Mad Rosetta - Chapter 121

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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 121
The Child of Confession (4)
* * *
“Darling, would you like to come along?”
I had been pondering what we ought to do for entertainment that day.
Sing had conveniently suggested we go hunting together.
I had some experience with horseback riding, but hunting was unfamiliar territory, which made my heart flutter with anticipation.
Truthfully, like Father, I believed myself better suited to sitting at leisure or attending to administrative matters.
“You seem quite capable of it. You vault through windows effortlessly, and with the athletic prowess to demolish building doors and escape—yes, it should be entirely feasible.”
…though Sing’s assessment differed somewhat from my own.
In any case, until the Emperor arrived, there was little to do but amuse ourselves.
I nodded in agreement.
“What a beautiful creature. It appears to have been well-maintained.”
The dark chestnut horse that Sing had rented from the livery afterward gleamed with lustrous fur.
Observing how it showed little reaction even to my gentle caresses, I could tell it was quite accustomed to human touch.
“Just a moment, Darling. I’ll steady you first—the stirrup—”
While murmuring “what a pretty thing” and stroking it gently, I suddenly stepped into the stirrup and mounted the horse in one fluid motion.
Sing’s expression turned utterly incredulous as he stared at me.
“…My apologies. Did I not mention I knew how to ride?”
“…what am I to do with my hand suspended awkwardly in midair, Darling?”
Laughing sheepishly, I felt Sing mount behind me as the horse began moving at a leisurely pace.
Winter was indeed winter—as we climbed the mountainside, white breath trailed from our lips with each exhalation.
After traveling thus for some time, we ventured deeper into the mountain.
A rustling sound erupted as something disturbed the snow.
Sing gently pulled the reins, slowing the horse’s pace.
“…surely you’re not about to confess you’ve shot a bow before, Darling?”
“I’m telling you, I’ve never hunted before….”
Sing asked with mischievous intent, drawing an arrow from his quiver.
My heart raced at the thought that he’d already spotted prey.
We moved slowly toward the source of the sound, tension mounting to its peak.
“Ahhh! What—what is that! What is it!”
With a sudden rustling, something swift burst forth, and I couldn’t help but shriek.
Despite my resolve, the shock was so violent that I squeezed my eyes shut and shook Sing’s chest roughly.
“…Darling, I’m getting dizzy.”
“What, what is it! A mountain goat? Or a rabbit?”
Sing tapped my shoulder, reminding me not to excite the horse unnecessarily.
Taking it as a gesture of reassurance, I turned my head and cautiously opened my eyes to look down.
“Now that you see it directly, how does it feel? The shock seems quite considerable.”
“….”
“I’m too embarrassed.”
I was so flabbergasted that I didn’t even think to grab Sing by the collar and shake him for mocking me.
Cautious dark brown eyes.
Dense ash-gray fur caught the sunlight, glimmering like silver.
The owner of the black markings that made it look as though wearing a mask.
“…It’s a raccoon.”
It was indeed a raccoon.
A plump and sturdy one at that.
The sight was so unprecedented that my bewilderment transcended into the realm of the absurd.
And immediately, heat rushed to the nape of my neck.
‘Goodness, I’ve thoroughly lost face.’
Was the source of this humiliation my lover who had made me a laughingstock, or my own pathetic lack of presence?
Releasing the grip I’d maintained on Sing’s chest, I indulged in such contemplation.
“What shall we do? I’ve heard raccoon meat doesn’t taste particularly good.”
“What, what?”
“The pelt can be used, certainly…. But you must have finer goods available.”
At his words, as though asking me to decide whether to hunt, I looked down again.
The raccoon remained curled into a tight ball, staring directly at us.
Judging by its ears standing at attention and its nose twitching ceaselessly, it was clearly wary of us.
‘…Now that I look closely, it’s rather cute, actually.’
When I was terrified, I forgot entirely—humans were such fickle creatures.
I found myself wanting to touch its plump, fluffy tail just once.
“Well, if eating it seems wrong anyway, there’s no need to kill it. Let’s just move on.”
“That said, it’s a strange creature. I’ve heard raccoons are nocturnal, yet here it is wandering about in broad daylight.”
As Sing pulled the reins and urged the horse forward again, the raccoon’s hind legs twitched before it darted away with a whoosh.
For its bulky frame, the creature was remarkably swift.
How much longer we wandered through the forest, I couldn’t say.
“…Who’s scared off all the game?”
Not a trace of prey appeared, and I grew weary.
As I exhaled a deep sigh, disappointed that things hadn’t gone as expected, Sing brought the horse to a halt.
