Mad Rosetta - Chapter 93

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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 93
The Parched Land (9)
“You were attacked and died.”
“…Yes, that’s correct.”
“Well then, that should suffice….”
As Grandfather adjusted his seated posture as if satisfied, a shadow briefly crossed his face.
“…You understand that a departed spirit cannot endure even three days, yes?”
“Yes. I’ve witnessed many souls vanish in mere hours.”
“Sacred relics can resurrect corpses, but they cannot bring souls back from the afterlife, or so they say. Yet you—whether by fortune or fate—have maintained your spectral form through your connection with Taran, so it’s certainly worth attempting.”
“….”
“Above all, this is something only a descendant of the Terikan Royal Family could dare wear. So, Rosette.”
“…Yes?”
“Isn’t it providence itself that you stand beside him?”
A sacred relic that only the royal bloodline could wield.
It meant I, too, could use it—having inherited Mother’s blood.
‘…What do I do.’
My nose stung as though I might burst into tears at any moment, so I merely clenched the fabric of my dress at my thigh.
I could resurrect Sing. The instant that thought crossed my mind, I could not help but remember Mother.
Even if I had possessed the sacred relic on the day Mother passed away.
Even if Grandfather had been at my side, Mother could never have been brought back.
‘At that time, I didn’t even know Taran had been passed down to Sing….’
The moment the goddess-blessed Princess perished, the sacred relic’s power would have become unusable—I had resigned myself to that truth.
The more I dwelt on it, the more hollow her death seemed.
“Remember this: you must prepare to attempt it before Taran falls asleep.”
“…Is it truly acceptable to use something so precious on an Imperial subject? Taran is merciless to anyone not of her own people.”
“….”
“She despises me. She torments me every night until blood seeps from my ears.”
Sing posed the question flatly, like pouring cold water over a moment of profound emotion.
‘She’s offering to save you, and here you are questioning it. Has she lost her mind?’
I laughed awkwardly, startled by her words.
“Taran dislikes everyone except the Princess of Terkikan.”
But Grandfather’s immediate response left me utterly bewildered.
“So your delusion that she alone dislikes you borders on arrogance…. It would be wise to abandon such thoughts.”
Unlike Grandfather’s solemn tone, I simply sat in silence, uncertain how to respond.
What…. He speaks of being despised himself, yet with such gravity.
Was he dissatisfied because Sing’s attitude remained ambiguous, even after he had made the effort to lend the sacred relic?
Grandfather spoke in a voice tinged with displeasure.
“I cannot simply stand by and do nothing regarding one who made such confessions before my daughter’s grave. Especially when you say it was this person who saved Rosette….”
“….”
“For the pride of Terkikan, which owes nothing to anyone.”
Grandfather leaned back against the chair as if he had said all he needed to say.
Why bother with forced pretenses?
We simply bowed our heads with grateful hearts.
We could survive. We could live on.
I could see a future with Sing.
* * *
“You’re not going to drink, are you?”
“If you wish it, I could certainly have some.”
“…Never mind, just sit there.”
He always refused in such an infuriating way.
I poured the liquor with an indifferent expression.
After returning from Neung Garden, we had set up a modest drinking table in the Dining Hall of the Palace where we were staying.
We had successfully withdrawn the petition for refuge, and unexpectedly, I could now envision a future with Sing—it was a celebration of sorts.
‘I did consider drinking in my Reception Room, but… it’s better not to give anyone grounds for gossip.’
With only the two of us and all the attendants dismissed, the vast Dining Hall felt eerily empty.
Yet whether in the Empire or here, an unmarried man and woman sharing the same room at night carried implications, so this precaution was necessary to prevent scandal.
“This appears to be Terkikan liquor I’ve never encountered before.”
“What was it called… Sarha, I think? They said it contained dates and figs.”
I said this while carefully reading the description written on the golden-hued bottle.
It seemed to be a distilled spirit with numerous ingredients—fermented herbs and such.
If figs were an ingredient, it should be sweet.
I didn’t understand why the attendant had prepared such a tiny glass, so I tossed the liquor into my mouth.
