YDGMSF CHAPTER 13

“What dream? I just hadn’t seen you in a while and wanted to check in.”

“I see.”

Daniel brushed it off casually and didn’t press further about the dream.

Instead, he changed the subject. The two of them engaged in a deep discussion about swordsmanship for a while.

By the time they had emptied the teapot twice, Joshua asked quietly,

“Come to think of it, I heard you’re taking in an adopted daughter?”

“Has word already spread?”

“Not exactly. I just happened to overhear your conversation with His Majesty.”

“That’s right. The formalities aren’t complete yet, but she’s already living at the estate.”

A faint smile lingered on Daniel’s face as he thought of Rosette. Joshua leaned forward slightly, curiosity flickering in his eyes.

“You seem quite fond of her already.”

“She’s just so adorable and sweet. Anyone would love her at first sight.”

“You’re completely smitten, aren’t you? So, when are you introducing her to me?”

Daniel’s perpetually smiling face faltered for a moment.

“She’s still very shy around strangers. It’ll take at least half a year before she gets used to the household and makes her debut in society.”

“You’re not even going to let me see her?”

“No.”

The immediate, unwavering answer made Joshua let out a dry laugh.

“Anyone would think I’m going to eat her alive.”

“But Your Highness, even we find her difficult to handle. What if she panics and faints at the sight of royalty?”

“Then I’ll just hide my identity when I meet her.”

“That still won’t work. The dignity of royalty isn’t something you can conceal just by hiding your status.”

Daniel chuckled lightly and stood up.

“Anyway, I’ve taken up too much of Your Highness’s time since early morning. I should take my leave now.”

“Right.”

Joshua personally escorted Daniel outside the palace.

“Ah, one more thing.”

Just before Daniel closed the carriage window, Joshua hurriedly gestured to him. When Daniel leaned in, Joshua whispered,

“Be careful of carriage accidents for a while.”

“Huh?”

“You heard about Count Hartman’s accident recently, didn’t you? Even perfectly fine carriages can malfunction and cause accidents, so always check before boarding.”

“Thank you for your concern.”

“Well, it’d be best to avoid going out unnecessarily for a while…”

“What?”

The last part was too quiet to hear clearly. When Daniel asked again, Joshua shook his head.

“It’s nothing. Take care on your way back. Stay safe, and give my regards to Isabelle and Lucas.”

“Yes. Please take care of your health as well, Your Highness.”

“Mm.”

With that, the carriage carrying Daniel departed. For a brief moment, Daniel thought Joshua was acting strange, but he quickly brushed off the unease.

“What? Her birthday is coming up soon?”

Lucas’s eyes widened as he asked. Though she didn’t show it outwardly, Isabelle also seemed quite flustered.
Only Rosette answered nonchalantly.

“Yes. It’s in a week.”

“Why are you only telling us now?!” Lucas shouted sharply.

To explain the current situation:

After finishing his bath, Lucas had taken Rosette on a tour of the mansion, his hair still damp. Isabelle, who had nothing better to do, followed the two around.

Starting with the dining hall—which he already knew well—Lucas showed her around various parts of the mansion.

“Alright, next up—my room!”

He led her to the room directly across from hers. As he explained each item inside, he pointed to a sword hanging on the wall.

“That’s the sword Father gifted me for my birthday last year. He said it was custom-made. Cool, right?”

“Yes.”

Then, almost as an afterthought, he casually asked:

“By the way, when’s your birthday?”

Rosette, without much thought, counted the days and replied, “In a week.”

And that’s when chaos erupted.

“Why—why didn’t you say anything?!”

Rosette, unsure why Lucas was so upset, answered honestly.

“No one asked.”

Lucas clutched the back of his neck.

“But something that important—how could you not mention it?! It’s the day you were born!”

Rosette carefully corrected him.

“It’s not the day I was born. It’s the day I was left at the orphanage.”

Lucas floundered for words, his mouth opening and closing silently. But Rosette genuinely felt nothing special about her birthday.

The biggest reason was that it wasn’t her actual birth date, just the day she was abandoned—hardly something worth celebrating. The second reason was that she had never really had a proper birthday before.

The orphanage was full of children. With already limited resources, they couldn’t afford to celebrate each child’s birthday.

For them, cakes and presents were things that only existed in fairy tales. The most they got was a slightly larger portion of food than usual—if that could even be called a gift.

‘At the Dales’ house…’

At the Dales household, she didn’t even get that much. Elisa Dales, her so-called sister, threw lavish parties and received piles of gifts every year—but Rosette was never included.

