YDGMSF CHAPTER 23

[Pee! Peep!]
Rosette, who understood what Peepy was saying, burst out laughing.
“Why do you keep laughing?”
“Peepy… said it.”
Peepy had already said that its name was Peepy.
Though she couldn’t speak, she managed to convey the meaning, and somehow, Lucas interpreted it perfectly.
“You’re saying it already told me its name was Peepy? Wait, but you—can you actually understand what Peepy says?”
When Rosette nodded, Lucas looked stunned.
“But all it says is ‘Pik’ and ‘Peeit’?”
Rosette struggled to figure out how to explain this.
Familiars and mages shared a mental connection, so they could communicate emotions and thoughts—and of course, understand each other’s words.
But with no voice, she couldn’t explain all of that aloud. She wanted to write it down, but the current ‘Rosette’ hadn’t learned to read or write yet.
After thinking for a moment, she tapped Peepy lightly on the head. Rosette’s mana flowed into Peepy.
And then, Peepy opened its beak—and instead of bird sounds, out came the short, lisping voice of a toddler.
[Familiars share emotions with their masters. Of course we can understand each other’s words!]
“Wahh!”
Lucas was so shocked he fell backward. Peepy giggled at the sight of him landing on his butt.
“Y-you… How are you talking?”
[Rosette gave me mana so I can talk! Only for a little bit though!]
“Then…!”
[But before that, Rosette wants to ask something!]
Lucas, surprisingly quick to adapt to a talking bird, got up and sat on the edge of the bed.
“What is it?”
[What happened to Joseph Osser?]
“Joseph Osser…”
Lucas ground his teeth in anger.
“Why are you asking about that guy?”
Peepy fluttered up to sit on Lucas’s shoulder and chirped.
[Bad words, bad words! Kids shouldn’t say bad words!]
Lucas grumbled as he covered his ears.
“Alright, alright, I won’t say it. But why ask about Joseph Osser? He’s the reason you ended up like this.”
Rosette shook her head. Peepy explained for her.
[Joseph Osser helped Rosette and saved the Duke!]
“But he tried to betray Father.”
“That was…!”
Rosette reflexively tried to speak up in protest but winced from the pain in her throat.
Lucas handed her some warm water and then tapped Peepy on the head.
“Just have Pee-yak talk for you.”
[My name is Peepy!]
“It just sticks in my mouth, alright?”
[Peeep!]
“Okay, okay! Stop pulling my hair—ow!”
Peepy yanked out three more strands of Lucas’s platinum hair and puffed its chest proudly.
[Joseph Osser had no choice—his younger sibling was being held hostage. But in the end, he didn’t betray anyone and helped save the Duke.]
“But still…”
[Rosette promised him she would rescue his sibling no matter what!]
“…What?”
[Children who don’t keep promises are bad. Rosette is a good child. She has to keep her promise. Otherwise… Pii!]
“Huh?”
[Peeep, Pii!]
With that, Peepy returned to chirping like a regular bird.
Making a familiar speak human language required more concentration than it seemed. For eight-year-old Rosette, who had just woken from a coma, it was especially difficult.
Even while struggling to breathe, Rosette pointed toward the door. She wanted to go see Joseph Osser. Lucas, somehow understanding her intent, looked troubled.
“Joseph Osser is locked up in the underground prison right now. That’s not a place you should be going.”
Still, Rosette resolutely pointed at the door again, and Lucas let out a sigh.
“If we get caught, both of us are going to be in serious trouble with Father.”
“I’ll be… fine.”
“Hoo…”
Lucas raised both hands and ruffled Rosette’s hair.
“Alright. Let’s go with your big brother. So what if we get scolded!”
***
And so, the two kids and one bird secretly made their way to the underground prison.
It wasn’t smooth. There were a lot of servants in the mansion, and it was impossible for the two kids to avoid them completely.
Thankfully, thanks to Lucas’s quick thinking and improvisation, they managed to reach the entrance of the underground prison without incident.
But that’s where the real trouble began.
“Who’s there?”
A knight guarding the entrance sensed their presence and called out. Lucas hopped down the stairs with a grin.
“It’s me.”
“Young Master? What brings you here?”
“Came to see Joseph Osser.”
“Joseph Osser… you say?”
A complicated expression crossed the knight’s face.
“Young Master, Joseph…”
“I know. He tried to betray Father. That’s why I’m here. I want to ask him some questions.”
“His Grace has already interrogated Joseph. There’s no need for you to—”
“…There is.”
Rosette, slowly descending the stairs, cut the knight off mid-sentence. The knight pressed a hand to his forehead when he saw her.
“Young Lady too? My goodness. If His Grace finds out…”
“I know. If Father finds out, we’ll get scolded. But I still need to see him.”
“But…”
“If you’re that uncomfortable, go ahead and report us to Father.”
The knight let out a groan, then signaled to another guard stationed with him. The second knight hesitated, then hurried off to report to the Duke.
