Rosie's Games

"Young lady, I have heard weird rumors about the madam," Milith lowered her voice as she was serving her tea. "It seems that the madam wanted to dine with the Duke and he refused to see her. He even refused to talk to her or even greet her. Do you think he is not aware that we are from the Lux Family?"

Rosalind's lips twitched.

The Duke was purposely doing it because… he can, and he had no qualms in showing it to Victoria.

"Aren't we going to arrive in the capital soon?" she asked.

"Yes, in a few hours."

Rosalind nodded. Since she kept on crying, Victoria chose to avoid her. First, she told her she was tired, then her head maid, Grace, told her that Victoria had gotten sick because of traveling. She knew that the woman just wanted to avoid her and she was fine with that.

In fact, she preferred it that way.

"Good," said Rosalind. In a few hours, she would soon see Dorothy and the rest of her family. She didn't know how she felt right now, but one thing was for sure, her blood was boiling.

And not with excitement.

"I also heard something— " Milith hesitated for a few seconds until Rosalind nodded, giving Milith permission to speak her mind. "The soldiers have been talking about it since the Duke and his people joined us. It seems that they have the impression that the young lady had been asking about the Duke."

That was quick, she thought inwardly. It seems that Victoria really wanted her to marry the Duke. She couldn't help but wonder why.

"Young lady, you might not know this but this is enough to ruin your reputation. People will think that the young lady is showing interest in the Duke and if the crown hears about this, they wouldforce you to — Young lady that Duke was very well known for killing his bride. If Victoria is going to continue spreading those rumors..." Milith lowered her voice when she spoke the latter part of her sentence. It was as if talking about it could summon ghosts and other types of evil.

"Let it be, Milith," Rosalind smiled. She recalled the Duke telling her that they caught the messenger. This might mean that the Duke was actually the one who was spreading those rumors.

It seems that he just wanted to make sure that the business transaction will happen in the future.

"Tell me about the other things that you heard," Rosalind said.

"I also heard that Lady Dorothy had failed to receive the Blessing on her last birthday," Milith continued. "The soldiers said that the family patriarch had summoned everyone back to the ancestral home. Do you think they are going to let everyone have the Blessing ceremony?"

The corner of Rosalind's lips lifted. Even if the family asked her to have the Blessing ceremony, they wouldn't be able to get anything from her. She has already received the Blessing of the Goddess in that cave. In fact, this was the reason why she had been so determined to get the Blessing before she came back to the capital. After all, anyone can only receive a Blessing once.

So, even if they are going to force her to undergo the Blessing ceremony, they wouldn't be able to tell that she was the blessed one.

"Young lady, don't you think this is a little too suspicious?"

"No, it is only natural for the patriarch to summon everyone. Since Dorothy didn't get the Blessing, the patriarch is now looking into the other teenagers who were about to turn eighteen. One of those teenagers must have the Blessing."

"Young lady… what about you?"

"What about me?" she asked. The only reason why they took her back was to avoid embarrassing themselves. After all, it has been proven that she was someone from the Lux Family.

It should be noted that the Lux Family cared so much about their face and reputation. They always want to show everyone that they were a great and kind family who received the Blessing of the Goddess to fight the dark lord in the past.

Not long after, Rosalind was informed that they have now separated from the Duke's carriage and were now on their way to the ancestral territory of the Lux Family.

This is it, she thought.

She would see Dorothy and the rest… again.

After about an hour in the carriage, the horses stopped, the sound of iron gates against the cobblestones interrupted her stupor.

She's home, she thought.

She looked at her dress, it was long and had the color of the roses that could be seen all around the capital except for the ancestral home of the Lux Family. This was because the previous Patriarch, Rosalind's grandfather hated the color. Apparently, this was his wife's favorite color— the very same wife who divorced him.

The dress was beautiful and she had expressed to Grace how she quite like it. On the outside, she looked like she had no idea what is going on as she smiled and beamed at the maid, but she knew… she knew that the old Patriarch was currently visiting the ancestral house.

This was the only reason why Victoria would give her a dress as beautiful as this. This had happened in the past and she knew this will continue to happen if she won't do something about it.

Just as she heard an announcement of their arrival, she closed her eyes and composed herself.

Her eyes were already full of tears, ready to fall at any given moment when she opened them.

Seeing this, Milith gasped before she started rubbing her eyes as if she had been crying too.

Smart, Rosalind thought.

The carriage door was opened and Milith immediately got out. She will be assisting Rosalind down the carriage.

The moment Rosalind laid eyes on the large mansion, various emotions clouded her gaze. There was sadness and disappointment, anger and fury and then there was a deep need for revenge.

That's right.

She's going to punish everyone who hurt her in the past.

"Younger sister?" A sweet voice pulled her out of her stupor. She turned and looked at the beautiful woman walking towards her. Blond white hair, blue eyes, and a sweet sick smile on her beautiful face.

It was her older sister. It was Dorothy.

Dorothy Lux.

Rosalind immediately thought of tearing the woman's face apart. The anger that she felt in her past life resurfaced inside her chest. For some reason, the resentment she felt towards her sister was more than what she felt towards the man that she had loved. Yes, being betrayed by her very own sister was more painful than being betrayed by her very own husband.

Before she could do anything about her anger, tears started falling from her eyes and into her already pale cheeks. Then she started wailing as she run towards Dorothy's arms.

Patience, she thought inwardly.

Oh… beware the fury of a patient woman.