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Chapter 72




“I get it.”
Kayla no longer persuaded Rosena.
Kayla knew Rosena very well, thus she nodded her head with a sullen face.
She usually gave way whenever Kayla threw a tantrum, but sometimes she never yielded. And that’s just the way it is now.
Kayla struggled to bring up another story to change the mood.
She was told small stories such as what happened in Astania since Rosena left, what became popular, and who got married.
Rosena enjoyed listening to Kayla’s stories.
Hearing the chattering voice, the happenings there seemed to be drawn in her mind like a painting.
“I’m leaving for the Academy in a week.”
“Already? That’s too bad.”
Rosena looked truly disappointed.
In fact, she wanted to tell Kayla to stay here. But Kayla was a bird that should fly to the wider world.
“So can I come over often in the meantime?”
“Of course.”
When Rosena smiled, Kayla was relieved.
It seemed that her heart was worried that she would be rejected by Rosena.
“Oh, come to think of it, I’ll have to call Ma’am Your Highness now.”
“When we’re alone, just call me Ma’am.”
Rosena liked being called ‘Ma’am’ by Kayla. Not only did memories spring to mind, but it was as if they were sharing secrets.
Kayla, who she had been chatting with for a long time, glanced out of the window and slowly rose from her seat.
“Are you leaving already?”
“Yes, I shouldn’t be away for too long.”
Kayla, who sighed, glanced at the door and whispered,
“Actually, I’m not the only one here.”
“?”
Rosena raised her head and looked at Kayla.
“I came with the Marquis, he is my guardian while I’m in the empire.”
“Marquis?”
Kayla nodded and said,
“The Marquis said he had to see Ma’am.”
‘Me?’
Rosena stood up with a curious expression.
“See you again next time, Ma’am.”
Kayla strode off, and someone came in through the open door.
She thought it was Kayla’s guardian, but she had never seen him before.
A middle-aged man greeted Rosena politely as soon as he saw her.
“It’s been a while. Your Highness.”
Rosena looked at him with curious eyes. she wondered if she had met him at the banquet hall yesterday, but she wasn’t sure about it.
Then the marquis greeted her politely right away.
“I will introduce myself formally. I am Marquis Jurgen.”
“.…!”
He is Marquis Jurgen, Ibella’s father, and the person Rosena was so eager to meet.
She never thought they’d meet so suddenly.
He looked younger than Rosena thought, but his vibe felt old.
“Marchioness Lionel’s….”
“Yes, she’s my daughter. And I’ve met you in the past.”
Rosena looked at him blankly for a moment.
She couldn’t remember clearly because she was young, but she remembered her father’s friend visiting the mansion.
But after a long time, she didn’t expect him to find her as Kayla’s guardian. In fact, they were supposed to meet at the founding ceremony, but she had to give up halfway because of the monster incident.
In that chaotic situation, there would be too many eyes to meet the marquis separately.
Either way, there must be a meeting of the aristocrats by now, but has the marquis come out separately?
Rosena, who had been thinking for a while, offered a seat.
“Please have a seat.”
The marquis sat down, and a moment of silence hung over the drawing room. She didn’t know what to say because of the sudden meeting.
The marquis said after drinking tea served by Ella.
“It smells good. It’s like Belk mountain tea.”
“That’s right. How did you know right away?”
“I have a tea business, too.”
The smiling marquis looked at Rosena’s face. It was as if he was seeing someone through Rosena’s face.
“Your Highness looks a lot like your mother.”
Rosena almost dropped the teacup in her hand upon hearing the words.
Rosena and Macella don’t look alike at all. She had never been told that she looked like Macella in her entire life.
Rosena briefly recalled the contents of the letter she found in her father’s office and put the teacup down on the table.
“Do you… know my biological mother?”
The marquis, who was looking at Rosena’s straight eyes, nodded. He lowered his eyes as if he was searching for a memory of a long time ago.
“Floe Rosena, Your Highness’ biological mother, is my cousin.”
It felt like her heart was pounding crazily.
As in the diary, the mother who gave birth to Rosena was a woman named Floe, not Macella.
Looking at such Rosena, the marquis opened his mouth again.
“And I was the one who introduced her to Your Highness’ father.”
