- 1 day ago
Rimson Blade & Withered Rose
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Short filmTranscript
00:00She gave me her face. I gave her revenge. After my assassination failed, I ducked into a ruined
00:05chapel. I never expected to find a violated noble girl dying inside. Our eyes met. We both rose.
00:11We had the exact same face. She said she was the Earl's daughter. Her stepmother tricked her out
00:16of the manor, lying her father was gravely ill at the northern border. Instead, she was taken here
00:21where the stepmother had paid rogues to rape her, then poison her. She reached out her hand.
00:26Don't look at me that way. I don't know how to save people. I'm an assassin, knowing
00:31only how to kill. Besides, I'm being hunted myself.
00:36I'm not asking you to save me. I'm about to die. I'll give you my identity to help you
00:42hide from your pursuers. Just avenge me. Please.
00:49I needed a new identity. The Count's daughter was safe enough.
00:54Fine. I promise.
00:57I looked down at her limp hand. She died with resentment and pleading in her eyes.
01:02Considerate payment for your face.
01:05Footsteps outside the chapel. Two rogues, stinking of wine.
01:10Damn, that noble bitch was really something. Shame about the poison. Could have gone another
01:16few rounds.
01:16Twins. Their filthy words died the moment they found me and saw my face.
01:23Twins?
01:24Twins? No. T-W-I-N-S. Tonight, writing it never spares.
01:32New one for us. Lucky, lucky day. Me first. I call dibs.
01:38First is fine by me. First time I've ever felt slow.
01:43Hell. Hell's been waiting.
01:45Two rogues on the ground. Eyes bulging. Bodies flopping like dying fish. Broken throats. No air.
01:52They'll feel every second of it before they go. Filthy villains don't die easy.
01:57I searched their pockets. Found a letter with wax seal. It was the Earl's wolf crest. Sloppy.
02:03Criminals don't leave evidence this obvious. Either my new stepmother is an idiot or someone
02:08wants her to look like one. Either way. She lured Cecilia here. She doesn't get to walk
02:12away.
02:13I buried Cecilia in the yard. A stone from the altar to mark the grave. Then I dragged the
02:18rogues' bodies in front of it and set them on fire. I used my kit to become her. Needles,
02:23powder, a fake mole by the eyebrow. An hour later, I looked into a puddle and saw Cecilia
02:28Rosenthal staring back.
02:30If it's just the snake pair, stepmother and stepsister, simple. I'll wear your face, smash
02:35their scheme, then smash them. If there's a vulture above those snakes, I'll use the
02:40snakes as bait. Then I'll kill them all.
02:43Close feet, close lanterns. A crowd coming to catch a four. Good. They're here. Watch
02:48closely. Your name is going to become their tombstone. Cecilia, you have an assassin's
02:53avenging word.
02:56A woman in a dark green cloak, scanning the ground like a crow looking for carrion.
03:03What are you doing here?
03:05I smiled. Assassin waits for the right moment.
03:08Sis, why don't you answer, mother? Is it true you ran off with someone? Didn't mother
03:14tell me father was gravely ill, ask me to come quickly?
03:17I never...
03:18So someone used mother's name to lure me here. And mother just happened to show up with
03:23so many people?
03:24I received a tip. That Rosenstein's daughter was misbehaving, running off with a man.
03:30Misbehaving? So mother's saying Cecilia did this to herself?
03:33Sis, why are you speaking so strangely? Were you hurt? Tell us, we'll help you...
03:37I wasn't hurt. But someone's trying to hurt me right now. I tell you, will you help me?
03:40Sister, I understand. Your late mother's family fell, you are desperate to keep your engagement
03:45with Edmund. But you can't lie because of that. If bad thing happens, shouldn't the ones
03:49who hurt you face justice?
03:50You want justice for your sister?
03:53Of course I...
03:57That's the interest.
03:59For your sister Cecilia.
04:02Edmund's eyes went cold. He set Lena down and turned to me...
04:06You've lost your mind. Get on your knees and apologize. Or our engagement is off.
04:09Off? You must have been dreaming of it for years. But you never dared.
04:14You grasped the engagement for your fiancé's mother. Now her house has fallen, so you want
04:18to dump it?
04:18You are insane. Today, you need be taught a lesson.
