“I don’t want an apology. What I want to know is why Rosette was there.”
“Ugh.”
Joseph, who had been crying nonstop, finally composed himself and began explaining the situation.
“I swear, I didn’t join the Adrian family’s knights with any ill intentions. That much, I can guarantee.”
“If you’re not a spy, then why did this happen?”
“My sister, Melody, was taken hostage.”
He spoke as calmly as possible, even while panting, explaining the events.
The people who kidnapped Melody, who had gone out to play in the fields, had threatened him, ordering him to sprinkle a magic potion on the Duke’s carriage. He also mentioned how, knowing that Daniel would figure out the situation, they had rushed the plan.
And then…
“But I refused to do it. I swear, I really did.”
Duke Adrian, assuming Joseph’s words were true for now, asked,
“Then how did Rosette end up following me?”
“I’ve always thought there was another spy in the mansion besides me. I suspected that this spy had done something to the carriage as originally planned, so I went to the carriage storage to check. That’s when Miss Rosette found me.”
“Rosette?”
“Yes. She already knew everything and was trying to stop me.”
Duke Adrian wiped his face with cold water, looking confused.
“How did Rosette know?”
“I don’t know either. But she believed the target was the eldest son.”
“Daniel?”
“Yes. And then she found out that the real target was you…”
“So she came to save me.”
“Yes.”
Joseph hesitated for a moment before asking,
“Is Miss Rosette alright?”
“You don’t need to know that.”
“Well…”
Joseph’s lips trembled, but he couldn’t bring himself to speak. He couldn’t mention that Rosette had said she would save his sister, Melody, as it would feel shameful.
But it seemed as if the Duke had read his thoughts, for he asked,
“What happened to your sister?”
“…I don’t know.”
Joseph started crying again.
“They told me that if I failed my mission, I would never see Melody again. But Miss Rosette said my sister would be safe.”
“…”
“I hope she’s safe, but I wonder if she can really save Melody…”
The Duke’s heart softened. From what he knew, Joseph’s sister, Melody Osser, was the same age as Rosette, eight years old.
Moreover, if what Joseph said was true, it meant he had helped the Duke, knowing he might lose his sister in the process.
If all of this were true, the Duke should help Joseph, who had shown loyalty. Although Joseph had tried to betray him once, he couldn’t keep him in the Adrian family, but Melody, who was innocent, should be saved.
But…
“I can’t trust you just yet. But I’ll look into it.”
“Are you serious, Duke?”
Instead of answering, Duke Adrian gestured to the knights who were waiting behind him.
“Take him away.”
“Yes.”
The faces of the knights taking away Joseph, who had once been a comrade, were grim.
Once they had completely disappeared, Duke Adrian gave instructions to his informant, who had been hiding in the ceiling.
“A rat has sneaked into the mansion. Find it as quickly as possible.”
The informant, who had jumped down from the ceiling, bowed before him.
“Understood.”
“And investigate the mastermind behind this incident as well.”
“Yes.”
After the informant disappeared, the Duke let out a sigh.
For now, he had done everything he could. All that was left was to wait for Rosette to wake up.
[Peep! Peep!] The little bird, who had not been visible since morning, flew in. Lucas, who had been looking for it, greeted the bird.
“Hey, Peep! Where have you been? I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”
Over the past week, he had grown quite attached to this little bird, who never left Rosette’s side, even giving it the name ‘Peepy.’ The reason was that its chirping sounded like a baby chick.
[Peep!] What he didn’t know was that every time he called it that name, Peepy would protest, “My name is Peepy!”
“Yeah, Peepy. You must be honored that I worried about you, huh?”
[Peep!] “But what’s that?”
[Peep!] Peepy landed on Rosette’s chest and gently placed a small white flower, which it had been holding in its beak, down.
Unlike the flowers grown in the Adrian mansion’s greenhouse, it was a wildflower that grew in the fields.
Lucas looked at the flower with curiosity.
“Oh, is it already blooming?”
[Peep!] It had already been a week since Rosette fell asleep. During that time, she had not woken up.
In the meantime, the month had changed to March, and the season was shifting from winter to spring.
“I was planning to take the little one out to play when spring came.”
Muttering gloomily, Lucas took the flower Peepy had brought and placed it near Rosette’s ear.
“Stupid little one. Wake up already. Peepy brought you a flower to see.”
[Peep! Peep!] “You should hurry up and train with me too…”
Lucas couldn’t continue his words and lowered his head. Tears started to fall from the corners of his eyes, and his face contorted like a walnut.
“Don’t die, little one.”
Duke Adrian, who usually never showed anger, was so frustrated from waiting that he had even pressed his physician and Celine to explain why she hadn’t woken up yet.
