Chapter Twenty-Six #3
Maxi pressed her lips together. She could not bring herself to finish the sentence.
With a disdainful scoff, Rosetta said, “Yes. Unlike you, I was never beaten.”
The contempt in her voice made Maxi’s face burn. Yet Rosetta did not laugh at her expense. After gazing down at the dried grass on the flower bed with a forlorn expression, Rosetta said wryly, “The year I turned ten, Father made me watch as he whipped you.”
Maxi was stunned. “Th-That’s not possible. H-He never struck me…w-with you in the room.”
“The room with the mirror…had a small partition on one side. Father opened it…and made me watch.”
It felt like all the air in Maxi’s lungs had been squeezed out.
Her sister had seen her being beaten like a beast. She covered her mouth with a trembling hand, humiliation washing over her.
Though she had assumed that Rosetta undoubtedly knew of their father’s treatment of her, she had never once thought that her sister would have personally witnessed her crawling on the floor, broken and bleeding.
Rosetta watched with a vacant expression as Maxi staggered from the shock.
“Father wanted to show me the fate that awaited those he deemed useless. He called me to the adjacent room whenever you were punished,” she continued, her voice void of any emotion.
“And as he intended, watching you being whipped like an animal terrified me. I had nightmares every night. I thought that I would get the same beating if I failed to be perfect. That next time, it could be me being summoned to that room. Father had no purpose for useless beings. I…made every effort to meet his expectations. I never once let my guard down.”
Her lips twisted into a strange smile. “In retrospect, he might have punished you more harshly to set an example for me. So I would never dare to disobey or rebel against him…”
Maxi racked her brain to remember a ten-year-old Rosetta, but her memories felt shrouded in mist. The image imprinted in her mind was of a perpetually beautiful, perfect, and haughty Rosetta. And yet Rosetta had also been a defenseless child desperately trying to protect herself.
The moment the realization hit, Maxi was able to see her sister as clearly as though a veil had lifted. The delicate frame, the forlorn eyes…Standing before her was a young girl three months shy of nineteen.
“I have witnessed all the torment you were made to suffer,” Rosetta murmured. “I know how your spirit was crushed…. I know how powerless women are, and how cruel and heartless men can be….”
Her sister’s voice felt like a faraway echo. After glancing up at the sky, Rosetta lowered her gaze once more.
“I know I’ll never be able to truly love someone, nor will I be able to trust completely,” she said dully.
“It would be impossible even if I wanted to. Something in my heart prevents it, like it’s broken.
I doubt, test, and eventually push away all who approach me.
If I’m like this…how much worse must it be for you? ”
“I-I…”
Maxi staggered as if she had been forced into a corner. She looked down at the ground as her face crumpled. Their shadows stretched out from their feet, tall and scraggy, like dead trees. A chill crawled down her spine.
Rosetta spoke again, this time with the graveness of delivering a prophecy. “It can never work out. Your relationship will eventually fall apart.”
“Y-You’re wrong. I am…different from you.” Maxi’s words sounded unsure even to her own ears.
“You were unable to trust that man when it truly mattered,” Rosetta blandly pointed out, “and you will continue to do so. Whenever your heart grows weak, you will be plagued with doubts. We are twisted that way.”
“I-I…” A needle-like sting scratched at Maxi’s throat. Resistance to the future her sister painted came surging up from the depths of her heart, and she clutched at her skirt. “I-I am…going to change.”
She spoke with conviction, as if to pour out and lay bare this defiant feeling inside her. Rosetta’s gloomy eyes told her that she thought it was an impossible feat.
Maxi squeezed her eyes shut. “I am going to change!”
A fierce gust blew past, rustling the dried leaves still clinging to the trees.
After quietly watching the shaking branches, Rosetta muttered skeptically, “Then I wish you luck.”
Maxi and Rosetta returned to the great hall where the delegation was already making preparations to leave. Seeing their guests, who had traveled a great distance, being forced back on the road without proper rest made Maxi feel terrible.
Ignoring Riftan’s insistence that she should not mind them, Maxi went out to the castle gate with the servants to see them off. She was upset at the princess for threatening Riftan, but that did not mean she could throw the royal delegation out so coldly.
