How could she possibly know this knight when she had never had any contact with the Adringa Knights in the past?
While Rosette was briefly pondering that question, a gasp escaped her lips.
“Ah…!”
She remembered where she had seen him.
“This man… I’m sure he was in the Dallas family’s knights.”
Rosette recalled a now-fuzzy memory from the past.
Back then, she had been in her mid-teens. She had been ordered by the Marquis of Dallas to threaten a nobleman, and one of the knights who had accompanied her as a bodyguard looked just like him.
But she couldn’t be certain. She had seen that knight only a few times, and his face wasn’t clearly imprinted in her memory.
Besides, his appearance was fairly ordinary—she could easily have mistaken him for someone else.
Then the knight smiled more brightly. Upon closer inspection, she noticed a long scar on his chin. Seeing that, she was convinced.
“That’s right. He was a knight of the Dallas family. I’m sure of it.”
But why was a knight of the Dallas family here? That was the real mystery.
Rosette wasn’t a knight herself, so she didn’t know much about knighthood. But even she knew one basic rule: once someone swore loyalty to a noble house, they didn’t serve another.
So the conclusion was simple.
“He was originally from the Dallas house.”
The man standing before her now was a spy from the Dallas family.
When Rosette had thought about Daniel’s accident, she had suspected that there must be a spy from the Dallas family inside the mansion.
She had figured the spy would be someone like a stable hand or a servant—someone who could easily get close to the carriage.
She had planned to search for the spy after establishing herself more firmly in the Adringa family, in order to prevent any future accidents.
But now, the spy had just conveniently come to her!
Rosette couldn’t decide whether to feel delighted or troubled, so her expression became awkward. The knight then asked her,
“Young lady, weren’t you thirsty?”
“Huh? Uh, y-yeah.”
Rosette took the water bottle from him and had a drink. The knight gave her a light smile again, then ran off to rejoin his comrades.
Watching his back as he walked away, Rosette narrowed her eyes.
“If I’m right, he’s the one who tampered with the carriage.”
But she only had suspicion—no solid proof. And she couldn’t be entirely sure he was a spy. All she had was the fact that he resembled someone from her past.
She was now practically glaring at the knight when Lucas spoke up.
“Hey, shortie. Why are you staring like that?”
Was it that obvious? Even though Lucas couldn’t read her thoughts, Rosette panicked and stammered.
“N-no, I just… I’m grateful, that’s all…”
Lucas squinted at her suspiciously, his face full of doubt.
“Don’t tell me… you fell for him at first sight or something?”
“…What?”
Not understanding what he meant, Rosette asked back in confusion. Lucas exploded in frustration.
“You can’t do that, shortie! Is this why you said you wanted to train at dawn?!”
Meanwhile, the knights who had already taken an interest in the two of them smiled fondly as they watched the little ones.
Startled, Rosette hurriedly covered Lucas’s mouth with both hands.
“Mmph, mmph!”
Lucas flailed a bit, trying to remove her hands, but Rosette kept whispering, “Shhh, shhh,” and dragged him away to a quiet corner, away from the knights.
There was no way Lucas could be physically overpowered by Rosette. But he let her drag him willingly.
Once Rosette made sure no one was around, she finally let go. Lucas took a deep breath and snapped at her.
“What was that about?”
“You were the one saying weird things!”
“Me? What weird things?”
Lucas tilted his head in confusion, then suddenly remembered and shouted:
“Oh! The falling at first sight thing?”
“Shh! Keep your voice down!”
Rosette tried to cover his mouth again, but this time Lucas didn’t let her. He easily dodged her hand, as if to say he had only let her win earlier for fun.
Lucas then looked at Rosette—who now stared blankly at her empty hand—and asked,
“Then why were you staring at him like that?”
“Ah…”
Rosette furrowed her brow in frustration, her mind spinning.
But when no good excuse came to her, she just stood there. Lucas muttered under his breath,
“…Didn’t know you were into that type.”
“It’s not like that!”
Rosette shouted without meaning to.
“It’s just… he looked like someone I know.”
“Really?”
Fortunately, Lucas didn’t seem suspicious. Since things had gone this far, Rosette decided to try getting some information out of her naïve older brother.
“When did that knight start working here?”
“Hmm…”
Lucas answered again without much thought.
“It’s not like I know everything about every knight.”
“I see.”
“But he looks pretty young, so I’d guess he hasn’t been here long. Maybe four or five years at most?”
That wasn’t enough information. Disappointed, Rosette’s shoulders slumped. Lucas waved his arms and started rambling to make up for it.
“Well, Daniel might know. Should I ask him? Or maybe Father?”
Then he narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
“You’re really not interested in him, right?”
Rosette shook her head vigorously.
“Of course not!”
“Good. Because this big brother wouldn’t approve!”
Rosette no longer had the will to keep dealing with Lucas, so she started quietly walking back toward the mansion.
“Hey, hey! Rose! Wait up! You didn’t even answer me properly!”