In response, Celine said, “The lady has far more mana in her body than I expected, so her recovery is slower than anticipated.”
Internal mana was an indicator of a magician’s abilities. The more mana one had, the stronger their abilities could be.
This meant that Rosette had abilities far greater than Duke Adrian had anticipated.
However, no one was happy about this fact. The situation was far too grim to celebrate.
[Peep! Peep!] Peepy, too, cried mournfully, rubbing its face against Rosette’s cheek, which had grown thinner over the past week.
At that moment, no one saw Rosette’s small hand twitch.
****
While she was asleep, Rosette had a nightmare. Or rather, it wasn’t exactly a nightmare—it was simply a vision of the past, showing her the things she had done.
A lot of events passed by, most of them things Rosette had done for the Dallas family.
“I don’t want this… I don’t want this.”
Even while dreaming, Rosette groaned in pain. The dream showed her the last evil act she had committed.
In the dream, Rosette, with her hood pulled low, snuck into Adrian’s office.
Her hood, already soaked with the blood of several knights she had killed, was dark with crimson stains.
“You’re quite skilled.”
Adrian, sensing her presence, drew his sword and waited for her.
“Did Marquis Dallas send you?”
“…”
Rosette approached him without responding. The moonlight shining through the window faintly illuminated her face.
When Adrian saw her youthful face, his expression hardened. He then gritted his teeth.
“That damned bastard… sending a little child like this…”
Rosette reflexively replied.
“I’m not a child. I’m an adult now.”
“An adult?”
Rosette, who had been poorly fed and overworked, was very small for her age. She appeared no older than twelve or thirteen, at most.
Especially compared to Adrian’s own children, who were taller and more developed, he couldn’t believe her claim.
But what shocked Adrian more than her childlike appearance was her blank, emotionless expression.
He quickly realized that she was used to such things.
“How long have you been doing this?”
“…”
Adrian lowered his sword, which had been pointed at her, and asked,
“Isn’t it painful, being used by the Marquis?”
“…”
“You remind me of my daughter. It’s not too late. Go back. You don’t belong in this kind of life.”
Those words triggered something deep within Rosette.
“I…”
In truth, she never wanted to kill anyone.
But every time she hesitated, Marquis Dallas controlled her with the magic he had placed in her.
Without mercy, she used her magic, and the people around her yelled in anger. They called her a heartless murderer, or begged her for their lives.
But no one ever asked her if it hurt. Not a single person.
Rosette raised her head and looked into Adrian’s eyes. He had already sheathed his sword and extended his right hand.
“Or I can help you escape from this.”
“Ah…”
In that moment, Rosette realized something. She could never hurt this man.
So, she turned her back and tried to leave. But the moment she took a step forward…
“…!”
Her body began to move on its own. She turned around and started walking back toward Duke Adrian, then reached out her hand toward him.
It was the moment when Duke Adrian grabbed her hand.
Without her will, her mouth opened, and she began to chant a spell. At the same time, the mana that had been gathering around her transformed into sharp blades, piercing through the Duke’s abdomen.
Blood poured from the Duke’s mouth.
No!
But Rosette couldn’t even say those words. Instead, the words that came from her mouth were another spell.
The mana blades attacked the Duke once more. Without taking a defensive stance, the Duke’s body crumbled under the attack.
He slammed the scabbard to the ground, barely managing to kneel with one knee.
“Ah… ah…”
Rosette, now freed from her restraints, knelt before him. For some reason, tears began to flow from her dry eyes.
She wanted to use healing magic, but she couldn’t. Marquis Dallas had ensured that Rosette couldn’t use healing magic in situations like this.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry… I…”
I didn’t want to do this. I didn’t want to live like this.
I just wanted to be happy…
Watching her, Duke Adrian wiped her tear-streaked cheek with his bloodied hand.
“Don’t cry, child.”
There was no trace of resentment in the Duke’s eyes. If he had hated her like the others, perhaps it wouldn’t have been so painful.
The tears Rosette shed trickled down the Duke’s fingers.
“Never return to him.”
But if I don’t return to Marquis Dallas, where else can I go? There’s nowhere else for me.
How can I escape from this hell? No one has given me an answer. All people have given me are curses and condemnation.
So, won’t you give me the answer? Please open your eyes.
Please.
Rosette knelt in front of Duke Adrian, who remained unmoving, and continued to cry endlessly.
At that moment, someone suddenly reached out to her.
The large, calloused hand was rough, with hardened skin from years of use. It was clearly the hand of a swordsman.
“Come on, get up, Rosette.”
The warm and gentle voice.
“Your father has been waiting for you.”
