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

  The princess intervened between them.

  The corner of Riftan’s lips rose to a grim smirk.

  Princess Agnes nodded firmly.

  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.

  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.

  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.

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

  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.

  Rosetta lifted her chin defiantly.

  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.

  At her words, Riftan’s lips stiffened in repulse. Max added hastily.

  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.

  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.

  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.

  Max felt a watchful gaze and turned her head to sir Karon.

  He looked at Rosetta with a cautious look, then nodded silently.

  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.

  Max stiffened her entire body. Rosetta had a mean smile on her lips.

  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.

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

  She paused for a moment, then continued calmly.

  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.

  Her lips twisted nervously but soon came back to a nonchalant expression as if she had nothing to do with it.

  Rosetta spoke coldly.

  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.

  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.

  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.

  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.

  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.

  Her absurd arrogance made her nervous. Max distorted her face and fiercely retorted.

  Rosetta’s face was also coldly twisted.

  Max, who was riled and raised her voice, could not answer and closed her mouth firmly.

  Rosetta said a few words with ridiculous coldness.

  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.

  Max’s eyes widened in shock and embarrassment.

  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.

  There was a suspicious smile on her lips.

  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.

  Her sister’s voice sounded like an echo. Rosetta looked up at the blue sky for a while and lowered her gaze again.

  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.

  The words she barely spoke sounded too uncertain and precarious to her ears.

  Rosetta refuted dryly.

  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.

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

  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.

  Note –

  : This is why I couldn’t bash Rosetta either ☹ When someone betrays you, you get cynical. So deep that you get trust issues </3 Okay, let us now head to our cry corner.