Duke Adrian burst into laughter, clearly pleased with her answer. Then he lifted Rosette and set her on his knee.
“Then how did you know about Joseph Osser?”
“I asked Pipi. I told her to let me know if anything ever happened to our family. That day, she was flying around the estate and noticed someone suspicious!”
[Pipit!]
Pipi flapped her wings on the bed as if to agree. Rosette lowered her voice, slightly embarrassed.
“Because… I wanted to protect my family.”
Duke Adrian looked down at the top of Rosette’s head for a moment, as if trying to measure something.
Truthfully, there were still a few things that didn’t quite add up. Was that really the reason she had only warned Daniel to be careful? And why had she specifically asked Pipi to patrol the estate?
But outwardly, there was nothing lacking in Rosette’s answer. So Duke Adrian didn’t press her further and simply stroked his youngest daughter’s hair.
“Yes, you did well.”
“Really?”
“Of course. You deserve a reward.”
[Peeep!]
“Yes, Pipi. You’ll get a reward too.”
[Pip, pit.]
Both Duke Adrian and Rosette burst into laughter as they looked at Pipi puffing up her feathers in satisfaction.
The breeze coming in through the slightly open window had grown warm.
Spring had fully arrived.
“Miss, are you all right?”
“We heard you saved the Duke. That’s truly incredible.”
“Are you feeling okay?”
The next day, as Rosette entered the training grounds early in the morning, the knights who were doing physical training rushed over to her all at once.
Now quite familiar with the knights, Rosette didn’t shrink back in the face of their large statures. In fact, she felt happy.
They were really worried about me.
Before, she hadn’t realized how comforting it was to have people who worried for her.
Reassured by Rosette’s bright smile, the knights began bombarding her with questions again.
“Is it really okay for you to be training already?”
“You seem to have gotten even smaller. Are you eating properly?”
Seeing their concerned faces, Rosette clenched both fists with determination.
“I can do it. And I’m eating well!”
The previous evening, both Celine and the physician had told her, “You can resume training… technically.” So Rosette decided she would restart her early morning workouts that very day.
Even Lucas, who usually trained her harshly, said, “Are you sure you’re okay? Why don’t you rest a bit longer?” But she had no intention of backing down.
I’m going to build up my strength and grow my mana core.
After the recent incident, Rosette had come to a painful realization.
No matter how gifted she was, Rosette was still just a tiny eight-year-old girl.
She had a solid grasp of magic theory—enough to cast high-level spells if it were just about formulas—but unfortunately, her body couldn’t keep up.
Her mana core was so small it could barely sustain even the simplest spells, and her stamina was weak.
This time, she had managed to summon Pipi and prevent a major incident, but there was no guarantee she could always do that in the future.
If she wanted to protect Adrian from Dallus again, she had to grow stronger—fast.
I couldn’t even uncover that Marquis Dallus was behind it this time. There’s a good chance he’ll make another move soon.
While Rosette was lost in serious thought, the knights around her were making a fuss, finding her utterly adorable.
That was when Lucas came rushing over from afar, wooden sword in hand. He saw the crowd of knights around Rosette and sprinted over.
“Didn’t I tell you guys not to crowd around her like that? You’ll scare the little one!”
He came right up to Rosette and gripped his wooden sword with both hands, swinging it through the air with a sharp flourish. The threatening aura was enough to make all the knights take a step back.
“Let me just warn you—if any of you show interest in our little one, even for a second, you’re not going to get away with it.”
Sigh… That’s not even what this is about…
Shaking her head at Lucas’s overprotectiveness, Rosette spotted Joseph sitting in a corner of the training grounds with Melody.
“Melody, why are you up already? You should be sleeping more.”
“I like being with big brother more! Big brother, do you not like being with me?”
“Of course I like being with our Melody. But if you want to grow tall, you need good sleep.”
“I slept lots and lots! Don’t worry too much!”
Rosette smiled as she watched the sweet sibling moment.
Perhaps sensing her gaze, Joseph looked over and spotted her. He quickly bowed, and Melody followed suit.
After straightening back up, Joseph silently mouthed something to her. She couldn’t make it all out, but she clearly caught the words “thank you” at the end.
Just as Rosette was about to say something in return, Lucas stepped in front of her, arms spread wide.
“Alright, squirt. Stop staring over there and get moving. You said you wanted to do morning training, remember? Time to follow through.”
Clearly, Lucas still thought Rosette was interested in Joseph.
Seriously… that’s not what this is about.
Shaking her head again, Rosette clenched her teeth and began jogging slowly around the training grounds.
It was a peaceful day.
“I heard something serious happened to your master.”
Joshua, meeting Daniel for the first time in a while, skipped any pleasantries and got straight to the point. This was even before the attendants had finished setting down refreshments.
Daniel recalled the terrifying events of that day and gave a bitter smile.
“Yes, it did.”
“What exactly happened? I asked Father, but he didn’t share much.”
“To be honest, I don’t know all the details either.”
“Just tell me what you do know.”
“Well…”
Daniel hesitated for a moment.
It was true—he didn’t know the full story. The incident had happened at dawn, and at the time, he had been sound asleep.
