Mad Rosetta - Chapter 119

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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 119
The Child of Confession (2)
As I let out a prolonged, dry cough, the Innkeeper Woman’s face hardened in an instant.
Sing also stared with wide eyes, but soon tactfully pretended to support me.
“Lady, perhaps even now we should….”
“I’m fine, Sing. I won’t trouble the Innkeeper Woman like this.”
“…Is there, perhaps, something troubling you?”
The concern gleaming in her eyes resembled those of the children who would come rushing over at the slightest complaint.
Even amid this, the innkeeper’s manner—apologizing for any rudeness in her question—was both warm and courteous.
This might actually work if I play it right.
With that thought, I suppressed my cough deliberately, offering a faint smile while covering my mouth.
“It’s nothing, Innkeeper Woman. I apologize for the concern.”
“Ah, well….”
“We made an unreasonable request, so please don’t trouble yourself. Sing, let’s go look elsewhere.”
As I tugged at Sing’s robe as though barely able to stand, he quickly wrapped his arm around my shoulders.
After giving a slight nod to him as he offered to bring the carriage, I turned my body very slowly.
‘Please, stop us! Please find the courage to hold us back!’
…And it seemed my earnest wish had been granted.
“Wait, just a moment…!”
The Innkeeper Woman called us back. She was indeed a kind and benevolent person.
As I met her eyes with a questioning look, the innkeeper hesitated before speaking, gauging our reaction.
“If you go up a little from here, there is a small cabin…. If your situation is urgent, I could offer it to you.”
…A cabin? That’s a house.
As I stared blankly like someone hearing something incomprehensible, the Innkeeper Woman added an explanation.
“It’s a private space. It hasn’t been used in a long time, so it will need some cleaning…. But it should be fine for the two of you to stay for a few days.”
“….”
“If you don’t mind, why don’t you come up with me and we can check its condition.”
At the Innkeeper Woman’s words, I exchanged a glance with Sing.
‘This is actually better.’
– “Should you find unexpected footprints on the Winter Mountain, let the wanderer stay.”
There was a reason I had spoken thus to the Emperor.
According to Sergio’s investigation, the Emperor also enjoyed hunting and walking in this area.
Therefore, I had to stay at an inn in this vicinity to ensure our paths might overlap with Jeremiah’s movements.
A cabin at the Mountain Foot would be far more convenient for observing Jeremiah’s whereabouts.
As I conveyed my intention to Sing through a glance, he spoke with a relieved smile.
“Thank you so much, Innkeeper Woman. I will never forget this kindness.”
“Not at all. I’m sorry I couldn’t provide you with a more comfortable room. I’ll have my staff clean it right away.”
The Innkeeper Woman asked us to wait for a moment, then soon called over several staff members and began giving them instructions.
Before long, the staff left the Inn with our luggage, and I had been feigning illness quite convincingly.
As soon as the staff members who had gone to clean returned, we moved following the Innkeeper Woman’s guidance.
‘…Is this perhaps the path to hell.’
I stopped in my tracks at the entrance of the mountain path.
White mist hung thick and heavy, casting an eerie atmosphere, and the end of the towering stone staircase disappeared into obscurity.
Meanwhile, he seemed utterly unbothered, which made me suddenly embarrassed at how comfortably I had been living.
“Um, Knight? The climb might be rather taxing for a lady.”
“Pardon?”
“If she becomes breathless, it could be serious. It would be better if you carried her.”
“…I see.”
Sing responded cheerfully, as if that had been his intention all along.
Yet his expression—as if asking ‘darling, you trust me, don’t you?’—inspired no confidence whatsoever.
Above all, it was a path that looked exhausting enough for even a sturdy man to climb on his own two feet.
A sickly master should naturally be accustomed to being carried, but as I hesitated without meaning to, Sing deliberately raised his voice.
“Ah! There you go again! I’m telling you, it’s my duty to support the Lady! You’ve been this kind-hearted since childhood….”
What is this. A backstory about knowing each other since childhood had been added.
He offered his back, telling me to stop talking and let him carry me.
What choice did I have.
As I leaned my weight onto him with a soft thud, I felt him flinch for a moment.
“…You seem to be eating well these days.”
“Ahem! It’s just that I’m wearing so many layers….”
I should have left some of my clothes at the Inn.