Rosena bit her lips at the marquis’ confession.
Now that her father died, Rosena could not find the truth.
She didn’t even know her mother’s face, and her family could not be found no matter how many times Rosena tried to track it down. So the only person to ask was Marquis Jurgen.
“Not long ago, I found my father’s diary.”
Rosena said in a calm voice.
“I learned about my mother through the diary. And there was something strange written in the diary.”
Rosena recalled memories of months ago. The discovery of the diary in her father’s study still came to mind vividly.
Even after a long time, the letters in the diary were never forgotten.
– Floe told the secret of the Rosena family before she died. I couldn’t believe it.
– I took Rosena to the Imperial Palace today. Floe was right. Rosena should not be in contact with the imperial family.
Rosena, who recalled his diary, asked, pulling her dress slightly.
“Do you know why the secret of the Rosena family and I should not be in contact with the imperial family?”
“…..”
When the marquis closed his mouth, Rosena once again asked.
“You know something, don’t you?”
She was convinced that the marquis, who was her father’s close friend and her mother’s cousin, might know something.
The marquis, who had been silent for a while, looked up. Determination passed through his eyes as if the time had come.
“I know. In fact, that’s why I wanted to see you.”
Rosena’s heart pounded at the marquis’ answer. He held the mysterious key that Rosena had always looked for.
The nervous Rosena’s face was flushed.
Thinking about what to ask first, Rosena eventually asked what she was most curious about.
“First, I want to meet the people of the Rosena family, what should I do?”
She wanted to meet her mother’s family. She didn’t remember meeting them, but unlike Macella and Rania, there might be another member of Rosena’s family.
Looking at Rosena’s clear eyes, the marquis’ complexion clouded like dark clouds.
“The Rosena family…..”
He couldn’t bring himself to speak.
As if about to bring up a painful story, the marquis answered with a deep breath.
“Your Highness is now the only one who succeeded the name of Rosena.”
“…What?”
Rosena’s face became dark as if she had misheard.
She’s the only one who succeeded the name Rosena?
“What does that mean?”
The marquis managed to tear off his mouth at the sight of Rosena’s stiffness.
“The Rosena family was originally a family with precious hands. However, since a few generations ago, no children have been born.”
The marquis’ words were in the past tense.
Rosena’s heart beated nervously as if she was told a story she didn’t want to hear.
He spoke softly and lowered his eyes.
“And Floe, Your Highness’ biological mother, was the last child to inherit the family name.”
“…..”
“By the time Floe married the Count, she was an orphan.”
The Marquis, who was silent for a moment, straightened his head.
“Floe grieved over it, and she left the family name to Your Highness in order not to forget them.”
She was wondering why her name was the name of her mother’s family, and there must be a reason for that.
When Rosena was silent, the Marquis opened his mouth slowly, straightening his posture.
“Your Highness, do you know what power does the Rosena name hold?”
What power does a name have?
When asked by the marquis, Rosena tried to shake her head and stopped.
It was because she briefly remembered the voice she heard in her dream.
– My power resides in your name.
The boy’s words in Rosena’s dream lingered in her ears.
No way. It’s just a dream.
“No, I don’t.”
“…My mother was from the Rosena family.”
As Rosena listened quietly, the marquis brought up old memories.
“My mother always told me about the past. She was able to talk to animals before she got married.”
She was able to talk to animals?
Rosena looked at him with a surprised face. She didn’t know there would be another person with the same ability as her.
“And Floe had the same ability as my mother. Until she married the Count and changed her last name.”
When Rosena said nothing, the marquis wondered how to explain this. He was also told all by his mother and Floe.
“There is a special power in the Rosena family. Those who inherited the name of Rosena have the power to learn the language of animals.”
“So you mean people in the family can talk to all… animals?”
“Half right and half wrong. Only on the condition of inheriting the name.”
Rosena looked at the marquis with a questioning expression.
“From a few generations ago, only girls were born in the Rosena family. So, they brought in a live-in* son-in-law to continue the family, but those who came to the live-in son-in-law didn’t have that ability.” (TL/N: The specific term for this is a husband who lives in his wife’s house with his in-laws.)
“…..”
