YDGMFS CHAPTER 14

After that, Rosette spent the entire day being dragged around by Lucas. He acted like a man possessed, determined to teach her everything he knew in a single day, and Rosette willingly followed him around.

It wasn’t until after dinner that she was finally freed from his enthusiastic tutelage.

“Sweet dreams.”

The maid who had helped her change into her nightgown blew out the candle. Rosette, who had been lying obediently in bed, sat up the moment the door closed.

‘I want to create a mana core…’

Both Duke Adrian and Celine had told her to wait until she had gained more weight before starting magic lessons.

But Rosette was impatient.

She had no idea when or how Marquis Dales might strike at the Adrians.

‘I might be able to prevent the carriage accident.’

But the real problem lay beyond that.

Would the Marquis simply give up on targeting Daniel? From what Rosette knew of him, he wasn’t the type. If anything, he’d grow even more obsessive, finding another way to strike.

And if he did, she might not be able to stop him.

That’s why she needed to strengthen her magical abilities now—before anything happened. So she could counter the Dales family’s schemes.

Rosette closed her eyes and focused on the mana flowing through her body. Slowly, she gathered it just below her navel. A warm sensation bloomed where the mana pooled.

But that was as far as she got.

The mana dispersed in less than ten seconds. At the same time, a violent coughing fit wracked her body.

Cough! Cough! Cough!

Rosette covered her mouth, waiting for the coughing to subside before letting out a sigh and staring at her stomach.

‘Still too weak, huh?’

She needed to gain weight—fast. Enough for her body to withstand mana.

With renewed determination, Rosette finally settled back into bed.

That Night
Rosette was fast asleep when—

“Father.”

Daniel approached Duke Adrian, who had just returned to the estate. The Duke handed his coat to Sebastian and asked,

“Did your audience with His Highness go well?”

“Yes.”

“Nothing unusual happened?”

“Nothing worth mentioning.”

Joshua had said some cryptic things, but Daniel didn’t consider them particularly noteworthy.

“By the way, about Rosette…”

“Rosette? Did something happen?”

“No, nothing to worry about.”

Daniel shook his head before continuing.

“But apparently, her birthday is in a week. Did you know?”

The Duke’s fingers, which had been unfastening his cufflinks, stilled.

“This is the first I’m hearing of it.”

“I thought so.”

Daniel went on.

“Anyway, everyone’s busy preparing for her birthday party now.”

“So that’s why the mansion’s been so lively.”

“Yes. But… it seems like she’s never had a proper birthday celebration before. We want to make it special, but I’m not sure how. That’s why I came to ask for your advice.”

“A special birthday party, hm…”

The Duke fell into thought. If she had never had a proper celebration before, then a grand, envy-inducing party would suffice.

But for some reason, that didn’t feel like enough. He doubted Rosette would even want something like that.

After a moment of contemplation, the Duke smiled faintly.

“Leave it to me.”

Daniel blinked.

“You already have an idea?”

“A vague one.”

The Duke’s expression softened slightly.

“If she’s never had a proper birthday, then we should give her more than just a party.”

“What do you mean?”

“Something she’ll remember for the rest of her life.”

Daniel’s eyes widened slightly before he grinned.

“Then I’ll leave it in your hands.”

The Duke nodded, already deep in thought again.

Meanwhile, in her room, Rosette slept soundly, unaware of the plans being made for her.

And far away, in the shadows of the capital, a certain Marquis clenched his fists, his eyes burning with quiet fury.
“I have a good idea, Daniel.”

“What is it, Father?”

Duke Adrian smiled and shared his thoughts.

Hearing his suggestion, Daniel began to smile as well.

A week had passed since Rosette arrived at the Adrian estate.

In that time, she hadn’t done anything particularly noteworthy.

She simply ate well, played well, and slept well.

That wasn’t an exaggeration—those three things were genuinely all she had done. At night, she secretly tried to form a mana core, but each attempt ended in failure. The more she failed, the harder she ate at breakfast the next morning.

But beyond that, no one demanded anything from her.

Because of that, Rosette found herself seriously pondering every morning:

‘Is this really okay?’

The Duke’s words—that she didn’t have to do anything for now—seemed to hold true. He hadn’t assigned her a single tutor. Celine hadn’t visited her since that first day, either.

Was this really allowed?

If she didn’t prove her usefulness, did she even have the right to stay here?

Once, her worries must have shown on her face, because the Duke patted her head and said:

“Just live comfortably.”

Then he added that a child should grow up carefree, without burdens.

Ah, there was one request he had made:

“From now on, eat a lot and don’t leave anything behind. You need to grow up strong and healthy. Except for shrimp, of course.”

But could that even be called a request? Though doubtful, Rosette obediently stuffed herself at every meal to meet his expectations.

It wasn’t difficult. The Adrian family’s head chef was exceptionally skilled, after all.

Thanks to that, Rosette’s cheeks had already gained a little softness in just a week. Though no one commented on it outright, everyone seemed quietly pleased with the change.

And today—

After a week of preparations that had kept the entire Adrian household busy, Rosette’s birthday had finally arrived.

“Hey, squirt!”

Lucas barged into Rosette’s room first thing in the morning. The maids tried to stop him, but it was useless.

He yanked the blankets off her curled-up form, shaking her awake.

“Wake up, wake up!”

