Mad Rosetta - Chapter 5

—————

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

—————

Rosetta Gone Mad

Episode 5

The Obedient Child Knows No Punishment (1)

The moment I arrived, they subtly pointed out that I was lazier than Father himself, while simultaneously insinuating—in roundabout fashion—that if I wished to feign illness, I should remain confined to my Room and not crawl out.

A chill crept down my spine at the shameless audacity written across their faces.

In the past, though they were merely family bound by documents, I had foolishly believed they genuinely cared for me and cherished me, allowing myself to be swayed by their every whim.

‘It seems I was the fool all along.’

Such naked hostility was almost laughable.

‘I had no intention of starting a confrontation from the beginning.’

But since they had thrown the first punch, it seemed I had no choice but to return it threefold.

I brought up the issue that had bothered me since the moment I entered.

“But Bonita, I don’t see a seat for me.”

As I spoke, I looked down at Odette.

Odette mumbled something unintelligible at first, but soon grasped my meaning and visibly startled.

With Father’s seat at the center of the dining table as reference, Lianna sat diagonally to the right, and Odette to the left.

“Would you move over, Bonita?”

The second daughter had dared.

To sit in the seat of the firstborn—and a direct heir at that.

Odette’s eyes wavered, darting toward Lianna.

A silent plea for help.

“…What does seating arrangement matter among family, Rosetta? Rather than troubling ourselves to change what’s already settled, wouldn’t it be better to proceed as we are, just for today?”

“Mother, truly. I understand your reluctance to scold Bonita when you hold her so dear.”

“No, it’s not that—”

“But if you truly cherish Bonita, then offering proper guidance when she acts so thoughtlessly is the path to raising your beloved daughter with greater virtue, is it not?”

“….”

Ah! Lianna’s vessel providing covering fire has been sunk!

Utterly obliterated!

Lianna’s plump lips pressed shut at the rebuke to educate their child sternly when she made mistakes, rather than just coddling her because she was theirs.

The Narrator then gave a look of genuine pity before grasping Odette’s hand, who was still showing off her heavy backside.

“Bonita? Within our Household, even if you occasionally lack formality, there’s no one to blame you for it. However, you’ll soon be entering society, and if you make such mistakes then….”

“Huh, unnie?”

“And if you, being so soft-hearted, end up showing tears out of embarrassment, I’ll regret letting today pass without teaching you a lesson for a long time to come.”

“A bucket that leaks from the inside won’t stop leaking from the outside, will it? You’re the type who whines and complains whenever things don’t go your way—you have no manners at all.”

He had to make an effort not to laugh at Odette, who could only gape wordlessly without managing to say anything in response.

I’ve been sitting here as if it were natural, ever since you locked yourself in your room and barely ate, but now that the owner has come, you need to get out.

Firing off all sorts of harsh insinuations, the thieving cat who coveted others’ belongings met a miserable end.

In particular, Father was the type who would not tolerate any overstepping of boundaries by family members.

“Bonita. What are you doing?”

“Yes?”

“The food hasn’t come out yet, has it? Now hurry back to your seat.”

At Father’s indifferent remark, Odette gave a quiet acknowledgment and shifted her seat to the side.

The way she pressed her lower lip firmly and refused to release it suggested she was genuinely upset.

It was fascinating.

Odette had always shown me either a gentle smile or pathetic tears when I grew angry, pleading with me not to be upset….

Realizing that such behavior was merely a luxury she could afford when circumstances bent to her will, I confidently claimed the seat to Father’s left.

Sing remarked that this household was completely removed from the world—a spectacle to observe—and thrust his thumb upward with evident fascination.

‘What’s he going on about, the fool.’

I drew sustenance from his reaction and let out a low chuckle.

Once all the masters of House of Benitra were seated, the table filled instantly with an array of dishes as though they had been waiting in the wings.

Unfortunately, what was placed before me was merely a clear vegetable soup, finely puréed.

Yet the beautiful color and delicate garnish suggested it was a dish Father had specifically ordered, mindful of my frequent habit of skipping meals.

Such a thoughtful father he was.

When Father picked up his fork and knife, I eagerly took a spoonful of the soup.

‘…It’s delicious.’

It felt as though I hadn’t eaten in days.

And no wonder. It wasn’t long ago—merely hours before—that I had been tearing through the backyard of Cessia’s Estate with poison coursing through my veins, wasn’t I?

In this moment, eating warm food felt like an indulgence beyond measure.

Lost in such sentimental thoughts as I focused on consuming the soup, Father—who had been stealing glances at me the entire time—let out an awkward cough.

“Ahem, ahem! Coco, my dear. Your dress is particularly radiant today—quite lovely indeed.”

At Father’s words, both Lianna and Odette’s gazes fixed upon the dress I was wearing.

Only Father could send me a fine dress without so much as a note.

