Mad Rosetta - Chapter 92

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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 92
The Parched Land (8)
Wasn’t his persistence almost excessively stubborn?
“If you do, I will become a child who has lost not only my mother but my father as well.”
Faced with the King who showed no sign of accepting my opinion, I glared at him.
“Your Majesty, I understand well enough that you are concerned for my safety. And as for what you think of my father… I cannot say I fail to comprehend it.”
“…”
“Which is precisely why I will not leave my father’s side.”
When the anniversary approaches, my pitiful father enters my mother’s room alone and spends his time there.
Though I know not what he does within, the sight of him unable to show even his longing for the sake of the family’s peace was enough to make my heart ache.
Setting aside all of that, I could not bear to be robbed of the time I could spend with my father.
“…At least twice a year.”
“Your Majesty?”
“Promise me that you will come to see Hazard at least twice a year. If you do, I will not raise this matter again.”
“…Would it not be best if you saw and judged for yourself? I promise you, I will do as you ask.”
“…Tsk. Your stubbornness is truly relentless. I wonder whose child you are, honestly.”
…Could it be yours?
Though he pursed his lips in displeasure, I knew well enough whom he was seeing through me.
Was he not a man who had spent his entire life practicing the saying that no parent is ever surpassed by their child?
Yet his withdrawal of the demand that I entrust myself to the Kingdom, and his willingness to resume relations with Benatra, meant nothing less than his acceptance.
And so I smiled with ease.
“Then, since you have resolved to maintain this bond…”
“Hmm?”
“…Would you call me Rosette, Grandfather?”
The old man’s face, as he turned his gaze away in embarrassment, was not worth seeing.
* * *
We passed stone towers carved in fragments and massive tombs of their own.
I could feel the dry desert wind from the sands far removed from the Kingdom.
The stones, rounded like flower buds and stacked in layers, revealed the deeds of a lifetime according to their scale.
At the center of the tomb, two great hands carved with grace signified a return to the bosom of the Goddess.
Terkikan Royal Cemetery.
The only place where those who could leave the sacred touch of Taran were laid to rest.
I stopped walking, following behind Grandfather.
⌜On the night the Goddess comes. In the embrace of sand and stars, beyond Tabena Ariela Terkikan.⌟
Then at last the inscription at the top of the stone gate of the tomb we sought came into clear view.
“…Hello, Mother.”
It was my mother’s tomb.
‘I thought it would be desolate… but it’s more verdant than I expected.’
The roughness of the intricately carved stone soon transformed into majesty, yet despite this, the lush greenery surrounding the tomb breathed life into it.
A tomb was erected in the Homeland’s royal cemetery for the Princess who had become an Imperial citizen.
It was a declaration that she would not be accepted as one of the Duke’s House.
That fact still left a bitter taste in my mouth.
The hollow feeling of wondering what any of it mattered now offset the turmoil I’d carried before arriving here.
“It has been a long time, Lady.”
“….”
“I never dreamed of a reunion like this, but seeing you again, even in this way, brings me peace.”
Watching his face, where traces of old emotions were layered thick upon thick, I deliberately composed myself into a serene expression.
My Grandfather seemed to be stepping back, slowly moving away from the tomb. Later, he simply stood there, watching over us.
Eyes closed, kneeling.
Bowing my head until my forehead touched the earth.
It was the Terkikan custom of ritual observance, different from the Empire’s practice of sending off the deceased through prayer.
I could not enter into the tomb itself.
Except during the ritual ceremony, it was Terkikan custom not to disturb the peace of the dead.
“That day….”
“….”
“That day, the harsh words I spoke have weighed on my heart ever since.”
“….”
“I resented it for so long. That I did not grant the Lady’s request…. I have harbored much regret.”
Sing laid bare his heart slowly, as if in confession.
His eyes, which had wavered between hesitation and resignation, suddenly trembled as he struggled to speak.
Whether what dwelt within them was apology or longing, I could not discern.
I turned my gaze away because his self-deprecating, faint smile was painful to witness.
“You once told me, if I wished to win your daughter’s heart, I would need to exert considerable effort.”
“….”
“Yet regrettably, the Lady’s daughter possessed such generosity of spirit…. She extended her embrace even to one who had become wretched. It is truly lamentable.”