“In the meantime, you should wait until His Grace arrives—wait, Young Master!”
Lucas ignored the knight and strode right in. Rosette followed closely behind him.
The knight, unable to lay hands on such precious children, had no choice but to trail behind helplessly.
Lucas marched on confidently and motioned to the knight with his chin.
“Well, since you’re coming with us, you might as well show us the way.”
“If His Grace finds out, I’ll be dead, Young Master.”
“Then just say I barged in without listening to reason.”
“Well… that is the truth.”
The knight, despite his protests, began to lead the way.
Before long, the group arrived at the cell where Joseph Osser was imprisoned.
“This is the place.”
“Step back a little, would you?”
“But…”
“He’s tied up. Joseph can’t do anything to us. I just want to talk.”
“Still, I can’t allow it.”
This time, the knight stood firm.
Lucas clicked his tongue but, realizing it was too much to press further, didn’t insist. Instead, he walked up to the cell and, with his hands in his pockets, tapped on the bars with his foot.
“Hey, Joseph Osser. Wake up. How can you be sleeping right now?”
Joseph Osser, dozing off while bound hand and foot, stirred at the sound and lifted his head.
His hazy eyes blinked toward Lucas. Once he recognized him, his body flinched.
“Young Master…?”
Then, spotting Rosette standing behind Lucas, his eyes widened in shock.
“Young Lady!”
He tried to crawl toward her on his knees, but the chains binding his arms and legs held him back. Even so, he strained so much that the chains pulled taut.
It had been ten days since Rosette last saw Joseph. In that short time, he had grown noticeably gaunt. The anxiety on his face made it clear—he was worrying about his sister, Melody.
“My sister, Melody…”
Tears welled up and fell from Joseph’s eyes. His chapped lips quivered as he finally managed to speak.
“Please… save Melody.”
Over the past ten days, Duke Adrian had thoroughly searched the mansion and uncovered another spy besides Joseph.
The culprit turned out to be a servant who helped with kitchen duties.
However, despite intense interrogation, the servant refused to speak. They managed to confirm that it was this servant who had drugged the carriage, but the identity of the person behind it, and the whereabouts of Melody—Joseph’s sister—were still unknown.
As a reward for helping him in the end, Duke Adrian had promised Joseph that he would find Melody.
But as time dragged on, Joseph’s hope began to fade. He couldn’t imagine the kidnappers leaving Melody unharmed.
And even Rosette, who had assured him that Melody was still alive, hadn’t regained consciousness—until now.
Joseph pressed his hands together in front of Rosette.
“I’m begging you… please find Melody. And if she’s already dead… please let me give her a proper funeral.”
Lucas, feeling pity but also glancing toward Rosette, scolded him.
“Hey, why are you telling that to her?”
“Young Lady… you said Melody was still alive, right? You must know something. Please… tell me.”
Actually, it wasn’t as if Rosette knew anything for certain.
However, considering that in her previous life Joseph Osser had remained a prisoner of the Marquis of Dallus for quite a long time, she could infer that Melody must have still been alive at that point.
If his sister had died, there would’ve been no reason to keep Joseph around.
To be frank, while Joseph was talented with a sword, he wasn’t valuable enough to warrant being held hostage with leverage unless there was more to it.
So what did that mean?
“There’s something about Melody.”
That must be why—even after everything had gone wrong—the Marquis of Dallus still hadn’t killed her.
“If we can just find Melody quickly…”
Rosette was just finishing her thoughts when—
“Lucas. Rosette.”
The voice of Duke Adrian rang out, gentle yet stern.
“What are you doing here?”
“Father!”
Lucas flinched for a moment, startled, but then quickly grinned.
“I wanted to ask Joseph Osser something.”
Duke Adrian’s expression darkened slightly.
“That’s not your place—it’s my responsibility to question him.”
“But—!”
“So you two should leave and get some rest. And you even brought Rose here when she’s still recovering.”
The duke signaled silently to the knight beside him.
The knight stepped forward to escort the children out, but before he could take them, Lucas shook him off and shouted urgently at Rosette.
“Hey, Rose! Do that thing again from earlier!”
“…?”
“Make Ppiyak—no, Peepy—talk again!”
Rosette immediately understood and channeled mana into Peepy, who had fluttered to her side.
But since she had already used a large amount of mana earlier, Peepy could only speak in fragmented words this time.
[Joseph Osser! Sister! Danger! Save! Hurry!]
Joseph’s eyes flew open.
“M-my sister is in danger?!”
This time, Rosette spoke out loud.
“I… I don’t know for sure.”
“But just now—!”
“But if we don’t act soon…”
That child will be used by the Marquis of Dallus. Just like I was. Her emotions will be worn away, and she’ll be turned into nothing more than a tool for killing.
I don’t know what kind of person she is, but I hate that idea.
With her thoughts resolved, Rosette ignored the pain in her throat and looked directly at Duke Adrian.
“We have to save Joseph Osser’s sister!”