He had only woken up after sensing the chaotic atmosphere in the mansion—but that didn’t mean he knew anything more.
Even Duke Adrian, who had returned to the mansion carrying the unconscious Rosette, hadn’t properly explained what had happened.
All Daniel knew was that there had been an attack targeting the Duke, and that Rosette had taken care of it before falling into a coma.
But there was another reason he was hesitant to explain things now.
“Father gave strict orders to keep silent.”
The House of Adrian was currently trying to suppress any rumors about that day.
It wasn’t to protect Duke Adrian—it was for Rosette’s sake. She was already drawing attention, and if word got out that she was also a magical prodigy, it could become a serious problem for her.
Still… could he tell Joshua what happened that day?
“If I just keep it vague, it should be fine.”
Daniel quickly came to a decision. Joshua was not only Duke Adrian’s only swordsmanship disciple, but also Daniel’s closest friend. He could be trusted.
“From what I heard, one of the spies who had infiltrated as a servant sprayed a magical substance on Father’s carriage. That caused it to suddenly explode—he was nearly engulfed in flames.”
“Then how did he get out safely? Did he use mana to protect himself?”
“That is…”
Answering that question would inevitably involve bringing up Rosette. And no matter how much he trusted Joshua, Daniel felt it wasn’t his place to reveal that.
In the end, he evaded the question.
“I don’t know the details. But I’d imagine something like that happened.”
“Hmm… I see.”
Joshua’s eyes narrowed slightly, a flicker of suspicion flashing through them.
“He’s lying.”
As someone raised in a noble family and trained as a successor, Daniel was skilled at managing his expressions. Even when lying, he didn’t make it obvious.
But Joshua had known Daniel since they were babies. In that fleeting instant, he had caught the subtle flicker of discomfort on Daniel’s face.
From the context, it seemed clear there had been someone who helped the Duke. And the House of Adrian was trying to keep that person’s identity a secret.
“Still, there’s no way he’d tell me even if I pressed him.”
Whoever it was, as long as Duke Adrian was safe, that was enough. Besides, something else mattered more right now.
Joshua picked up the teapot and poured tea into Daniel’s cup, smoothly changing the subject.
“So how about you?”
“Me?”
“Were you, by any chance, in the carriage with the Duke that day?”
“No, I wasn’t. I was at the mansion.”
“At the mansion?”
Joshua repeated the words with a slightly loaded tone. But Daniel, sensing nothing unusual, responded without hesitation.
“Yes. It was quite early in the morning, after all.”
“But why did the Duke leave the mansion at such an early hour?”
“I’m not sure about that either.”
“Well, either way, it’s a relief. The warning to be careful with carriages should’ve gone to the Duke, not you.”
“True enough.”
“Still, just in case, be cautious around carriages for a while.”
Daniel gave a puzzled look but then smiled and replied,
“Yes, I understand.”
“By the way…”
Joshua set down his teacup and changed the subject.
“When am I finally going to meet the precious young lady of the House of Adrian?”
“You’ve been very curious about Rose for a while now, haven’t you?”
“It’s not just me—she’s the talk of the capital. Everyone’s wondering when that youngest daughter will make her official debut.”
“It’s still too soon.”
“Too soon? Why?”
Daniel hesitated for a moment before muttering,
“Rose is, how should I put it… like a newly hatched baby bird.”
“A baby bird?”
“Yes. She still has to adapt to this harsh world and has so much to learn.”
A soft, fond smile appeared on Daniel’s lips.
“Of course, she’s just as adorable because of that.”
“Still, hiding her away too much might not be the best idea. The gossipers are already buzzing.”
“The House of Adrian can protect her from that much at least.”
“Well, if that’s how Adrian sees it, I guess there’s not much more for me to say. But there’s something I’ve always wondered…”
Joshua decided to finally ask something he had been curious about for a long time, something he hadn’t been able to directly ask Duke Adrian.
“How did the Duke end up adopting the youngest daughter anyway? Was he planning to adopt a child in the first place?”
“No, it wasn’t planned. It happened quite suddenly.”
“People have been dying to know. Surely you can tell me at least that much?”
“I suppose I can.”
And with that, Daniel began explaining from the beginning—how he first met Rosette.
“Rose instinctively used healing magic to save a girl she saw as an older sister. Father witnessed it. He must have recognized her potential and wanted to teach her.”
“If that was the case, couldn’t he have just sponsored her?”
“You sound just like Belle. Yes, that could have worked, but Father said Rose kept weighing on his mind for some reason. So he decided to adopt her so he could keep her close and care for her personally.”
“The youngest lady must’ve been thrilled. I mean, getting adopted into the House of Adrian of all places.”
“No.”
Daniel gave a slightly bitter smile.
“At first, she refused.”
“She refused? Why?”
“Probably because she was afraid of being separated from people she saw as family. Being adopted into a noble family must’ve felt overwhelming.”
“Yeah, I can see that. And not just any noble family—Adrian’s a big name.”
Just as Joshua was about to wrap up the conversation, something struck him, and he asked suddenly:
“But is the Adrian family’s young lady’s name really Rose?”