Since the weight of my garments was considerable, I felt apologetic, and he grunted as he straightened up with me on his back.
“This way.”
And following the Innkeeper Woman, Sing began walking slowly.
With nothing else to do, I wrapped my arms around his neck and rested my head heavily against his back.
Each time the cold air passed through my nose and lungs, it felt as though my chest opened wide.
‘…I’m sleepy.’
Perhaps it was the steady rhythm of his footsteps and the gentle swaying.
My eyes gradually grew heavy with drowsiness.
Instinctively searching for a comfortable position, one of my hands brushed against his face hidden beneath the robe, and the back of my hand grew damp.
“…Is this sweat?”
I muttered in alarm, and because he had been keeping his mouth shut the whole time, he spoke in a slightly strained voice.
“…Don’t make me talk, darling.”
“…Mm.”
Oh, I was suddenly wide awake.
The weight of my clothes must have been tremendous, for even as he struggled to steady his breathing, he did not stop walking.
It seemed that Sangdo was not the type to sleep while someone else was suffering so visibly, so I kept my mouth shut and remained still.
How much longer did we continue like this.
At last, something that could be called a cabin came into view at the foot of the mountain.
“You’ve worked hard. Here’s the key and…. My, Knight, you’re sweating quite profusely.”
“It’s quite alright, Innkeeper Woman. Please finish showing us around first.”
“Of course. Once the sweat cools, the cold will set in… Let me explain once we’re inside.”
The Innkeeper Woman hastily opened the Cabin door, and I handed a handkerchief to Sing in the meantime.
Even as he wiped his face nearly as if washing it, the sight of him pulling his hood deeper to avoid being recognized was truly pitiful.
What greeted us upon entering was the scent of dry wood and a small Fireplace visible directly ahead.
Whether the staff had left a fire burning, the modest Room was filled with warmth.
‘For a place supposedly neglected, this is quite nice… It actually feels rather homey.’
It was an extraordinarily compact and serene dwelling.
Curtains with patterns rarely seen in tourist accommodations, and a wooden table bearing the marks of countless hands.
Observing the worn, rustic bookshelf and other furnishings, I could infer that someone had stayed here for a very long time.
“I’ve stored spare bedding in the closet, though this was never originally a place used by many people, so if you find it inadequate…”
“It seems more than sufficient for rest, Innkeeper Woman. Being a quiet annex and cozy besides, it’s quite perfect.”
“…I’m grateful you see it that way. It’s small, but there’s a Hot Spring attached, so please feel free to use it.”
“Yes, thank you.”
Wishing us to rest well, the proprietor offered a few instructions before departing the Cabin.
Only then did Sing shed his robe, his hair matted with sweat and clinging thickly to his forehead.
“You look a mess.”
“Still, we’ve secured such a fine lodging, so it’s worth it. Aren’t you satisfied, darling?”
“…Well, I do like it. It’s fortunate the Innkeeper Woman was so kind.”
“It worked out well. She seemed the type to grant requests too.”
“…?”
What was he talking about?
The way he responded, as if it wasn’t mere luck, seemed suspicious.
As I tilted my head in confusion, he continued matter-of-factly.
“There were unusually many medical texts on respiratory diseases. Especially ones about asthma.”
“Huh?”
“Behind the Counter where the proprietor was standing.”
Were there such things?
I hadn’t noticed them.
“The book spines alone showed considerable wear…”
“Mm.”
“And in the family photograph placed prominently on the table, there were two men—what appeared to be the Innkeeper Woman’s son and husband…”
“…”
“Moreover, considering she operates such a substantial Inn in this tourist area…”
“…”
“Isn’t the most plausible theory that someone in the family suffered from a respiratory ailment, she sought solutions, and eventually settled here where the Hot Spring is located?”
“…You’re somewhat frightening, you know.”
I’d found it odd from the moment he suddenly made me out to be a frail Lady with a chronic illness, but I hadn’t expected him to gather clues so quickly and construct such an inference.
Certainly, handprints were visible throughout the Household, and observing the books on the shelves, Sing’s deduction seemed plausible.
Most of what was here consisted of medical texts covering a broad range of topics.
‘Now that I think about it, she did mention there was a hot spring.’
The Innkeeper Woman’s words suddenly came to mind, and I opened the door leading to the backyard, an exclamation of wonder escaping my lips unbidden.

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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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