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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: Impulsive Behavior (2)
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She hadn't descended into a full-blown panic, but she was still in turmoil. Her body trembled against her will.
“Rose?”
Rosette asked, feigning composure.
“Why the Prince?”
But she couldn't hide the tremor in her voice.
“It seems you'll have to greet His Highness the Prince as well.”
Rosette flinched.
*I have to meet him?*
After coming to the Duchy of Adrian, Rosette had considered that she might one day meet Joshua. After all, she had seen him even as ‘Rosette Dallas,’ when she had no social life to speak of.
But she had never thought it would be so soon, or so suddenly.
She was the only person who knew she had turned back time. She was the only one who remembered the past.
The fact that she had killed Duke Adrian and seen Joshua's sorrowful tears had been undone.
Naturally, there was no way Joshua Ehrnhardt would remember the past either.
And yet, she was terrified. It felt as though the moment she met Joshua, he would lunge at her and strangle her. It was a different feeling from when she had met Duke Adrian or Daniel again.
“I…”
*Can I please not see the Prince? I’m scared. Please, Father.*
She wanted to beg him, but the words wouldn't come out.
As she stood there, trembling, Duke Adrian patted her back as if he understood.
“Yes, you aren't ready to meet His Highness yet. Rose, you just stay in your room. I will explain everything to His Highness.”
“…Is that okay?”
“Of course.”
Duke Adrian gave Rosette a light peck on the cheek before setting her down on the floor. Then he gave an order to Joanne.
“The other children will be having tea time with His Highness the Prince. Please prepare some refreshments for Rose as well.”
“I understand.”
“Well then, I’ll be going. Call me if anything happens.”
“Yes, Father.”
Rosette waved at the Duke’s back until the door closed. The moment it shut, she could no longer stand and collapsed to the floor.
***
“We greet His Highness the Prince.”
Isabelle and Lucas spoke in unison, showing their respects to the royal. Joshua, who had been slouching on the sofa watching them, frowned slightly.
“Why are there only two of you?”
“Pardon?”
Isabelle asked as she straightened up.
“Aren't there four children in the ducal family now?”
Lucas’s face brightened.
“Ah! Are you talking about the little one?”
“Lucas, lower your voice.”
After chiding him quietly, Isabelle asked again.
“Are you referring to Rose?”
“Yes. Rose, that was her name.”
“I will explain on her behalf, Your Highness.”
Duke Adrian stood up.
“Rose has not yet had her etiquette lessons. She has not learned the proper etiquette for addressing royalty and is thus in no state to have an audience with you.”
“I wouldn't mind if she lacked etiquette, you know.”
“That is merely the official reason. The child is not ready to meet new people outside of the manor’s residents. Mentally, I mean.”
“Is that something that requires mental preparation?”
The Duke smiled faintly.
“For some, it is an act that requires courage.”
“Hmm, courage, you say.”
“Besides, the little one was super nervous when she first met us, too!”
Lucas chimed in.
“Lucas, you must be polite in front of His Highness.”
Isabelle scolded him, but Joshua didn't seem particularly displeased. If anything, he leaned toward Lucas with interest.
“Is that so? What was she like?”
Lucas glanced at the Duke, who gave a slight nod. Lucas then approached Joshua.
“The little one, I mean, Rose, is very shy.”
“Hmm?”
“So, I hope Your Highness can be a little understanding.”
Joshua let out a soft chuckle.
“It seems it’s not just Daniel; you all dote on that child. I'm curious what charm she possesses, but since both my master and Lucas say so, I will wait for the next opportunity.”
After that, the conversation in the drawing room shifted to other topics, but Joshua’s every thought was directed toward Rosette Adrian, who was somewhere in this mansion.
*I wonder how she managed to captivate the Adrians in just two months.*
One thing was clear, however: Rosette Adrian didn't seem to hold a grudge against the Adrian family.
*Is she a different person, or does she not remember the past? Or perhaps…*
…she's hiding her claws.
Joshua’s lips twisted into a smirk.
That was something he would find out in due time.
***
“Is it really going to be okay?”
Even after Duke Adrian had left, Rosette couldn't relax.
“What if Father gets into trouble because of me…?”
“It will be fine, Young Lady.”
Instead of helping Rosette into an outing dress, Joanne brought her a milk pudding. She placed the pudding dish and a dessert spoon in the child’s hands and smiled.
“The master is His Highness’s teacher, after all. And His Highness is very fond of him. If the master asks for his understanding, His Highness will surely grant it.”
*Is it really okay?* Unable to feel at ease even while nibbling on the milk pudding, Rosette took the opportunity when Joanne briefly left the room to summon Bbi-bbi.
[Bbi!]
Bbi-bbi happily rubbed its face against Rosette’s cheek. Rosette giggled, carefully cupping Bbi-bbi in her hands as she made a request.
“Bbi-bbi, go out and find the room where my brother Lucas is.”
[Bbi?]
“Listen carefully to what the people in that room are talking about and come back.”
[Bbi! Bbi-it!]
*How am I supposed to hear all that! Rosette, you fool!*
Bbi-bbi puffed up all its feathers in protest. Realizing her mistake, Rosette quickly added.
“I don’t mean listen to everything. Just see if they’re talking about me.”
[Bbi!]