In fact, she ate better on Elisa’s birthday than her own, simply because there were always leftovers in the kitchen that day.

‘But… is that really so surprising?’

Rosette blinked in confusion, while Lucas smacked his chest in frustration. Even Isabelle sighed and shook her head repeatedly.

After studying Rosette’s face, Lucas suddenly declared with enthusiasm:

“Alright! I’ll throw you the perfect birthday party!”

From then on, instead of continuing the mansion tour, he began listing out plans for the party. A three-tier cake! Tons of food! Piles of presents! He chattered excitedly.

She thought it was just childish talk—until Sebastian, the head butler, started taking notes with a completely serious expression.

Even Isabelle, who she expected to be indifferent, chimed in with her own suggestions. She even gathered the servants to brainstorm ideas.

‘…Are they really throwing me a party?’

Rosette’s heart began to race without her realizing it. Just as the three siblings and the mansion staff were deep in discussion—

“So this is where everyone was.”

Daniel’s voice rang out. He had left early that morning but now stood there, smiling at his three younger siblings.

“What’s got you all so excited? Showing Rosette around the mansion?”

Lucas immediately rushed over to him.

“Brother! The little squirt’s birthday is in a week!”

Daniel, who had been smiling, faltered slightly.

“A week?”

“Yeah! So we’re planning her birthday party!”
“Ah, I see.”

Daniel gently patted Rosette’s head, noticing her slight discomfort.

“Why didn’t you say anything? We almost let it pass by unnoticed.”

Rosette could only repeat herself.

“I just… didn’t think it was a big deal…”

“Nonsense.”

Daniel pinched her cheek lightly—not enough to hurt, but enough to make his point.

“It’s an important day. The day you were born.”

“But my birthday isn’t the day I was born—it’s the day I was left at the orphanage…”

Daniel’s hand twitched for a moment before he pinched her cheek again, firmer this time.

“Then that makes it an even better day. Because if you hadn’t been left there, we wouldn’t have met you. Right?”

Oh.

She hadn’t thought of it that way. Until now, her birthday had just been a day when she got a little extra food—but hearing Daniel say that made it feel… different. Special, even.

Noticing her hesitation, Daniel asked softly,

“Still think it’s not a big deal?”

“…No.”

“Then we’ll all celebrate together. Is there anything you want to do that day?”

“I just…”

There was something she wanted. If they were going to have a party, she wished she could celebrate with Jane and the other children from the orphanage—to share delicious food and even presents with them.

But that’s impossible, isn’t it?

She had only been here for two days. Asking to invite guests might make her seem ungrateful. So, in the end, she kept those thoughts to herself.

“I just want to spend it with everyone. With Lucas, you, and Isabelle.”

It wasn’t a lie. She would be happy celebrating with the Adrians.

“Alright. I’ll leave you to it, then.”

“Okay.”

Daniel ruffled each of their heads in turn before turning to leave.

“Ah—!”

Watching him walk away, Rosette suddenly remembered something she needed to tell him. She scrambled after him, her small feet pattering against the floor.

Sensing her approach, Daniel stopped and turned.

“What’s wrong?”

Rosette panted, struggling to catch her breath.

“I… have… something… to tell you.”

“Something to tell me?”

“Yes.”

Daniel waited patiently as she steadied her breathing.

“You ran all the way here just to say something? You could’ve told me later.”

“Well…”

Despite her determination, Rosette hesitated.

How do I say this?

She wanted to warn him about the carriage accident. But even to her, blurting out “Be careful of carriage accidents!” sounded absurd.

And Rosette wasn’t good at weaving elegant lies.

As she fumbled for words, Daniel crouched slightly to meet her eye level and smiled.

“Is it hard to say?”

After a long pause, she mustered her courage.

“I heard… there have been a lot of carriage accidents lately.”
“Huh?”

“Before getting into the carriage, tell the coachman to double-check the wheels.”

Daniel paused, processing her words, then suddenly let out a soft laugh. Rosette blinked in confusion, and he quickly clarified.

“Sorry. I wasn’t laughing at you.”

“…?”

“It’s just… I’m happy that so many people are worried about my safety.”

“Your safety?”

“Yeah.”

Rosette tilted her head, not quite understanding, but Daniel didn’t elaborate. She didn’t press further.

“Alright, I’ll be careful from now on.”

“Okay.”

“Go play with the others now.”

“Okay.”

With that, Rosette scampered back to Lucas and Isabelle. Daniel watched her for a moment before finally heading to his room.