Mad Rosetta - Chapter 97

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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 97
A Noble Lady Must Possess Acting Skills as a Basic Accomplishment (4)
⟪Fiancé’s Affair Partner Is My Sister? …Shocked by Letter Leak⟫
⟪One Roof, Two Wives, Wandering Marquis Youngsik… Where Is Your Dignity⟫
“My goodness, the legendary libertine has arrived.”
“…For a man whose betrothed has been unfaithful, you seem rather cheerful, darling.”
“The headlines are all gems—what can we do about them?”
As I stepped into the reception room of my chambers, Sing, who had arrived first and was waiting, greeted me warmly.
After returning from the Academy.
The correspondence exchanged between Cessia and Odette had been leaked, and the scandal surrounding the three of us reached its crescendo.
Marquis Youngsik, who had committed adultery between the Benitra sisters, faced a torrent of condemnation.
Given how long the betrothal had lasted, the insulting remarks directed at Odette were equally vicious, and my mood could not help but soar.
“The sharp glares I encountered on the way here were something else entirely…. It felt as though I’d been struck by a blade several times over.”
“It’s been only a few days since the article broke—why did you rush here so desperately? Our people are incredibly sensitive these days.”
“Was my letter too brief?”
“Yes. ‘The Marquis is raging.’ It was short—far too short.”
When I replied coolly, Sing chuckled and rubbed his left cheek with the back of his hand.
“I’m late because I was trying to fade this bruise. His hand was quite forceful.”
“…The Marquis hit you?”
“Yes. He burst into the room and slapped my cheek without hesitation.”
It was the first time I’d seen Marquis Montague raise his hand against his own son.
The expression on Sing’s face as he spoke seemed utterly indifferent to the matter.
‘It would be awkward to ask if it hurt….’
After the letter incident.
According to Sing, Marquis Montague had been summoned to the Imperial Palace and, upon returning, had threatened to visit Benitra immediately.
I could infer that he had likely received quite the scolding from the Empress Dowager.
Thus, Marquis Montague was currently meeting with Father, while we, the parties involved, were passing the time in the reception room.
“Whether it’s foolishness or stupidity…. Father will have no reason to harbor resentment.”
“He’s probably trying to show the Empress Dowager that he made an effort. At the same time, he’ll attempt to minimize the compensation for his culpability however he can.”
“Surely Father will extract what’s rightfully owed?”
With so many signatures and documents exchanged over a single betrothal, how could an annulment ever be simple?
‘Besides, the reason is infidelity, isn’t it?’
Particularly in cases like this, where the fiancé’s disgrace and premarital relations became an issue, the documents multiplied considerably.
During negotiations between household heads, the compensation regarding breach of contract would be determined verbally through several rounds of mutual adjustment.
Once the negotiations concluded, documents regarding compensation would be exchanged along with the annulment decree.
Only after this complex process was barely completed could official approval be obtained from the Imperial Palace.
Unless one made it clear that there was not the slightest room for reconsidering the marriage, approval would not be easily granted.
‘Well, given that he had me meet with him alone… I should interpret this as an order to change my mind.’
Whether the pressure came from the Imperial Court or from Father.
Whether it was one side or both, within just two days, the official articles covering this ‘love letter incident’ had vanished without a trace.
But the gossip rags told a different story.
They published more sensational and eye-catching pieces, and the content was absolutely ridiculous.
‘What was it again—that Cessia and Odette had conspired together and staged my rescue from the lake?’
Some of the conspiracy theories were surprisingly convincing, and I found myself chuckling throughout my reading.
People’s vivid imaginations were working in my favor.
“Even with all this chaos now… if Father’s divorce becomes certain, things will truly explode.”
“That’s precisely why justification matters so much.”
“No matter how much we play the victim, we won’t escape the rumors that my engagement to Benatra is doomed anyway. Ugh, just thinking about it irritates me.”
“…Mm. It’s an undeniable fact, so I find it difficult to offer comfort.”
“It’s fine. All the noise and slander about our household will fade with time anyway.”
“Hmm?”
Speaking with anticipation, I withdrew a letter from beneath the table.
“She extended a personal invitation, after all.”
It was a letter that had arrived for me not long ago, bearing the unmistakable seal of the Imperial Palace.
And this time, it carried not the Empress’s signature, but the Empress Dowager’s.