04:21I knew the two rogues and their testimony. What they did to you. Kneel down if you don't
04:26want your slut act spreading across the kingdom.
04:29Then go ahead. Tell everyone. Your fiancé, violated by rogues.
04:33But people will wonder, how did the fiancé get the evidence so fast? Were you there? Or
04:40were the rogals yours to begin with?
04:42Cecilia! How dare you! Sister, please just apologize.
04:46I have witnesses. The two rogues are concrete evidence. It's too late for your apologies.
04:53Witnesses? Already turned to ashes. Evidence? Talk to their ghosts. Then you do it. Tell
05:00the whole werewolf kingdom, instead of yapping like a dog here.
05:10A wolf controls his shift. What can't control itself is a dog in heat.
05:21Don't worry. Wolf or dog, Cecilia is marrying you. Let the game begin. For scum like this,
05:28an assassin never minds killing slope. Edmund wrote off, humiliated, furious.
05:34Good disgrace! We're returning home right now before you ruin what's left of our Rosenton
05:38family. Sister, you shouldn't be so stubborn after you humiliated our family. I looked at
05:44them. Linus practiced tears. Magda's clenched jaw. You want to talk about family name? With
05:50Cecilia? How dare you! Disgrace and humiliation? Ask yourselves who arranged this poem. Magda stumbled
06:03back, hand on her cheek, then rage replaced it. You've forgotten how to behave.
06:08Wait until we're home. Madam Gretta will grind you back into shame.
06:12The name fell like a stone. Servants paled, the guards looked away. Sister, just apologize.
06:20You remember Madam Gretta's methods, don't you? I didn't have Cecilia's memory, but I saw
06:25Cecilia's hands when she reached for me. The old scars all over her body, and I could guess
06:30by the sneak peeks the same. Madam Gretta? I look forward to meeting her. I smiled.
06:36Three days later, I arrived at Rosenthal Manor, Capital City. Madam Gretta waited at the hall.
06:42Old, dried up, hawk nose. She pulled out a teacup, dropped it. Shards scattered across the floor.
06:48Kneel. One hour. We'll start easy. What if I refuse? You've become rebellious. The Countess
06:55warned me, so I invited your late mother to teach you. You behave. This stays safe. You don't?
07:04Your late mother. Pig feed.
07:07I knelt. Not really. Crouched. Ready. She didn't notice the difference. Magda smiled and satisfied.
07:14She pulled Lena toward the door. Madam Gretta, help her revisit her old lessons. Tonight.
07:22Midnight. My door opened. Gretta stood in the doorway. Needle kit in one hand, a pair of pliers in the
07:27other.
07:27Get up. Tonight's lesson, just like before.
07:31She walked closer, laid out her tools on the floor. Silver needles, bone hooks, a metal rod with a branding
07:37end.
07:38Are you afraid? I am terrified.
07:43You. You. Terrified my skills had gone rusty.
07:50Still as good as ever.
07:51The days after Gretta disappeared were quiet. Magda sent replacements. A stern woman with a cane.
07:59I threw her out through the door. A fat man who liked to scream. Over the bottle. And then
08:04after the third, they stopped coming. News spread. Cecilia went crazy. Good. Let them talk.
08:11Fear is quieter than respect. Leaving me space alone for Cecilia's diary. The leather was worn,
08:16the pages thin from re-reading. Page after page. Pain after pain. And yet...
08:28I closed the diary. She thought marrying Edmund would be her escape. She didn't know Edmund was
08:33the one tightening the snare. Edmund's messenger arrived at Newell. Lord Edmund request the honor of
08:39Lady Cecilia's presence at House Reign for the wedding ceremony. By tradition, Lady Lena shall accompany her.
08:43A company? They're intending Lena to replace her. The Duke's heir never wanted Cecilia. By the time
08:47the ceremony ends, Lena will fake the bride and be the real duchess. I listened. Then I smiled.
08:52Fake? They didn't know. Cecilia's fake. But fake Cecilia's revenge? That's real.
08:58The wedding day approaching. The manor buzzed with preparation. But not for me. Not for Cecilia.
09:03Silks and jewels for Lena. Fittings. Rehearsals. Servants tripping over themselves to please.
