Mad Rosetta - Chapter 50

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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 50

A Cowardly Man (2)

After my visit to Facade Estate, the distance between Sing and me had become inevitable.

Knowing his confession was indirect yet unmistakable, we both grew cautious in how we treated each other.

There was a time when living together like this felt natural.

Now, merely being in the same space as Sing made me so uncomfortable that I told him he didn’t need to join me on today’s outing.

It seemed he had no intention of going anyway, though it appeared he wanted me to bring the Knight along instead.

【Try to come back as early as you can, dar—…】

“….”

【…come back early. You understand.】

There he goes again.

Whenever a term of endearment like “darling” or “dear” slipped out, he would catch himself with an obvious expression and redirect the conversation.

It looked as though he were drawing a line, and I felt a sudden wave of melancholy wash over me.

Had Penny and the Servants not arrived when they did, I might have fled this awkwardness altogether.

“Lady, shall I prepare your parasol today as well?”

“…Yes, absolutely.”

This was all because of that sudden downpour.

Determined never to suffer such an ordeal from unexpected weather again, I quickly took the parasol Penny offered and left the room.

Early arrival, my foot.

Today, I should have thanked those wretches for giving me a chance to escape from Sing, if only for a moment.

* * *

“Cessia, look. It’s the Orphedom Shop. Their fragrances are truly renowned.”

“Yes, I’m well aware. If I recall correctly, the Duchess uses some of their products regularly.”

“Oh my, is that so? It seems the Duchess and I share similar tastes. How delightful.”

“Shall we sample some fragrances before we leave? What do you think?”

Cessia gestured toward the fragrance shop and asked for my opinion, to which I responded with a shallow smile instead of words.

‘Just enjoy yourselves without me…’

How many times had this happened now?

I had grown exhausted mere hours after arriving at the Benearn Shopping District.

Was it because we weren’t confined to that stuffy Banquet Hall?

Odette’s incessant chatter about “Cessia” and his willingness to indulge her every word had completely drained me.

And that wasn’t even the worst of it.

Before the Spring Stage performance, Odette had been so busy frequenting this place with Lianna, yet now she strutted about flaunting everything she knew, stopping at every shop along the way.

But what truly exhausted me most was Odette’s demeanor.

“The sunlight seems particularly strong at this hour. Whatever shall I do? I forgot to bring a parasol…”

She spoke those words with a melancholic expression, glancing sideways at me.

She clearly wanted the parasol I held under my arm.

This parasol would have to bid me farewell today.

Thinking it troublesome to refuse, I handed the parasol over to Odette entirely, and she made no effort to hide her delighted expression.

“Thank you so much! I’ll hold it, so let’s share it as we walk.”

“…You’ll hold it?”

“Of course. I’m technically borrowing from you, so the least I can do is manage that much.”

Why was she acting so unnervingly like this?

Odette’s behavior—stubbornly holding the parasol open while linking her arm through mine—was so peculiar that I couldn’t even conceal my discomfort.

Was it because Cessia was present?

Her unusually affectionate demeanor today was truly exhausting to adapt to.

In the Dining Hall, she’d insisted on following my preference for lamb and ordering the same.

And when she suddenly purchased a fragrance and pressed it into my hands as a gift, I genuinely wondered if she’d lost her mind.

Trying to decipher Odette’s intentions one by one gave me such a headache that my earlier resolve crumbled, and I found myself desperate to return to the Manor as soon as possible.

“Oh! Wouldn’t it be nice to stop by that place too?”

…This is exhausting.

Worn down, I clenched my teeth and turned my gaze toward where Odette was pointing.

And then I spotted an unexpected shop, my eyes widening in surprise.

It was a Weapon Shop that primarily sold swords.

Cessia also seemed to think it wasn’t the sort of place Odette would want to visit, so he questioned her with a puzzled expression. She quickly responded in her characteristic sweet voice.

“I wanted to give a gift to Cessia as well.”

“To me, you say?”

“Yes! When I learned that you both had prepared birthday gifts for me, I was so happy. That’s why I wanted to repay your kindness, even if only in a small way.”

Odette said this while adjusting her neatly arranged hairpin.

It was the hairpin that Cessia and I had given her.

