Mad Rosetta - Chapter 103

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Rosette Gone Mad
Chapter 103
Loyalty and Conquest (4)
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“…I said I’m sorry.”
“….”
“Hm…?”
The silence only made it more terrifying.
Those piercing eyes seemed to stab through me with each glance, and I finally looked away.
Sing arrived the very next day after I sent the letter.
To avoid looking like a patient confined to bed, I received him in the Reception Room, but the moment I saw his haggard face, I had no choice but to apologize immediately.
His skin was rough and parched, dark circles shadowing his eyes—a sight that reminded me of how he looked at the Montague Estate.
“…Look.”
“Hm?”
“The wound.”
“…I don’t want to show it.”
“….”
“Fine, fine. Stop looking at me like that.”
Intimidated by his sharp gaze, I reluctantly began unbuttoning the dress I’d fastened all the way to my chin.
I’d normally covered it with a scarf to avoid disturbing the salve, but I’d wrapped it tightly in my dress when I heard he was coming. It was all for nothing now.
As each button came undone, I watched his expression darken, and I thought I should have kept it hidden after all.
“…Sigh.”
“I told you I didn’t want to show it.”
“You promised you wouldn’t do anything dangerous….”
“How was I supposed to know he’d come at me like a madman?”
“…No, you’re right. He’s the one at fault.”
I didn’t know how to comfort Sing as he began to blame himself for growing emotional.
Originally, I’d planned to bring a Knight and extract a confession, but I’d revised my plan after receiving Marmint’s letter, which led to what happened.
The confession drug’s potency had been enhanced, but it had its limits—it couldn’t suppress extreme vigilance, so I was advised to be cautious when using it.
In the end, I’d only kept an Attendant nearby who could remain inconspicuous, so I didn’t fail the mission, but I did fail to completely subdue Lawrence.
“…Does it hurt?”
“No, it’s just some rather prominent bruising. My hands are what really hurt.”
“….”
“I shouldn’t have mentioned it.”
I’d spoken carelessly while showing my open palms, but seeing his darkened expression, I immediately regretted it.
My eyes had gone wild as I’d gripped and thrashed about with thorned vines, so it was only natural my palms were shredded.
Because of this, I’d started each day having the Children carefully wash my face.
Not wanting to see that careful, melancholic expression any longer, I hastily changed the subject.
“By the way, how did you get here so quickly? I only sent the letter yesterday at noon.”
“I’ve been staying in the Southern Region since then. You didn’t know?”
“Wh… You’ve secured lodging?”
“…What else? Rosette, you were hauled away in tatters. They say those people will be confined to the Manor until the Security Bureau arrives. I was thrown out for being an outsider. And here I am, desperate to visit you before things settle down, yet you ask where I’d find time to travel to the West?”
“Why does everything feel like a loss, no matter how I look at it?”
“I sent a visitation request. Didn’t you know? The letter you sent is still making its way diligently.”
“I’m sorry.”
Sing, rattling off the situation like machine-gun fire with his eyes narrowed sharply, felt unbearably harsh.
I surrendered completely, hands and feet raised.
A lover who only causes worry does better keeping silent. I managed to glean that wisdom too.
“By the way, has there been any word from the Empress Dowager? Any summons to visit…?”
“…Not yet. The matter is too grave for her to move quickly.”
“True—there’s no countermeasure to be had anyway. Let’s wait patiently.”
“More importantly, darling. What do you want to do going forward? Honestly, at this rate, expelling Epsilon Mother and Daughter from Benatra is only a matter of time, as you well know.”
“…Yes. A matter of time.”
I had no intention of releasing them from our Household with all their limbs intact.
Now that I’ve submitted the evidence to Memoraph, Lawrence’s fate can be considered sealed.
What troubled me was that his confession ended without extracting a clear admission that he conspired with Lianna.
The video’s content—that he acted for Lianna’s sake—could serve as motive for the crime, but it fell short of proving she participated in the murder.
‘Seeing that Father and the Security Bureau have been silent until now, they’re either keeping quiet or someone’s denying involvement….’
Given this turn of events, I had to prepare for the possibility that Lianna might be released due to insufficient evidence.
