Is there anyone else who has faced the person they killed?
No one had ever taught her what to do in a situation like this. Not even the books she had secretly read under the Marquis of Dallas’s nose had mentioned anything like it.
For a moment, Rosette’s lips trembled, and she instinctively muttered.
“…Sorry.”
“Huh?”
“I’m sorry.”
Duke Adrian looked puzzled.
“For what?”
“For… everything.”
Rosette’s tears, which had momentarily stopped, began to flow again.
“I’m just… sorry for everything.”
The man before her had no memory of it. But the fact that Rosette had killed him once remained unchanged.
-“Don’t cry, child.”
-“Never go back to him.”
Moreover, even in the moment of his death at Rosette’s hands, Duke Adrian had been worried about her, who was being used by the Marquis of Dallas.
Rosette had killed such a kind man.
Though Joshua’s tears had been the final trigger, Rosette had been tormented by guilt ever since she killed Duke Adrian.
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.”
Duke Adrian looked down at Rosette, who was kneeling and crying before him, with pity.
He could understand Rosette’s feelings. Commoner children her age often trembled in fear at the sight of nobles and would apologize profusely.
But Rosette seemed different. Though she appeared to be no more than six or seven years old, she carried the weight of a lifetime, looking as sorrowful as an adult.
Duke Adrian felt an inexplicable sense of compassion for her and helped her to her feet.
“Stop crying now. You’ll exhaust yourself, or worse, collapse.”
Rosette resisted getting up, shaking her head.
“The wind is cold. Let’s get you home now. Where do you live?”
At that moment, Jane, who had regained consciousness, gasped upon seeing him.
“Ah, a noble lord!”
Jane, seeing Rosette crying, quickly deduced the situation and knelt beside her.
“I-I don’t know what my sister has done wrong, but please, have mercy. Punish me instead.”
Duke Adrian, looking bewildered, chuckled and muttered to his aide standing behind him.
“What a deeply affectionate pair of sisters. It’s heartwarming.”
“My lord, it seems these children are from the nearby orphanage.”
“The orphanage?”
“Yes. The one affiliated with the temple you were planning to visit.”
“How fortunate.”
Duke Adrian effortlessly lifted Rosette to her feet. Though Rosette was small for her age, he handled her as if she weighed no more than a feather.
The aide helped Jane to her feet as well.
“Now, stop crying and let’s get you home.”
Rosette nodded quickly, eager to escape his grasp. Thanks to that, she, Jane, and Duke Adrian returned to the orphanage in his carriage.
Trembling all the while, Rosette had no idea what Duke Adrian was thinking.
“Good heavens, what happened to you?”
The headmistress of the orphanage exclaimed in shock upon seeing Jane’s condition. Jane’s body was covered in dried blood, with scabs sticking to her skin.
Only then did Jane let out a confused, “Huh?”
“That’s weird?”
She began feeling her body all over.
“I definitely got hit by stones, but it doesn’t hurt!”
“Stones? What stones?”
“Well, people accused me of stealing snacks, called me a thief, and started throwing stones at me…”
“What?! These people, really!”
The headmistress’s eyes narrowed. She rolled up her sleeves, ready to storm into the village right then and there. Jane quickly grabbed her waist to stop her.
“Unnie, I’m fine! It doesn’t hurt!”
“You lost that much blood, and it doesn’t hurt? I need to call a doctor right away!”
“I’m telling the truth!”
Jane lifted her bangs to show her clean forehead. When the headmistress’s eyes widened, Jane showed her arms and knees next.
“How…?”
“I don’t know! I passed out for a bit, and when I woke up, I was like this! Unnie! Do you think the goddess protected me?”
Unlike Jane, who was innocently muttering, the headmistress had seen enough of the world to lose her naivety. She didn’t believe this was the work of the goddess’s protection.
“You said Duke Adrian came.”
Duke Adrian. It seemed he had brought a mage with him. Since he had brought Jane and Rosette back, he must have taken pity on Jane and healed her.
“Jane, if you ever meet Duke Adrian again, make sure to thank him.”
“Huh? Why?”
At the mention of the Duke, Jane reflexively shrank back. Nobles were still a frightening presence to children.
“Because it seems the Duke healed you.”
“The Duke? Why would he?”
“He’s a kind person, so he couldn’t just ignore you.”
“But nobles are all bad!”
“Shh, I told you not to say things like that…”
“While I do agree with that sentiment to some extent, there are still good nobles out there. For example, Duke Adrian.”
