Mad Rosetta - Chapter 14

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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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Rosetta Gone Mad

Episode 14

Even Discarded Trash Deserves a Second Look (4)

【He does look rather youthful.】

Following Sing, who muttered the observation with arms folded across his chest, I examined Cessia’s face carefully.

Compared to the twenty-one-year-old Cessia I had last seen, the eighteen-year-old version of him now appeared subtly younger.

In Arcanis, all seventeen-year-old youths undergo a coming-of-age ceremony on their birthday.

Yet there remained traces of baby fat and a bright, carefree smile—the hallmarks of someone who had only just stepped into society.

【Well, darling. That fool can’t take his eyes off your face. What do you make of it?】

What could I make of it? I wanted nothing more than to throw a punch at that gleaming face.

From the moment our eyes met, Cessia showed no intention of looking away.

Perhaps he was genuinely shocked that my confinement had been lifted, or perhaps he found it strange that I had dragged my ailing body all the way to the Garden to meet him myself.

Or maybe he was simply amazed that his fiancée, whom he remembered as being in such a deplorable state, now presented herself before him in perfect condition.

“I’ve missed you so much, Cessia.”

…How impertinent. And here was an elder standing right beside her.

Perhaps it was intentional.

At Odette’s greeting, Cessia’s gaze finally shifted toward her.

To witness the adulterous pair clinging to each other again—it left a bitter taste in my mouth.

“Bonita, I appreciate your enthusiasm, but surely my fiancée deserves a moment to catch her breath, don’t you think?”

“Oh my, I do apologize. It seems I’ve overstepped my bounds.”

“No, it’s quite the opposite. With Bonita showing me such warm hospitality, I’m sure the day will pass pleasantly.”

Those two were absolutely insufferable together….

【They’re playing around as a pair.】

Wait, I only thought that to myself.

I reached for my tea to suppress the irritation rising in my chest, but Sing articulated exactly what I was feeling.

【Your temperament is quite forgiving, isn’t it? To see such a display and still manage to drink your tea without spilling.】

“….”

【”The day will pass pleasantly,” how saccharine. Ugh, so you prefer that sort of sickly-sweet sentiment?】

“Pfft!”

Good heavens, I nearly spat out my tea.

Because Sing had vented his displeasure aloud, I couldn’t suppress my laughter and instead let out a stifled cough.

At that, Odette’s brow furrowed with displeasure, and Cessia’s gaze turned toward me once more.

The way he looked at me resembled a boy about to embark on some trivial romantic game, and I found myself having to conceal my discomfort.

* * *

‘She’s been unwell all this time…. It seems she really is recovering.’

Cessia thought this to himself, studying his fiancée’s impassive expression before him.

It was a courtesy visit.

Though the Princess had been confined to her quarters under house arrest for her various misconduct within the Household, she was publicly presented as a bedridden fiancée.

Thus, Cessia had to display himself attending to Rosetta for the sake of appearances.

– “C-Cessia, you came? I, well. Since I can’t go outside, I was preparing….”

The first time I visited Rosetta while she was ill, I was quite taken aback. To be honest, I wanted to flee.

Her carefully prepared attire, her smile, the lavish feast—it was all transparently designed to impress me. The original Rosetta was, in essence, a perfect match that the gods themselves had fashioned for me.

I had even spared no praise, declaring that only someone of this caliber deserved the honor of marrying Fordicus Cessia.

As she matured, her true nature revealed itself, and my fiancée gradually transformed into something repugnant.

“Aaah! Sister, please. Sob… don’t do this…!”

On my second visit, I witnessed Odette being beaten by her own sister and weeping.

The humiliation I felt that day was beyond description.

‘I have failed!’

The moment I witnessed with my own eyes the ugly nature of my fiancée, I could not help but despair.

Noble birth, exceptional beauty, and flawless honor—she lacked nothing.

What remained was a mistress of the household to build a future with, once I inherited the Marquessate.

Thus, I had meticulously examined and weighed everything, placing only the finest specimen at my side.

Yet it turned out there was a flaw. What else could this be but fraud?

This humiliation, felt for the first time in my life, had nowhere to go, and I cannot say how much I festered in solitude.

“High nobility can survive even the collapse of their household for three generations. But those who fall from Benatra’s favor will perish within three days!”