“…Ugh!”
“Wh-what is this! What is it! Should I spit it out? Vomit?”
“Kgh…”
Sing shot up so frantically that his chair toppled backward with a crash.
Then he held both his palms out toward me.
Now I understood why they had brought such a small glass.
“Damn it, why is it so bitter?”
“Let me fetch you a different drink.”
“Ah, wait a moment…”
When I grabbed the hem of his robe as he tried to leave the Dining Hall, I felt his gaze turn toward me with a questioning look.
Now that I thought about it, this was the first drink I’d had since returning to the past.
Perhaps because of that? Though the initial swallow was certainly hot and bitter, as I smacked my lips, the aftertaste was strangely sweet.
“…It’s not entirely unpleasant, actually.”
“…You’ve become quite the drinker.”
“You know it looks suspicious when you say things like that, right?”
“If it helps with your self-control, I could provide as much as you’d like.”
That infuriating bastard.
They say moderate drinking brings joy to body and mind.
But everyone Sing knew was an addict incapable of moderation, so I couldn’t argue the point.
He settled back into his seat, and I was forced to sip reluctantly from a small glass.
“It’s strange—now that I’m leaving this place, I find myself feeling a bit nostalgic. I’ve grown more attached than I expected.”
“I imagine Hazard will miss you terribly. I never thought you two would get along so well.”
“I’d like to ask why, but… it’s laughable how little I can say in response. It’s true I showed little interest at first.”
After all, this was the man who’d met the young Princess Julia and offered nothing but a curt “small” before moving on.
Looking back now, perhaps his dry assessment stemmed simply from the fact that she was Jeremiah’s child.
Meanwhile, Sing had spent far more time with Hazard than I had.
With our departure for the Empire set for two days hence, both of them must have been feeling quite wistful.
“It seems coming here was worthwhile in many ways.”
“Darling, you’re smiling far too greedily right now.”
“What can I do? It shows, and there’s no helping it.”
The withdrawal of my claim, the sacred relic, Grandfather’s affection(?), and more besides.
What I’d gained this time was more than enough to bring a smile to my lips.
– “Hazard tells me you’ve taken quite an interest in Memoraph.”
– “Pardon? Ah, well… it’s a fascinating object.”
– “If you wish, I’ll have a couple sent along with you on your journey. Though you’ll need to swear certain oaths first.”
– “…Grandfather.”
– “Mm.”
– “Where is Hazard right now?”
How could I not smile when being offered Memoraph as a gift?
When I’d heard this news on the way back from Neung Garden, I’d wanted nothing more than to rush to Hazard and shower her with kisses.
Of course, I couldn’t visit her immediately since she was in lessons at her own palace.
In any case, I now possessed something that could serve as concrete evidence.
All that remained was to await the results of what I’d requested from Marmint by letter.
‘…The problem is finding a pretext to visit the Imperial Palace.’
More precisely, I had no justification to meet with Carina alone.
Even if I were to handle Father’s divorce proceedings myself, that would only result in meeting Jeremiah.
It wouldn’t provide an opportunity to see Carina.
From the moment we’d devised our plan to bring down the Empress Dowager and Jeremiah, there was one thing we’d deemed essential.
Making them confess their treason with their own mouths.
To reach that point, a private audience with the Empress Dowager was absolutely necessary.
‘Above all, I need to make certain she understands exactly whose hands Cessia’s body is in.’
As I imagined Sing dying once more, anger began to simmer within me.
To suppress it, I had to tap the rim of my glass with my fingernail.
Even if we depart for the Empire in two days, by the time we arrive, autumn’s social season will be drawing to a close.
Moreover, there are no scheduled Imperial Palace events.
But we have something we’ve been saving and setting aside for just such an occasion, don’t we?
“Sing.”
“Yes, darling.”
I flashed him a brilliantly clear smile.
“Let’s break off the engagement when we return.”
It would serve as the perfect justification to summon the illegitimate child he so carefully raised and nurtured, along with his betrothed.
Such a sweet parting it was.
I was confident I could do this a hundred times over.

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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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