Rosa-chan sat on the bed while gazing toward the window whose curtain she had opened.
Her face was illuminated by the beautiful light of the moon tonight.
Her expression looked a little sad, but her gaze seemed so focused. She looked like she was planning something.
Her small hands rested on her knees, her long hair gleaming under the moonlight.
I approached her, trying to let her know that it was time for dinner.
And if possible...I wanted to know the reason why Rosa-chan acted that way earlier when I asked her to go home.
"Rosa-chan, your dinner is ready," I said from the side of the bed.
If I looked directly at her face, perhaps it would disturb her.
So at this distance, it was the safe and right choice.
Rosa-chan, who hadn't moved at all at first, immediately stood up and looked at me after hearing my words.
But she looked surprised and startled upon hearing my voice. Was she daydreaming?
"S-sorry, sorry, I didn't hear you come in," Rosa-chan just admitted that she had been daydreaming.
She did smile, but somehow her smile felt so deep and painful.
As if...she was pretending to smile in front of me.
"Wait a moment, okay...I want to wash myself first."
Rosa-chan opened her wardrobe door, and I caught a glimpse of her putting something inside.
But then she closed the wardrobe again and took out a change of clothes.
"Lotte, just for this once...would you wash my back?" Rosa-chan asked me.
What's with this...why did she suddenly ask something like that!?
Washing her back, she said!? I know I'm a girl right now, but mentally I'm not ready for this!
"I-it's...kind of hard for me to do that..." I answered in a low voice.
Rosa-chan slightly lowered her head, and I saw her face looking gloomy.
"I-it's okay...after all, I'm being selfish, I'd just end up forcing you." After that she immediately entered the bathroom.
Click, the bathroom door was closed.
Why?
From the tone of her voice...why did she become like that?
She looked like she was holding something back, trying to act so kind toward me.
This wasn't a coincidence, this was the first time I had seen Rosa-chan like this.
I...hate it.
I hate people who smile with a sad face. I hate people who force themselves to act kind to me.
I hate people who act awkward, even though we already know each other well.
——
Ah right, I still have that roll of paper from earlier.
Luckily, it's still here.
Should I just put it on her bed? But then she'd know that I was the one who put it there.
Whatever. In the end, I placed it on top of the bed.
Then...what about the thing Rosa-chan put into the wardrobe earlier?
I couldn't see clearly what it was, because around the wardrobe, it was dark. My vision was limited.
——
Rosa-chan came out of the bathroom and already looked refreshed.
There was nothing else I needed to do after feeding her dinner. So I decided to leave her room right away.
——
In the kitchen, I wanted to ask something to the cook.
"What do you need from Papa tonight~?" he said while handing me a red rose. I forgot, this is just the way he is.
I threw the rose to the floor, with a slightly disgusted look at him.
"Cruel~! Good kids shouldn't be like that~" This old man...seriously annoying.
"I want to ask about Rosalia," I said.
If I used "Rosa-chan," maybe it would sound too casual, especially since in front of me was the cook who had worked here for a long time. That's why I used the name "Rosalia."
The cook's face, which had been cheerful before, turned a little more serious.
"Rosalia-sama? What do you want to know about her?" the cook asked again.
"You've been working here since before Rosalia was born, right?" If that's true, then this will be much easier.
The cook nodded, which meant it was true.
Why did I assume that? This cook looked very old to me.
"Rosalia...has she often been approached by nobles since she was little?" I wanted to know more deeply about this.
"Are you sure you want to know about this?" the cook looked at me sharply.
"I'm very sure."
——
Rosalia, she's the third princess of this kingdom...you surely already know that, right?
Because she's the third princess, she was rarely in the public spotlight. Unlike her two older sisters, who were very famous and influential.
Even so, many people placed great hopes on Rosalia. Of course, for certain reasons.
Some wanted to be prepared, in case both of Rosalia's sisters died.
Some just wanted to approach Rosalia, to get closer to the royal family.
The more people placed hopes on her, the more there were who wanted to kill her.
It wasn't uncommon for palace guards to capture intruders, even once they caught dozens of people.
They were caught because they were believed to be targeting Rosalia's life.
Assassination attempts on Rosalia were even five times more frequent than those on her sisters.
There was no definite proof of why people wanted to eliminate Rosalia.
And when she was five years old, she was kidnapped by a group of people.
——
"Kidnapped? But wasn't she—" I asked in confusion.
"Yes, but fortunately a few days later, they were secured," answered the cook.
——
At that time, the entire palace was in an uproar over Rosalia's kidnapping.
Almost all of the kingdom's soldiers were deployed to search for and capture Rosalia's kidnappers.
By the second day, the soldiers had not found any trace.
That was when the Milhert nobles began to interfere. They convinced the king that they could pursue the kidnappers.
The king, already anxious and desperate, finally handed over the entire case to the Milhert family.
With the condition that the Milhert family would be exiled from the kingdom if they failed to rescue Rosalia.
The next day, the search finally succeeded.
One of the kingdom's soldiers found a small empty house in the forest.
He went inside the house and saw Rosalia, almost her entire body bound by rope.
Her body looked very thin, her hands and feet swollen from being tied for too long.
When found, Rosalia was already unconscious.
——
Rosalia was finally treated in the palace. And in just a few weeks, her condition recovered.
Because of their achievement, the Milhert family received special treatment from the palace.
At that time, the head of the Milhert family became interested in Rosalia's beauty. And rumors spread that he had a private discussion with the king regarding Rosalia.
No one knew what they talked about, but the Milhert family surely wanted to make Rosalia their "queen."
The second son of the Milhert family, Luis Van Milhert, often visited the palace and played with Rosalia.
At first, Luis seemed reluctant to play with Rosalia, but at some point, they became very close.
And it was undeniable that Luis had feelings for Rosalia.
——
"I heard Rosalia-sama looked gloomy when she came home, and the gatekeeper said there was a letter given by the Milhert family...is this what made you ask me?" the cook asked me.
There was no mistake in his words. Everything he said was true, I just wanted to make sure about the relationship between the palace and the Milhert family.
In the end, I could only surrender and wait for what would happen next.
As soon as possible, I must tell Rosa-chan that I am a man.