The divorce from Lianna, who has caused such social scandal through this affair, would certainly accelerate.
But what I truly desired was for their very existence to vanish from this world.
So I could stop living in constant dread—through the most perfectly flawless form of death.
“…Sing. Can you arrange for me to meet Odette?”
“Why?”
“I’d like her to scheme once more.”
“…If you’re asking me to manipulate her into harming you, I won’t do it.”
He hardened his expression instantly and refused flatly, prompting me to laugh as if at a loss.
I understood why he’d grown so sensitive after everything, but still.
The only way I could think of to ensure Lianna and Odette received heavy sentences under law was to make them commit crimes again.
And naturally, their target would have to be me.
“I’m not saying I’ll actually create such a situation. They’ll be discovered while plotting its execution. At this juncture, that alone suffices.”
“How could that possibly go according to plan? After everything you’ve experienced, and still?”
“You can control it. For instance, have them send you a letter containing the plan—something like that.”
“Sigh, darling…. Setting that aside, I’ve been cold to her before trial and after. Now, whether she’d accept help from me is itself questionable.”
“That’s precisely why it works. Odette’s situation is at its worst right now. She has no reason to reject Cessia when he appears to help her in her darkest hour.”
Should they commit another serious crime, neither Lianna nor Odette could escape heavy sentences by claiming nobility.
Now that Lawrence, their accomplice, is gone, my existence would shine like a beacon of hope to them.
I’m even proceeding with our annulment. If they’re thinking of their future, no House surpasses Montague.
‘Since even the Empress Dowager has pledged to actively support me, even a minor incident would be enough to hope for execution.’
There was a slight risk that Sing, wearing Cessia’s face, might become implicated, but the Empress Dowager wouldn’t overlook that, so I wasn’t greatly concerned.
Above all, it was difficult to imagine that he would create such an opening.
Now that Epsilon Mother and Daughter’s anxiety had reached its peak, I had to exploit their nervousness and bait them into the trap by any means necessary.
“…You certainly have a way with words. Weren’t you always timid?”
“I’m timid because of this.”
“What?”
“I don’t want to spend each day anxious, wondering if that mother and daughter might survive somewhere and target me and my family again.”
“….”
“We made a promise, didn’t we, Sing?”
Yes, I fear you.
Meticulous and cruel. You prepared for so long, murdered my mother, and then dared to set foot in my household.
So whether your necks hang or your heads are severed, I must witness it with my own eyes.
Only when that day comes—when I finally see your end clearly before me—will I be able to escape this hellish dread.
Having spoken with such resolve, Sing, who had been biting his lip in frustration, finally let out a deep sigh and a groan.
“Aah, really…. You’re far too cruel to me….”
“Mm, I took that as agreement to help.”
“Sigh…. But! Contact me quickly, right away. Got it? Check as soon as you arrive, and reply immediately.”
“How long are you staying at your lodging? If you’re staying longer, write down the address before you go.”
“Originally I planned to return to Montague once I confirmed you were well…. But it seems best to meet Odette as often as possible, so I’ll extend my stay for now.”
Sing said it wouldn’t be bad to show his face starting today, and he wrote his lodging address on paper.
I nodded quickly as he mentioned that Odette, whose confinement had ended, had been secluded in her room for days.
When he said he disliked something, when was that ever? Once he made up his mind, he did things properly, and I truly appreciated that about him.
“Odette already has a record, so she’ll know that if something happens to me, she’ll immediately come under suspicion. Her guard may be quite high.”
“That’s to be expected. I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Still, what if her sense of betrayal toward you is greater than expected? Or perhaps not—she’s probably heard about the broken engagement, so it might work out better than expected.”
“If I help Lianna escape safely and then persuade her to marry me, it should work out somehow, darling.”
“…That’s really ridiculous.”
Unlike him, who replied so casually, I felt a strange emotion stir within me and narrowed my eyes.
I’ve sensed it from before, but this bastard is quite skilled at scheming.
Unlike me, Sing merely tilted his head as if bewildered, so I quickly lost my resolve.
‘Patience brings reward….’
I would endure.
There was no other option but to console myself that way.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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