Chapter 126 The Thornless Rose

"I want Sophie to stay," Jane declared. "As my mate. I want her to share my glory, my authority, and my wealth. I want to spend the rest of eternity by her side."

Spoken aloud by Jane herself, the words carried the solemn weight of a vow. The moment she laid everything bare, Aro had no choice but to respond openly. There could be no avoiding the issue any longer.

"Master," Jane said, lowering her head with unwavering resolve, "I ask for your blessing."

The Leader and the Captain of the Guard were the two central pillars of the Volturi.

They could never afford to openly oppose one another. Any visible division between them would inevitably shake the very foundation of the Volturi, and neither wished to see that happen. Moreover, Jane had been personally transformed by Aro. Their bond, forged through the First Bite, was among the strongest ties vampires could possess. In that sense, Caius had not been entirely wrong. The twins truly were children Aro had brought into the world himself.

Whether viewed through duty or affection, reason or sentiment...

Aro had to grant Jane's request.

Even if every word of his agreement concealed a thousand unwilling refusals.

"The situation between two young women is unprecedented," Aro said, his expression softening. He could not afford to stand opposite Jane.

The nature of their species dictated the overwhelming power of love. Therefore, Aro had to stand beside Jane, or at the very least make Jane believe that he did. He had to appear supportive, understanding, and completely on her side.

"You have always been exceptional, my dear Jane. Never fear my opposition. Sophie is a child with tremendous potential as well. With careful guidance and enough time, her gift may yet become an incomparable treasure." Aro patiently performed the role of the understanding leader, every word measured with practiced compassion.

"But..."

His tone shifted.

Not long ago, when he had explored Marcus' memories, he had seen no sign of an unbreakable bond of love between Jane and Sophie.

Turning to Jane with carefully crafted concern, Aro asked gently, "But Jane... are you certain that Sophie loves you in return?"

He gestured toward the countless clusters of blooming red roses surrounding them.

"What magnificent roses," Aro sighed. "Aurora nurtured every one of them with her Gift. They bloom to celebrate her love and her wedding." He slowly rubbed his newly freed hands together, a habitual gesture that appeared whenever he anticipated an entertaining spectacle.

Only moments earlier, he had picked a red rose, the flower symbolizing love, and presented it to his wife, Sulpicia.

"Choose the most beautiful one," Aro whispered close to Jane's ear. "Give it to Sophie. If she accepts the rose from your hand, I will permit her to share your authority. At that moment, I shall formally bestow upon her a black cloak second only to your own."

He smiled faintly.

"Now... go choose your flower."

Choose a red rose.

One with thorns.

Prove that the two of you are truly in love.

By now, at least eight different people had secretly stolen glances in her direction.

Keeping her head lowered, Sophie hid behind a large cluster of lilies. In her hands she held a small bouquet of fragrant white blossoms whose scent was almost overwhelmingly sweet.

Judging by the fact that more than half of the fewer than twenty guests present were already holding red roses, Sophie felt rather confident that casually picking flowers hardly made her stand out.

People continued to steal curious looks at her, yet no one approached to start a conversation. Vampire society maintained ancient social customs. Proper introductions were expected before strangers spoke to one another.

Established covens rarely associated with nameless nomads. Doing so was considered beneath their status. Territorial disputes often erupted into battles without warning, and unknown vampires were treated cautiously. Since this was a wedding hosted by the Finnish Coven, maintaining polite distance until the hosts introduced everyone was already considered perfectly courteous.

Sophie had arrived alongside the Volturi, something everyone had noticed.

Yet she wore no family crest.

That meant Aro had not officially accepted her into the Volturi.

Quiet speculation spread among the guests.

Exactly what kind of Gift had caught Aro's attention?

Sophie focused her hearing, secretly eavesdropping on the strangers discussing her, when a hand suddenly reached over her shoulder from behind and lightly patted it.

"You really do enjoy finding places to hide."

Startled, Sophie instinctively jumped forward.

The familiar voice reached her ears a heartbeat later.

"Jane!"

She stepped back toward her again and lowered her voice to a whisper beside Jane's ear.

"You've finished talking with Aro?"

She deliberately chose not to mention everyone staring at her.

Complaining about curious looks felt petty, and she disliked sounding as though she were tattling.

So many unreserved gazes had left Sophie feeling as though she were sitting on needles. Every glance seemed almost tangible, irritating her unnaturally sharp senses. Compared to that, Jane possessed such an overwhelming presence that she had somehow approached without Sophie noticing at all.

The fragrance of the lilies had become almost suffocating.

For vampires, it was nearly overpowering.

Holding her breath, Sophie instinctively shut out the excessive scent.

"Mmm... we've discussed... most of it."

For perhaps the first time in a very long while, Jane looked genuinely nervous.

Her eyes wandered aimlessly across the nearby walls while one hand remained hidden behind her back, concealing something from view.

The two of them stood extraordinarily close together, sheltered behind the curtain of white lilies as though conducting some secret exchange no one else was meant to witness.

Sophie wanted to step back into the open.

With Jane beside her, no one would dare continue staring. Jane's status alone, combined with the overwhelming intimidation of her Gift, was enough to silence every wandering gaze.

Yet the instant Sophie tried to retreat, Jane immediately followed after her.

"What's wrong?"

Tilting her head, Sophie searched for Jane's eyes.

Jane's guilty expression was so obvious that Sophie immediately suspected the conversation with Aro had not gone smoothly.

"Were you having a hard time with Aro just now?" she asked with genuine concern.

"No." Jane denied it without hesitation.

Turning aside to look at the lilies instead, she suddenly criticized them for no apparent reason.

"These flowers are much too white, don't you think?"

Sophie blinked in confusion.

"They're white lilies. Of course they're white."

For one ridiculous moment she even wondered whether Jane would criticize the bride's wedding dress later for being "too white" as well.

"Red flowers are prettier."

Jane changed the subject so abruptly that it almost hurt.

"Well, that's only my personal opinion. What do you think, Sophie?"

The venue's most common flower was the red rose, and nearly every guest seemed drawn to the blossoms symbolizing love.

Aurora had gone to tremendous effort decorating the entire venue with flowers.

Sophie certainly wasn't going to dampen the festive mood.

She nodded.

"Yes. Red roses really are the most fitting flowers for today."

The words had barely left her mouth when...

Amid the sea of white...

A flash of brilliant red appeared.

"This is for you."

Jane finally brought the hand hidden behind her back into view.

The rose trembled gently, almost inviting Sophie to accept it.

Jane delicately pinched the very end of the flower's stem between her slender thumb and forefinger.

Fresh green plant sap stained the tips of her pale fingers and even her nails.

The long stem supported the magnificent bloom above.

Yet every thorn that should have covered it had been painstakingly scraped away, leaving only shallow scars and uneven indentations where they had once grown.

The green sap oozing from the damaged fibers was identical to the stains still clinging to Jane's fingertips.

She had removed every single thorn herself.

The rose swayed once more as Jane extended it another inch toward Sophie.

"Take it."

Her sweet, youthful voice carried the unmistakable tone of a command.