After that, Rosette fell ill again. It was the aftermath of using magic.
Mages create a mana core within their bodies from the moment they begin learning magic. This mana core makes it easier to cast spells and reduces the side effects of using magic.
But Rosette, without a mana core and having never used magic before, had cast a high-level healing spell. A seven-year-old’s body couldn’t handle that.
Jane anxiously stayed by Rosette’s side. She wiped Rosette’s sweaty forehead and neck with a cold cloth and spoon-fed her water.
Rosette was grateful to Jane, but she didn’t even have the strength to say thank you. She groaned in pain and slept almost the entire day.
The priests also worried and infused her body with divine energy, but it was no use. While divine energy could usually lower a fever, Rosette’s case was special.
There were only two ways to lower Rosette’s fever, given that she had no mana core.
One, wait quietly until the mana subsides on its own. Two, have a more skilled mage artificially suppress the mana.
So, the priests’ divine energy had no effect.
The priests panicked and called a doctor, but there wasn’t much the doctor could do either. He prescribed fever reducers, but even after taking the medicine, Rosette’s fever showed no signs of breaking.
Neither medicine nor divine energy worked. All they could do was wait for time to pass.
‘I thought it would subside quickly.’
Rosette drank the water Jane offered, her mind hazy. Even without a mana core, she knew how to manipulate the mana within her body.
She thought that if she could create even a small mana core while resting, her body would recover quickly.
The problem was that her body was weaker than she had expected. Her body couldn’t handle it, so she couldn’t create a mana core, and without a mana core, her body couldn’t recover.
Still, after resting for a full day, her fever had gone down a bit compared to yesterday. She regained enough clarity to thank Jane for her devoted care.
“Unnie, thank you….”
But Rosette couldn’t finish her sentence. The person in front of her stopped her. She had expected it to be Jane, but someone else was sitting there.
Platinum blonde hair that stood out even in the dimly lit room. It was Duke Adrian.
Startled, Rosette took a sharp breath and immediately choked.
Duke Adrian gently patted her back as she coughed, unable to breathe properly. Perhaps because he had three children of his own, his movements were practiced and familiar.
“Are you alright?”
“I, uh, cough….”
“I’m sorry if I startled you.”
Rosette shook her head vigorously, trying to catch her breath. A noble apologizing? That was unheard of.
But she couldn’t even bring herself to tell him not to apologize. She just rolled her eyes, hoping Duke Adrian would leave soon.
“May I hold your hand for a moment?”
Duke Adrian suddenly asked as he observed her. Startled, Rosette didn’t even understand why he was asking but extended her hand anyway.
Duke Adrian carefully took her hand. His hand was at least twice the size of hers and warm.
Soon, a warm energy flowed from his hand and enveloped Rosette’s body. It was his mana.
“I’m not a mage, so I’m not sure if I’m doing this right.”
Sword Masters, unusually, knew how to manipulate mana. His mana gently wrapped around the chaotic mana inside Rosette’s body.
Eventually, Rosette’s mana settled quietly near her navel. The nausea she had felt just moments ago subsided.
“Do you feel better now?”
Rosette, lying back in bed, desperately pulled the blanket up to her nose and nodded. Duke Adrian smiled brightly.
“Do you dislike me that much?”
Rosette shook her head vigorously. She didn’t dislike him. In fact, she had no right to dislike him.
“Then?”
“……”
“Are you scared?”
Nod, nod.
“Because I’m a noble?”
Shake, shake.
“Then why are you scared?”
“……”
Duke Adrian let out a small sigh.
“If you don’t want it, I’ll give up on adopting you.”
Rosette’s eyes widened.
“Instead, I’d like to sponsor you so you can pursue your dreams. How does that sound?”
“Sponsor…?”
“Yes. With the Adrian family’s sponsorship, you can attend an academy and learn magic.”
“……”
It was a tempting offer. But she couldn’t answer right away.
As Rosette blinked silently, Duke Adrian stood up.
“Of course, if you ever change your mind, you’re always welcome at the Adrian estate. Now, get some rest.”
With those words, he left the room. At the same time, Rosette suddenly felt drowsy and fell asleep.
* * *
Thanks to Duke Adrian, Rosette woke up after a good night’s sleep feeling as if she had never been sick.
She ate breakfast and sat under the shade of a large tree, watching the children play ball.
Dust flew everywhere, and it was noisy, but she didn’t want to go inside. In fact, she had missed this chaotic scene.
Paradoxically, Rosette found comfort in the noise.
“Hi?”
At that moment, a strange voice came from above. Slowly looking up, she saw a boy standing in front of her.
A boy with light platinum blonde hair and purple eyes. Unlike the scruffy orphanage children, he exuded elegance from head to toe. Anyone could tell he was a noble.
It wasn’t just his appearance. His expression radiated the confidence unique to nobles.