“It’ll be dark soon…. Why don’t we head back for today, darling?”
“Mm….”
“Don’t be too disappointed. We have plenty of time.”
Though Sing laughed as if it were endearing, I couldn’t help my shoulders from sagging.
I had wanted so badly to catch something and offer a small token of gratitude to the Innkeeper.
Just as I was turning to agree we should head back dejectedly, that was the moment.
“…Is that a pheasant?”
“…Yes.”
“A pheasant, right? That’s edible, isn’t it?”
Despite my hushed whisper, he urged me not to get excited.
I nearly walked right past the blue-green head bobbing confidently above the snow.
That cyan gleam, the reddish tint around its eyes…
Even half-buried in the snowdrift, I recognized the creature well enough.
“…I’ll help you. Want to try catching it?”
“Oh…”
The one who had been naturally drawing the bowstring hesitated for a moment, then handed me the bow.
Since beasts were so rare to encounter in these parts, she must have thought that if she took the shot herself, I’d have no chance at all.
I did worry about letting slip the target we’d finally found, but in the end, I pretended to relent and accepted.
Though in truth, I merely held the weapon while Sing drew the bowstring from behind.
“Your hands might get hurt, so you must release it precisely when I count to three.”
“When you say three… I understand.”
As I swallowed nervously, my heartbeat seemed to echo in my ears.
Sing’s voice counting softly remained steady, and in the blink of an eye, the arrow left our hands.
‘Pheasant meat for the Innkeeper Woman…!’
Perhaps it was that solemn determination.
When I realized I’d closed my eyes without meaning to and opened them again, the pheasant struck by the arrow was making its final convulsions.
“We… we hit it…!”
“Stay where you are and don’t come down.”
While I stood dazed, staring at my palms, she dismounted from the horse with practiced ease and went to retrieve the pheasant.
Whether it was because we’d succeeded on our first hunt, or because I could now offer the Innkeeper Woman something small in return.
My mood was better than I’d expected.
* * *
Time passed swiftly in that quiet place, and by now the cozy space had begun to feel tedious.
“…Innkeeper Woman?”
The Innkeeper Woman visited unexpectedly.
Unlike me, who greeted her with a bewildered expression, she wore her usual gentle smile.
“I came to deliver some information. It seems you were reading.”
“Oh dear. Did I touch something I shouldn’t have?”
Damn it—in my haste to come out, I’d brought the book I was reading with me.
Sing was already locked away in the Bedroom.
Since it was one of the volumes on the shelf, I asked carefully, and the Innkeeper Woman quickly denied it.
“Not at all. There’s no one left to read them anymore… Books only grow fonder as they accumulate fingerprints.”
“Ah…”
“May I step inside for a moment?”
I fumbled for words before hastily opening the door, and the Innkeeper looked around the Living Room with a sweeping gaze.
“The Knight doesn’t seem to be here today either.”
“…H-hunting! He went hunting again today. Ha ha, after receiving your praise last time, he seems to have developed quite a taste for it.”
“My, is that so…”
“Yes. Um, in any case, there are so many books. Could they belong to someone who lived here before?”
“Yes. They belonged to my son.”
Everyone has that moment when they blurt something out and immediately regret it.
“Wouldn’t the most plausible theory be that someone in the family suffered from respiratory illness, they sought a solution, and ultimately settled here where the hot spring is located?”
For a moment, I wondered if I’d just said something I absolutely shouldn’t have, and anxiety washed over me.
Even though the Innkeeper Woman had smiled gently at me.
“He wanted to become a doctor. I think it was especially so because he was often ill from childhood.”
I should have just kept my mouth shut.
Sing’s words kept surfacing in my mind, so I watched the Innkeeper Woman’s expression carefully.
“…Was there something wrong with your son?”
When I asked in an almost apologetic whisper, the Innkeeper Woman, as if sensing my anxiety, laughed while waving her hand dismissively.
“Oh my, don’t make that face. He did have severe asthma, but…he’s healthy now and has even gone abroad to study.”
“Ah….”
“I thought the warm air here might help him improve, so we came. And somehow, we ended up settling down.”
It was more than shocking—it sent shivers down my spine.
The Innkeeper Woman was essentially reiterating everything Sing had deduced, his conjecture hitting the mark with such precision.
Perhaps because I’d been listening to her words with worry about whether things had ended poorly.
I foolishly laughed with relief.
“Right, I actually came here to tell you something urgent. The conversation got longer than expected.”
And then, at the words that finally came from the Innkeeper Woman’s lips, my expression hardened.

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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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