But yes, as we found out at the end of last week’s episode, the love potion is done. Rose’s biggest fear is that she’ll never see Harij again after she hands the potion over, but hearing the effects of said potion… eh, it sounds like a goddamn nightmare. Obviously, it makes you fall in love; it’s a love potion, after all. But it also stirs up intense sexual desires within the person who imbibes it. Worst of all, the memory of those feelings will linger long after the initial effects have worn off. Listen to the way she describes it: “It becomes a stain that never fades, and continues to grow for all eternity.” Bruh. This cannot be ethical… but I won’t repeat myself. You can read the first post I ever wrote on this show for that.
Rose has a small sample that will allow Harij to confirm for himself if the potion works. To nobody’s surprise but hers, he immediately suggests using Rose as the guinea pig. Immediately, I’m thinking that this is a bad idea. Setting aside the ethical dilemma, this will make it more difficult for Harij to take Rose’s feelings seriously. He can simply tell himself that her feelings aren’t real — that she’s just a really, really good witch so even a small sample has everlasting effects. But we don’t do a lot of thinking on this show, so it’s bottoms up for Rose.
Immediately, the effects kick in. It’s almost like shoujo vision, but instead of abstract bubbles, the girl sees flower petals (rose?) every single time she gazes lovingly at Harij. Even better, her world has even gotten more colorful. Rose becomes quite brazen; she grabs his hand and starts kissing it gently over and over. If he hadn’t already spent so much time with the girl, it might have been possible to write this off as incredible acting. But Harij should know that Rose isn’t capable of that. Hell, she can barely keep herself alive.
And then they almost kiss. But the effects of the sample wear off, so Rose stops their lips from touching. If you really think about it, this was quite horrible of him. He knows that she’s under the effects of the potion. He doesn’t know that she has always loved him. For our upstanding knight to try and kiss the witch is kinda messed up!
If any good comes out of this little experiment, it’s that some of the truth has come out. No, Harij does not realize that Rose has been in love with him all along. He’s too dense to come to that conclusion. He does, however, at least tell her that the potion isn’t for him — that he’s merely acquiring it for someone else.
After Harij leaves, Rose acts like someone who just got dumped. She takes down the bell that would alert her of his arrival, which… seems kinda short-sighted? Won’t this also leave her “blind” to every other visitor? Then she proceeds to put away everything else: the cups they use to drink tea, the dishes they use to eat the many baked goods he brings her, and even the tablecloth! Look, I get it. A lot of people react this way. They think they need to get over the other person as fast as possible, and any reminder of them will only be a stab to the heart. I don’t really agree, though.
Even when I broke up with the person I was dating for nearly ten years, I didn’t think it was necessary to hide everything related to them. Why? Because unless they were utterly horrible to you (read: abusive), then every relationship has both the good and the bad. And like all wounds, the bad will eventually fade. I like to look back at the good memories, and it’s not because I’m not over her, but simply because they were good. They make me smile. As corny as it sounds, those memories are part of the tapestry of my life, and I don’t want holes in it. I don’t pine for my ex. Even immediately after the breakup, I got over her. Still, I like to think the mature thing to do is just look back and be happy that the relationship ever happened in the first place.
But of course, Harij comes back, and the only person who is shocked by this development is Rose. He quickly notices the change in the room, and he’s very obviously hurt by it. The problem is, Harij is just as dumb about love as Rose. Hell, he’s actually dumber. At least Rose realizes that she’s in love with him. He doesn’t have a clue, man! He has no idea why he’s hurt by removing even the tablecloth. He has no idea why he feels drawn to her. He can’t even discern why it frustrates him that she doesn’t want him to call her by her name, so he keeps petulantly using it anyway. Harij is a little boy in a grown man’s body. And just like I thought, he doesn’t have a clue that her feelings for him are real. Once again, I’m left with the realization that the most mature romance I’ve seen in years is the one between a bunch of high schoolers.
By the end of this series, there’s a very good chance that these two will end up together. So y’know, I hope one of Harij’s bros do him a solid and teach him all about sex ed. Y’know, just in case.