CH 2.15

Her mouth opened and closed as if in admiration. Then, after straightening her tilted head, she saw the back of Rosé’s head. Her dark brown hair, which had been neatly tied up, was slightly loose and covered her neck. It seemed like her head was messed up from carrying Flitta.

“Aren’t you uncomfortable, Princess?”

“… ”

Flitta stared at the back of Rosé’s head and shook her head. Oops, she quickly realized that Rosé couldn’t see her response so she opened her mouth.

“I’m not comfortable.”

“That’s fortunate. Aren’t you scared?”

“I am not afraid at all. I am not a child.”

To Rosé’s question, Flitta stretched out her chest and replied. Then she turned her head left and right to see the surrounding landscape.

“Wow….”

The child unknowingly exclaimed in admiration. As the level of eyes were of Rosé’s, the whole world was full of wonders. The sky has grown closer, and the trees have grown to the same height as her. Of course, the tree was still a little taller than her, though.

Flitta was excited and rocked her legs back and forth with Rosé on her back. Perhaps she felt the movement, Rosé hesitated, then laughed softly.

… That laugh was good.

Flitta stopped shaking her legs and carefully rubbed her face against the nape of Rosé’s neck. She emanated a faint scent of hers. It was a scent she could smell if she stood in the warm sunlight.

She was affectionate and warm.

‘… Is this what it feels like to have a mother?’

(TN: Aww, come on, Flitta, she is your mother. *Crying and sobbing right now*)

The child suddenly became curious about it. But she couldn’t know. Because she never had a mother. She was just vaguely imagining it.

“Rosé.”

“Yes?”

“… Hehe, I just called.”

Flitta laughed for nothing and she rubbed her nose against the back of Rosé’s neck. The wind blew softly as if playing with the child. The short road back to the Therapist’s quarters was as peaceful as it was for her.

Until she met the former Queen right in front of the building.

* * *

It was like a dream. Apart from the thought that she had to show the wound on the child’s knee to the therapist and treat it quickly, the warmth of the child on her back excited Rosé. If the wounds on the child’s body were serious, she would not have been able to relax like this.

‘Still, I need to get her be treated quickly.’

Rosé hurried her steps, suppressing the selfishness of wanting to keep the child on her back.

She doesn’t know how much emotions she felt when Flitta fell while running toward her. In addition, when she saw the child’s knee peeled and blood droplets formed, her whole body became numb. The wound on the child’s body was because no matter how light it was, it would remain a deep wound to the mother.

“Hehe…”

Meanwhile, Flitta kept bursting into laughter as if the wound on her knee wasn’t hurting. Rosé smiled as she felt the hips of the child she supported with her hands move.

It was a relief.

Because she doesn’t seem sick.

And because her child seems to be in a good mood.

It was the moment when Rosé once again raised the corner of her mouth and tried to enter the building. But before she could do so, a group of people came out of the building.

“…!”

Rosé’s expression hardened when she saw the person standing in front of them. Flitta, who was on her back, also raised her head, wondering what was going on, and then immediately shrugged her shoulders.

“What are you doing without being polite to Her Highness, Queen Seon?!”

Then, from behind the group, a middle-aged woman came out and fired a sharp shot at Rosé.

Rosé finally came to her senses and hurriedly lowered her gaze.

… The Queen Seon stood upright in front of her.

She was out of breath. At the same time, the words the Queen said to her that day lingered in her ears.

「 “Put this in the tea the Grand Duke is using.” 」

According to the Queen Seon’s orders, she did what she was supposed to do.

「 “Then the baby you gave birth to will live enjoy everything as a noble lineage of the king.” 」

She erased Haven’s memories with that and unwillingly and was forced to abandon Flitta, whom she had held in her womb for ten months. Neither as a wife nor as her mother did she do what she herself should have done. She had no choice but to make her own excuses and forsake her two loved ones.

The shock of Rosé’s confrontation with the former Queen made her head go blank and she was trembling. The woman who stopped her a moment ago opened her mouth again.

“Didn’t you hear…”

“It’s alright. You cannot force an ignorant into unintelligible etiquette.”

At that moment, the late queen cut off the woman and opened her mouth. It was a cold, arrogant voice.

… Not much different from then.

“Raise your head.”

「 “Raise your head.” 」

Her heart felt bitter. The voice of her past overshadowed the voice of the present. Rosé had to forcefully lift her head. And she met the gaze of the Sun Queen.

It was right after that that her golden eyes, which had been looking at her with bored eyes, were distorted.

