The Blood Rose Lady

Raised by an eccentric botanist father and an Irish mother, Rozelyn Nadeshiko Zadzisai thought her life was peculiar enough. But after uncovering her father’s secret journal, she discovers a truth far stranger than fiction: she is the tangible evidence of the legendary Blood Tanzanian Rose, a flower rumored to grant immortality. Now, her eighteenth birthday brings not just cake, but a terrifying awakening to a world she never knew existed—a world where ancient legends are chilling realities, and the line between humanity and monster blurs. Will Rozelyn embrace her new, monstrous nature, or fight against the bloodthirsty destiny that calls her name?

The Blood Rose Lady

Raised by an eccentric botanist father and an Irish mother, Rozelyn Nadeshiko Zadzisai thought her life was peculiar enough. But after uncovering her father’s secret journal, she discovers a truth far stranger than fiction: she is the tangible evidence of the legendary Blood Tanzanian Rose, a flower rumored to grant immortality. Now, her eighteenth birthday brings not just cake, but a terrifying awakening to a world she never knew existed—a world where ancient legends are chilling realities, and the line between humanity and monster blurs. Will Rozelyn embrace her new, monstrous nature, or fight against the bloodthirsty destiny that calls her name?

The lingering scent of aged paper and something faintly metallic—blood, she now knew—still clung to Rozelyn’s fingers as she closed the leather-bound journal. Her father’s neat script, so familiar yet now alien, had just rewritten her entire understanding of her life. Her name, Rozelyn Nadeshiko Zadzisai, a floral fusion of Irish and Japanese, now felt like a cruel joke, a stark contrast to the horrifying truth it concealed.

She was still processing the words, the stark, brutal honesty of her father’s confession, when a soft knock echoed through the room. The door, which she had meticulously locked just moments ago, now stood ajar, a sliver of sunlight cutting across the dust motes dancing in the air.

Romaine, her stepmom, stood framed in the doorway, a warm smile gracing her lips, dressed in a sage-colored blouse and black jeans. Her auburn hair, usually a vibrant cascade, was pulled back in a simple ponytail.

"Get dressed, sweetie. We’re going to pick some apples."