09:08Lena arrived at my door three days before the departure. Sister, what's not yours will not be
09:14yours. Oh really? You know, even if you marry Edmund, you'll be nothing but a vase on the table.
09:21I smiled. Maybe. But someone won't even make it to the table. Her face twisted.
09:31We'll see. We'll see.
09:35We'll see. The departure day, the House Reign sent carriages for the bride. Guards. Banners with the
09:40Rain Wolf. Edmund sat on his horse at the front. He didn't look at me. Didn't even glance. His eyes
09:45found Lena. Lingered. I climbed into my carriage. Alone. Good. Easier to watch. The carriage stopped.
09:53I stepped down. Edmund was already there. At the gate. His hand out. Not to me. To Lena.
09:59She took it. See? I stood alone. No hand. No welcome. Just stairs from the servant. I reached
10:05into my sleeve. Cold metal. Familiar weight. My dagger. I walked through the rain's gate. Alone and
10:12forgotten. Cecilia, watch. Where you didn't make it for your hope, I faked it here for your vengeance.
10:19Edmund took Lena to her room. Mine stayed empty. So came the chance to map the running of the estate.
10:24I found the steward's office in the evening. The two rogues we arranged are missing.
10:29Useless Magda. After all the help I gave her, she still failed to shake Cecilia off.
10:33The rogues. The false letter. The evidence pointing to Magda. I arranged all of these.
10:38But that Cecilia escaped. There it was. The vulture above the snakes. Cecilia's death wasn't
10:44just Magda's trap. It was his scheme. I walked back to my room. The castle slept, but I couldn't.
10:49Midnight, I sneaked back Rosenthal Manor. I stood over Magda's bed. Her eyes opened.
10:55She screamed. My hand covered her mouth. Her eyes widened. Recognition.
11:00No, you're not. I'm not Cecilia. I am the one Cecilia said.
11:06My fingers found the back of her neck. One press. You'll never walk again. Never speak again. Just
11:12lie here and think about what you did. I pulled back. For Cecilia.
11:21Countess Magda collapsed. Paranalysis. The physicians don't know why.
11:25I sipped my tea. News arrived at noon the next day. Good. Then it burst into my room
11:30that afternoon. Red-eyed. Wild. She swept my teacup off the table.
11:36My mother can't move. Can't speak. She's a vegetable. I looked at the shattered cup.
11:42That was my favorite tea set. You monster. Mother's dying and you're enjoying tea?
11:47Would you prefer I throw a celebration? Someone. Anyone. Servants rushed in.
11:52One gold coin for each slap at her face. One gold coin for each slap. Let them come.
11:59The servants exchanged glances. A big man stepped forward first. Thick arms. Thick skull.
12:05That's it. Slap her. He raised his hand. I moved faster. Gold hairpin. Through his palm. Crack.
12:13The scream echoed through Rain Keep. I positioned the bloodstained hairpin against Lena's face.
12:19Lena screamed. No one else stepped forward. Edmund arrived within minutes.
12:23What happened? She attacked for no reason. Cecilia. House arrest.
12:29I walked to my room. Servants rumored. She's jealous. Tried to ruin Lena's face. Mad with envy.
12:36Amid the rumors came one more interesting. News from the north. Earl Eric Rosenthal. Dead. Stroke.
12:42At the scene, a kept maid was at his bed. I read the message. I had no grief in Cecilia's
12:47boots for a
12:48father who turned away when the stepmother did whatever she wanted. The father alive didn't do any help for
12:53Cecilia. But at least his death did. The shameful news killed Magda. Rage did the rest. Even an assassin
13:00takes second place to killing news like that. Now I am to take the first place. Assassination target.
13:06Edmund, you wait.
13:07Lena came to my room the next morning. Black morning gown, white lace, red eyes. She looked almost pitiful.
13:14You think you've won? Father is dead. And my mother is dead. And you just sit there!
13:24I poured another cup of tea. Wait until I'm pregnant. Edmund will make me his mate. I'll replace you.
13:33Completely. I looked at her. Good luck with that. But you'd better watch your Edmund closely.
13:40She didn't understand. But she would understand soon. That evening, I sneaked into Edmund's study.
13:46I pulled the small vial from my sleeve. A few drops. Colorless. Tasteless. Not poison.
