Under the Oak Tree

Sighs of relief erupted from all sides for a while, but Riftan quickly added to his words.

“However, if the duke takes this matter to worse, it will be a different story. This is the only time that I will back down. If any advance comes from the duke’s side, I will not let it pass silently.”

“My father does not want his subjects to cause more discord. I made that clear even to the Duke of Croix.”

The princess intervened between them. “Don’t worry about that. The royal family will not tolerate disturbing the current order. The same is true for the Duke of Croix.”

The corner of Riftan’s lips rose to a grim smirk. “He agreed?”

Princess Agnes nodded firmly. “The Duke of Croix does not want to disrupt his relationship with the royal family. If Anatol takes a step back, even if a dispute arises with the duke later, the royal family will actively intervene.”

Riftan was not at all reassured. Rather, he twisted his mouth and rose from his seat as if in distress. Then, overwhelmed by the back-and-forth conversation, he stepped forward in front of the immobile Max and grabbed her arm.

“You have achieved what you wanted, so now there is nothing more to do. Please leave.”

“Ri-Riftan…”

Max looked at him with a bewildered expression, Riftan’s words were too rude for the king’s envoys.

Then, the bitter voice of the princess was heard. “I will leave as soon as the horses regain their stamina. Will you not allow us to stay until then?”

He looked at the princess for a moment, then turned and walked out into the hall. Max couldn’t say a proper goodbye as Riftan led her up the stairs. Then, she heard Rosetta’s voice from behind them.

“Wait.”

Riftan stopped in front of the stairs. Rosetta spoke as she walked slowly in front of him.

“Before I leave, I want to talk to my sister for a while.”

Max’s face hardened. She wondered what it was that she had to say. The presence of her younger sister approaching felt threatening like she was going to be crushed. As if feeling the tension flowing through her body, Riftan immediately blocked Max from Rosetta.

“What the hell do you want to talk about?”

“I just want to settle some things between us sisters.” Rosetta lifted her chin defiantly. “Are you worried that I might hurt her? Don’t worry. I want to get out of this castle unhurt.”

Her face burned at the sound of Rosetta’s sneer. She feared her little sister, so she couldn’t feel more pathetic seeing herself hiding behind Riftan. Max tugged at his robe as if to pull him back and stepped forward.

“Me, me too… I want to talk to her.” At her words, Riftan’s lips stiffened in repulse. Max added hastily. “Don’t wo-worry. Rosetta is…”

She tried to say something about her, but nothing occurred to her. Max looked at her younger sister’s face. Besides the fact of Rosetta’s beauty, there was not much she knew about her.

Seeing as Max couldn’t speak, Rosetta opened her mouth instead. “Will you walk me around the garden for a moment, sister? It’s too suffocating in here.”

She was displeased by how Rosetta looked around Calypse Castle with an uncomfortable expression, but she forced a smile and nodded. Riftan opened his lips as if to say something and reluctantly released her hand.

“… Don’t stay out too long. The wind is cold.”

He murmured in a low tone and looked at Rosetta with his cold eyes. She didn’t blink even upon his fierce gaze, which seemed to be fixed in not wanting to let go of her. Max smiled at him, meaning she was fine, and went downstairs with Rosetta. As they stepped outside, the intense autumn sunlight pierced her eyes like a needle. She looked at Rosetta’s pale hair shimmering in a muted silver color with a blurry gaze. Even in modest clothing, she was as beautiful as an angel, she was stunned without knowing it.

Her sister glanced at the knights who were following them and muttered. “I want to speak quietly between the two of us.”

Max felt a watchful gaze and turned her head to sir Karon. “Please leave us… for a m-moment.”

He looked at Rosetta with a cautious look, then nodded silently. “We’ll be waiting here. Please call us if any problem arises.”

When the knights retreated, they descended the stairs and crossed the golden garden. Despite the distance from the knights widening, Rosetta remained silent for a time.

‘What in the world does she want to talk about?’ Max was very nervous.

Rosetta barely opened her mouth when they reached the corner of the garden.

“Shortly after my sister left, the knights found father. It seems that he received healing magic just in time for him to survive.”

Max stiffened her entire body. Rosetta had a mean smile on her lips. “But his speaking became a little slurred, there must be some misalignment caused in his crushed jaw. It may be permanent damage.”

Confusion invaded her mind as Rosetta looked pleased with it. Max took a step back and looked at her like she was seeing a stranger.

“I, I… what are you thinking… I can’t understand you at all”

“Of course. You never tried to know anything about me.”

At her gruff tone, Max’s shoulders stiffened. Rosetta wiped the smile from her mouth and spoke bluntly.

“Don’t get me wrong, I don’t blame my sister for not paying attention to me. I didn’t ask to talk to you to merely get rid of those childish grievances.”

“T- then why…”

She paused for a moment, then continued calmly. “I think father is in close contact with the nobles. He probably doesn’t intend to pass this through quietly.”

Max felt the blood drain from her face. A dry breeze blew through their bodies. She hugged her cold forearms and let out a shaky voice.

“What in the w-world… is he going to do…”

“I do not know the details. Perhaps he was greatly shocked by what your husband did. For a time he even confined himself to his room, then he summoned his vassals and sent telegrams to various places. He is pretending to accept the royal warning, but I believe he’s planning something. Probably, as soon as my marriage commences, he will execute his plan.” Her lips twisted nervously but soon came back to a nonchalant expression as if she had nothing to do with it. “I’m just warning you. Father might see an opportunity, tell your husband to be prepared.”

“Ho-how come… why didn’t you sa-say this earlier? If so…”

“If so, the declaration of war would not have been withdrawn. It would be more advantageous for your husband if he oppresses father by force.” Rosetta spoke coldly. “But I don’t want the war to ruin this country. There are at least one or two people that I don’t want to get hurt either.”