…When had we even had such a conversation?
Now that I thought about it, I had heard that I once met my mother in the Imperial Palace Gardens while she was with child.
During my stay at the Montague Marquis Estate, I seemed to have heard a similar story.
“Upon reflection…. Perhaps the Lady was not refusing indirectly that day. To bind a member of the Imperial Family, destined one day for the throne, to your precious daughter…. The worry alone must have been unbearable.”
“….”
“But what can be done? I am but the offspring of one who was blinded by a dead woman, abandoned my duties, and was quick to envy women of greater worth.”
“….”
“Born with a impoverished heart, if it could only be filled, I would be a vulgar creature capable of endless greed. Please, accept this.”
A dry wind blew in rhythm with his bitter smile.
“It seems you are unwilling to accept it,” he said this time with an awkward laugh.
The wind was so warm, I thought it could not mean such a thing.
‘If he looks more melancholy than I do, how am I supposed to console him….’
It is said that since ancient times, when Terkikan royalty pass away, there is a sacred verse recited in the final ceremony of the funeral.
「Desert, O Goddess. Eternal rest on the path to forever.
This wanderer offers sincere blessings.
May the desert winds carry you without leaving a single footprint, and may your wishes guide the departed soul.
Thus, at last, come to this land of Terkikan.”
“Your path forward…. I’m sorry for burdening you with my weight.”
“….”
“Forgive me, my lady….”
Emotions like sediment could only be resolved by releasing them.
I could only pray that his sordid attachment would not linger so pathetically.
Even if it stagnated like muddy water for a time, may it dry completely in the scorching heat of this land, forgetting the dampness that clung to it.
And when the moment comes to set foot on this earth again, may you no longer weep in silence.
I, too, could only recite this prayer with all my heart.
* * *
As we passed between the stone pillars arranged at regular intervals, the Corridor Hall standing at the entrance of the royal cemetery revealed itself.
Though the exterior of the building, as if molded from yellow clay, appeared serene, the interior was the epitome of splendor.
The ash-gray stone floor laid with meticulous and exquisite craftsmanship was testament to this, as were the masterpieces and gold-leaf decorations adorning the inner walls, making it difficult to know where to look.
“…What did you just say?”
I had just entered the Corridor Hall with Grandfather and two others, following him as he said he had something to tell us.
“That Youngsik can be brought back to life.”
“…What.”
“Not the owner of that body. I mean Arkanis, who stands plainly at your side.”
I had heard a possibility I had never dared to imagine.
Even as Grandfather spoke, his expression was clouded with doubt—as if he wasn’t sure he should be saying such a thing.
‘…I don’t understand what you’re saying. Sing can be brought back to life? How?’
It had been over eleven years since his death.
Even returning to the past, that was eight years ago.
Taran’s power could only twist death, not be used on those who were completely dead, or so I had been told.
“Ah, please tell me.”
“….”
“How exactly…. Please tell me, Grandfather. Yes?”
Words that were utterly incomprehensible.
Or rather, it would be more accurate to say I couldn’t accept them.
But I was not composed enough to dwell on such things.
As I urged him impatiently, Grandfather made a creaking sound and adjusted the sacred object hanging around his neck.
“Do you remember when I explained the sacred object to you on the day you arrived at the Royal Palace?”
“…Its divine properties?”
The breath of time…. What was it called.
Still, I remembered that it allowed one to see all things with the eyes of a god.
That was how I had quickly discerned Sing’s existence occupying Cessia’s body.
“…Long, long ago, there was once a king who used this to resurrect the dead. It is said he used it for a young princess who died from a congenital illness. This is recorded even in the sacred texts.”
“…You can bring the dead back to life?”
“But the Princess was revived only to die again shortly after. Do you know why?”
“….”
“Rosetta, you said you returned to the past as death approached you.”
“Yes, yes. Certainly….”
“The sacred relic restores a corpse to its past state. Thus, the young Princess could only face death again while still bearing her sickly body.”
That was what it meant to carry the breath of time.
Grandfather’s gaze, having spoken thus, fixed upon Sing sitting beside me.
My heart raced with an intensity I could not contain.

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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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