At those words, Rosette slowly opened her closed eyes. Instantly, the face of Duke Adrian filled her vision.
His platinum blonde hair shone more brilliantly than anything else, and his violet eyes looked down at her warmly.
When Rosette met his gaze, Duke Adrian widened his eyes in surprise before quickly smiling.
Unlike when he had earlier scolded Celine and the physician, he was not agitated. Instead, he spoke in a soft voice and asked:
“Did you sleep well, my dear?”
His tone was gentle, as if asking his daughter who had just woken up from a nap.
Unable to distinguish between dream and reality, Rosette blinked and, feeling confused, he softly stroked her cheek, as though calming the crying Rosette from the past.
“It seems you had a sad dream.”
It was only after hearing his words that Rosette realized she had been crying. She also realized that the Duke, who had died in her hands, was now alive again, thanks to her hands.
“Ugh…”
Rosette twisted her face in distress and hugged Duke Adrian’s neck tightly.
Dad, dad, dad. She wanted to call out to him, but no sound came from her throat.
Duke Adrian, still carefully holding his small daughter, gently stroked her hair.
“Yes. Daddy is here.”
“Ugh…”
“Thank you for holding on, Rose. Thank you for waking up.”
Dad, I’m thankful that you’re alive.
Rosette repeated those words to herself, over and over again.
It had been a full ten days since she had collapsed.
***
Rosette sipped warm water while keeping an eye on Duke Adrian’s expression.
Unlike the gentle way he had asked if she slept well earlier, his expression was now slightly tense.
Upon hearing the news that Rosette had woken up, Duke Adrian’s three children also began watching their father’s expression.
To break the awkward silence, Daniel spoke up.
“Still, I’m relieved that Rose woke up safely. Right, everyone?”
Lucas nodded vigorously.
“Yeah! I’m so happy!”
Isabelle agreed with a slightly coy attitude.
“Now we don’t have to worry anymore.”
Daniel added,
“Plus, thanks to Rose, Father was able to stay safe too…”
However, Duke Adrian’s expression remained stern. It was the same expression he wore when he rarely scolded his children, and it was always in situations where they had done something dangerous.
So, it was the same expression he had when Rosette had done something like that recently.
The three siblings, who knew this expression of Duke Adrian all too well, exchanged glances, stood on their toes, and quietly left the room. Before the door closed, Lucas whispered “fighting” with his lips.
‘What did I do wrong?’
Rosette, confused, looked around with wide eyes, and Duke Adrian, who was sitting on the edge of the bed, sternly asked,
“Rose, do you know what you did wrong?”
Rosette shook her head. Duke Adrian sighed softly.
“This time, it was really dangerous. You could have never woken up.”
“…”
“There were plenty of people who could have helped me even if it wasn’t for you. So, from now on, don’t do anything so dangerous. Understood?”
Rosette felt a bit wronged.
She hadn’t done it to earn praise.
She saved Duke Adrian for herself. So, not receiving praise didn’t matter to her.
But she also hadn’t expected to be scolded like this.
When Rosette pouted in displeasure, Duke Adrian finally relaxed his expression a little.
“You really don’t know why you’re being scolded, do you?”
Rosette hesitated, then nodded.
Duke Adrian fully softened his expression and carefully stroked her hair.
“What did Daddy say? That children should act like children.”
When Rosette nodded again, he patted her head, as if acknowledging her understanding.
“Children shouldn’t worry, but they shouldn’t engage in dangerous actions. That’s something for the adults to handle.”
Rosette, squeezing her voice out, protested weakly.
“But…”
If I hadn’t been there, Daddy could have been in danger. He might never have woken up again.
Perhaps understanding what she couldn’t voice, Duke Adrian calmly explained,
“Yes. I could have been seriously hurt or something could have gone wrong. But Rose, on the flip side, you almost got hurt because of me.”
“…”
“This Daddy is more afraid of you getting hurt than of me getting hurt.”
Rosette’s eyes widened in surprise.
Do adults have things they’re afraid of too? She silently asked with her eyes, and Duke Adrian smiled.
“Of course. Adults have things they’re afraid of too.”
“…”
“So let’s promise not to do anything so dangerous again, alright?”
He extended his pinky finger.
But Rosette couldn’t bring herself to link her pinky finger with his. If a similar situation came up, she would naturally think of saving her loved ones.
“Rose.”
When Rosette pouted and pretended to ignore him, Duke Adrian spoke sternly once again.
“Rosette Adrian.”
At that moment, there was a knock, like a savior coming. Rosette quickly raised her hand and pointed to the door.
Duke Adrian sighed once and said,
“Come in.”
The person who entered was Celine. She quickly approached Rosette and wiped away her tears.
“I’m so glad you’re alright. I was really worried.”
“Can you check if Rose is okay?”
“Of course. Excuse me for a moment, Miss.”
Celine carefully took Rosette’s hands and infused her mana into her.