‘…Right. I never thought she’d actually wear it.’

I’d been certain she would dislike it.

Though the jewel on the hairpin was somewhat gaudy, paired with the golden ornaments and the bright yellow dress she wore, it didn’t look half bad at all.

“If that’s your sentiment, it’s perfectly acceptable, Bonita. Surely this is a day worthy of celebration.”

“You wound me with such words. Besides, Rosetta has already received perfume, so what becomes of my sister’s dignity?”

“Ah….”

By invoking my name and pressing her choice upon him, Odette caused Cessia’s expression to become awkward and troubled.

Meanwhile, I felt considerably relieved.

‘Ha, so that’s it. She laid the groundwork beforehand because she wanted to give a gift to Cessia with confidence.’

I, who had briefly suspected whether Odette had truly reformed and was offering unnecessary kindness, could now breathe an inward sigh of relief.

Well, with her insistence, Cessia agreed to at least take a look, so I ended up having to enter the Weapon Shop as well.

“Wow! There are so many impressive-looking weapons here. Are there more displayed on the Second Floor?”

“Yes, indeed. Please feel free to look around, but do be careful—you mustn’t touch them, as they could be dangerous, Lady.”

“I will!”

Once inside the shop, Odette darted about with the unbridled enthusiasm of an excited child.

For someone utterly ignorant of swords, she certainly seemed thrilled.

I found it difficult to comprehend how she, who was ordinarily so composed and reserved, appeared unusually vivacious.

Yet at some point, much like Cessia, I too began examining the weapons with keen interest.

“…Say, Proprietor. I notice each product has an engraving on it. Do these come marked from the moment of creation?”

“Ah, the engravings. Since each piece comes from different craftsmen, that’s typically the case. However, if you desire a specific name or pattern, we can certainly arrange a custom commission.”

“Then you’re saying you can also craft weapons without any engraving at all.”

“I beg your pardon?”

Rather than respond to the Shop Owner’s question, I examined the short blades arranged within the display case with meticulous attention.

Since I couldn’t predict how events would unfold, wouldn’t it be prudent to acquire one for my vengeance? Such was my reasoning.

Before I could kill Cessia with my own hands, I had yet to establish the infamy that he deserved death—that would be a matter for later.

Could she have read my thoughts?

Not long after we left the shop, Odette cried out in startled alarm.

“Oh no! What should I do? I think I left my parasol back at the shop we just visited.”

“…Are you certain you left it there?”

“Yes, yes… I remember placing it on the display counter while I was looking around the second floor.”

Irritation flared at the sight of Odette gazing up at me with that pitiful expression, but I quickly averted my gaze to the side.

Cessia had just stepped into the shop across the street, saying he’d fetch something to drink.

The shopping district during peak foot traffic. And Cessia would return in mere minutes.

There was a high probability that those who recognized these two together would spread vicious gossip.

“Then I’ll go back alone. Bonita, you wait here.”

I couldn’t afford to miss such an opportunity.

With that thought, I turned on my heel and headed back toward the Weapon Shop before Odette could even open her mouth.

“Welcome back… Hmm?”

“Ah, it seems your party left something behind. Would it be alright if I looked for it?”

“Of course, Lady. Though I must apologize—some dust may scatter. You see, I’m not sure where all this resin powder came from, but… the floor is quite a mess. I was just about to clean it.”

True to the Proprietor’s bewildered muttering, the shop floor was indeed scattered with patches of yellow powder.

‘How peculiar. There shouldn’t be any conifers in this district at all.’

The Benitra Estate was impossibly vast, but Benern, being the Capital City of the region, was a place I had learned much about since childhood.

For instance, the fact that landscaping projects were conducted every few years.

It was unthinkable that they would have planted trees that produced such conspicuous pollen.

Moreover, even accounting for Spring, it was strange that so much resin powder had entered a shop whose windows remained firmly closed.

Crash!

I flinched at the sudden noise, my shoulders tensing.

Both the Shop Owner and I could only cry out in alarm.

The lantern hanging above the door had shattered from the impact of something that had flown through the window—and that something was an arrow.

“This… this… madness…!”

The fact that fallen lantern oil and resin powder could ignite within mere seconds was enough to horrify us both.

We had every reason to be alarmed.

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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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