Mad Rosetta - Chapter 126

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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 126
Child of Confession (9)
‘…What does Theo want?’
Jeremiah recalled, one by one, what his younger brother had lost.
He had been assassinated while in my presence. Thus he bore the ignominy of being a powerless sovereign who died so pathetically.
The resentment ran so deep that what my younger brother—who now appeared before me wearing a different face—could possibly desire was painfully obvious.
The noble and elegant Calastian Theo.
If I could restore those days, might even such profound hatred find release?
‘…But I cannot restore them.’
I had witnessed with my own eyes the blades piercing through his body.
I saw my younger brother trying to cry out something as he looked at me, only to fade away in an instant.
When I recalled how he died—resentful and anguished, unable even to close his eyes—I could not fathom the despicable betrayal my younger brother must have felt.
– “You knew all along that Fordicus was Carina’s illegitimate child? And yet, knowing this truth, you have lived on in this state until now!”
Thus Jeremiah attempted to discern the true intent of Sing, who had come seeking him as Cessia.
What did that question mean—that I had lived on in this state? Did he wish for me to confront the sin of not exposing the Imperial Family’s wrongdoings?
If so, then even now, I should confess all the transgressions we have committed in detail, and then…
The moment his thoughts reached that point, Jeremiah’s eyes gleamed as though he had achieved some great enlightenment.
“…Would it suffice if I revealed all the wrongs I committed against Theo?”
“…”
“Yes, that would suffice, wouldn’t it? My mother, myself. And Marquis Montague, that man as well…”
Jeremiah spoke fluently from his own lips, but gradually his words trailed away.
It was not because of Sing’s cold, piercing gaze.
– “It is also for the sake of the pregnant Beatrice and the child you will have.”
Just as on that day, certain people who held my leash flashed through my mind.
Treason is a grave crime that obliterates three generations, leaving not even a seed behind.
Jeremiah understood well enough that it would not end with merely the Empress Dowager and himself facing death.
I had tried not to grow attached to the Empress, whom my mother had carefully selected long ago, but she was remarkably warm.
Even if her concerned attentiveness was something my mother had commanded, I felt the warmth unmistakably…the kindness I received from the Empress weighed heavily upon me.
– “It is the Imperial Princess. A most beautiful Imperial Princess, Your Majesty.”
Why does this stubborn thread of fate persist until I sever it with my own hands, when the innocent lost their lives in an instant?
When my first child was born, I stood in the Empress’s Birthing Chamber and beheld my daughter, and I was reminded of Sing.
That sight, smeared with blood and gore, resembled so closely the scene of my younger brother’s death that I was seized with terror.
Born from soil that buried someone, my child came into this world in such a manner.
“If that is the case, then you should prepare to ascend the scaffold together with your family in harmony.”
And once more, my own child too would vanish as fertilizer.
At Sing’s single remark, Jeremiah felt as though his heartbeat had ceased with a heavy thud.
His fingertips grew numb. It seemed blood no longer flowed through them.
The wrongs he had committed rolled forward like gears, repeating endlessly.
Unable to voice the shameless plea to spare only his remaining family, yet unable to affirm Sing’s question either, Jeremiah simply closed his mouth.
The man who had been victim, bystander, and perpetrator all at once already wore the expression of one who had met death.
‘Fool….’
That was likely what Rosetta would have muttered under her breath, had she witnessed this scene.
Yet because Jeremiah was merely such a man, she believed they could obtain what they desired.
Though I had lost my way before Cessia’s secrets, I reached the same conclusion as my beloved.
“I trust you are accustomed to threats, brother.”
“….”
“Now it is time to bear responsibility.”
And so I smiled bitterly.
* * *
“….”
With a soft metallic whisper, I drew my blade with deliberate slowness, the scabbard making no sound.
I had only just arrived at the Cabin after concluding my confrontation with Jeremiah.
While the sun had already dipped low and the surroundings grew dim, light spilled brilliantly from within the Cabin.
It leaked through the half-open doorway as well.
‘I told her to lock the door properly….’
I remembered distinctly closing it with my own hands before departing. I had no choice but to think so.
For the sake of Rosetta’s safety, alone in this desolate place, it had to be so.