Yet I could not break the engagement because Rosetta’s position as Benatra’s sole direct heir was impossibly elevated.

People joked that if the imperial bloodline ever ran dry, the Benatra Dynasty would surely rise to take its place.

Beyond this, the complex entanglements of adult affairs left me unable to move freely, which was pitiful indeed.

‘…The atmosphere seems to have changed somehow.’

Dressed in a pale, muted-colored gown, she gazed across the landscape, her eyes blinking languidly.

A slender arm glimpsed between the folds of the shawl as it slipped downward. And that distinctly crimson hair, deepened by shadow in such an arresting way.

Beyond it, the delicate curve of a small earlobe came into view.

“Why do you stare at me so, Fordicus?”

…Even the way she addressed me now—so utterly different from before—struck me as strange.

Cessia found himself at a loss, uncertain what expression to wear in the face of such peculiarity.

The image of Rosetta laughing and calling me “Cessia” felt like a distorted memory now.

She was drawing a clear line between us now.

And that clarity left me feeling both displeased and strangely wounded.

“…What’s wrong with looking at my own fiancée?”

Cessia found himself responding with an edge of resentment he hadn’t intended.

“…Ha!”

“….”

“Ha ha, how sweet. Such honeyed words.”

Unreadable.

I could not fathom the meaning reflected in her eyes as she gazed upon me.

It resembled the dawn waiting for first light to break, or moonlight reflected on a lake—something glistening with moisture.

Rosetta’s gaze, once transparent and open, revealing all of herself to me. Her smile.

Even the gesture of her hand as she tilted her cup.

Thump.

Thump.

Everything felt unfamiliar, and Cessia could only leave his restless heart in a state of confusion.

A fierce wind swept through.

* * *

【Why are his eyes so wide open?】

Today, Sing and I seemed to be in perfect sync.

How did he manage to voice my thoughts so perfectly timed?

I too found Cessia’s honeyed gaze deeply irritating, so I simply gazed upon the Garden to distract myself.

“I’m truly worried. The Feast is just around the corner, and I’m not sure if I can do well….”

It was then that Odette murmured with concern.

She must have heard through Lianna that I would be attending the Feast as well.

Yet whether she was hiding it or pretending not to know, she kept whining to Cessia.

“You must have attended many Feasts, Cessia. I heard there are truly many distinguished Princesses. How should I conduct myself among them to get through the Feast safely?”

“Now that you mention it, the time has come. Bonita will do excellently. Among the young noblemen I know, many are curious about Bonita.”

“My, is that so? But I’m still so unremarkable…. Rosetta is far more outstanding than I am.”

At her response, Cessia laughed awkwardly and praised her modesty.

Then Odette blushed, as if embarrassed.

‘That rotten thing. Throwing the first punch?’

I had intended to refrain from clashing words with her.

But I decided to meet her head-on.

“Since we’re talking about the Spring Stage…. Have you decided on a partner for our Bonita?”

“What? Oh, not yet….”

“How absurd. For Youngsik and the others to overlook such a virtuous child, they must all be suffering from poor eyesight. As you say, the date is fast approaching, so we must act quickly to find you a partner.”

“No, it’s just that the request hasn’t arrived yet….”

“Our Household has many excellent Knights. They’re all busy, of course, but if you ask them, they’ll surely agree to be your partner without difficulty.”

“…I suppose so. Thank you for your consideration, Sister.”

Odette seemed eager to escape this topic, concluding the conversation by saying she would think about it.

“By the way, Fordicus. I hear you have many fine Youngsik around you. Why not lend a hand?”

I had no intention of ending this conversation.

My younger sister was being remarkably presumptuous.

“Sister! Cessia is not like that. I don’t want to be a burden, so there’s no need for that.”

“But Bonita, your Feast partner should have been decided long ago. For such a clever child to overlook something so important—I worry whether this sister should even let you stand alone.”

“B-but Sister, you haven’t decided on a partner yet either, have you? More than me…!”

At Odette’s retort, the atmosphere around us turned cold.

‘I knew that if I kept pushing, eventually she’d lose her temper and make a mistake.’

She dared to find fault and rebuke her own sister.

It was a far cry from the saintly demeanor Odette had been displaying until now.

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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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