Mad Rosetta - Chapter 57

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

Episode 57

I Have a Lover (3)

* * *

“I can’t wait any longer, let’s get married.”

…This bastard is acting up again.

It was what I wanted to spit right in Cessia’s face, but I gracefully held back.

I had just met Cessia in my room’s reception area right after finishing my two weeks of confinement.

‘Look at those glaring eyes… He looks ready to throw a tantrum if I don’t comply.’

I did meet him since there were limits to how much I could postpone things given our engagement status.

But seeing him bring up the main topic right after asking about my well-being showed he was quite impatient.

“Didn’t we finish that conversation before?”

“Yes, we did. But you almost died, right in front of my eyes!”

“I’m clearly alive.”

“Rosetta!”

Twitch.

When I frowned in annoyance, Cessia, unable to contain himself and raising his voice, immediately took a long breath and tried to calm down.

I thought he’d been quiet lately, but it seemed his temperament of getting worked up when things didn’t go his way hadn’t been fixed.

“…Please understand. After reading articles about it being an intentional crime targeting you over and over, I guess my nerves are on edge.”

“Right, so I’m being cautious by canceling external schedules like this. But when I should be protecting myself, you suddenly want to hold a ceremony? That’s unreasonable, Fordicus.”

With so many things to worry about, I was irritated by Cessia’s attempt to add another concern.

After several days of the Security Bureau investigating the weapon shop.

News came that the arrow the proprietor and I had seen was also from that store.

Even though only the arrowhead remained after the wood and feather parts burned away completely, they discovered this fact because the craftsman’s mark who supplied the shop was engraved on it.

The meticulousness of using store-bought items to make it difficult to identify the culprit from the start.

Moreover, because it was a shop that had been doing business in Benern, the capital, for a long time, it wasn’t easy to narrow down the scope.

Thus, the investigation had to remain essentially unsolved.

“…But, but Rosetta. No matter how worried I am about you, do you know how miserable it made me that I couldn’t even visit you unless permission was granted?”

I was so happy about that though.

Misery sure comes in all varieties.

“Father ordered me to stay in confinement, so there was nothing I could do.”

“What I’m saying is, give me the proper qualification to worry about you.”

“…”

“And the Duke’s order was right. You should prioritize your life, trying to save a commoner in such an urgent situation. You were sufficiently careless, Rosetta.”

…Should I throw tea at him?

As I gripped the teacup handle tightly, Sing, seeing this, tapped my hand to calm me down.

Even though Father had said that, he decided to cover all the costs needed to restore the business site that had turned to ashes.

I had been concerned about it, and it was clearly an incident involving Benitra’s people within our estate.

Even now, our household workers are working hard to rebuild the shop.

Wasn’t it unnecessary to say things like it was just a commoner, or that I was careless?

Perhaps reading my displeased expression, Cessia’s low sigh spread through the reception room.

“If you’re somewhere I can see you, I think I could at least feel some peace of mind.”

“…”

“If we’re bound as family, I can properly protect you, right?”

Cessia’s brief visit ended with him adding that I should think about it seriously.

Cessia, do you know?

Your last words are no different from blaming our Father for not being able to protect me completely.

【With a lover right beside you, how thick-skinned.】

“Haah…”

【He was quite forceful in his appeal. It won’t be easy to push him away this time, darling.】

I nodded in agreement at Sing’s sarcastic tone.

Cessia’s golden eyes always took on a deeper color when he wanted to push his agenda.

Being bound as family – it felt like a declaration that he would put shackles on me.

However, a few days later, I would face a situation even more absurd than Cessia’s remarks.

* * *

“From the Imperial Palace?”

“Yes, it’s definitely for you, Lady.”

It was a quiet afternoon. I was lying on the sofa with Sing, our heads together, discussing the butler’s daily routine.

When I received the letter from Reina, it indeed had the imperial seal pressed firmly on it.

Since there was nothing that should come from the Imperial Palace at this time, I checked it with curiosity, and it roughly said they wanted to hold a ceremony to commend me for rescuing people from the fire.

And it was from the Empress herself.

“…How strange indeed.”

【Very strange indeed.】

Sing, who had stuck close to me to read the letter, seemed to share the same thought and couldn’t take his eyes off the content.

Right, it was because the pretext was flimsy.

It didn’t happen in Jedo, nor did I save dozens of people.