Sword in my right hand, I pushed open the door with fingers grown cold.
The interior of the Cabin was bitterly chill, the cold air having seeped in thoroughly.
The firewood in the Fireplace appeared to have burned away long ago.
“…Darling, are you there?”
Perhaps because I had spoken so quietly in such a low voice, no answer came.
I moved toward the Bedroom with heavy steps, but Rosetta was nowhere to be seen.
The interior of the house lay scattered as though ransacked. Paw prints of some beast, snow and dirt mingled together.
And food scraps scattered across the floor in such filth that I could not imagine my beloved had eaten them.
A chill ran down my spine.
At the sound of movement—a splash—I spun around like a ghost to gaze toward the Backyard.
In that instant, the thought that the creature’s form was too large crossed my mind, and I exhaled in relief.
From the faint silhouette moving slightly, it was unmistakably Rosetta.
“…This Lady is truly something.”
Trying to give someone a heart attack, no doubt.
Intending to have a stern word with her, I sheathed my blade and made no effort to hide my heavy footsteps as I headed toward the Backyard.
The moment I opened the door—
“What on earth are you—”
“Aaahhhhh…!”
At the sight of the kitchen knife flashing before my eyes, I reflexively batted it away with force.
In that instant, I heard Rosetta’s cry of pain: “Aaah!”
Startled by her rushing at me with a blade, shrieking wildly, I had subdued her more harshly than intended.
Her hand clutched at the back of her own wrist from the sudden pain, but soon her eyes widened as she seemed to recognize who stood before her.
Yet it would have been premature to praise her cuteness—my recoil had sent her body tilting dangerously off-balance.
Sing caught the stumbling Rosetta with remarkable gentleness.
“Oh?”
What I hadn’t anticipated, however, was that we were standing in a hot spring.
The moment the slick floor met the moisture, there was no chance to regain footing—we slipped.
Thud! The sound of someone crashing down echoed through the space.
* * *
My body, tensed for hours, throbbed with relief as the tension finally broke.
It was undoubtedly because Sing had finally arrived—the one I’d been waiting for so desperately.
Opening my eyes groggily, I realized I was pinning him down completely.
“…Did I do something wrong?”
“You, you…”
“If you’re brandishing a blade at me like that… I’m terrified, and I can’t even think straight.”
His body was half-suspended outside the doorway. He’d fallen with me while trying to catch me.
Despite my reckless knife-throwing moments ago, I grabbed Sing’s collar with one hand.
Or rather, I tried to.
My hand throbbed with such intense pain that I couldn’t muster any strength, and all I could manage was a sharp cry.
“Why are you only just arriving now?!”
“…What’s this? Is my late arrival truly such a grave offense?”
“…”
“Something happened.”
Watching his wandering gaze sharpen in an instant, I made a pitiful expression.
It had been hours now since I’d endured the terror of an intruder and finally fled to the backyard.
The moment I spotted someone wielding what looked like a long weapon, I immediately assumed a combat stance.
My resolve was grim—either I’d die or he would, and we’d settle it once and for all.
As a result, I nearly drew a blade on my lover, but that was how it was.
“Why were you doing this here? Hmm? What’s wrong?”
“Well, I was trying to have lunch, but I didn’t eat! Something… no, something got inside the house!”
He raised his upper body and asked again, while I looked around and responded in an agitated voice.
While Sing was gone, I hadn’t entirely abandoned attempts to venture back into the room.
But what could I do when I kept hearing rustling sounds and dull thuds as if something were colliding with objects?
I couldn’t begin to express how frustrating it was to realize I possessed no refined self-defense skills worth mentioning.
As I recounted the situation with an anxious expression, he finally helped me up and surveyed the surroundings with a menacing gaze.
“So the food disappeared.”
“Yes, yes, I’m starving! Damn it…”
“There were plenty of animal tracks throughout the house. It could have been a bear or a wolf, so you did well to hide.”
He drew his sword and moved slowly, remaining vigilant of his surroundings.
‘Damn it, a bear? Why hasn’t it entered hibernation yet?’
I remained thoroughly frightened, hiding behind him and following along obediently.

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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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