13:54Slow. Invisible. Irreversible. That night, Lena went to the Lily Tavern looking for Edmund. She
14:00found him. In a private room with three men entangled. My skin shattered the night.
14:09The Lily Tavern. Lina's scream still echoed in my memory. I didn't need to stay there. The rumors
14:14told the rest. She burst into the private chamber. The Duke's heir. On his knees, three men, maybe four.
14:22By noon, all of Capital Town knew. The Duke's heir reduced to a tavern joke. Edmund returned to Rainkeep
14:28at dawn. Red-eyed. Humiliated. Furious. Lena followed. Crying. Begging. He turned on her. Crap.
14:36His hand crossed her face. This is your fault. You shouldn't have come. She fell. Didn't get up.
14:41He dragged her to the woodshed himself. Locked the door. Don't let her out.
14:45Edmund locked himself in his study. Drank. Broke things. Lena stayed in the woodshed. No food,
14:51no water. Just the dark and her thoughts. I paid her the last visit. You are here to mock me.
14:57No way.
14:57I am not like Cecilia. I am not weak. Her thoughts were disorganized, unable to recognize Cecilia's face.
15:04Your father died during messing with a maid. Your mother died of her father's shameful death and
15:09dreaming man messing not even a maid. Who is more pitiful, you or Cecilia? Next day,
15:14a servant knocked on my door. My lady. Lady Lena. She hung herself with a rope.
15:21I looked out the window. The sun was rising. Red. Like blood. The snakes died. Not enough.
15:28Edmund was still alive. The vulture above the snakes. The one who set the trap. An assassin never
15:34forgets who really deserves to die. Lena's body was buried before Nick. No ceremony. No tears. Just a hole
15:41in the yard and a stone marker. Edmund didn't attend. He was in his study. She ruined me.
15:47That stupid bitch. Ruin my fame. I took over the estate. The steward reported to me now. The
15:54servants answered to me. Lady Cecilia had never been so useful. I signed the papers, paid the bills,
16:00managed the guards. No one questioned me. They were too busy whispering about Edmund. He never leaves
16:05his room. Those men come every night. Have you heard the noises? I sipped my tea. Good. Let them talk.
16:14Every whisper was another nail in his coffin. A month passed. Edmund was a ghost now. Pale, thin,
16:20hollow-eyed. He didn't attend meetings. Didn't see visitors. Didn't even look out the window. Just drank.
16:27And messing with the men. Always the men.
16:32I visited him once. The room stank of wine and worse. He lay on the floor. Shirtless. Surrounded
16:39by empty bottles. His eyes found me. More wine. Of course, my lord.
16:46I closed the door behind me. Let him rot. Then the gates opened. Horses, guards, banners with the
16:52rain wolf. Duke Marcus Reign. He had returned from Greyfist. I watched from my window as he
16:57dismounted. His face was stone. His eyes cold. He had heard the rumors of his son. He had come to
17:03see
17:03for himself. Marcus went straight to Edmund's chambers. I followed, at a distance. The door
17:09opened. Silence. Then he turned to me. Cecilia Rosensburg. What have you done to my son?
17:16His voice echoed through the hall. I stepped forward. I've done nothing, my lord. Edmund did
17:22this himself. Marcus turned. His eyes burned into mine, looking for lies. He wouldn't find any,
17:27because I hadn't lied. I just helped him along. Wine, men, isolation. All his choice. I just made
17:35sure the bottles were full and the company willing. An assassin doesn't always need a blade. Sometimes,
17:40a bottle is enough. I will find out who did this. I watched him go. Good luck. An assassin's work
17:50is
17:50invisible, especially when the victim kills himself. Marcus Reign spent three days in the keep. Three days of
17:56questioning. Threats. Demands. Who supplied the wine? Who brought those men? Who knew? The servants
18:04trembled. The steward stammered. No one pointed at me. Why would they? I did it, but all at Edmund's
18:10demands. Marcus searched for a conspiracy. He found nothing. On the fourth day, Edmund died in his bed,
18:17surrounded by empty bottles, as well as shirtless men. The physician said his heart gave out from
18:22excessive indulgence. Marcus stood over the body. His face was stone, but his hands trembled.
