Mad Rosetta - Chapter 49

—————

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

—————

Rosette Gone Mad

Chapter 49

A Cowardly Man (1)

I admit it.

I cannot pinpoint when it began, but I clearly harbored rational affection for Sing.

Darling, sweetheart…

The fact that I could no longer dismiss such trivial endearments as mere jest was evidence enough that I had to accept the truth.

For my own sake, it was better to acknowledge these feelings cleanly.

‘…Even though he’s not really my lover.’

His touch, unusually cold, had grown far too familiar.

Unlike me, Sing maintained his usual composure and ease, which only deepened my frustration and stirred bitter complaints within my chest.

Does he feel the same way I do?

When I faltered, he urged me forward with bittersweet comfort. In my melancholy moments, he soothed me with words so sweet they seemed to rot my teeth.

Sing appeared to find it strange that I remained silent and compliant without protest, for he grinned wickedly as though preparing another jest.

【It’s refreshing and pleasant that you’re being so docile. Have you finally opened your heart to me?】

“…Anyone watching would think you actually love me.”

【Of course, darling.】

I adore you ardently.

With those words from Sing, I felt as though I had completely released something I had been gripping so tightly all this time.

‘If this is a jest…then you’re not merely mischievous—you’re a cruel man indeed.’

Perhaps, like those who have been deeply wounded by a beloved, I harbored a resistance to nurturing hollow hopes once more.

Especially considering my affection for Cessia had endured for nearly a decade… I had even anticipated that I might never speak of love so readily to any other man in the future.

Yet look at me now.

Every single action of hers makes my heart leap, and when I hear the answer I want, the way I secretly rejoice inside is unmistakably reminiscent of Rosetta Coco from days past, isn’t it?

“Sigh, when will my darling ever accept these deep feelings of mine…?”

The Narrator’s low chuckle was truly pleasant to hear, as he said the Lady certainly had a talent for making one impatient.

The fact that Sing was a Faceless Ghost wasn’t really an important part for me.

I can’t pass on my legacy, but at least I won’t have to worry about them stabbing me in the back like the living do.

However, one thing.

“…If you were to resolve your resentment, would you disappear forever like the other ghosts?”

For a moment, as if I’d been punched in the gut, my breath caught.

I wished Sing wouldn’t disappear from my side.

But if the ending is already decided, then I would spend my whole life regretting every moment I didn’t give you my whole heart.

I didn’t want to create any more things to regret.

“…if you’ll accept it?”

“Huh?”

“If I… if I had come to love you.”

【….】

“Then what are you going to do about it?”

And so I find myself speaking of love once again.

‘I’ve done it….’

My heart beat softly, thump-thump.

I couldn’t bring myself to look at what expression the man right in front of me was wearing.

But I had to face the consequences of what I’d done.

I lifted my head, harboring a faint hope, and the moment I saw Sing’s face, I felt an instinctive certainty that something had gone terribly wrong.

【…Your counters have improved considerably.】

“…What?”

【I didn’t expect you to respond like that. I took a hit.】

He was laughing awkwardly, as though troubled.

Without even meeting my eyes.

…Did he think it was a joke because I asked so casually?

【It looks like I’ve wiped away most of the moisture. You should call a servant to prepare for washing, my lady.】

“Ah, no. You….”

As if reading my thoughts, he quietly released the hand he’d been holding and spoke.

At Sing’s troubled expression, I could only come to understand immediately.

He was trying to evade this situation.

‘He…. Sing doesn’t want to accept my feelings.’

The moment I realized that truth, my face flushed crimson with shame.

Sincerity masquerading as jest.

Somewhere along the way, I had naturally assumed that Sing harbored feelings for me as well.

That’s precisely why I felt such shame at his attitude, which bordered on outright avoidance.

‘But this… this is a real wound, isn’t it…’

A clear rejection would have been preferable. But what was this cowardice? What did it mean?

The man who always forced me to face reality at crucial moments, who offered counsel with such gravity—I couldn’t imagine him behaving this way.

Whether fortunate or unfortunate.

Just as I stood lost in this terribly awkward atmosphere, unsure what to do, someone knocked on the Doorway.

“It was sent by your traveling companions.”

Inside the leather bag the Inn attendant handed me were several beautifully wrapped dresses, women’s nightwear, and a robe.

