"General, my daughter did not mean it like that. It is just that the awakening ceremony had been delayed because we were looking for Rosalind. Please do not misunderstand my daughter's concern, " Victoria was quick to calm the situation down.
"I apologize for her tone. It's just that, we receive some false reports that the house where Rosalind had been staying was in disarray. As her family, we immediately panicked. But we are glad that she is already back." Victoria added as she took a step in front of her daughter, deliberately hiding Dorothy from the General.
"This event was meant to be a merry one," Rosalind finally decided to intervene. She gave everyone a brilliant smile. "I hope my absence did not cause too much inconvenience." She then bowed to her father and mother.
"Next time, you should send someone to inform us," Victoria uttered. "Go ahead and call his Blessedness so we can continue with the ceremony."
Rosalind smiled and acted as if nothing had happened. Then she let the men do the talking. Her father, Martin immediately started a conversation with the General.
To give a summary of what happened earlier, Henrye arrived just before they could leave the house. He told them that the General wanted to meet her and did not want to attract any attention. Just as the General arrived three mercenaries came and tried to take her away.
Perhaps, they did not expect that there would be two other people inside the house. It was an amateur mistake and Rosalind immediately noticed the mistake on Jeames's part when he gave them a painting of her face.
He must have told them that she is nothing but an irrelevant character. Someone who did not have any other servants or guards because her family had neglected her.
Those people must have tried to do their research but since Rosalind did not spend any time outside of the house, they chose to believe the rumors surrounding her and the Lux Family.
So, they thought this would be an easy job.
Well the mercenaries ended up dying before they could even touch her. The General did not even bother to spare any of them and Mr. Henrye just killed them as if he was killing a chicken.
In her two lifetimes, this was the first time that Rosalind actually saw someone kill as silently as Mr. Henrye Bohan. His way of killing immediately reminded her of the past of an event that would rock this Empire.
The assassination of one of the Generals of the Aster Empire.
The General, despite being a hardened veteran of the war, died mysteriously with his head broken. No sound. No signs of any fighting. It looked like the man just died in his sleep. In fact, the Empire announced it as such.
However, Rosalind knew the exact details of the assassinations as she was with the Empress and Emperor when they heard the news of his death. She knew that the assassin came from the North, but she did not expect to meet him in this lifetime!
Still, she was grateful that the General and Mr. Henrye was able to save her. However, she could not help but feel that this was such a waste of an opportunity to get back at Dorothy whose obsession to get back at her seemes to have escalated even further.
Actually, Rosalind didn't exactly blame Dorothy for her anger. Dorothy failed to receive the blessing and despite this, she was able to show it was no one's fault that she was not blessed.
Only the Goddess knew why she was not chosen.
Then Rosalind appeared.
It was easy for Dorothy to be angry at Rosalind and blame her for everything than to be angry at the Goddess.
"You are indeed very lucky," Dorothy uttered in a low voice as she gave Rosalind a glass of tea. Rosalind smiled as she accepted the cup.
"I know," Rosalind responded.
"But there will be no next time."
"Are you threatening me Lady Dorothy?" Rosalind asked, her voice low. Right now, there were many people around them but she was certain not many of them were paying attention to either of them the black-haired member of the Lux Family and the maiden who failed to receive the blessing of the Goddess.
To them, the conversation between Martin and General Lytton seemed more interesting.
"Are you threatened?" Dorothy lifted an eyebrow. The woman's calmness surprised Rosalind. She had expected Dorothy to panic and wonder what happened to the mercenary but it seemed that she easily gained her poise- it was exactly like Empress Dorothy in her past life.
Was she planning another assassination attempt?
In four days, Rosalind is going to leave this place. Until then, she was not planning to leave the house. She knew that the last few days of her stay were going to be crucial as her death could literally spark a war between the two nations.
She did not want to get the Duke in trouble and obviously she refused to sacrifice her life for politics.
Rosalind snorted in response. "You really should wonder where their bodies went, Lady Dorothy."
Just as she expected, Dorothy's expression turned sour.
"Did you perhaps expect me to leave them where they died?" Rosalind gave her older sister a tight-lipped smile. She wanted to kill her and Jeames. She wanted to punish them for what they did to her in the past.
But she chose not to do it.
She was not doing it out of pity or kindness. She was doing it because she knew that letting them live is the greatest punishment for what they did to her.
They are going to suffer in this lifetime.
She wouldl make sure that the Lux Family no not just the Lux Family, but the whole Aster Empire, would face the consequence of their actions.
"You dare?" Dorothy took a step towards her. "Did you really think that just because you marry the Duke you would be able to leave this place alive?"
"Oh, I will," Rosalind smiled. "I can assure you that."
In response, Dorothy snorted. "The Goddess will not stand for this injustice. You will be punished for what you did to me sister."
Rosalind chuckled lowly. "And so are you" she uttered. "So are you my dear older sister!"