Mad Rosetta - Chapter 8

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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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Rosetta Gone Mad

Episode 8

The Obedient Child Knows No Punishment (4)

Odette’s fifteenth birthday falls in Spring.

Soon enough, she too would undergo her Debut Tante alongside the other Princesses.

Princesses who, for various reasons, forgone their Debut Tante would either hold a modest ceremony within their Household, or announce their entry into society through the Ball held the following Spring.

I distinctly recalled Odette approaching me around this time, asking, “Father is far too occupied, and the Knights of Benitra still frighten me. How I wish I had someone as dependable as you, Cessia, to rely upon—whatever shall I do?”

– “Of course not. Our Bonita mustn’t find herself in such a predicament. I’ll have Cessia escort you without fail!”

…My own foolish past as well.

Odette possessed a truly exceptional talent for making people move precisely as she desired.

That day was likely shortly after Odette’s visit, when I had been taking an afternoon nap and my head ached so terribly that I destroyed several pieces of furniture.

Perhaps because of that, my mind felt momentarily refreshed, allowing me to greet her with genuine kindness.

‘Come to think of it, it was Odette who filled my Room with Panilnia. She’s also the one I’ve struck most often and hurled the foulest curses upon….’

While it was undeniable that this solidified the social perception of Odette as “that pitiable yet devoted younger sister who faithfully tends to her elder despite mistreatment,” I found myself thinking anew—how ruthless she truly was.

“I should attend this Feast as well.”

【Suddenly?】

As I smiled wickedly at the thought of ruining Odette’s one and only Debut Tante, Sing rebuked me, saying my expression was so terrifying that I ought not smile like that.

What was wrong with my smile?

Father himself had gone so far as to say that whenever I smiled, he regretted not having our Coco as his daughter instead, and that not even His Imperial Majesty the Emperor could be as happy as he would be then!

“I shall go and do to Odette exactly as she has done to me. I’ll feign misunderstanding, pretend to be pitiful, and act as though I’ve lived under the thumb of Lianna and Odette, unable to assert myself!”

【Well, well.】

“If I do so, perhaps I can reclaim my former elegant and pitifully innocent appearance.”

【Hmm, Rosette? Darling?】

“Enough. Close your mouth.”

【Have you not looked in a mirror?】

“I said, close it!”

As I huffed indignantly and made a spitting gesture like some vagrant threatening others in a shadowy alley, Sing burst into laughter.

What was it that always delighted him so? Sometimes I wondered if he had become a ghost not from lingering resentment, but rather because he’d simply wandered out for a brief glimpse of the human world.

When his incessant chuckling grew tiresome and I commanded him to cease, he pretended to wipe his eyes, claiming he might weep from laughter.

How audacious of him—a being without eyes—to carry on so.

【Ah, I’ve laughed myself silly.】

“You certainly have overdone it.”

When I replied curtly, Sing chuckled softly and took hold of my hair, twisting it between his fingers.

The dark strands grew frizzy beneath his translucent fingertips before settling back down.

【Do not sulk so. Innocent, pure-hearted, and all such descriptors—I meant only that you are beautiful enough without them.】

The wretch, who had been toying with another’s hair, now coaxed me gently as one might soothe a petulant child.

Perhaps it was the unwarranted softness in his voice that made me tense involuntarily.

Or perhaps it was those mischievous fingers, smoothing and brushing and twisting the loose strands of my hair.

【The Ball… now that I think of it, Fordicus did seem to frequent such gatherings around this time.】

He nodded a few times, as though recalling Cessia’s former self.

Since when had I been following Cessia around and watching over him? He was a lingering ghost—one that had remained all too thoroughly.

I vowed silently that I would bring them to a miserable end, but I would never become a ghost like that.

“Well, Odette kept taking Cessia as her partner several times even after the Debut Tante.”

【…Your fiancé gallivants about with other women all over the place, yet my darling remains remarkably composed?】

Whether Sing was asking out of bewilderment or mocking me, I couldn’t discern his true intent.

I’m not sure if something was wrong with me, but I had never truly entertained the thought that what I possessed could be taken from me.

Of course, Cessia was among those things I possessed, so I responded with indifference.

“Well, Cessia was my fiancé, so wasn’t it only natural? He said he loved me, so I believed he would have no reason to dally with others. Especially when the person accompanying him was my own younger sister…. Where exactly could there be a problem?”

【….】

“I’ve certainly seen some people fawning over Cessia, as if trying to spit on an apple they could never taste. Ha! It only meant that what I possessed was desirable enough for others to covet as well, which made me quite proud.”

Jealousy and such nonsense—it was all utterly pointless.

He was mine, after all. Moreover, we were bound by law, so naturally he wouldn’t do anything improper, as that would be morally unclean, wouldn’t it?

I died before even reaching nineteen years of age, but I had lived my entire life with such a mindset.

【Darling.】

There he went again, wielding that three-inch tongue of his to turn my insides upside down.

I tried to order him to shut that mouth of his once more, but I couldn’t.