18:28Kill them. All of them. Every man who touched my son. Then Marcus announced it. My son. Sudden
18:34malality. A fever took him. No one believed it. No one said otherwise. Marcus came to my room that
18:41evening. You are his widow. This house needs an heir. His eyes were red. His voice was hoarse. I have
18:52the next day. A small boy. Brown hair. Big eyes. He clung to his nurse's hand. Scared of the castle.
18:59Scared of me. I crouched down. Hello, Colin. He stared. I won't bite. He didn't smile, but he stopped
19:05shaking. Marcus left for Greyfist at dawn. His horse galloped through the gates. He didn't look back.
19:11The keep was mine now. No Edmund. No Lena. No Magda. Just me. And a five-year-old boy who
19:16needed a
19:16mother. I walked to my room. Sat on the bed. For the first time in months, I breathed. Then
19:22I heard it. Footsteps outside my door. Not servants. Not guards. Professionals. My hand
19:28reached for my dagger. They are coming for me. For Elena. Five crown agents. They came through
19:34my door at midnight. They didn't come out. First one. Dagger under the ribs. He dropped without
19:39a sound. Second one. Silver needle through the eye. He choked on his own blood. Third one.
19:45I used his own sword. Across his throat. Fourth one. Crack. Neck twisted. The fifth one
19:52tried to run. I intentionally let him slip by at his last moments with the evidence letter
19:57I faked. When his body was found, the letter I planted would say Edmund Raine was a traitor.
20:02And the agents died finding out the truth. Three days later, the capital buzzed with rumors.
20:10The Duke's heir. A traitor. Crown agents killed in his own keep. The king himself has seen
20:15the evidence. I sipped my tea. Good. Dead men tell no tales, but their bodies tell whatever
20:22stories I want. I thought it was over. I was wrong. Three days later, I heard a servant's
20:29whisper in the kitchen. Someone's been asking about Lady Cecilia. In the city, asking questions.
20:35I put down my cup. Three days of traces. The trail led to an old manor on the edge of
20:44the
20:44capital. Lady Alara's house. Cecilia's late mother's best friend. Midnight. I slipped through
20:50her window. My hand covered her mouth. Her eyes snapped open. Shh. She recognized my face. Terror in her eyes.
20:59She knew who I was. Or thought she did. Cecilia. The girl who came back from the trap they once
21:05set.
21:06Tell me who else was involved in Magda's plan at the chapel. Her eyes darted, looking for escape.
21:11There was none. She talked. Seven names. Seven people who knew. Who helped. Who watched Cecilia die.
21:17Seven more names. The list grows.
21:22Thank you. She thought I'd leave. I did. Only after my kill. One crack. Neck twisted. Lady Alara joined her
21:30friends in the dark.
21:35Three months. Seven deaths. No connections. The first, a noble woman at her own banquet.
21:40She raised her glass. I was behind her. One push. The railing gave way. She fell.
21:45A knight on patrol. A silver needle from the trees. A stray. His horse came back alone.
21:52The third, a merchant who liked to drink on cliffs. A little something in his wine.
21:57He stumbled. The waves took him. The fourth, a carriage accident. The fifth, a fireplace explosion.
22:04The sixth, a horse that reared. The seventh, a bath that was too hot.
22:08I returned to Rain Keep three months later. Mother! Mother! Someone came from the palace!
22:12I looked at the black carriage at my gates.
22:18Her Majesty wishes to speak with you.
22:20Lady Sybil. The Queen's handmaiden. Forty years. Blank face. A voice that read names from a grave.
22:26Her Majesty wishes to speak with you. She appreciates a widow who can manage the family estate well.
22:30I didn't believe her. The Queen was related to the Lord Treasurer. The Lord Treasurer I had assassinated.
22:36But I am now Cecilia. I had to answer her summons.
22:40The palace was gloriously bright. I preferred the dark.
22:43The Queen sat on her throne. A smile that didn't reach her eyes.
22:48Leave us.
22:49The servants filed out.
22:51The doors closed.
22:53She looked at me.
22:57You are not Cecilia Rosenthal.
23:01The Queen's handmaiden.
23:02The Queen's handmaiden.
23:02The Queen's handmaiden.
23:03The Queen's handmaiden.
23:03The Queen's handmaiden.
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