Mad Rosetta - Chapter 61

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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 61

Golden Coffin (2)

“I’m screwed….”

After sending Marahan and Penny away, I muttered while lying powerlessly sprawled on the sofa, soaked in helplessness.

If a murder happened at the Imperial Palace, it was obvious that all attendees would be stuck there for days on end.

Just thinking about having to undergo investigations incomparably more intense than being called to the Security Bureau made me feel scared in advance.

‘Haha, should I just postpone it…? Right, couldn’t I just shoot him with an arrow at the autumn hunting festival? Oh wait, I’ve never learned archery or anything like that.’

Since the social season was concentrated in spring and autumn, there weren’t many banquets worth attending with Cessia during the hot summer.

And now I had to carry out the deed at the Imperial Palace if push came to shove.

I had originally chosen the Montague Estate as the battleground to increase our success rate since we knew the inside of our household like the back of our hands.

【Just go through with it, darling.】

“Shut up, darling. I’m thinking here.”

【The repercussions will be big, but actually the situation might flow more favorably for you. If Fordicus dies at the Imperial Palace and you get hurt too, isn’t there a group that becomes the prime suspect?】

“…Right, the Nobility Faction elders.”

【There are plenty of people who find the marriage talks between Benatra and Montague uncomfortable, so how fortunate is that? No matter how much they investigate innocent people, naturally nothing will come up.】

“….”

【Well, if by chance some suspicious person shows up, that would be the ultimate stroke of luck.】

Geez, look at him overflowing with confidence.

After glaring at the guy who was running his mouth so freely, my eyelids grew heavy and I squeezed my eyes shut.

Right. Since the consequence of things going wrong was still immediate imprisonment in the dungeon, nothing would change much.

All I needed was a dagger of unknown origin, and a rest area where Cessia and I could be alone together.

‘Ah, I should have checked if the dress has waist decorations too….’

Since I still hated getting hurt, I prayed it would end with the princess luckily avoiding major injury thanks to the dress she was wearing.

【Sleepy?】

“No. Just practicing in my head.”

【…My darling is quite thorough.】

“But you know what. Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you sleeping.”

When I asked with my eyes closed, there was no response and only silence lingered.

It was just a thought that occurred to me, but could the answer really be this slow?

He always watched me sleep if anything, but I’d never seen Sing sleeping soundly, so it was pure curiosity that came to mind.

【I can sleep if I want to. I just don’t because dreams and such are noisy.】

“…What do you mean by dreams and such.”

【Have you heard of ‘Taran’?】

At his sudden question, I slowly opened my eyes that I had closed.

Perhaps I had kept them closed a bit too long, as the light in the room was blurred like it had spread in water.

“I don’t think I’ve heard of it…. Which region is that?”

【They say it’s the name of a goddess. She was quite famous in your maternal family’s side.】

“…In Terkikan?”

It was definitely out of the blue, but stories about my maternal family were quite unfamiliar, so I found myself listening intently.

Though he too spoke as if it was just something he’d heard somewhere.

【You know that the area around Terkikan is desert.】

“I know. There was even a war because of that place, how could I not know.”

The Kingdom of Terkikan. In other words, my maternal grandfather’s country was a nation with an extremely advantageous location.

The surrounding terrain was blocked by the Baharada Desert, making it difficult for foreign powers to force invasions, but certain areas bordered rivers that led to the sea, so they could be utilized as trade routes.

This was why it even went to war with the Empire.

【They say she’s a goddess who guides those who died in that desert.】

“….”

【So many people died there in the old days…. She might be a deity created to comfort them.】

Because of Sing chattering away like some storyteller, I eventually sat up abruptly and said.

“Stop talking about that.”

【…Huh?】

“I said stop talking about ghosts!”

When I shouted angrily, his eyes widened in surprise before I could see him bursting into laughter.

“Is, is it funny? What’s so amusing about this!”

【Ahaha, ahahaha. No, it was like this before too, but you really have no immunity to these kinds of stories, do you?】

Despite scolding him several times because the guy busy giggling was so infuriating, his laughter didn’t stop for quite a while.

Guiding the dead, and whatnot.

In the end, it sounded no different from meaning a ghost, so I had to shrink my shoulders for no reason even though the sun hadn’t set yet.