I quickly touched the fabric of my gown like a child showing off new clothes.

“Indeed? Since I couldn’t find a single presentable dress in my wardrobe, I searched about and discovered this gown suited me perfectly, so I put it on.”

Father, someone’s taken all my clothes.

I answered thus while glancing at Odette, who sat beside me.

No matter how notorious I was as a mad princess, did I possess anything beyond Father’s gifts?

Precious offerings to the direct line of House of Benitra—even scraps of them—overflowed endlessly.

At that time, I had been so frightened by the very touch of the Maids who dressed me in beautiful things that I refused them all, but Odette seemed to covet them desperately.

– “Sister, I’m truly upset. I promised Mother I’d go to the Shopping District, but I don’t have a suitable dress….”

– “Sigh, the Princesses are coming to visit today…. What if they criticize my appearance as provincial?”

Odette constantly deployed various pretexts to thoroughly plunder my wardrobe.

She always wept whenever she was in difficulty, fretting that she might tarnish House of Benitra’s reputation. I found my younger sister both pitiful and admirable, so I gave her my wholehearted support.

Of course, there were rare occasions when fury blazed through me, and I’d tell her to take off the dress and tear it to shreds, leaving her naked…. But that was truly only very occasionally.

“No suitable dress? How many fine garments have been sent to Rosette, yet you claim to have nothing.”

“That is….”

I trailed off, pretending to gauge Odette’s reaction.

This was one of the things House of Benitra should never do—walk about with shameless confidence—so Father’s displeasure flared immediately.

I finally turned the blame toward Odette while maintaining a helpless, dejected expression.

“That is, Bonita said she needed them, and with a sorrowful heart….”

“Oh, Sister! What are you saying? Father, it’s not true. I never asked for them…. You simply gave them to me as gifts because you thought they’d suit me better.”

“Oh dear, but Bonita… How could I, as your elder sister, refuse to yield when my beloved younger sister stands before me so disappointed about not having a pretty dress? Though I must confess, I never imagined the Wardrobe would be emptied entirely.”

“No, Father. I truly…”

“Enough!”

She really does seem to be on the verge of tears.

If Odette had merely feigned pitiful distress as she usually did, now she appeared genuinely aggrieved—teetering on the precipice of an outburst.

Whether Father was exasperated by his daughter’s gullible behavior, or whether his anger stemmed from the fact that his daughters would quarrel over mere scraps of fabric, he looked thoroughly displeased.

“…Sigh. Bonita?”

Father exhaled deeply, then called out to Odette with his eyes narrowing sharply.

The way his gaze lifted across those amethyst irises—so this is how others perceive me, I thought.

It was the kind of expression that made one’s knees buckle, so thoroughly did it radiate displeasure.

“Did you not frequently visit the Shopping District with Lianna? Are all the receipts I have settled thus far nothing but charitable donations?”

“D-dear!”

“I promised to provide for you without lack… but now I see I have raised you with indulgence, Bonita. From this point forward, refrain from purchasing luxuries.”

Lianna cried out again in alarm—”Dear!”—but Father cut her off with a sharp rebuke, insisting his words were not yet finished.

Greedy! What a vulgar word!

I had never heard such a crude epithet directed at Odette before, so I had to bow my head and suppress my laughter.

Beneath Odette’s face flushed with shame, Sing was making ridiculous gestures, mimicking how greed clung to her like barnacles, and I nearly lost composure entirely.

“Rosette. Coco.”

“Yes, Father.”

“You too must not behave this way simply because you are an elder sister. Did you not say so yourself just now? As an elder sister, you must set an example and correct your younger sister’s wrongs. Henceforth, even if Bonita throws a cute tantrum, you may gift her new clothes—but do not surrender your own so readily.”

I assured him I would keep it in mind, yet I understood that Father’s words were not a rebuke.

After all, the number of matters I had failed to resolve through tantrums with Father could be counted on one hand, and I sensed he was teaching me gravely that while compromise was necessary, I should never accept a loss in the bargain.

The meal grew awkward as the atmosphere plummeted from our verbal sparring, and Father cleared his throat before broaching the main subject once more.

“Ahem! After such a long time together, surely we shouldn’t end things in such gloom. I shall have several fine garments made for both Rosette and Bonita and sent to you, so do not take your father’s words so much to heart.”

He was always tenderhearted in his own way. One scolding, and he immediately coaxes us like this—what can one do.

Breakfast concluded without any major conflict.

In truth, I had prepared several responses in case Lianna brought up the commotion that occurred that morning. Yet whether the shock of being suddenly struck had not fully faded from someone as unremarkable as myself, she ultimately let the matter pass without comment.

‘After all, causing too much discord could become poison to oneself….’

I too finished the meal by wiping my lips, my heart brimming with satisfaction.

The beginning was promising.

—————

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

—————