Mad Rosetta - Chapter 81

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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 81

As Long as You Reach Your Destination, Any Path Will Do (3)

“W-well… Uh, um. Your Highness? No, that’s not right. Lady Selina? May I have a word?”

I asked with an awkward smile, and Selina, who looked extremely displeased, glared at me without any intention of relaxing her frown.

Well, I’ll take that as permission.

“First, you may not believe this, but… this Montague Youngsik here is His Majesty the Former Emperor who has passed away.”

“…Princess.”

“Yes.”

“Do you want to die?”

…No?

Before I could even respond, Selina, whose face had become incomparably colder than before, asked menacingly.

“You did this before too, and now the Princess seems desperate to have her head cut off for insulting the imperial family. How dare you mock my blood relative, and the Former Emperor at that?”

“No, what I meant was-“

“Even if you are from Benitra, didn’t you learn that insulting the imperial family is subject to summary execution? If dying is your wish, I could grant it right here and now.”

…Darling,

Just handle this yourself.

Intimidated by his flashing eyes, I slowly retreated the body I had leaned forward and stuck close to Sing’s side.

Eventually, Sing let out a low sigh and looked at Selina with a rather complicated expression.

“What she says is true, Selina. I, who died, have taken residence in Montague Youngsik’s body.”

“…These people-“

“When you were little.”

“…”

“So when you were four years old… Was it because Carina was away, or something. The Second Empress often brought you to banquets.”

His quiet voice resonated gently as if recalling the past.

Since it was a story related to Selina, Sing’s expression as he spoke while looking at her seemed quite sorrowful.

“The you I saw was so shy and always watched your mother, the Second Empress’s, reactions… I was quite concerned about that, but I couldn’t easily visit the palace for fear that the Second Empress might feel burdened.”

“…”

“Instead, though it’s not much to call it that. Didn’t I send you quite a few gifts that a young child like you would enjoy? Each time, only formal thank-you letters came back… One day, I heard that you particularly enjoyed geography lessons.”

“…”

“So I sent you a geography textbook based on navigation. Well, Selina, do you remember what you wrote in your letter?”

Selina’s eyes, filled with confusion, shook violently.

Seeing this, Sing smiled quite refreshingly and clearly.

“You said you would read it to the end and send me your thoughts.”

“…”

“My goodness. Until then, everything had been selected based on recommendations, like pretty dolls or dresses… If I had known you would like it so much, I should have chosen and sent things myself from the beginning. That’s what I thought.”

“…Unless you’ve gone mad.”

“Selina.”

“You want me to believe this ridiculous situation right now?”

“You didn’t attend my funeral.”

Selina’s eyes, which had been shaking helplessly with various emotions, filled only with guilt at his single remark.

Though Sing probably wanted to say ‘I understand your situation of having to hide your body due to your gender.’

‘…It seems better to give them some space.’

Indeed. Who would ever imagine that their deceased blood relative would be living in the form of a complete stranger?

It seemed Selina also needed time to sort through her confused emotions.

And at least I was someone who would hinder rather than help with that.

So when I stood up saying I hoped the two could comfortably catch up, Selina spoke with a face that looked ready to cry.

“Lanche. Escort the Princess to the waiting room.”

“Yes, then.”

…Surely she doesn’t mean I should stay with the person who just held a blade to my throat.

* * *

“…”

“…”

That was exactly what she meant.

It had been over an hour since I began sitting cozily alone with Lanche, or rather Lanche Muas as he was called, in the waiting room.

‘What should I ask first?’

Having quite a lot of curiosities, I mentally drew up a list of questions.

Though the man who had regarded Sing and me as dangerous individuals and drawn his sword at his master’s command seemed to be watching my reactions carefully.

Despite the communication difficulties, I was in a good mood since we had ultimately found Selina right before our eyes.

“…You are Princess Benitra, aren’t you? I committed a grave discourtesy earlier. I sincerely wish to apologize.”

“…Ah, well. It was bewildering, but given who the other party was, what could be done? I understand completely.”

“I can only be grateful for your generous understanding.”

“Since you say you sincerely apologize, I have a few things I’d like to ask.”

“…”

“You’ll answer generously, won’t you?”

When I asked with a bright smile, Duke Muas glanced uncomfortably at the tightly closed interview room door.

‘Where are you looking? Right now they’re obviously busy with a heartfelt family reunion.’

Though I had carefully examined his face, it was certain I had never seen him before, but I had heard of the Muas surname.

I remember there was the Muas Viscountcy among the vassal houses of Norvel County, which was the family home of Lirial Mia, the Second Empress from generations past and Selina’s mother.

Moreover, since Sing had mentioned his presence nearby, he seemed to be a knight who had served Selina for quite some time. He would have much to tell.

“First, Her High… no, Lady Selina is the founder of this place, isn’t she?”

“…Yes, that’s correct.”

Even if he looked at me wondering how I knew, I had no obligation to answer.

Somehow, now everything falls into place.

【Ar-Sel】 was a guild established only a few years ago.

As such, they would have strived to obtain high-quality information even for somewhat difficult requests to attract and retain customers, so it was quite strange that they kept mentioning refusal.

‘What proxy, she was the guild master.’

It would have been quite unpleasant to receive a request to ransack one’s own home.

I could understand why she questioned so thoroughly whenever I brought up requests related to the Imperial Palace that could earn a fortune.

‘Then the temple she devoted herself to must have been Agate Temple.’

I thought this while looking at the guild’s incredibly devout signboard.

If the place where she stayed with the Second Empress was Agate Temple in the Arsan region of the north, then naming the guild that way made sense too.

“By the way, Your High… Ahem, Lady Selina is remarkable. It hasn’t been that long since she left the Imperial Palace, yet she’s running a guild.”

“…It’s Lord Sergio.”

“…Pardon?”

“I thought it would be good for you to know.”

Perhaps sensing that I kept getting confused about the title, Duke Muas replied with a kind face.

Sergio. Sergio Ashe.

Mulling over his real name, I could guess how painfully the Second Empress had felt about her position.

The First Imperial Consort from the formidable House of Otran.

A woman chosen by the Emperor as a piece to check such a Carina.

Like others, if she was a princess of a generation that had directly faced and experienced Carina’s authority, she might have despaired of her palace life.

‘…Even if she wanted to be pushed out of the succession line, still. How scared must she have been?’

The law that women couldn’t have succession rights or become family heirs had long disappeared from history.

Yet the Empire still placed men in superior positions.

Moreover, with Sing’s existence as the early-named Crown Prince and Jeremiah as the eldest son.

Even though there was sufficient comfort to avoid succession struggles, the Second Empress’s disposition in disguising her child’s gender as female was not an exaggeration to call weak.

Above all, while hiding gender, any significant marriage arrangements or political moves would have been impossible…

My eyes naturally narrowed as it was difficult to easily dismiss the criticism that she intended not just to avoid but completely exclude imperial duties.

“Lord Sergio would have had no choice but to leave the Imperial Palace eventually.”

“Well, it was earlier than expected, but… I can’t deny it.”

“…That sounds like you’re saying there was a reason for it to come out unintentionally.”

At my words, he glanced around the tightly sealed interview room and said.

“Well, it’s because my identity as a man was discovered.”

“….”

“…By the current Empress.”

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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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