‘…Fordicus isn’t going to become a ghost and follow me around, is he?’

The eerie fear I felt in that moment was quite significant, so I had to spend each day unable to let go of my worries for two whole months.

* * *

“It feels like it’s been a while since we met, Duke. I hope you’ve been well.”

“Duke, how will the tariff agreement with Luman proceed….”

There were so many people continuing conversations that it felt somewhat noisy.

The Imperial Main Hall, which only opened when conducting grand ceremonies like the New Year Festival, was on a completely different scale from the palace where the Spring Festival was held.

The day of the coronation anniversary ceremony.

I had to keep repeating in my head things like leaving the terrace open, or how I should speak about the assassin’s appearance and clothing.

‘At least I’m lucky that Sing found the rest area for me…. I almost looked like a young lady who had no choice but to just wander around outside the hall.’

Since the deed would be carried out in the evening anyway, Sing had gone and checked it out for me, telling me to just focus on the banquet.

“Rosetta, why are you alone?”

I had just barely sent the young ladies away, when an even worse guy approached.

Cessia, neatly dressed in a navy blue formal uniform, smiled gently while holding wine glasses in both hands.

It was definitely formal wear that the Empress Dowager had sent, custom-made to match mine.

‘This is just…. I’ve become a spectacle in a different sense.’

When Cessia stood beside me, I could see the young nobles around us glancing over.

While lovers might coordinate colors in advance, or agree to wear matching designs, it was rare to have a matching pair of outfits made.

‘Well, I did learn that this kind of thing was fashionable in the old days….’

But having even the gems on the accessories attached to each other’s clothes be the same type was still quite embarrassing.

“I’m feeling a bit shy somehow.”

“Hmm? Ah…. Haha, actually I feel a bit like that too. But well, I guess we should think of it as meaning the Imperial Court views us favorably.”

“True, when you put it that way, Mother and Bonita matched their color combinations too. I think it might be better to consider that we’re just a bit more flashy.”

I said that while looking at Lianna and Odette, who were making small talk with others over there.

Wearing a dress with pale mint and yellow subtly mixed together, Lianna was in the middle of introducing her daughter.

Unlike Lianna’s overflowing composure, Odette looked even more tense than when she was alone.

‘She hasn’t shown her face at all since the fire incident, so she must have gotten a severe scolding from her mother.’

Indeed, Odette had recently not shown herself even at the estate, to the point of being almost reclusive.

Except for occasionally attending family meals, she hadn’t engaged in any notable activities, so I could only guess that the plan had failed and she’d received some sharp criticism.

“Oh, want to have a drink together? I did bring one for you too.”

I stared intently at the glass Cessia offered me.

Red enough. Red enough that I wouldn’t notice even if poison were added.

Instead of answering him as he asked if this much would be okay since I’d had my coming-of-age ceremony, I took his glass as well and smiled brightly.

“I want to drink with just the two of us.”

“…Huh?”

“Let’s move somewhere else. It’s too noisy here too.”

“….”

“And I still have something left to properly answer you about, Fordicus, don’t I?”

When I subtly suggested a secret meeting, Cessia’s expression visibly froze for a moment.

Damn, didn’t he like it when I was too obvious?

Even though I had spoken casually, my heart was pounding so loudly like a drum that I couldn’t focus at all.

If Cessia hadn’t looked around once and then nodded his agreement, I would have had to make another awkward proposal.

“Then I’ll go ahead first. The west corridor, you know it?”

“Yeah, I got it.”

With my heart pounding, I quickly turned around and left the hall.

Behind the corridor I mentioned was a small private room attached to it, and they say that even if somewhat noisy sounds come from there, they can’t be heard well from outside.

According to Sing, it’s a place where real lovers enjoy their secret meetings, well I’ll be.

From now on, many lovers won’t be able to spend time there anymore. I was having such trivial thoughts.

【Rosette.】

I nearly dropped my wine glass because Sing suddenly grabbed my forearm to stop me.

“What, what is it?”

【Come this way.】

“Huh?”

Whether the path to the corridor was wrong, Sing leisurely dragged me somewhere.

It probably wouldn’t make much difference if I went that way either, but I decided to just entrust myself to this guy who seemed to know the Imperial Palace better than I did.

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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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