It all happened because of that “talent” of ours, did it not? We would not be separated in the first place, if we were ordinary pâtissiers.
Rosegold
It all happened because of that “talent” of ours, did it not? We would not be separated in the first place, if we were ordinary pâtissiers.
Look into our eyes. Can you feel something stir inside of you? A mild and sweet wish at first, maybe..? And you take your first bite. That heavenly confection, preciously glazed and promising… How did you go on with your life without this taste until today? This kind of happiness… But slowly evolving, turning into a desperate, bitter need. You’ll even find it hard to breathe, and it all happens without you realizing it.
Yes, this is the reason why thousands, even millions of people were coming to buy our sweets every single day, forming lines at the doors. That is why the famous confectionery chain Rosegold became so well-known and famous on the planet. But we never wanted to end it like this. And no one knew how it was damaging us all inside. All those years…
” ∼ ∼ Now look into our eyes and try to imagine how heavy our burden was.
How heavy it still is … “
… which is the reason why I am back. Back to protect my family, do anything I can to secure our home and peace now that we found it after so many years. We have endured so much, only to gain enough strength to treasure what we have now. Finally.
I, Almondine Rosegold, promise to be with you, my beloved family. Raffaello, Praline, Sunny… I love you. And I will protect you with all I have. From anything. Even from myself, even from my own mistakes. Because you are all I have.
“That company”… “That family”… “THE Rosegolds?” Like an ancient phrase that opens Pandora’s box, their name was uttered by mouths of those who seek pleasure, who want happiness, who thirst for luxury, who wanted to know, who enjoy gossip… And these mouths were, oh, so many. And whatever it was Rosegold meant to them, it led to their demise. The Rosegold empire shattered, but took so many down with it.
They rarely visit a studio, much less visit it all together. It always has been like this, for centuries, and it has not been easy to convince them to pose in front of capturing devices.
“Too many secrets to carry… No man should be left alone with this burden…” whispered Raffaello, with his soft, musical voice. That was how he always sounded, like he is ready to tell you a fairy tale. But his tale, their tale… Is far from being one.
Perhaps she was the most unlucky one among the young members of the Rosegolds who got struck by the sudden tragedy. Because she was not that young, to be exact, when it happened. Both Sunny and Raffaello got their share from hardships and pain, but Praline was not a little child anymore back then, which meant she saw more, heard much and understood well. There are secrets she decided to keep to herself, still.
But maybe Praline was luckier in a way, too. After the “incident”, she was adopted by a wealthy family, unlike her brother and cousin, who were separately sent to homes for orphans. That’s how she was able to carry on with her plans (to a degree, because the tiniest incautiousness would reveal her identity and ruin everything) and to find Sunny in the end. Who knows where they all would be, if Praline did not begin gathering her family together.
Sweet Sunny, sweet as sugar paste and soft as powder… For as far as she can remember, she was an orphan. Memories of the Rosegolds and their mansion have eluded her grasp long before she was able to perceive she was a family member.
For her, life started at the orphanage she was sent right after being born. And not as Sunny B. Rosegold IV. There, they called her Lou, in high hopes that a family name will be added to it some day. She had no idea who her real family was back then, and how every member had to accept their own misfortune in different ways.
She was a calm, nimble child with an intense interest in baking and she was so capable and lovesome, the nuns responsible for the kitchen duties could not help but take her in as an unofficial apprentice in the end. When she grew up -and she grew up in the kitchen-, she began to select her own apprentices as the orphanage’s head of bakery. Yet, nowhere else than the kitchen could she find peace. She was always preoccupied, like her mind was somewhere else, but she could not explain why or where. Until a letter with a special seal arrived for her, one day. From someone with a peculiar name, “Praline”..?