“Mmm…”

Still half-asleep, Rosette’s eyes flew open at his next words.

“You’re gonna sleep in on your birthday?”

Ah—right! It’s my birthday today!

When the Adrian household first started preparing for her birthday party, Rosette had felt nothing. Everyone kept saying birthdays were special, but the words never truly reached her heart.

She had only been happy because they were happy preparing for it.

But after a week of being (not quite brainwashed, but close enough) into believing that birthdays were joyous, blessed occasions—

Rosette had started looking forward to it.

In fact, she had been so excited last night that she barely slept.

“I’m not… sleeping in…”

Still groggy, she rubbed her eyes, trying to force them open. Lucas grabbed her hand and pulled.

“Hurry up. We’ve got somewhere to be.”

Rosette followed him in her pajamas, still rubbing sleep from her eyes. Lucas led her to the dining hall.

“Don’t cry from happiness, okay?”

With that half-warning, he threw the doors open.

At the same time, a chorus of voices rang out:

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY!”

A servant waiting by the door showered Rosette with flower petals. Lucas grabbed a handful from a basket and dumped them over her head.

Covered in petals, Rosette blinked at the scene before her.

The dining hall had been transformed. The table was laden with all her favorite dishes and desserts.

And standing in front of it—not just the family, but the entire household staff—were all smiling at her.

“Ah…”

A warm, swelling sensation rose in her chest—something she had never felt before. It wasn’t unpleasant at all. In fact, it felt… nice.

Then Daniel and Isabelle approached.

“Happy birthday, Rose.”

“Congratulations.”

Next, Duke Adrian walked over and gently stroked her head.

“Happy birthday. I hope today is filled with nothing but happiness, Rose.”

Kind people. Warm words.

Only now, on this day, did Rosette truly realize—

I’m really glad I was born.

At the same time, transparent tears began to drip from her eyes.

“Crybaby! Crybaby!”

Lucas teased Rosette, whose eyes had turned as red as a rabbit’s from crying. Normally, Daniel or the Duke would have scolded him, but today, they just laughed and let it slide.

Still teary-eyed, Rosette took a big bite of the cake the maid had cut for her. The chocolate cake, packed with fresh strawberries, was both tart and sweet.

Lucas giggled at her expression, then slid something long and clumsily wrapped in red paper across the table—about the length of Rosette’s arm.

“What’s this?”

“Your birthday present!”

“I can really have it?”

“Of course!”

“Here, take mine too.”

This time, Isabelle handed her a small box the size of Rosette’s palm. Daniel also gave her a weighty gift.

Hugging the pile of presents, Rosette asked timidly,

“Can I open them?”

“Obviously. They’re yours.”

With careful hands, she began unwrapping each beautifully packaged gift.

Daniel had given her a fairy tale book she could color herself. Isabelle gifted her one of her own cherished hair ornaments. And Lucas presented her with a wooden practice sword—the one he’d played with as a child.

Isabelle frowned.

“Why give a wooden sword to a child who’s supposed to learn magic?”

Lucas snorted.

“Sis, what family do we belong to? The Adrian Ducal House, known for producing the finest knights for generations. Father is the greatest Sword Master alive.”

“So?”

“Magic is fine, but shouldn’t the squirt at least learn basic swordsmanship too?”

“Look at her arms. What swordsmanship can she learn with these?”

“She can learn anything!”

Rosette cut in.

“I-I want to learn!”

Both turned to stare at her. Shrinking slightly under their gazes, she added in a smaller voice,

“I wanna learn the sword too.”

Learning magic was good, but since she was now part of the Adrian family, it seemed right to at least pick up some basic self-defense.

“…Is that not okay?”

“It’s not that.”

The Duke was the one who answered.

“But let’s wait until you’ve grown a little taller and put on more weight, alright?”

“Okay.”

“Now that you’ve received your gifts, it’s my turn.”

The Duke’s voice carried a hint of solemnity as he reached into his coat.

What he pulled out was neither a toy nor a trinket, but a small, velvet box.

Rosette’s breath caught.

“This… is yours.”

He opened the box. Inside, nestled on silk, was a delicate silver hairpin—its design simple but elegant, with a single, tiny blue gem at its center.

“This has been passed down in our family for generations. It’s traditionally given to daughters on their tenth birthday.”

Rosette’s hands trembled as she reached for it.

“B-But I’m not… I’m not really…”

Not really your daughter by blood.

The Duke’s large hand covered hers, steadying it.

“You are an Adrian now. That makes this yours.”

Something hot welled up in Rosette’s throat again.

She clutched the hairpin to her chest, unable to speak.

For the first time in her life—

She felt like she truly belonged somewhere.
At Duke Adrian’s signal, Sebastian brought over a large box.

The Duke opened it himself, revealing an exquisite party dress, matching shoes, and a set of delicate jewelry inside.

“We’ll have a proper party at lunchtime, and you’ll wear this. That’s my gift to you.”

“A… party?”

Rosette blinked in confusion.

“Aren’t we already having a party right now?”

Lucas snickered.

“This? This is just breakfast.”

If this was merely breakfast, then how extravagant would the actual party be?

As Rosette stared in shock, Daniel winked at her.

“You can look forward to it, Rose. Father prepared something truly special.”

His words carried a hint of something deeper—a promise that this birthday would be unlike anything she’d ever imagined.