I just saved one person from a fire, and aside from the peculiarity of the rescuer being a noble, there wasn’t much achievement worth the imperial family’s commendation.

“Somehow I don’t really want to go.”

“Oh, why? Wasn’t it an invitation?”

“You could call it an invitation…”

Since they said they’d hold a ceremony, it wouldn’t be as grand as a banquet, and it seemed like a simple suggestion to have tea.

But it felt unsettling nonetheless, so after sending Reina away telling her not to worry, I quickly asked Sing.

“I should ask Father, right?”

【It does smell fishy. But there’s nothing bad about accepting.】

“Ehhhh…”

【Don’t you need to find out why the imperial family, with whom you have no connection, is calling for you?】

“Well, it is unsettling but…”

I continued pondering while tapping my hand with the folded letter.

‘It’s been quite some time to use the excuse that my health isn’t good yet… Considering the back and forth of replies, it’s ambiguous.’

Due to the engagement with Cessia, having to watch the Imperial Faction’s mood and the Nobility Faction’s mood.

Knowing how much effort Father puts into maintaining a firm center, discussion was essential.

Moreover, I had to bear the risk factors of being known as someone who meets privately with the Empress.

“Ugh, whatever. If Father doesn’t allow it, I can’t go anyway, right?”

Thinking so simply, I quickly headed to Father’s study.

In conclusion, I decided to comply with the invitation, but Father said to request a simple meeting as a condition.

The surface reason was that Father was concerned enough about my safety to restrict my outings.

The implied meaning was to proceed with the meeting unofficially and finish it quietly.

‘For saying that, isn’t five guards a bit excessive, Father?’

I thought this while watching Father listlessly place the letter on the table, but what could I do?

I had made a promise with Sing, and preparing for any possible mishaps wasn’t a losing proposition.

So a few days later.

With a thoroughly unsettled mind for such a light outing, I headed to Jedo.

* * *

“The journey wasn’t too arduous, was it, Lady?”

Perhaps it was because I had been too tense. My shoulders were aching.

The journey wasn’t difficult at all, but it became difficult from the moment I arrived at the Empress’s palace.

Even so, I had to give proper greetings to the Empress who kindly welcomed me with elegant composure, so I smiled as gently as possible.

“I was so looking forward to this occasion that the journey felt short.”

“How fortunate. Your family seemed to be taking special care regarding today’s meeting, so I was quite worried.”

A low tone, no. It was closer to deliberately lowering her voice below its natural pitch.

Instead of the Empress who was consistently only smiling, I turned my gaze to the one who occupied the center of this meeting.

She had sent along five escorts and made it clear through her expression that she was displeased with my father for requesting this unofficial meeting.

Her gold-adorned eyes, as if flaunting that the world lay beneath her feet, went beyond confidence to the point of arrogance.

However, no one could make such an assessment of the woman before us.

‘Why is the Empress Dowager here…’

The current Emperor’s mother. Carina Perijia was seated there without any prior notice.

‘No, there wasn’t even a mention of her in the letter. Is this really acceptable?’

Not informing us of her attendance was already sufficient rudeness.

It was probably an action intended to break our spirit from the start, but if I showed any signs of discomfort, there was a high risk of being marked without fail.

There were widespread rumors that even the current Emperor was still being manipulated by his mother… There was no need to unnecessarily provoke her and fall out of favor.

I tilted my head slightly, pretending to be as embarrassed as possible, and said:

“It seems Father has been deeply worried about the recent troublesome incidents. Even though worrying about the Imperial Capital’s security is pointless.”

“…Yes. After hearing news of my princess, I asked the Empress to arrange this meeting. I’m concerned whether the sudden attendance might have been uncomfortable.”

“I consider it an honor just to see both of you in one place, when I’ve only observed you from afar.”

I’m uncomfortable. Please send me home.

Damn, trying to deliver the kind of extreme flattery I normally never do made my mouth go dry for no reason.

Still, my answer seemed to have passed to some degree. The Empress Dowager released the intensity that had been in her eyes.

She was like a peacock with its wings spread wide.

【Well done, darling. She prefers those who are quick-witted enough to crawl when they should crawl.】

…Is that supposed to be a compliment?

I wanted to give her a piece of my mind, but I couldn’t.

At this tea gathering with royalty where all manner of etiquette and formalities were flying about, I had to remain anxious throughout, worried I might commit some mistake.

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