“I, I don’t want war either… but…” Max swallowed dry saliva. She didn’t want Riftan to get in trouble too.

Rosetta asked suddenly, looking at her face, which was tired of her anxiety. “Are you in love with that man?”

The strange words that came out of her sister’s mouth caught her attention immediately. She did not know what the intention of that question was. When she didn’t say anything, there was a rather sharp smile on Rosetta’s mouth.

“It won’t work. It’s impossible for my sister.”

Something soared from within her from the assertive tone. She knew Rosetta was putting her down, but she was angry for telling her face to face that no one would love her. Max’s face became brilliantly red and she raised her voice.

“Ri-Riftan.. .saved m-me. Ever since, he has been…”

“It’s not that man that is the problem. The problem is my sister. I mean, it would be impossible for you to love other people.” Rosetta responded calmly and cruelly.

Max’s hands twitched like she was stabbed by a thorn, and then she shook her head like it was absurd. “What do you think you know… a-about me? You… don’t know anything about me. You’re saying I don’t know you? The s-same goes for you too…”

“I know you.”

At the assertive words, Max momentarily lost her voice. She couldn’t even guess how Rosetta had this conviction. They were never close for a moment. However, Rosetta spoke monotonously, as if she was seeing through every detail of her.

“I am probably the only one in the world who can understand my sister even at the slightest bit.”

“Do-don’t say nonsense.” Her absurd arrogance made her nervous. Max distorted her face and fiercely retorted. “How can y-you… understand m-me? You received all the support… you are loved… how can you say that you understand me? You don’t know, you don’t know anything…!”

“Loved?” Rosetta’s face was also coldly twisted. “Seriously, do you think it is possible for that man to love someone else?”

“Fa-father is p-proud of you…”

“Father considers me useful, he doesn’t love me.”

“Well at le-least you…!” Max, who was riled and raised her voice, could not answer and closed her mouth firmly.

Rosetta said a few words with ridiculous coldness. “Yes, I wasn’t beaten like my sister.”

Her face burned with contempt, but Rosetta wasn’t sneering at her. Her sister, who was looking at the flowerbed where the grass had died with a gloomy look, spat in a dry voice.

“The year I turned ten years old, father made me watch while he beat my sister.”

Max’s eyes widened in shock and embarrassment. “Th… that can’t be. W-where were you… that never happened.”

“In that room with a mirror… There was a small partition on one of the walls. Father opened it and… he made me watch while my sister was being beaten.”

She gasped as if all the air had escaped her lungs. Max covered her mouth with shaking hands. The feeling of contempt was triggered by the fact that he showed his little sister how he beat her like an animal. She thought that Rosetta would also know what kind of treatment she was receiving, but she didn’t think that she had seen everything, like how she was crawling across the floor in such a horrible way. Rosetta stared at her as she staggered in shock, her eyes dry.

“Father was trying to show me how he treated people who were not worth using. Whenever my sister was beaten, I was also called to be in the next room. And, as father had intended, I was terrified to see my sister being whipped like an animal. I suffered from nightmares every night. If I wasn’t perfect, I would be treated like you. The next time, I might be the one called to the mirrored room. A useless human being is worthless to father. I… I worked hard to meet father’s expectations. Since then, I haven’t dared to be lax even for a moment.” There was a suspicious smile on her lips. “When I think about it now, I wonder if he punished you even more severely to set an example for me to see. So that I can’t even dream of disobeying or rebelling…”

Max struggled to picture her ten-year-old sister in her head. Everything was hazy as if there was fog in her thoughts. Rosetta always had a beautiful, perfect, and arrogant appearance that was firmly engraved on her mind. However, it turned out that she was also just a helpless little girl who was desperate to protect herself. When she realized that, she saw her little sister clearly as if something had suddenly peeled off from her eyes. A slender body and devastated eyes… a delicate girl, who would turn 19 years old in three months, stood in front of her.

“I have observed all the sufferings of my sister. How the soul of my sister was crushed…how fragile a woman can be, and to what extent a man can become ruthless and cruel…” Her sister’s voice sounded like an echo. Rosetta looked up at the blue sky for a while and lowered her gaze again. “I will never truly love anyone in my life. It would be impossible for me to trust. I want to, but I can’t. There are brakes on the corner of my heart like it was broken. Every person who approaches is constantly suspected, tested, and eventually expelled. I’m like that… how about you sister?”

“I, I…”

Max staggered and her face twisted in confusion. At the end of her bewildered gaze, she could see their shadows hanging long and thin at her feet like bare, dead trees. Her spine felt numb. Then, Rosetta spoke her words again like a prophecy.

“It won’t work. Eventually, it will crumble.”

“I-It won’t. I… I’m different from you.” The words she barely spoke sounded too uncertain and precarious to her ears.

Rosetta refuted dryly. “My sister did not trust that man at a crucial moment, so it will be the same in the future. When the moment comes when your heart is tested, you will suspect him again. We have been twisted like that.”

“I, I…”

Her throat ached as if she had swallowed a needle. She tightened her hold on the hem of her dress. From the depths of her heart, a feeling of resentment against the future asserted by her younger sister arose. And then, she spoke as if forcing the words out.

“I… I will ch-change that.”

Rosetta wordlessly told her that it was impossible with her deeply sunken eyes. Max closed her eyes and screamed the same words.

“I will change that.”

Just then, a fierce wind struck and swept through their bodies. The dry leaves that hung from the branches rustled loudly. Rosetta, who silently looked towards the clamoring branches, murmured in a skeptical voice.

“… I wish you luck on that.”