“…?”

The former queen tilted her head with a slight frown. Rosé’s heart sank down, but she tried to pretend calm.

“Where did I see you… Ah, could it be Flitta?”

The former queen’s eyes looked up and down at Rosé, then moved to Flitta, who was on her back and couldn’t even breathe properly.

“Oh My God. Are you now on this maid’s back?”

Queen Seon spoke to Flitta with a smirk as if she was stunned. At the same time, interest in Rosé was completely withdrawn. She had no interest in giving the maid an honor in the first place.

“I… Rosé, I…put me down.”

Flitta didn’t know what to do, then whispered in Rosé’s ear. Rosé, who had been motionless like a frozen person in the middle of winter, hurriedly came to her senses at Flitta’s whisper, and carefully put Flitta down.

Rosé’s fingertips trembled as she touched the crumpled child’s dress while she was carrying her on her back.

Her heart was beating like crazy. Her whole body trembled, afraid that the former queen would recognize her and her child, or that she might notice her relationship with Flitta.

Rosé managed to calm her agitated feelings, straightened Flitta’s clothes, and took a step back.

“Qu… Greeting Your Royal Majesty, the Queen.”

And Flitta gathered her courage, bent and straightened her knees slightly, and was polite. Queen Seon watched the child tremble, and then, she kicked her tongue and opened her mouth.

“I’m afraid that someone might have seen that scene now. The princess walks around on the back of a lowly maid. What’s more, in a place where the late King’s Majesty was commemorated, what kind of frivolous behavior is this….”

“Fo, forgive….”

“This is why bloodlines cannot be faked.”

At the words the former Queen muttered in a lamentation tone, Flitta lowered her head and drooped her shoulders. Rosé stood behind her, biting her lip and looking at her child. The child’s narrow shoulders were shaking as if she was crying without making a sound.

Bloodline.

The humble blood Rosé gave to her child.

As a result, the wounds her child received pierced Rosé’s heart again.

“Guinters but has low blood mixed with it…”

“I’m sorry, but Your Royal Highness…”

Rosé intercepted Queen Seon’s words and opened her mouth. Everyone was stunned by Rosé’s behavior and widened their eyes. Their gaze was like that of a madman.

She, too, was unaware that what she was doing was crazy. She dared to cut off Queen Seon’s words in the middle and bring up her own words. Moreover, until just a moment ago, she was trembling because the former queen might recognize her.

Even so, she couldn’t help but speak in this situation unfolding before her eyes. In Flitta’s listening, she couldn’t let the words of ‘blood’ come out any longer. Rosé bit her lips, opened them, and continued her words towards the late queen.

“Since the princess injured her leg, I offered to carry her on her back. I just thought it would be better to heal her princess’ wounds as soon as possible. Therefore…”

“So, you’re saying it was wrong for me to scold the Princess?”

The former Queen’s voice subsided. Her annoyance was evident. It was natural for her to be a mere maid who interrupted and retorted. At that moment, the middle-aged woman who had earlier scolded Rosé for not being polite to the former queen stepped out again.

“How can you be rude to the Queen?!”

Jaak!

The middle-aged woman fiercely slapped Rosé on her cheek. She almost snapped Rosé’s head to the side.

“Ro, Rosé…”

Flitta’s eyes widened as she saw the scene right in front of her. Rosé hurriedly tried to soothe Flitta, paying no heed to the burning heat on her cheeks and the deafening shock in her ears.

“Princess, I’m fine…”

“How dare you, a lowly maid?!”

The middle-aged woman grabbed Rosé by the shoulder once more and raised her hand.

“Oh no! Rosé!”

Cries broke out from Flitta. Being slapped on the cheek was nothing but Rosé felt her heart break at the sound of her child’s cry.

‘Maybe I should have endured listening to Queen Seon.’

But she couldn’t sit still and watch Flitta hear those words.

She closed her eyes tightly in anticipation of being slapped once again. However, contrary to her expectations, she was not slapped. She has already been beaten several times before she experienced this.

“…?”

Rosé carefully opened her closed eyes. She saw a woman who was pale and looking somewhere. Queen Seon has the same expression, and it was confirmed that she was looking somewhere. It was right behind her… behind her back.

She casually turned to look at her back. And Rosé’s face turned white when she saw someone standing there.

“… !”

Her wide opened green eyes crossed with calm blue gazes. The owner of that gaze was none other than Haven. He made eye contact with Rosé for a moment, then turned his gaze back to his daughter.