Rosette could easily tell he was from the Adrian family because he looked so much like Duke Adrian. His appearance, more like a young boy than a child, also led her to guess that he was Daniel Adrian, the eldest son.
Daniel Adrian. The man who, along with Duke Adrian, had died by her magic.
Rosette stiffened and looked for a way to escape. Running away wouldn’t erase the past, but she wanted to avoid everything, even if just for a moment.
But before she could stand up, Daniel spoke first.
“Can I sit here?”
“Uh…”
No, you can’t. That was all she needed to say, but strangely, her lips wouldn’t move.
Rosette looked up at Daniel with tearful eyes, then quickly lowered her head. Unable to accept or refuse, she chose silence.
Taking her silence as a yes, Daniel sat down beside her. Rosette flinched and scooted away slightly. Daniel looked surprised for a moment but then moved a little further away.
“Sorry. I thought it was okay to sit since you didn’t say no.”
“……”
“Do you not want me here?”
Rosette shook her head. She couldn’t answer whether he could sit, but she could quickly answer whether she disliked it.
She didn’t dislike it. It was just overwhelming.
“I’m glad you don’t dislike it.”
“……”
“What were you doing here alone?”
Why is he doing this to me? Curious about his intentions, Rosette mumbled quietly.
“Just watching.”
“Watching what?”
“The kids playing.”
“Why aren’t you playing with them? Just watching?”
“I like watching better.”
Though the conversation continued, it felt somewhat superficial.
‘Does he really have something else he wants to talk about?’
Rosette hesitated, then gathered her courage and asked.
“Do you have something you want to say?”
“Why don’t you want to come to our family?”
“Huh?”
“I mean, usually, when people hear they’re being adopted, they’re happy to have a family…”
She might have felt that way if it weren’t the Adrian family.
Rosette neither agreed nor disagreed, keeping her mouth shut. Even though it might have seemed rude, he didn’t look offended at all.
Perhaps because Daniel was closer to her age, Rosette felt a little more comfortable speaking.
“Did the Duke send you?”
“Huh?”
“To persuade me?”
“No. I came on my own.”
Daniel shrugged.
“I heard I might get a new sibling, so I came to see for myself.”
“But aren’t you against it?”
“Against what?”
“Usually, kids don’t like it when someone gets adopted.”
Rosette recalled when she was adopted into the Dallas family. Her stepbrother, Derek Dallas, and stepsister, Elisha Dallas, hadn’t welcomed her.
Derek had ignored her, so it wasn’t a big deal. The problem was Elisha. She had tormented Rosette in subtle ways.
Once, she had hidden her own necklace in Rosette’s room and accused Rosette of stealing it. Rosette had been punished by being locked in the attic.
‘There are plenty of other examples, but…’
Perhaps because of those memories, Rosette had assumed the Adrian children wouldn’t welcome her either.
Moreover, Daniel already had a sister. There was no reason for him to welcome Rosette. Yet, he answered like this.
“I’m fine with it.”
“……”
“Belle and Lucas will like it too.”
“But…”
As she spoke, Rosette’s gaze drifted to Daniel’s legs.
‘They’re fine.’
In the past, Daniel had been in an accident that left him with a limp. He always needed a cane and couldn’t wield a sword.
Because of that, there had been voices opposing him becoming the heir to the Adrian family, known for their swordsmanship.
‘That accident happened because of the Dallas family.’
The Adrian family never found out, but Rosette, who had been part of the Dallas household, knew the truth.
At that moment, a sudden realization struck her.
‘Even without me, the same future will repeat itself.’
Daniel would suffer the same accident and lose the use of his leg. The Marquis of Dallas would find a replacement for Rosette and plot to kill Duke Adrian and Daniel.
In the worst-case scenario, they might die again.
Was it okay to just run away and escape the chaos?
Could she just live with a sense of atonement and let everything end like that?
Rosette tightly gripped her old skirt with both hands.
If she went to the Adrian family, she could change the future.
But that required courage. She couldn’t bring herself to agree so easily.
Yet, could she really turn away? Could she be sure she wouldn’t be consumed by guilt when she heard the news of Duke Adrian’s death in the distant future?
Thinking that far, Rosette suddenly stood up without realizing it.
“Where is the Duke?”
“Father? He’s meeting with the head priest.”
“I want to see the Duke.”
“Really? Let’s go together.”
Daniel stood up and held out his hand. Rosette hesitated, then took it. His hand was rough, as expected of a boy who trained with swords, but it was also very warm.
Rosette tried to calm her pounding heart as she walked with Daniel to the head priest’s office. When the two appeared, both Duke Adrian and the head priest stood up.
The head priest looked surprised, while Duke Adrian smiled warmly.
“Rosette, it seems you’ve met Daniel. So, what brings you here?”
Rosette took a deep breath and declared.
“I’ll go.”
“Huh?”
“I’ll go with you, Your Grace.”
So, I’ll change the fate of the Adrian family.
Rosette swallowed the rest of her words.
