Rosie's Games

Chapter 329: Alive

"I— Where are you going?" Rosalind asked. She was curious about it. For a few seconds, he did not say a word.

"I have to go to the walls," he answered.

Clearly, he was lying. If this was the normal days, she would have let his arm go, nod and smile then bid him goodbye. She had no right to ask him about the lies. However, a sudden courage inside her made her say, "Stay."

Rosalind blinked. She was prepared to be rejected, for him to leave the room, to leave her alone.

To her surprise, however, he stopped moving. Then he smiled.

"I— I have more questions," Rosalind could not help but stutter. It almost sounded absurd and pathetic. However, she could no longer deny the fact that her attraction was growing by the day.

"Of course but I believe it is best to finish this conversation in your room where the light is a bit better."

For some reason, that statement made her blush.

How pathetic, she thought inwardly.

…..

Aster

"How is she?" Victoria eyed Jeames, who had been guarding Dorothy's room.

"Sleeping."

"That's not what I was asking."

"She is fine. She had been… praying." Jeames had a stoic expression on his face. He stood straight and proud outside of the large mahogany doors of Dorothy's room.

"Is she not allowing any visitors yet?" Victoria asked.

"Not yet."

"But the war is raging outside of these walls…" Victoria tried to explain before she pushed Jeames away and opened the door. Despite the fact that Jeames said Dorothy is not accepting visitors, he let her open the door and walked right inside the room. She found Dorothy kneeling in front of a large statue of the Goddess on an altar that she arranged herself.

She was wearing an article of all-black clothing as she chanted some words that Victoria could not understand.

The room only had flickering candles that cast strange and eerie shadows on the walls. The air was thick with the scent of something disgusting. Dorothy said this was incense yet Victoria had always doubted it.

Despite the gloom of the surroundings, Dorothy's face was serene, and her voice was soft as she revered the Goddess. Her eyes were closed as she continued to pray.

Just as Victoria was about to touch her daughter, the candles flickered and danced, the shadows on the walls seemed to twist and writhe as if they were alive. josei

This was not the first time that she witnessed such a scene, yet it still frightened her every time.

Victoria chose not to touch Dorothy.

"Dorothy… " she said, her voice low. "Darling, have you eaten something today?" Since Dorothy had become like this… she had been very strange. She refused to eat a lot of food that she used to like and prayed the whole night after she healed those people.

She also refused to heal nobles and people that would pay her. Instead, she only accepts the ones who are truly in need.

While Victoria felt proud of her daughter's actions, she could not help but be wary as the changes were too much. How could someone act like a totally different person after gaining the Will of the Goddess? Was it just because of the Goddess?

Or it was something else?

"I brought your favorite," she added. "It is raw, the best one that I could find."

Victoria could feel goosebumps all over her body as she continued to stare at the unsettling scene in front of her. The strange energy inside the room made her want to leave. However, the fact that Dorothy was her daughter stopped her.

This woman, despite all the changes, was still her daughter. How could a mother abandon their daughter?

After a few minutes, Victoria sighed. To her surprise however, Dorothy suddenly rose to her feet.

"Have you been alright, Mother?" she turned her head towards Victoria showing her pale appearance and blank eyes.

"Y— Yes… Jeames, bring the one that I brought earlier."

"Yes, Madam."

"How are you? I heard that you still refuse to see anyone." Victoria said. "Is that true?"

"The Goddess did not want me to involve myself in this war. It was created by humans and the Goddess wishes for them to settle the matter unaided."

"That would mean many people will die. The overwhelming number of beasts could destroy this Empire." The two of them sat down on the nearby bed where Dorothy slept. "Your father and grandfather had been doing the healing. Some members of the seven families arrive to fight against the beasts, but it is not going well…"

The humans were losing. At least that's what Martin told her. The overwhelming number of beasts that were attacking the empire was something that they have never heard of before.

Everyone was panicking. People were leaving the Empire, businesses were closing and some members of the noble households had already started showing signs of leaving this place.

They needed to save themselves!

Even her father had told her to leave the Empire and go back home. He wanted her to bring Dorothy with her. However, when she tried to tell Dorothy about this, the latter immediately refused and stated that this was the Will of the Goddess.

This caused her frustrations. She tried to convince Dorothy, but the latter just stopped talking to her about the matter.

"If that happens," Victoria held her daughter's hand. "We needed to leave this place."

Again, Dorothy said nothing in response.

"I am exhausted. Please leave the food inside. I will consume it when my body needs to," Dorothy said. "Have a good day ahead, Mother."

Hearing this, Victoria sighed. This was just like the other conversations that they have had about the matter. She got up, gave her daughter a kiss on the forehead, and then made her way out of the room. She then let Jeames close the door before she looked at the latter.

"I have heard some news," Victoria said. "About Rosalind."

"So she is alive?"

"That is not confirmed yet. However, when she vanished, a woman appeared next to the Duke. She is called Rosie. Do you think this is all a coincidence?" she asked. It had been months since that incident happened.

However, the fact that Rosalind has the Blessing of the Goddess still haunted her dreams every night. So, she decided to do something about it.