“However, the children born of a woman from the Rosena family and a live-in son-in-law passed on the ability, but when the child married and changed their surname, the ability disappeared.”
“.….”
“Floe also lost her power when she married Your Highness’ father, Count Estarot.”
The marquis, who was quietly explaining, touched the teacup.
“The blood of the people of the Rosena family must flow, and only those who keep the name of the Rosena can keep the power.”
At the marquis’ words, Rosena touched her head.
She had never thought about it that far. She just thought she was weird, and there would be no other person in the world with this ability.
“Then the reason why I can talk to animals….”
“It’s because Your Highness’ name remains the same.”
Rosena lost her words and put her hand on the armrest of the chair.
She thought she’d meet her mother’s family, but they’re all dead. Besides, her abilities had been handed down to the people of the family.
Rosena was confused by the secret she had not known until now.
“Then do you know why I shouldn’t meet the imperial family?”
“……”
“My father always said. When I meet the imperial family, he tells me to run away.”
The marquis was silent. He wrapped his hand around his face in agony.
Covering his face with his palm for a long time, he groaned and opened his mouth.
“There is an unwritten rule in the Rosena family. It means not to be in contact…. with the imperial family.”
“Why?”
“A long time ago, a woman from the Rosena family fell into the eyes of an imperial family member. And he was the tenth prince, who was far from the right to the throne.”
“……”
“That imperial family member met a woman from the Rosena family and gained strength. He beat his brothers and got closer to the throne.”
As she listened to him, Rosena’s heart began to pound. It was her first time hearing about the imperial family and the Rosena family, but she felt uneasy as if she knew the ending.
“That imperial family member, who became obsessed with power, imprisoned the woman. There was no love, and she was raised as if she was bred only for his strength.”
“!”
Without realizing it, Rosena grabbed the skirt until it crumpled.
“The woman couldn’t stand it and eventually committed suicide.”
Her fist loosened. Rosena looked at the marquis with a blank face.
The Rosena family was a humble family in the north.
Unless it was a big event like the founding ceremony, there was no need to enter the Imperial Palace.
And even if they entered the Imperial Palace, there was no possibility that they, among many nobles, would be caught in the eyes of the imperial family.
“Why did it happen between the Rosena family and the imperial family….?”
When Rosena murmured to herself, she lowered her eyes.
“I don’t know the details, but I’ve speculated that there’s a connection between the Rosena family and the imperial family.”
It was said that even in the distant past, the imperial family coveted the Rosena family for power.
Perhaps that power is the power of…
What had been vaguely disturbing so far was becoming more concrete and truly revealed.
Rosena’s face turned white.
She didn’t know that she felt strong attraction when she first met Yerhan because of the link between the imperial family and the Rosena family.
But… She also has the ability to amplify the power of the imperial family? It’s not just a superstition?
“I kept regretting being disconnected from Count Estarot.”
Rosena slowly looked up, and saw his face full of regret.
Come to think of it, the marquis had often visited the mansion in the past, but at some point he had completely stopped coming.
When things got difficult for the county and his father died, he never came.
“I’m sorry, Your Highness. I should have helped the county when I knew that the situation became so difficult.….”
Rosena looked at him with a pale complexion and said,
“May I ask why you cut ties with my father?”
“…Because the Count ignored Floe’s advice.”
“Advice?”
“To not take Your Highness… to the Imperial Palace.”
But Rosena had no recollection of stopping by the Imperial Palace. All she could remember was her father leaving her in the mansion and taking Macella and Rania to the Imperial Palace.
“A long time ago, on the day Your Highness first went to the Imperial Palace, you had contact with the imperial family’s indirect lines… and they tried to kidnap Your Highness.”
Rosena was immersed in a story that she heard for the first time.
“After learning that, I was disappointed with the Count and completely cut off ties…. and after a long time, I recognized the Count’s situation, but it was after the Count had already died and Your Highness had left the mansion.”
The marquis shed tears, for he had finally found Rosena, whom he had been looking for until now. But Rosena was unable to console him.
– Your presence affects the power of divinity.
The crown prince’s words circled in her head.
– That’s why Yerhan married you. He needs your strength.
If he had told her he needed the power she had, she wouldn’t have liked him this much.
Rosena closed her eyes slowly.