Lucas trailed after her like a puppy.
Rosette sat primly in a chair, lifting her skirt up to her knees. The family’s doctor examined both of her knees with a serious look on his face.
This was all thanks to Lucas causing a huge fuss as soon as they got back to the mansion: “The youngest fell really hard!”
Rosette felt a bit embarrassed.
“It really wasn’t that bad…”
Her still-bony knees didn’t even have a visible scratch, not even a hint of redness. But Lucas chattered non-stop beside the physician.
“It was so loud. Check carefully—what if a bone broke? Just look at her legs. They’re skinny enough to break in a fall like that!”
The doctor, who was even using a magnifying glass to examine her, chuckled.
“She’s fine, young master.”
“Really?”
“Yes. But bruises might appear later, so I’ll apply some ointment just in case.”
The physician gently applied the ointment and then left the room. Lucas let out a relieved sigh and plopped down beside Rosette.
“Thank goodness. At least nothing’s broken.”
“There’s no way something like that would break a bone.”
Lucas poked her forehead with his index finger.
“Our little one’s even talking back now?”
“…”
Rosette didn’t respond. Instead, she just dangled her legs back and forth. Lucas continued chattering at her side, but she let it wash over her as she sank into thought.
“How can I prove he’s a spy?”
The first thing that came to mind was a confession spell. A magic that compels someone to speak the truth—it was often used during criminal interrogations.
“But that’s not going to work.”
There were some major issues with using a confession spell.
First, it was a high-level mind-control spell. Maybe her past self could’ve pulled it off, but not her current self, who didn’t even have a mana core.
Second, even if she could use the spell, it would raise serious questions. People would start seeing her as strange—after all, she was supposed to be an eight-year-old who hadn’t even started learning basic magic.
Plus, if someone asked why she used the confession spell on that knight, she wouldn’t have a good excuse. She couldn’t just say, “He looked suspicious.”
And third…
“I don’t want to.”
Using a confession spell was dangerous, as it forcibly controlled the target’s mind. In severe cases, the person affected by the spell could suffer mental damage.
Rosette had used it a few times in the past, forced to do so by the Marquis of Dallus, but now she wanted to avoid it.
She furrowed her brows and rubbed the area near her heart, where the Marquis had once placed a spell on her.
“How can I reveal the truth naturally?”
Just then…
“Rose. Are you in a lot of pain?”
Lost in thought, Rosette looked up at the voice above her. At some point, Daniel had come into the room and was smiling down at her. Lucas was nowhere to be seen—he must have left.
“How did you get here?”
“I heard the news. Lucas’s voice was echoing down the hallway.”
Daniel replied with a chuckle, then knelt in front of her to examine her knees.
“Fortunately, there’s no swelling or serious injury.”
“Brother Lucas exaggerated everything.”
“Really?”
“Yes. I didn’t even fall that hard in the first place.”
“Well, that’s a relief.”
Daniel laughed aloud and looked at her face again.
“Then why were you frowning like that?”
“I was just… thinking.”
“Thinking? About what?”
“Just… stuff.”
Rosette couldn’t bring herself to tell the truth, nor could she come up with a convincing lie, so she just mumbled vaguely. Luckily, Daniel didn’t press further. Instead, he gently patted her head.
“Father always said children shouldn’t worry so much.”
The warmth of his touch made her throat tighten. Rosette imagined this kind and gentle brother, years from now, unable to use one leg and walking with a cane.
It was a more painful image than she’d expected, and it made her mood sink. It felt different from when she had first met Daniel. Back then, she had only felt guilty. Now… it was a deeper sorrow she couldn’t quite name.
Following Daniel’s example, Rosette reached out and gently patted his head. He blinked in surprise, then smiled warmly.
“Is there something I can help you with, Rose?”
“Brother, you have to be really careful when riding the carriage.”
“I understand. I always make sure to check everything before I ride.”
It was the kind of thing most adults would brush off as childish worry, but Daniel listened seriously.
Still not reassured, Rosette held out her pinky finger.
“Promise me.”
With a soft smile, Daniel hooked his pinky with hers.
“Alright, I promise.”
Joseph Oser returned to his room and, after confirming he was alone, activated a small communication orb. A low voice soon came from it.
[I told you not to contact me unless absolutely necessary.]
“It’s an emergency.”
[Speak, then.]
Joseph swallowed dryly and whispered,
“Daniel Adrian may have caught on.”
[Caught on? What do you mean?]
“He’s told me several times lately to be more careful with the hOssers and carriage maintenance.”
There was a brief silence on the other end of the orb. Then the voice returned, deeper and more critical.
[How did you mess up so badly that they noticed?]
“I swear I haven’t done anything yet. I haven’t even gone near the stables or the carriage shed!”
Joseph quickly explained himself, afraid of being misunderstood.
There was a reason for his desperation: his younger sister, Melody—his only family—was being held hostage.
With a voice full of pleading, Joseph whispered,
“Please… don’t do anything to my sister.”
