,this is the only copy.
I hope this story stays in your memory.
ΔΔΔ~~~ΔΔΔΔΔ~~~~ΔΔΔ
By the end of the book, only silence reigned amongst every one.
Arthur stayed silent with his mouth hung open.