“You don’t have to look so apologetic,” said Princess Agnes. “We were planning on leaving immediately anyway. We intend to stay a night in Earl Loverne’s estate, then proceed to Croyso Castle. We should let the duke know that Riftan has withdrawn his declaration of war as soon as possible.”
A faint smile tugged at the princess’s lips as she gazed down at a clearly uncomfortable Maxi. “I don’t know what happened, but the duke must have made a grave mistake for Riftan to be like this. I hope you will forgive me for not being able to take Anatol’s side.”
Maxi cast her eyes down and muttered stiffly, “Y-You need not apologize, Your Highness. I understand…the royal family’s stance.”
Though she was disappointed by the princess’s business-like manner, in the end, it was entirely Maxi’s own fault that things had come to this.
If she had not followed her father that day, there would have been no reason for the princess to travel all over Wedon to act as mediator.
Maxi was so guilt-ridden that she could not look up.
“Please…b-be careful. I wish you…a safe journey.”
“Thank you for seeing us off. I was…” The ever-dignified princess hesitated before continuing awkwardly, “…reassured when I saw you in good health today. I know there is much I need to apologize to you for.”
Flustered, Maxi waved her hands. “N-Not at all, Your Highness.”
The princess adamantly shook her head. “I’m afraid I’ve been thoughtless. I’m sorry you had to find out in the worst possible way. But the duke was wrong when he said everyone in Drachium Palace was talking about it. That man blew it out of proportion.”
Maxi stiffened when she realized that the princess was referring to the gossip surrounding Maxi’s miscarriage.
“Of course,” Princess Agnes added quickly, “I’m not trying to defend the king’s actions. He shouldn’t have used the issue to mock the duke. That was not right. Please allow me to apologize on His Majesty’s behalf. If you ever need my help, do not hesitate to let me know.”
After dumbly staring at the princess’s solemn face, Maxi turned her gaze to Rosetta. Her sister had her back to them as though uninterested in listening to their conversation. Should she inform the princess of her father’s plans now?
After briefly debating the matter in her head, Maxi cautiously opened her mouth. “If, in the future…th-the Duke of Croyso…tries to threaten Anatol…p-please intervene as earnestly as you have today. I ask…only that.”
The princess must not have thought that Maxi would so publicly take Riftan’s side. She looked a little surprised before giving Maxi a resolute nod. “You needn’t worry about that. If the king does not take action, I will take it upon myself to stop him.”
Maxi grew solemn. “Th-Then it’s true…that His Majesty is more partial…to the Duke of Croyso than to Riftan.”
The princess faltered before admitting, “If I’m being honest, then yes, that is the case.
His Majesty wishes to keep Riftan close, but only so he can flaunt his reincarnation of Rosem Wigrew to the other kingdoms. Since war is currently prohibited by the Armistice of the Seven Kingdoms, the power of the Remdragon Knights serves no purpose other than exterminating monsters and settling disputes. ”
Maxi’s face fell at the princess’s impersonal statement. Before she could say anything, however, Princess Agnes began speaking again.
“But the tables will turn in a couple of years. Anatol has expanded so much since last spring that it’s practically unrecognizable.
If it continues to flourish at this rate, it will soon be the biggest trade city connecting the Western Continent to the south.
Even the Duke of Croyso or the royal family would have to think twice before offending Anatol. ”
“B-Be that as it may…you’re saying th-that is not the case at present.”
A bitter smile formed on the princess’s lips at Maxi’s barbed retort. “His Majesty will change his opinion. As soon as I return to Drachium Palace, I shall inform him of how valuable Anatol has become.”
Maxi suppressed a sigh. It would be useless to expect anything more from the princess. She was, after all, a member of the royal family. She could turn her back on Riftan at any moment if he were ever to threaten their interests.
An odd sense of disappointment engulfed her as she watched the delegation leave. Though she was relieved that war had been averted, thinking of what was to come made it difficult to be completely at ease.
Maxi trudged into the great hall and crossed paths with Rodrigo, who was descending the stairs with an armful of linen. He rushed over as soon as he spotted her.
“You mustn’t move around so much, my lady. You have only just regained your health. His lordship has made it clear that I am to immediately escort you back to your room upon your return.”
Unable to argue against the steward’s insistence, Maxi made her way toward the staircase and glanced about. “I-Is Riftan…in our chambers?”
Rodrigo shook his head. “His lordship has gone to the training grounds with the knights.”