*If it’s just that, I can do it. Leave it to me!*
With a confident boast, Bbi-bbi fluttered out the open window.
Rosette quickly shouted after Bbi-bbi’s disappearing tail feathers.
“Don’t let anyone see you! Absolutely not! Got it?”
[Bbi-it!]
Only after Bbi-bbi was completely gone did Rosette return to her milk pudding. The sweetness melting in her mouth was so delightful that she scraped the dish clean.
Some time passed.
[Bbi!]
Having finished its reconnaissance, Bbi-bbi returned. When Rosette held out her finger, Bbi-bbi flapped its wings vigorously and landed on her index finger.
“So, Bbi-bbi. You came back without getting caught, right?”
[Bbi!]
“What is everyone doing?”
[Bbi-i-it!]
“I see. So that’s what happened.”
Only after hearing from Bbi-bbi—*Everyone’s eating snacks and having fun! It didn’t seem like they were looking for you!*—could Rosette finally relax.
“What a relief.”
[Bbi-bbi-bbit!]
Bbi-bbi pecked at the back of the relieved Rosette’s hand with its beak. Rosette broke a biscuit Joanne had brought and scattered the crumbs on the table.
Rosette smiled fondly as she watched Bbi-bbi diligently pecking at the biscuit crumbs.
And so, Rosette ended her day, completely unaware that Joshua had come specifically to see her.
***
Three months had already passed since she came to the Adrian estate.
Rosette finally began her lessons in earnest.
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Young Lady. My name is Jane Noire.”
Countess Noire, who was in charge of Rosette’s overall education, had brown hair and green eyes.
And also.
*Jane?*
At the sound of the familiar name, Rosette’s eyes widened. Countess Noire smiled and asked.
“Is something the matter?”
“My favorite sister’s name is Jane, too.”
“Oh, my. What a lovely coincidence. Then perhaps I can become the second Jane to befriend you, Young Lady?”
Rosette blushed slightly at the Countess’s warm demeanor.
“Yes.”
In truth, Rosette had been incredibly nervous before meeting Countess Noire. In the past, her teacher at the Dallas Marquisate had been strict and, more importantly, had disliked her.
—*Even if it's the Marquis's order, teaching a child like this… Hah, this is unacceptable.*
The memory of those sharp, menacing eyes was still vivid. She had been terribly worried that Countess Noire might dislike her too.
Even when Lucas, who had been taught by her, said, “Countess Noire is a really nice person!” her anxiety hadn't subsided.
But meeting her in person, Countess Noire truly was a good person.
*But I can’t let my guard down. If I don’t do well, she might get very angry.*
Rosette sat at the desk, refusing to relax.
“Now, today we will learn the alphabet.”
“Yes, Countess Noire.”
Countess Noire sat beside Rosette and slowly wrote out the alphabet in order. Rosette wiggled her fingers and copied the letters beneath them.
It was her first time writing with this body, so her handwriting was much sloppier than she expected.
*I have to do well…*
As she grew flustered, Countess Noire smiled brightly.
“You’ve written it wonderfully.”
“Really?”
“Yes. It’s usually difficult to even copy the alphabet at first, but you are doing very well.”
Rosette tapped her feet under the desk, a sign of her happiness.
*I want to do even better and get more praise.*
In the past, when Rosette went to the Dallas estate, the first thing she learned were the letters that formed the basis of magic lessons.
Under Marquis Dallas’s menacing pressure, she had been forced to memorize the entire alphabet in a single day. The Marquis had threatened not to give her food if she didn't.
Even after memorizing the alphabet, she couldn't relax. After that, Marquis Dallas personally made Rosette read to him every day, and if she misread a word, he would strike the back of her hand with a ruler.
In her early days at the Dallas Marquisate, the back of Rosette’s hands were always swollen. To avoid being hit, Rosette desperately studied with a dictionary every night.
Thanks to that brutal training, she learned to read faster than anyone else and could soon read difficult books with ease.
Marquis Dallas, seeing Rosette had prepared more than he had instructed, offered something akin to praise.
—*You are useful, after all. Just keep this up. Don't make me regret bringing you here.*
It was a stretch to call it a compliment, but Rosette had loved even those words. So she tried even harder.
*If I catch on quickly in my lessons, will Father praise me?*
With that thought, Rosette roughly formulated a plan.
She would pretend to be clueless today and then act like she had memorized everything in two days. It had worked in the past.
However, two days later, Rosette realized that had been a miscalculation.
“You’ve memorized it all?”
On the third day of lessons, Rosette’s teacher, Countess Noire, asked again in bewilderment.
The moment she had entered the study, Rosette had shot her hand up and declared, “I’ve memorized the whole alphabet!”
“Yes!”
“But how, in just two days…?”
She had personally taught the three Adrian siblings. Although they had learned to read at a younger age than Rosette, it had taken more than a week for the three of them to fully master the alphabet.
Lucas, in particular, had been slow to learn, as he often made excuses to skip lessons because he didn't want to study.
But in just two days?
*She must be exaggerating.*
Rosette had likely embellished her abilities to get praise. It was typical for a child her age.
Countess Noire smiled and praised her.
“Very good. Shall we try a spelling test, then?”
And during the subsequent test, she was genuinely astonished.
*She really has memorized it all, hasn't she?*