At the sudden interjection, all three turned their heads toward the voice.
A brown-haired man, dressed in clothes as expensive-looking as the Duke’s, stood there. The young man, who appeared to be around thirty, adjusted his glasses and approached them.
He nodded slightly and handed something to Jane. It was the paper bag she had been clutching so tightly in the square.
“Ah! The snacks for Rose!”
Jane, who had practically snatched the bag back, peeked inside and frowned.
“Oh no. They’re all crushed. I bought these for our Rose.”
“Unnie, I’m fine…”
“I anticipated this, so I prepared something.”
The brown-haired man handed over another paper bag, this one three times larger than the one Jane had been holding. Inside were various cookies, candies, chocolates, and more. Just opening the bag released a sweet aroma.
“I can give these to our Rose.”
As Jane happily accepted the bag, the man muttered apologetically.
“I’m sorry, but may I borrow the little girl for a moment?”
Me? Why would Duke Adrian’s aide want to take me? Rosette looked up at Jane and the headmistress with a face that clearly said she didn’t want to go, but there was no way they could refuse a noble’s request.
Even if she had said no, the man might have listened, but to the two children, nobles were still terrifying figures. They glanced at Rosette and hesitantly pushed her forward.
Finally, Rosette forced herself to speak.
“I don’t… want to.”
“There’s nothing to be afraid of. If you come with me, you can have some delicious snacks.”
“I’d rather have snacks here with my unnie.”
The man smiled, hiding his awkwardness.
“Then I’ll come back tomorrow…”
At that moment, Jude came running from a distance.
“Rose! The head priest is looking for you!”
“Really? I’ll go right now!”
Rosette quickly ran off to escape the current situation. If she had known who was waiting in the head priest’s office, she might not have gone so eagerly.
* * *
The head priest of the orphanage wiped the cold sweat from his brow as he faced Duke Adrian, who was sitting across from him.
Duke Adrian had only ever provided financial support to the orphanage and had never requested a private meeting like this before. His sudden request left the head priest flustered.
‘I heard he came with the children earlier. Did they do something wrong?’
Duke Adrian was known to be lenient with children. If he was bringing up their mistakes, it must mean they had done something serious.
With a troubled mind, the head priest asked, “What brings you here, Your Grace?”
“There’s a child here named Rosette, correct? A girl with pink hair and blue eyes.”
“Yes, she’s here. But may I ask why you’re looking for Rose? Did she do something inappropriate?”
Rose was a well-behaved child, so it was unlikely. The head priest was puzzled, but Duke Adrian dropped a bombshell.
“I wish to adopt Rosette into the Adrian family.”
“…”
The head priest was left speechless by the sudden proposal. The Adrian family already had two sons and a daughter, all of whom were rumored to be skilled in swordsmanship, as expected of the Adrian lineage.
With three capable children already, why would he want to adopt Rosette?
Duke Adrian’s reputation was clean. Despite his high status and being one of the empire’s most renowned knights, he remained humble and never flaunted his achievements. He was also known to be devoted to his family, with no scandals to his name.
But rumors could hide darker truths. The head priest couldn’t help but consider the worst-case scenarios.
While finding a new family was a great blessing for the children, he couldn’t risk putting a beloved child in danger.
Abuse, pedophilia, sacrificial offerings—all sorts of negative outcomes flashed through the head priest’s mind.
As if reading his thoughts, Duke Adrian smiled kindly.
“I can guess what you’re thinking, but rest assured, it’s nothing like that.”
He then shared an astonishing story.
“Did you know that Rosette has a talent for magic?”
“Rose? That can’t be.”
“No, I saw it with my own eyes. Rosette healing her sister, who had been struck by stones and collapsed.”
“Struck by stones? Who?”
“A child named Jane, I believe.”
“Good heavens! Jane!”
The head priest was about to jump up and rush out, but Duke Adrian stopped him.
“I’ve already confirmed that she’s unharmed, so there’s no need to worry. Of course, I’ve also taken appropriate measures against those who threw the stones.”
“Stones? Why would they…?”
“She was accused of theft. We can discuss that later with the children. For now, I’d like to talk about Rosette.”
“Ah, I see. But are you sure it was Rose who healed Jane?”
“Unless you doubt my abilities, yes.”
The head priest quickly waved his hands.
“Who in this empire would dare doubt Your Grace’s abilities? Then, are you saying Rose…”
Duke Adrian nodded in response to the head priest’s hesitant question.
“Yes, I wish to adopt her and nurture her talents.”
