[Warning: This may contain spoilers for future chapters of the novel. Please skip if you wish to avoid them.]
The Droopy Rose... a novel that took the world by storm in the 1980s. It was so famous, it got published worldwide. A dark romance filled with obsession, possessiveness, supernatural male leads, crumbling empires, and fragile, powerless female leads. Written by Davina Xander and released on December 31, 1980, it became a favorite among girls of that era and its popularity hasn't faded. Even in the 2020s, it remains a cultural phenomenon. It's been turned into comics, manga, dramas, movies, and even an Otome game.
What's this novel really about? Why is it so addictive? Is it the plot, the characters, or the twisted romance? Maybe you'll find out once you hear the story.
It all begins with a baker girl who loved to bake. Obviously. She was just five when she lost her parents and ended up on the streets, living like a beggar. Bullied by nobles, merchants, and even random passersby. She had nothing until an old baker found her, took her in, and gave her a home. For four years, it was warm. Safe. But when she turned nine, the old baker died. And just like that, she became a droopy rose wilted, silent, and alone.
Her name was Aurelia Agnesus, though people only called her Aurelia during those lifeless days. She kept the bakery alive, barely, unaware that she was actually the long-lost daughter of Count and Countess Agnesus. With rose-pink hair and ocean-blue eyes, she was beautiful but her status buried that beauty in dust and poverty. No one noticed her. No one, until Zeuz Venozoir, the exiled Emperor of a fallen empire, stumbled into her life.
She found him bleeding in a dark alley. She didn't ask questions. She brought him home, cared for him, healed him. For two years, he stayed by her side in secret. But the moment he confessed who he really was, a neighbor overheard. Days later, soldiers surrounded the bakery. Zeuz was taken declared an enemy of the empire. And Aurelia? She was locked under house arrest for an entire year for harboring a traitor.
Then came Devin Eldonne, another male lead. He was the brother of the fake Aurelia Agnesus the one currently living in the mansion under Aurelia's stolen name. Her name was Eldena Eldonne, a street beggar adopted by the House of Agnesus to protect their reputation after losing their real daughter. They even gave them a surname from the almighty power of Agnesus. Eldonne means "chosen guardians". Devin had been raised with her, trained to guard her. And yet, the moment he saw the real Aurelia, something changed.
The novel is too long and twisted to summarize completely. But in the end, Aurelia reclaimed her identity, found her real family, and married Caelus Clivus, the Crown Prince of the Empire. It was a "happily ever after," if you could call it that.
As for the villainess? Elyza Archiz, daughter of Duke Archiz. Arrogant. Cruel. Manipulative. She tried to kill Zeuz. Tried to destroy Aurelia. Even seduced Caelus's father, tearing empires apart in her hunger for power. She caused the fall of Zeuz's empire. And in the end, she was tortured and beheaded by the very men she tried to use.
Aurelia met Elyza during the grand coming-of-age ceremony hosted by the House of Archiz for Elyza. Elyza, consumed by jealousy over the real saintess's beauty and presence, attempted to kill Aurelia. However, she was caught by Devin and arrested in the name of Agnesus, the holy family. And that's how Elyza's tragedy started.
The male leads are unforgettable:
Caelus Clivus, the icy Crown Prince
Zeuz Venozoir, the exiled emperor of a fallen Empire. A fallen Empire who's a victim of Elyza's schemes.
Devin Eldonne, the knight with a broken loyalty. He was appointed as her knight after she married Caelus.
Reuben Alden, a fallen patriarch from one of the fallen Empires that Elyza destroyed
Leonard Laurier, the loyal baron and advisor of the future Emperor, Caelus
Jamin Whitlock, the royal councilor who hunted Elyza
William Barlowe, the grim reaper in human skin,who's also one of the "knights", the one who executed her, Elyza.
But here's the twisted part: they were all obsessed with Aurelia. Secretly. Deeply. Desperately. So much so that, blinded by misunderstandings, they even tried to kill her. Again and again. Elyza made sure of that. Her schemes drove them mad with jealousy, rage, and heartbreak. And they weren't just men they were the seven gifted ones of the continent. Blessed with supernatural powers. Sworn to protect the saintess born once every millennium.
And that saintess? Always from the House of Agnesus. Since ancient times, the first Saintess that appeared in the Earth was Agnesus herself. She gave birth to her children and the house of Agnesus are her descendants. The blood of Agnesus still flowing in her descendants and the chosen saintess appeared once in every millennium. After all, the name Agnesus itself means holy in the ancient language of this empire.
Once they realized who Aurelia truly was, the protectiveness turned violent. Possessive. Dangerous. They would burn kingdoms for her. And some of them did.
A few stood by Aurelia through it all. Eldena Eldonne, the fake who became an ally, Louisa, and Genevieve. They were her few glimpses of light in a world that wanted to devour her. Louisa is Aurelia's favorite lady in waiting when she turned into a crown princess. Genevieve is Aurelia's personal maid before she became the crown princess and when her family found her.
That's the tale of The Droopy Rose. Whether it's the twisted romance, the bloody betrayals, or the cursed love that draws people in... it's hard to say.
But once you fall into it, you won't come out the same.