Rosette hunched her shoulders.
‘Does she dislike that I’m here?’
Well, it made sense. In the past, Elisha had also made her dislike obvious.
Back then, Elisha’s hostility had hurt her heart. But perhaps because she had already experienced it once, it didn’t upset her as much as before.
‘I’m not upset.’
No—actually, that was a lie. Negative emotions were something you never got used to, no matter how many times you experienced them. Her heart still ached.
Still, there was one difference from before: she could now speak up confidently to Isabel.
“I-I’ll work really hard,” Rosette said, forcing her shrinking voice to sound as firm as possible.
“I can do magic well. If I learn magic, I can take care of your hair, Lady Isabel! And, um, I can also keep your tea warm! So… please don’t dislike me too much.”
These were all things Elisha had made her do in the past.
But as Isabel listened, her expression turned strange. She crossed her arms and spoke sharply.
“What exactly do you take me for?”
“……Huh?”
“Do you think I’d treat you like a maid? And who said I dislike you?”
“……?”
Rosette blinked in confusion, unable to understand her words. Seemingly frustrated, Isabel let out a deep sigh.
“Listen carefully, kid. The Adrian family is a prestigious sword clan that has produced knights for generations.”
“Y-yes.”
“There aren’t many people who know how to handle a delicate and sensitive kid like you.”
‘Does that mean she’s going to send me away?’ After mustering the courage to come here… Rosette clutched her skirt tightly with both hands.
“But are you really okay with this? Every morning, the knights train noisily in the training grounds—things like that.”
“I’m okay with it!”
“I’m telling you, this isn’t some prim and proper noble family like you’re imagining.”
“I…”
Rosette spoke with conviction.
“I still like it!”
Isabel narrowed her eyes and scrutinized Rosette up and down, clearly unconvinced.
In a smaller voice, Rosette mumbled again,
“I-I can really do well. I’ll work hard…”
“Who said I was worried you couldn’t?! I—!”
‘You… what?’
As Rosette blinked, trying to guess the rest of her sentence, Isabel exhaled deeply.
“Fine. If you’re really set on it, then experience it for yourself.”
“Really?”
“And remember this.”
Isabel bent down to meet Rosette’s eyes.
“You don’t need to manage my hair or adjust my tea temperature. And you shouldn’t.”
“But…”
“From now on, you’re my little sister—a member of House Adrian. So act a little more confident. If you don’t, I’ll tell Father to send you back. Understood?”
“……Yes.”
“Louder.”
“…Yes!”
“Good.”
As the two spoke, Daniel and Duke Adrian exchanged a knowing smile.
Isabel, who had been watching them with a scoff, reached out and ruffled Rosette’s hair. Despite her refined appearance, her touch was surprisingly rough.
“And from now on, call me sister. What’s with this ‘Lady Isabel’ nonsense?”
“R-really… I can call you sister?”
“Isn’t that obvious? And that idiot over there—you can call him Lucas brother.”
“Why am I the idiot?!”
Lucas grumbled, but soon broke into a grin and approached Rosette.
“I’m so happy to have a little sister! But we’ve got morning training right now, so let’s meet again at breakfast, okay?”
“O-okay…?”
“See ya!”
With disciplined strides, Lucas and Isabel left the parlor. Daniel, who had been smiling the whole time, also excused himself, saying he had training.
After the whirlwind of activity, only Rosette and Duke Adrian remained in the parlor.
Rosette smoothed down her tousled hair with her fingers, glancing hesitantly at the Duke.
“Um…”
The Duke gently fixed her hair for her. Rosette mumbled in a daze,
“Is… is this really okay?”
“Is there a problem?”
“No, it’s just…”
She had expected more resistance. But Daniel and Lucas hadn’t shown any opposition, and even Isabel—who had scrutinized her the most—seemed to have accepted her, at least for now.
“I’m just… surprised.”
“That’s natural when your environment changes so suddenly.”
The Duke lightly pinched her cheek before straightening up.
“The head butler will show you to your room. Rest until breakfast—I need to oversee training.”
“Wait.”
Rosette caught the Duke’s sleeve as he turned to leave. For a brief moment, she worried if she’d be scolded for her boldness, but fortunately, the Duke only smiled and looked back at her.
“Do you need something?”
“It’s just…”
Rosette rolled her eyes nervously before cautiously asking,
“What… what am I supposed to do from now on?”
“Hm?”
The Duke tilted his head slightly, as if not understanding. Rosette shrank further, her voice barely above a whisper.
“I mean… what’s my role here?”
Listening intently, the Duke stroked her head with his large hand.
“I’m sorry—I don’t quite follow.”
“I-I’ll do my best! I’ll study magic hard, and history too! And also”
“Wait, wait, child.”
The Duke’s voice softened as he gently cut her off.
“You don’t have to do anything.”
“Huh?”