Considering how it arrived within days of the love letters between Cessia and Odette being leaked—just as we had anticipated—it seemed she had been in quite a hurry.
Sing’s face brightened momentarily upon seeing it, but he quickly spoke in a grave tone tinged with anxiety.
“Still, I’m worried. Will you be alright alone?”
“We aligned our stories before returning to the Empire, so why are you like this now? Trust me. I’ll demonstrate the acting skills I learned so thoroughly from Odette.”
“I’d like to believe that your trembling hands right now are also part of the performance.”
“You talk too much.”
I set down the untouched tea with a sharp clink to show my displeasure, but Sing made no effort to hide his concern.
Should the Empress Dowager summon only one of us, I had already prepared everything I would say.
What, would she kill me?
…It was naive to think so casually, given that I was about to face someone with a history of murdering the Former Emperor, so I had to steel myself.
* * *
“The wind today is rather biting. I’ve prepared tea known for its warming properties, so please make yourself comfortable.”
“I am grateful for your consideration, Empress.”
“Lately, I’ve come to feel that my disposition shifts with each change of season. At the slightest breeze, when I see flowers wilt… but someday, everything will return to its rightful place.”
“…”
“Is that not so, Princess?”
When had she told me to make myself comfortable? She poured out questions without even giving me time to savor the fragrance. What on earth was her intention?
Thinking this, I glanced cautiously around the room.
‘I expected she would coax or persuade me gently somehow… but it seems she’s decided to apply pressure instead.’
From the moment I entered the Empress Dowager’s Palace reception room, I had sensed it—there were far too many palace attendants.
By a rough count, well over a dozen of them stood silently with bowed heads, present alongside us.
With so many ears listening.
A young princess would have been suffocated by the oppressive atmosphere, stammering and faltering before the conversation’s end.
‘She must be quite displeased with her son’s broken engagement.’
I scoffed inwardly at how tedious this all was.
Since the engagement dissolution hadn’t been officially declared, only the Montague Household was proceeding with the formalities.
But seeing the Empress Dowager come at me like this, it seemed she’d already heard from Marquis Montague that Benatra’s resolve to break the engagement was unwavering.
She appeared intent on pressuring me directly to extract some slip of the tongue about “attempting to preserve the marriage.”
‘Well, this atmosphere isn’t entirely unhelpful to me either.’
The table had been set; all that remained was to eat the meal graciously.
With the intention of meeting her expectations, I deliberately glanced around as if gauging the mood, then opened my mouth with a melancholic air.
“Finding one’s place again… I truly hope that will be the case.”
“It certainly will be, Princess. When I was your age, I believed the same. That only what was righteous and just held true value. But sometimes that conviction left wounds in its wake.”
“How did you navigate through such times, Your Majesty?”
“I prioritized the greater good.”
“….”
“No matter how right something feels, how could it possibly matter more than the greater good? There is nothing worth preserving if one forgets balance, the continuity of one’s household, and one’s proper station.”
She certainly had a long tongue.
Contrary to her true intentions, I found my thoughts growing more tangled as I listened to the Empress Dowager’s sermon, and I bowed my head deeply.
Her gentle tone gradually grew weighted with each phrase, and finally she revealed what she truly wanted.
“You must find the reckless behavior of Youngsik regrettable. I won’t pretend to be ignorant of the misery you’ve endured.”
How interesting.
Of all people, the Empress Dowager dared to call a man who’d strayed with his betrothed’s own sister merely “reckless”—such favoritism made me lift my head sharply.
I’m not certain what my eyes conveyed, but when she closed her mouth momentarily and spoke again, her tone had become considerably softer.
She seemed to realize that offending my sensibilities would make it difficult to smoothly guide the situation toward what she desired.
“…What I mean is, I too have given this matter considerable thought—how we might resolve this trouble gracefully.”
“….”
“The betrothal between you and Youngsik carries value that transcends the mere union of two households, does it not?”
Watching Carina smile warmly, I laughed with a touch of bitterness.
It was merely groundwork for what she would say next, yet Carina seemed genuinely pleased by my response.
“But surely one who has forgotten their station must be shown the virtue of restraint.”
“…I beg your pardon?”
“Would it not be wise to eliminate the source of the shadow cast upon your face?”
She had brought up Odette herself.
I had to press my lips together to keep from breaking into a broad smile at this unexpected windfall.

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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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