After a moment, Celine let out a relieved sigh.
“You’re fine. All your mana has been restored. There’s no need to worry now.”
Her expression was filled with many emotions—relief, joy, and astonishment.
‘Why is she surprised?’
Rosette tilted her head, confused, and Celine continued,
“By the way, it took you ten days to recover. That’s amazing. I already knew you had great talent when I saw you last, but…”
Her voice started to get a little excited.
“Truly, you are extraordinary, Miss!”
[Peep, peep?]
Suddenly, the sound of a bird interrupted Celine’s words.
The little bird, Peepy, who had been bringing wildflowers, spotted Rosette and widened its tiny eyes. Its small beak opened, and the wildflowers fell to the ground.
[Peeep!]
Peepy cried out in distress and flew toward Rosette at full speed. It rubbed its cheek against hers, and tears glistened in Peepy’s eyes.
Celine’s eyes widened in surprise as she watched.
“Could it be… a familiar?”
[Peeep!]
Peepy, eagerly showing its affection to Rosette, puffed up its chest. It looked as if it were saying, “Ahem, I am none other than Rosette’s familiar, Peepy!”
Celine couldn’t believe what she was seeing and repeatedly rubbed her eyes.
“Oh my goodness, it’s really a familiar, isn’t it?”
There was a reason for her astonishment.
It seemed like Rosette had casually summoned a familiar, making it seem easy, but in reality, familiars couldn’t be created by just anyone.
First, it required a substantial amount of internal mana, and one needed extraordinary mental strength to maintain constant communication with the familiar.
Because of this, only high-ranking mages could summon familiars. And even then, it was only possible around their late teens.
But now, an eight-year-old like Rosette—who hadn’t even started learning magic—had summoned a familiar?
“Unbelievable. How is this even possible? Miss, how did you do it?”
Duke Adrian, who had been watching Rosette bond with Peepy with a content expression, subtly asked,
“Is that really such a surprising thing?”
“Of course!”
Celine shouted excitedly.
“There are very few mages with familiars in this empire. I only managed to make mine when I was seventeen! Even I was called a genius.”
“And?”
“Miss, you are an extraordinary genius! A genius who only comes once every few hundred years! At this rate, you’ll become a grand wizard! No, you already are a grand wizard!”
Celine began to piece together the puzzling parts.
“So, that’s how you were able to perform such magic with your small body. It’s because of this familiar.”
“Is it different if you have a familiar?”
“Yes. If you have a familiar, you can use Mana Burst. It’s a way to amplify the surrounding mana to cast spells… Anyway, it’s really amazing. I don’t know how you, Miss, who hasn’t even learned magic, were able to use it.”
Celine shrugged as she explained.
“How can an ordinary person understand a genius? Someone like you, Miss, probably uses it as naturally as breathing.”
“Then…?”
“Yes, exactly! A grand wizard has been born in this family! In the Adrian family, which was full of sword masters! Finally!”
Duke Adrian gave a surprised expression, then quickly smiled.
“Yes, our Rose is a genius. That’s something to be happy about.”
Although he didn’t show it, he was extremely happy.
[Pee!]
Peepy puffed out its chest and proudly flapped its wings. It was showing off, saying, “Our Rosette is amazing! She’s my master!” But no one except Rosette understood that.
“But Rose…”
Duke Adrian’s expression became serious again as he calmed down.
“From now on, you should not use magic until Celine says it’s okay.”
Rosette pouted her lips again, and his eyes narrowed.
“You need to listen to your father.”
Reluctantly, Rosette nodded.
And so, the little mage, Rosette Adrian, who would soon cause a huge stir in the Empire, returned to the embrace of her family.
***
“Is Peepy such an amazing bird?”
[Pee!]
Before long, Peepy, who had become friends with Lucas, was perched on his shoulder, crying.
Rosette nodded slightly, and Lucas muttered in disbelief.
“That tiny, insignificant chick?”
[Pee?]
Peepy started pecking at Lucas’s hair. A few strands of platinum hair were plucked out.
“Ouch! Hey, Peepy, you!”
[Pee! Pee!]
My name is not Peep, it’s Peepy! How dare you compare me to a chick that can’t even fly!
Hearing Peepy’s words, Rosette couldn’t help but giggle. After struggling to pry Peepy off Lucas, he asked,
“Why are you laughing?”
Rosette barely managed to squeeze out her voice.
“Pi…Pi.”
“Peepy?”
Seeing Rosette nodding, Lucas paused for a moment, then asked with a betrayed expression,
“Is its name not Peep, but Peepy?”
[Peeek!]
Peepy chirped happily, and Rosette nodded. On the other hand, Lucas was left speechless, his mouth gaping open.
Rosette, confused, tilted her head, and Lucas turned to Peepy and demanded,
“Why did you respond when I called you Peep? I thought you liked that I gave you your name!”
[Pee? Pee!]
Peepy began tugging at Lucas’s hair again.