It seemed Cessia, concerned that I had no spare clothes due to the sudden overnight stay, had procured these through the attendant.

Moreover, with a robe of such depth, even if I encountered Cessia in the Lobby the next day, no one would recognize who I was.

“And this as well…”

The young attendant, holding the bouquet awkwardly, handed it to me before bowing deeply and withdrawing.

The colorful tulips glistened with moisture, as if they’d caught some rain, making them appear all the more vivid and alive.

“…Ha ha. Aha ha…”

I opened the note tucked between the wrapping paper and couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh.

⌜I regret that the roses I wished to give you already belong to you. I hope you sleep warmly and don’t catch a cold, Rosette.⌟

Cessia’s sharp handwriting seemed to mock me directly.

How could I not feel ridiculous?

I was surely the only woman in Primpasar who had become this absurd.

‘One man is desperate to avoid me… and the one I find terribly repulsive is now sending me affection…’

What made my plight all the more pitiful was that both men had shown concern for my rain-soaked condition.

I was utterly sick of it.

With such thoughts consuming me, I made my way to the Bathroom without so much as glancing at Sing.

My degraded circumstances felt nothing but hollow and futile.

That day when the one I harbored in my heart had so cruelly turned away from me.

Unable to bear facing Sing, wherever he might be, I pulled the blanket over my head and surrendered to sleep.

Dressed in the nightwear of a man I despised with every fiber of my being.

Sorrowful and aching, I tossed and turned throughout the night.

* * *

“Why not have Knight accompany you instead?”

While the Children who had been assisting with my preparations stepped away momentarily, Sing spoke with evident displeasure.

“Did I not tell you? Your Younger Sister’s demeanor has seemed decidedly unsettling of late. Given how you provoked her before, it would be prudent to prepare for any potential misfortune.”

“…Even so, it’s merely an outing. And it’s in the heart of the Estate where people will be swarming about—what could Odette possibly do in such a place?”

I spoke thus while recalling what had transpired at Odette’s birthday celebration days prior.

Odette’s birthday Feast, orchestrated under Lianna’s direction, was truly magnificent.

Even Cessia, who accompanied me, spared no praise for its grandeur, and surely the other Nobility in attendance shared the same sentiment.

– “I offer you my sincere birthday wishes, Bonita.”

– “This is…?”

– “A hairpin. I thought it would suit you wonderfully, so I had it prepared. Fordicus and I selected it together when we visited the Facade Estate previously.”

Unlike me, who laughed softly while expressing hope that a day would come when you and I could go out to play together wearing it, Odette’s expression was decidedly ambiguous.

It seemed I couldn’t easily show displeasure or cast suspicion when even Cessia had taken part in the gift.

Meanwhile, the onlookers sent warm glances, remarking how deep the bond between the Benatra sisters truly was, and marveling at the size of the jewels.

– “…How about next weekend?”

– “Hmm?”

– “An outing day. I’ve been waiting for a chance to go out with both of you as well.”

Odette’s response that followed was truly unexpected, however.

Speaking with genuine delight while clutching the gift box I had given her, it was difficult to discern Odette’s true intentions.

– “You both visited Facade Estate last time, didn’t you? I wanted to go with you as well, but I couldn’t manage it…. I was truly disappointed.”

– “Well, that day Bonita wasn’t available without her guests.”

– “If you had given me advance notice, I would have adjusted my schedule.”

– “My, I had no idea you wished to spend time with us both so much.”

Perhaps it was due to the subtle tension that had passed between us?

Cessia, who found himself caught in the middle, glanced around at the atmosphere before offering a gentle smile and speaking toward Odette.

– “Last time, I had requested the meeting because I wished to spend time alone with Rosetta, so it would have been difficult to invite the Princess.”

– “Ah, yes….”

– “However, it seems like a fine idea to set a date to commemorate Bonita’s birthday. You wouldn’t mind, would you?”

What a cunning move.

Faced with Cessia’s gentlemanly tact, all I could do in that moment was nod in agreement.

Thus we made a promise to visit Benern, the central district known as the Capital City of Benitra Territory.

Today was that very day.

【…So. You’re really insisting on going with just the three of you?】

Sing furrowed his brow, unable to comprehend my stubborn refusal to yield.

Yet his worried demeanor only twisted my insides with frustration.

From that day onward, Sing stopped calling me darling.

—————

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

—————