【How can you be so innocent….】

My vision darkened, obscured by Sing’s chest.

My heart raced violently at his unexpected gesture—suddenly cradling my head and stroking it tenderly.

What in the world was this madman doing?

“Get away from me!”

I shoved Sing with enough force to send a sharp crack through the air, and he tumbled right out of his chair.

The chair remained perfectly still, as though no one had ever occupied it—a stark reminder that only I possessed the ability to touch and feel him.

【No, Rosette. Darling? Are you really unwell? Perhaps you should look into joining a wrestling tournament instead.】

“You absolute madman… How dare you lay hands on a lady’s body without permission?”

【Your face is turning red, darling.】

At his words, I felt my face ignite with heat all over again.

Fearing I might resemble a ripening crop left in the sun, I continued fanning myself frantically.

So my feigned illness was entirely transparent. He settled back into the chair beside me and apologized for startling me.

【I had no idea you were so sensitive to touch.】

“…Is that really necessary?”

【Ha, of course not.】

He went on to tease me relentlessly—promising to ask permission next time, insisting I could throw myself into his arms whenever I needed comfort—

I was busy swatting his non-existent mouth in reproach when Penny’s voice came from beyond the Doorway.

“Miss, it’s Penny. May I come in for a moment?”

What? Marahan couldn’t have already cleaned the Room.

I granted permission, and Penny approached with quiet footsteps, delivering her message with proper decorum.

“Miss Bonita requests an audience with you.”

“Damn it!”

“Pardon?”

A curse reflexively tumbled from my lips, and Penny flinched, her eyes darting toward me in alarm.

‘I’m sorry, kid. I just… can’t stand this.’

Whether it was the aftermath of being forced to drink water in the Dining Hall, or something else entirely, I couldn’t fathom any legitimate reason why Odette would seek me out now.

“Did she mention what she wanted?”

“Oh, well… she said that at breakfast, she may have upset the Lady’s mood…”

“I see.”

I understood the gist of it and nodded curtly.

She had undoubtedly performed every gesture of contrition imaginable toward Penny, who had suddenly become my shadow, all to accentuate the image of a dutiful younger sister concerned for her elder’s feelings.

‘She’s the one who was reprimanded, yet she works so diligently.’

I quickly granted Odette permission to enter, and Penny scurried out of the Study.

But when the door opened again and Odette stepped in alongside Penny.

I barely managed to suppress the urge to hurl my chair across the room.

“Sister, I’m here.”

Behold—the way she glided forward, a bouquet of flowers clasped in her hands, meant for me.

With each graceful step, her straight beige hair swayed with fluid elegance.

When her emerald eyes—inherited directly from her mother—crinkled in that radiant smile, everyone, myself included, had always praised her as though she were a forest sprite.

“…So what brings our dear Bonita to visit her sister?”

I forced the words through clenched teeth, determined not to betray myself, though my pronunciation came out slightly strained.

The moment my gaze fell upon the white-tipped flowers distinctive to Panilnia cradled in her arms, a searing pain suddenly flooded through my entire body.

If I killed Odette right now, would I finally be free from this agony? Then…

【Relax your grip a little, darling.】

I had been gripping the chair with such ferocious intensity.

Had Sing not placed his hand over mine, I would have surely become a vicious villainess who beat my Younger Sister to death with that very chair.

“I just… this morning, you seemed to be in a bad mood, so I was worried….”

Clutching the bouquet, she answered with a melancholic air, and anyone could see she was gauging my reaction.

Every time I encountered this side of Odette, I found it revolting—nearly unbearable.

Meanwhile, as if she despised being influenced by the fragrance, she always presented Panilnia to me wrapped so prettily.

“Oh, please accept this. I brought some flowers I thought you’d like.”

“…What am I to do? I’m afraid I cannot accept this.”

“Pardon?”

“I’ll graciously accept your sentiment, but why don’t you display those flowers in Bonita’s Room instead?”

I made every effort to smile as gently as possible.

Since I had never once refused a bouquet from her, Odette appeared quite taken aback.

Yes, don’t go fouling someone else’s space with your filth. Hang those wretched poisonous flowers all you like in your own Room.

As I merely watched Odette’s hand holding the bouquet hover awkwardly in the air, she withdrew it with an embarrassed smile.

“I’ve upset you, haven’t I? I shouldn’t have come to bother you….”

At how swiftly she transformed her expression, I inwardly offered her fervent applause.

‘Goodness, how does she manage such an act?’

Odette performed a masterful display—tears welling in her eyes as she forced a smile so as not to trouble me, a performance that wrung the hearts of all who witnessed it.

My nose stung so acutely that I seriously contemplated seeking out Father to suggest Odette pursue a career as a stage actress.

Penny, standing beside her, cast a pitying glance in Odette’s direction.

I found that look utterly repugnant, so I raised my hand without hesitation to break the tension.

“How pathetically weak you are….”

The moment I released my grip on the chair and lifted my hand, Odette squeezed her eyes shut.

It was the posture of one perpetually braced for a blow.

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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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