This time, Rosette’s already wide eyes grew even rounder in confusion. The Duke repeated firmly.
“You don’t have to do anything, little one.”
“But…”
Rosette recalled the day she had been adopted into the Dallas family.
From the very day Marquis Dallas brought Rosette home, he had emphasized that she must be perfect. His goal was to mold her into the finest mage.
Rosette tried and tried again to meet their expectations.
All she wanted was just one thing – her family’s love. Marquis Dallas would occasionally praise her in a softer voice when she mastered difficult spells.
“Yes, well done.”
Praise that only came when she performed exceptionally. Strangely, the more she received such praise, the more it left her throat parched and craving. So Rosette began obsessing over it more and more.
Perhaps that was why. Naturally, when Duke Adrian took her in, she assumed there must be some grand purpose behind it.
But to say she didn’t have to do anything—what did that even mean?
As Rosette blinked in confusion, Duke Adrian added an explanation.
“For now, just rest and adjust to life here. We can gradually introduce magic lessons and basic studies once you’ve settled in.”
“But…”
“Until then, live freely, like a child. Do whatever your heart desires.”
His eyes lingered on her thin wrists before he added playfully,
“And it’d be even better if you ate well and grew plump and healthy.”
With that, he entrusted her to the head butler and left the parlor.
‘Plump and healthy…’
Rosette stared blankly at her own delicate frame. Back at the orphanage, she hadn’t even realized how small she was—food had been scarce, and all the children were thin.
But the people of House Adrian were noticeably robust, making her stand out even more.
Still…
‘I’ll eat well.’
She’d grow taller too. Now that she was part of House Adrian, maybe she could even try learning the sword.
And so, Rosette’s first goal upon joining House Adrian became: *Eat well.*
***
“Allow me to show you to your room, Lady Rosette.”
The gray-haired head butler bowed to her. Rosette nearly flinched, about to wave her hands in protest, but then she remembered her new status and straightened her back instead.
“Y-yes. Okay.”
The butler smiled approvingly and led the way. Rosette followed him through the halls and up the stairs.
“You may call me Sebastian.”
“Okay, Sebastian.”
“Once you’ve settled in, we’ll assign you a personal maid. Until then, the maids will take turns attending to you.”
“Okay.”
“They’re all looking forward to meeting you.”
Were they, really? Rosette was skeptical, but she nodded without showing it. Fortunately, her expression must have been well-controlled, because Sebastian said nothing more as he guided her to her room.
“This will be your room from now on. It’s right next to Lady Isabel’s.”
“Okay.”
“We prepared it in haste, so we couldn’t furnish it anew just yet. We’ll redecorate it to your taste in time. Please, step inside.”
Following Sebastian in, Rosette had to cover her mouth with both hands to stifle a gasp.
‘Is this really my room?’
It was so perfect she wondered if she’d been led to the wrong place.
At least five times larger than her old room at the Dallas estate, the grand space was filled with furniture so exquisite it made her jaw drop. Sunlight poured in through the floor-to-ceiling windows leading to a terrace, and the enormous bed—big enough to fit five adults—was piled high with stuffed animals.
She tried to calm herself, thinking she was too old to be excited over dolls, but she failed. Before she knew it, she asked in a giddy voice:
“Is… is all of this really mine?”
Sebastian smiled.
“Yes, my lady. If there’s anything you dislike—”
“No!”
Rosette quickly replied,
“I love it! I love it so much.”
From the moment she stepped into this room, her heart had been racing so fast she worried it might leap right out of her chest.
Trying to hide the sound of her pounding heart, she instinctively distanced herself from Sebastian. Misinterpreting her movement, Sebastian took a subtle step back.
“I’ve taken up too much of your time, my lady. You must be tired—please rest now. I’ll send the maids to attend to you.”
After he left, Rosette threw herself onto the impossibly soft bed. Stuffed with layers of down, it was even more luxurious than it looked. She hugged a plump rabbit plushie and rolled around, giddy.
For the first time, she was so happy that the thought, “Do I really deserve this?” didn’t even cross her mind.
She wasn’t sure how long she’d been lost in her joy when a careful knock interrupted her.
“My lady, may we come in?”
Startled, she scrambled off the bed, suddenly embarrassed even though no one had seen her.
“Y-yes, come in.”
The door opened, and three maids entered—one with auburn hair, another with brown, and the last with black. They bowed politely to Rosette, who was trying (and failing) to act composed.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, my lady.”
But their next words shattered any chance of her staying calm.
“We’re here to assist you with your bath.”
Bath? As in… seeing me naked? Rosette stiffened.
“Um, I…”
“Yes, my lady?”
“I… I’d like to bathe alone.”
“Pardon?”
“I-I’m not a child! I’ve always washed myself before, and—”
Then it hit her: noble ladies usually had attendants help them bathe.
But the thought of exposing her scrawny, underfed body to anyone made her want to vanish on the spot.
