Flare froze for a moment after hearing that, then quickly shook her head.
"No, Sister Rouge. Thank you for worrying about me, but I'm not unhappy..."
"Is that so?"
Rouge looked at the beautiful young girl before her. She reached out and gently stroked little Ace's cheek as she said softly,
"Sorry, maybe I'm being nosy. It's just that if it weren't for Yemu and all of you, I never would have had the chance to watch little Ace grow up. So, if I could, I'd like to repay you too... Unfortunately, I'm only an ordinary woman. All I can do is sit here and talk with you..."
Rouge's words brought a flicker of hesitation to Flare's face. Perhaps it had simply been too long since she had anyone to confide in. In the end, she could not help speaking.
"I'm just... a little lost right now."
"Lost... Would you tell me about it?"
Flare looked at the concern in Rouge's eyes. After thinking for a moment, she lowered her gaze slightly and voiced the thoughts in her heart.
As Flare spoke, little Ace in Rouge's arms seemed to grow sleepy again. He drifted off in a daze, drool trickling from the corner of his mouth.
"That's all. I know it isn't wrong, but I still feel like I've changed... like I'm not the person I used to be anymore..."
"I see."
Rouge immediately understood what Flare was struggling with. With a faint smile, she said,
"Actually, I've felt that way before too..."
"Huh?!"
Flare froze and stared at Rouge with wide eyes.
"And more than once..."
That left Flare even more surprised.
"Come, sit down. I'll tell you slowly."
The two of them sat down at the bedside. Rouge gently stroked little Ace's forehead, her expression turning reminiscent as she spoke to Flare.
"Do you know? Before I met Roger, I actually hated men."
Flare was stunned by that.
Seeing her reaction, Rouge looked at Flare and explained slowly,
"Because of my looks, I'd seen far too many men show their disgusting sides ever since I was young. Later, after things changed in my family, the gossip on the island made me shut myself away even more. I always thought I might spend the rest of my life alone like that, until I met Roger..."
Flare had never imagined Rouge had such a past.
But looking at Rouge's gentle, beautiful face, she could understand.
Back when Flare had been in Loguetown, she too had met plenty of revolting men because of her appearance.
But she had her father to protect her, and she had always been strong-willed herself.
"Then how did Mr. Roger win you over, Sister Rouge...?"
Rouge smiled mischievously and said something that left Flare utterly shocked.
"Actually, I was the one who pursued Roger..."
Flare was momentarily speechless. Then, after thinking about it, she felt it made perfect sense.
After all, he was the Pirate King.
But just then, as if she knew what Flare was thinking, Rouge shook her head.
"No... Back then, no one knew he was the Pirate King. I didn't know either. Because of all the rumors, I hated everyone on the island at the time. But I still had to survive, so I had no choice but to go out and buy daily necessities. To avoid unnecessary trouble, I would always look for unfamiliar faces to buy from. Even then, after I left, the others would tell those strangers my story. Just like that, my reputation on the island grew worse and worse... until one day, when I went out and met Roger..."
Although it was clearly not a pleasant memory, all Flare saw on Rouge's face was a happy smile.
"At the time, Roger was disguised as an ordinary fisherman, making a living by catching and selling fish. Since he was a new face, I bought a few fish from him and was about to leave. But the people around us could hardly wait to tell Roger my story. I was ashamed and angry and was about to run away when Roger stepped in and beat that person up..."
Flare's eyes immediately lit up.
"I see. As expected of the Pirate King. So, Sister Rouge, was that when you fell for Mr. Roger?"
But Rouge shook her head.
"No. I was extremely sensitive back then. I thought Roger had only done it to get my attention. On top of that, the commotion was drawing more and more people over, so I ran away. But that very afternoon, Roger came to my doorstep. That made me even more certain that Roger wasn't a good person either, until he told me he had come to deliver the fish."
"Deliver the fish?"
"Mm. It turned out I'd left in such a panic that I paid but forgot to take the fish. So after Roger found out where I lived, he brought the fish back to me, then left without saying a word."
"That's so romantic!"
Flare could almost picture the scene.
But Rouge shook her head again.
"I didn't find it romantic at the time. I only felt that this man seemed a little different, but I still didn't let my guard down. After that, though, for convenience's sake, I usually went to him to buy fish. Even so, we never said anything unnecessary to each other. It was only buying and selling fish."
"Then when did you fall for Mr. Roger, Sister Rouge?"
"Three months after that day, I went to the market again, but Roger was gone. The people at the market told me that because of me, Roger had been shunned by the people around him and driven out. No one knew where he had gone."
Flare looked indignant when she heard that.
"That was the most painful moment of my life. Even when I was hurt by those rumors, it had never been that painful. I didn't want to hurt anyone else because of me, so I chose to end my life then. But I never expected Roger to save me. It turned out that after he was driven away, he bought a boat and chose to live drifting on the sea. Then he found me as I was trying to take my own life and rescued me."
At that moment, Rouge's face was full of happiness.
"When I opened my eyes again after trying to die and saw Roger in front of me, I suddenly understood that I couldn't live without him for the rest of my life. I don't know where I found the courage, but I confessed to Roger right then. But I never expected him to reject me outright. Only then did I learn that he didn't have much time left. In the end, after I kept pursuing him without giving up, the two of us finally got together. I also learned that he was the Pirate King. Even so, he didn't want a child, because he understood what his bloodline would mean for this world. In the end, it was only because I asked him that we had Ace..."
At this point, Rouge gently held little Ace's tiny hand and said,
"But Roger was right. My selfishness cost so many people their lives. If Yemu and all of you hadn't appeared, this child would have been born carrying a terrible burden of guilt. So I truly have to thank all of you..."
Flare hurriedly shook her head.
"No, that isn't selfish. What's wrong with a mother wanting a child?"
"Thank you."
A grateful smile appeared on Rouge's face.
"But even though Roger and I loved each other so much, after we got together, he still nearly drove me mad. That man may have been the most successful pirate in the world, but as a husband, he was a hopeless idiot..."
"Huh?"
Only then did Rouge finally say what she had truly wanted to tell her.
"No matter how beautiful love may be, it can never escape the ordinary details of daily life. And just like that, no matter how great a dream is, it still depends on the steady, down-to-earth parts of ordinary living. Delicious dishes made from the finest ingredients and simple meals made from ordinary ingredients are both part of life. Both are indispensable... Perhaps that is the true meaning of the cuisine of life your father spoke of, Flare."
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